Cigar Info
Earlier this year, Espinosa Premium Cigars teased, then eventually officially announced a collaboration with celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Knuckle Sandwich. The brand name Guy’s personal brand that he only puts on his personal projects that he is most passionate about. The cigar is available in two blends, Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Maduro and Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano. Guy worked with Erik Espinosa and Hector Alfonso Sr. for over 18 blending the cigar before it was officially revealed. announcing it. Both versions are regular production.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The Maduro and Habano blends come in the same sizes, but the maduro versions cost a little more. The Corona Gorda R measures 5⅝ x 46 and sells for $11.50 (Habano) and $11.95 (Maduro). Robusto J measures 5 x 52 and sells for $12.50 (Habano) and $12.95 (Maduro). And Toro H measures 6 x 54 and sells for – $13.50 (Habano) $13.95 (Maduro). All come in 20-count boxes and are manufactured at A.J. Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: San Lotano AJ Fernandez
Blender: Erik Espinosa, Hector Alfonso Sr., & Guy Fieri
Number of reviewers: 5 – Chris M. (Chris) Angel M. (Angel) Jai P. (Jai) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Randy B. (randobush)
Price: $13.50
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: February 2022
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions – Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano Toro H
Appearance: 93
“The wrapper is a chocolaty medium brown with a nice, oily sheen. A very even roll with, minimal veins and no lumpiness. Only a little uneven at the cap.” –Chris M. (Chris)
Aroma: 90
“Mild earthy tobacco smell from the wrapper. The foot has a much more pronounced tobacco smell with a good amount of cedar coming through which is very pleasant.” –Angel M. (Angel)
First Third
Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Began with smooth oak notes and began to transition to a hint of clover spice.” –Jai P. (Jai)
“First third is starting out with some black pepper, little harshness and lightly sweet tobacco, the pepper lingers till the next draw. Feels a little dry in the mouth, I’m actually struggling to pick up flavors so far. Towards the end of the first third, a crack opened up in the wrapper right in the middle of the cigar. Ending the first third the peppers are mostly gone, just a slight tingle on the tongue but very faint mostly light sweet tobacco flavor with a bit of harshness and the crack in the wrapper continues to widen.” –Angel M. (Angel)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“More of a mocha than coffee currently. It’s right up there with the cedar and caramel. Still a moderate level of red and black pepper. Leather has taken to just above background, though it does linger a little more heavily on the finish. The midpoint knocks mocha back closer to a standard coffee.” –Chris M. (Chris)
“In the second third I start to get some leather with a touch of pepper and ginger.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The coffee and cedar still take the top, caramel with just a little dip in this third. There’s a hint of cream attached to the coffee. The pepper mix has picked up slightly, with a bit of raw cinnamon joining. Leather still floats just above the background.” –Chris M. (Chris)
“Pepper disappears and paprika, citrus, stone fruit, and cedar take the stage. The stone fruit and paprika settle in through the finish, and the retrohale is now fairly pleasant (actually a joy), with some baking spice. Construction could not be better, and the strength is still rockin’. Strong paprika now with now white pepper on the tongue through the finish.” –Randy B. (randobush)”
Overall Impressions – Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano Toro H
Draw: 88
“The draw was a little on the loose side. Still produced solid mouthfuls of smoke.” –Chris M. (Chris)
Burn: 92
“The burn started off very good, it wasn’t until it met up with the crack in the wrapper, which is when things went sideways. I imagine if not for the cracks in the wrapper the burn would have remained razor-sharp throughout the cigar considering once I got past the crack everything straightened up again. if not for the cracks deterring the burn I would have rated the burn higher.” –Angel M. (Angel)
Construction: 88
“A loose roll contributed to a loose draw that made the cigar burn a bit hot.” –Jai P. (Jai)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 88
“Bold and well balanced. There were some nice shifts, and enough complexity to keep it interesting through the end. I could easily smoke this again, though I would go for a little more food in the stomach, as it was fairly strong by the end.” –Chris M. (Chris)
“Overall, this cigar was pretty one-dimensional for me. Started off slightly peppery which faded fairly quickly leaving pretty much straight tobacco slightly sweet (emphasis on slightly) with a harsh aftertaste. The burn was good until it came into contact with the cracks in the wrapper, the cracks in the wrapper continued to open from the second to the last third. Definite nicotine buzz for me, but nothing too significant. I wouldn’t say this was a bad cigar just not my forte and will probably not make it into the rotation. Ended up with cottonmouth and definitely needed a few bottles of water after this one.” –Angel M. (Angel)
“With a tighter roll, this smoke would have been spectacular. There were good, distinct, flavors that were negated by poor construction.” –Jai P. (Jai)
“Good flavor profile and strength, it was good up until the final third when it got harsh.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“I liked this cigar. Its profound flavor profile, and strength, almost challenges you to not like it, but it’s impossible. The transitions were distinguishable and flowed well. The finish was outstanding between draws. It was kind of a powerhouse cigar in performance and in your face flavor.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 64
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Chris M. | 95 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 88 | 92 | 90 | 90 |
| Angel M. | 85 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 85 |
| Jai P. | 90 | 88 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 85 | 88 | 85 | 87 |
| Joseph S. | 90 | 85 | 90 | 90 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 87 |
| Randy B. | 95 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.