Cigar Info
A few weeks before the PCA trade show of 2021, ACE Prime announced cigar that would be exclusive to the attendees, “The Sergeant.” This new cigar only comes in one size, a 5 x 58 double robusto and is “dedicated to the heroes who fight in anonymity, the ones who self sacrifice out of deep-rooted honor, regardless of recognition or acclaim.”
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.
Luciano Meirelles worked with Eradio Pichrardo on the blend which includes an Ecuadorian Rosado Corojo 99 wrapper, double USA Connecticut binder, and ligeros from Esteli and visos from Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo. It comes in boxes of 20. The inspiration for the cigar and the name of the cigar came from the life of a friend of Luciano, US Marine Corp Sgt. Brian Acevedo. “Brian is the living example of what is to put the lives of others before your own, he has encountered peril many times and stood his ground. This cigar honors every man and woman who bravely committed to unconditional altruism.”
The press release included a motto for The Sergeant: “….is the one who sees a fellow friend in danger and does not hesitate to save them….is The brave soul who fights for those who don’t see their sacrifice, for those who may never know their name. The Sergeant is humanity at its best!
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Double Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 58
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua, U.S.A
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo
Blender: Luciano Meirelles, Eradio Pichardo
Number of reviewers: 5 – Kevin J. (maninblack77) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Isaac M. (The Nothing) John I. (John I.) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: $10.50
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2021
Contributed by: ACE Prime
Initial Impressions – ACE Prime The Sergeant
Appearance: 90
“Big ring robusto. Very dark wrapper. Some blotchy mottling and a few prominent veins. A dull gloss is evident.” –John I. (John I.)
Aroma: 93
“Some lovely cocoa and chocolate aromas from the wrapper and the foot as well as some leather notes. Really not much else to speak of. Let’s get this started!” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“After toasting the foot, we are off and running. The first third is definitely not mind-blowing as far as flavors go. Some very mild milk chocolate and leather notes but they are heavily muted. The retro brings them out better but still, not much going on so far. This seems to be an issue I have with larger cigars. Fingers crossed that things pick up as we go along.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“The cigar opens with a bunch of woody and acrid notes making me think of a grapefruit that has been grilled on a cedar plank. This stays around for the whole third. The retrohale has a solid pepper forward feel. It is not overbearing and disappears quickly. Not at all what I expected from this cigar” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Second Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second portion of this cigar has the cocoa ramping up a bit as well as the pepper spice. The almond creaminess has faded but the increased strength is really welcome. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Flavors really fall off on the second third. There’s plenty of body and you can feel the smoke, but the flavors are really down and out. There’s a bit of plywood taste along with some muddy earth notes at the end.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Final Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“As we enter the final third the cigar starts firing on all cylinders. The sweetness from the last third is joined by a
wintergreen essence and an earthy character. The retohale has notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. There is a doughiness in the finish too. All of this makes me think of a weird sort of cookie. It definitely engages the palate in a way that I have never experienced while smoking a cigar. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“The final portion of this cigar has the cocoa leaving entirely. As a result, the smoke is sort of empty and mainly slightly woody and peppery Unfortunately this change leaves the smoke wanting more and is not the best change for me. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions – ACE Prime The Sergeant
Draw: 88
“The draw was loose. This cause there to be an abundance of smoke but also caused it to burn the tobacco at uneven rates.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Burn: 87
“Pretty meh. Felt underfilled and spongey. The burn was pretty consistently sloppy, fast-burning and hot. ” –John I. (John I.)
Construction: 90
“At times this cigar performed really well but at others moments it would need help. All in all, the construction was okay at best. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Overall Strength: Mild-Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 87
“I don’t want to take away the positive experience some may have with girthy cigars, but I’ve never had much luck with them. This was no exception. Flavors were muted, the draw was too open at times and it had a hard time keeping my interest. Very tame and boring. This is definitely not a cigar I’d revisit. Unless it was a smaller ring gauge. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“This was an interesting smoking experience. On uniqueness, it would rate highly but I’m not sure what the overall objective of the blender was. Removing the first third from the smoking experience and I would have rated it higher. That being said I am happy to have experienced this cigar but find it hard to say that it is a must smoke. It would be perfect as an early morning cigar due to its strength levels but I’m not sure how the overall profile would pair with anything. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“This cigar is meant to be smoked. Allowing it to sit for long causes the flavors to dissipate. Keep it hot and it will deliver. And that is where the problem comes. You have to keep on this cigar to keep the flavors rolling. I think if I had kept on this cigar, puffing at much faster than my normal rate, not only would I have found more enjoyable flavors, it would have also significantly shortened its already fast smoking time. While I quite enjoyed the first third, the rest of this cigar just couldn’t satisfy. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Pretty disappointing. Lots of construction issues that I have found all too often in big ring cigars. Bad burn, sponginess, and a really wonky draw. Seemed like there was a core of good flavors here with some evident sweetness and leather. Can’t wait till the cigar buying market swings back to smaller format cigars. So much big ring crap out there now. ” –John I. (John I.)
“This was a decent cigar for the most part but was lacking in complexity for me. I can see this as a fair morning cigar but other than that it just needs more to keep me interested. Based on its simplicity I’d not pursue this as a regular part of my rotation. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 77
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Kevin J. | 92 | 93 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 83 |
| Estevan Z. | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 87 | 90 | 90 |
| Isaac M. | 90 | 95 | 90 | 87 | 87 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 87 |
| John I. | 90 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 85 | 80 | 80 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 90 | 85 | 90 | 87 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.