Battleground Cigar is based out of Hazardville, CT and owned by Michael Tarnowicz. The company started in 2000 with the mission to be a boutique cigar company using the the beautiful history of Connecticut and U.S. History. The theme of every cigar they produce is wrapped around US Civil War History.
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.
Last year at IPCPR, they released a new cigar, General Longstreet. The name comes from James Longstreet, a Confederate general who came to be Robert E. Lee’s right hand man. He also a gave Lee the nickname “Old War Horse” which stuck around for his entire career. The cigar itself is a perfecto that uses a U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and filler from Dominican Republic and more undisclosed. It comes in one size, a 6 x 56 toro that sells for $10.40. It comes in boxes of 20 and shipped in July of last year.
“Cigar 1003 reminds me of the look of the chocolate that covers the Queen Anne’s Chocolate Covered Cherries. The wrapper has a shiny sheen & is very vascular with a seemless wrap. This cigar feels as solid as rock, no give at all from cap to foot.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Aroma: 90
“Smelling the body of this wrapper reminds me of a summer BBQ. Mesquite wood, charred meat and BBQ sauce. Smelling the foot adds barnyard, a copious amounts of dried fruit with a hint of black peppercorn. Taking a few cold draws I find more charred meat and a touch of raisin and a white pepper that tingles the tongue. Time to light her up.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Notes of coffee, espresso and chocolate ” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Deep dark cacao flavors greet you as you light this cigar. After about the first inch is settles down and the charred meat note becomes the main event on the palate. Pushing some of the smoke through nose you’ll find a pepper that lingers to creat a super long finish. As the third comes to a close, a note of umami enters the fold in the form of a Worcester sauce. All of these flavors are direct, easy to pick out, and complement each other well. A great open to this cigar.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“Coming into the 2nd, the oakiness is staying around which is enjoyable….but there is a surprise that showed up. About every 3rd draw I get a bright fresh mint hit & mixing with wood is refreshing. The ash is stacking like fresh warm crepes. Finishing the 2nd third warm hints coco have come to play on the palate.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“Second third was just as good as the first. Chocolate was still there. The floral notes went away but I started to get some licorice. Towards the back end of the second third as the smoke started to get hotter I felt the Chocolate turn more to a pretzel flavor. Good strong flavor but not as overpowering as I thought it might be from just the look of the cigar.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Flavor: 94 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“As we return to the smaller ring gauge of this cigar I find the cigar’s intensity building again. Bold black licorice overwhelms the palate reminding me of Robitussin DM. I am finally able to pinpoint the vegetal note as clean crisp celery. These flavors confuse me a bit cause they are a departure from the deep dark flavors of the first two thirds. Pepper has returned in the sinuses along with a nice floral note. With so much going on I am left a little perplexed on how I feel about this cigar. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“Again just fantastic! I thought I was mostly done with the chocolate but it came back. I started to get more herbs and floral notes again similar to the first third. The chocolate came back but the final third was defiantly more earthy flavor. It was a very nice ending.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 95
“Even know this cigar seem to be as hard as a rock, the draw was on point. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Burn: 94
“This is where this cigar shined. Perfect or near perfect for most of it. The only problem came from the makeshift patch on the wrapper. It would not burn and eventually fell off. No touchups needed.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Construction: 93
“The cap was a little sloppy & a little torn but other than it seemed pretty spot on with with how it burned & drew while being smoked” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“This smoke had a lot of the good maduro flavors that I go for, the coffee and chocolate. A very good smoke that I think would be good for after dinner relaxation with a cup of your favorite coffee. I would definitely smoke one of these again. ” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, you shouldn’t judge this cigar by it’s wrapper. Looking at this cigar and one might say words like ugly, rough looking, and poorly made but that is far from true. The burn, the favors, and performance of this cigar punch above it’s weight class. The extra tobacco in the center of this cigar caused it to lose the intensity and body that I loved in the first third. While the weird mishmash of flavors, in the final third, had me conflicted but in the end the cigar made me go and grab my nub tool and smoke it till I was burning my lips. This is a cigar that I would reach for again and again. If it had an option for a smaller ring gauge size and it would be a box buy. Well done!” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“Great smoke! Burn, draw and feel were great. Flavors were big without being overpowering. Chocolate and cream were the constant flavors throughout the cigar. When those would take a back seat some very nice floral notes would show up. the look and feel of the cigar was very rustic so it was nice to get some leather and hay at times. If you are looking for big flavors without overpowering you this is the cigar. ” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“If I could have cut off the 1st 3rd this cigar would have been mind blowing. The 1st 3rd made me question if my mouth was working since it was soooooo bland. The 2nd & 3rd really did make the cigar AMAZING. 1003 is a very slow burning cigar , so make sure you take time for it, so don’t freight train this smoke to just get through it. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Blind Cigar Review: Battleground | General Longstreet
Summary
"Just like you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, you shouldn't judge this cigar by it's wrapper. Looking at this cigar and one might say words like ugly, rough looking, and poorly made but that is far from true. The burn, the favors, and performance of this cigar punch above it's weight class. The extra tobacco in the center of this cigar caused it to lose the intensity and body that I loved in the first third. While the weird mishmash of flavors, in the final third, had me conflicted but in the end the cigar made me go and grab my nub tool and smoke it till I was burning my lips. This is a cigar that I would reach for again and again. If it had an option for a smaller ring gauge size and it would be a box buy. Well done!" -Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
