The Brick House | Connecticut Robusto is a unique cigar in that it’s blend uses a Connecticut shade and a broadleaf Connecticut binder. J.C. Newman claims this is the only cigar for sale at the moment that accomplishes this.
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.
This is the third regular production cigar in the Brick House line following the initial Brick House and Brick House Maduro. The cigars are made at J.C. Newman’s PENSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. There Brick House Connecticut comes in six sizes: Short Torpedo (5 1/2 x 52) — $6, Corona Largo (6 1/4 x 46) — $5.80, Robusto (5 x 54) — $6, Toro (6 x 52) — $6.30, Mighty Mighty (6 1/4 x 60) — $7, Churchill (7 1/4 x 50) — $6.80. All comes in boxes packed in 25,
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: PENSA
Blender: undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 – Isaac M.(The Nothing) Stefan (Stefan) Dave W. (mdwest) Alan(Eulogy) Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Price: $6.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: September 2017
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 88
“A nice looking light colored robusto with distinct seams and a nearly perfect triple cap. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Aroma: 88
“Smells of fresh wood chips that one might use alter a libation, and of suede leather.” –Stefan (Stefan)
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
“There’s really no nicotine punch at all making this a very mild experience. The flavors are very subtle. Mild white pepper just slightly coats the back of the throat while cedar and a hint of tobacco are at the front. The smoke output is excellent and would be perfect if the draw was just a bit tighter. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This cigar started off quite perfumey. It had a surprisingly full body, but had mild flavors of alder and perfum with a touch of white pepper. The retrohale held a spicy cedar note that was almost overwhelming.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
Second Third
Flavor: 85
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“There was an astringent soapy quality that became more apparent in the second third. The spice faded on the retro, making it mostly cedar and much easier on the sinuses. There was still a floral main note charging the way.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“The middle third is basically a carbon copy of the beginning of the cigar. More roasted nuts, cream and leather. No real changes to the flavor profile. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
Final Third
Flavor: 83
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“The soap quality went away in final third, and the cigar was still quite floral and perfumey. Cedar became more noticeable. Overall it was much as the rest of the cigar had been.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“The notes of cedar and tobacco are still at the core of this cigar. They’ve become a bit richer than the first two thirds. The sweet notes are a bit more often compared to the previous thirds and round out the cigar as a whole. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 84
“The draw was very good on this cigar with one exception. The smoke output seemed to be reduced from what I would expect. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Burn: 86
“Zero maintenance was required from beginning to end. The cigar burned straight and consistently the entire smoke. That said, I was amazed at how fast it burned. Despite trying to pace myself and keep puffs slow and to about one per minute, I reached the 1/2 mark on this cigar in about 20 minutes. I expected this to be an hour smoke or longer when I started. This didnt end up being the case. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Construction: 84
“It was a nice looking cigar that burned pretty well, so That counts well toward construction. The smoke output was not good so that counts against. There may have been some leaks in the binder. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 84
“In the end, I was glad to find the cover did not completely suggest what was inside. The cigar looked horrible, but the flavor wasn’t near as bad. I might have something like this as a yard ‘gar or any other time I wouldn’t be worried about something happening to it. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“A poorly rolled stogie that is so tarry it can’t be enjoyed beyond the first third.” –Stefan (Stefan)
“Overall this wasnt a bad smoke. It was uninspiring for me though and really didnt do anything that would make me interested in smoking it again. If the draw were better it might be of some interest to others that like floral flavor profiles. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
“Very nice mild cigar. The flavors were nothing out of the ordinary, but they were clean and the occasional sweetness helped bring some life to it. This would be a great morning cigar. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“It was just an underwhelming cigar overall. The first two thirds were boring, albeit passable, but the final third was sour and unpleasant. I will try this one again on the off chance it was an anomaly, but this sample was not very good. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
Overall Score – 85 – Fair
Blind Cigar Review: Brick House | Connecticut Robusto
Summary
"Overall this wasnt a bad smoke. It was uninspiring for me though and really didnt do anything that would make me interested in smoking it again. If the draw were better it might be of some interest to others that like floral flavor profiles. " -Dave W. (mdwest)
