Cattle Baron Cigars started in 2016 as a collaboration between Phil Zanghi, of Debonaire House, and Bryan Mussard, a cattle producer from Dillon, Montana. The brand they created together was called Cattle Baron Cigars. Danny Sinclair, a rancher and cigar smoker introduced the two.
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.
Cattle Baron Cigars originally came in one blend with five sizes. Last year, they introduced a new maduro version, but this review is for the original blend in the Trail Boss size. The blend uses a Nicaraguan habano wrapper with Dominican binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The five vitolas are: Little Doggie (4 x36), Cowboy (4 1/2 x 44, $6.25), Stockyard (5 x 52, $6.75), Bull (4 1/2 x 58, $7.25) and Trail Boss (6 x 54, $7.75). All sizes are regular production and come in boxes of 20. They are are rolled in the De Los Reyes factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro Length: 6″ Ring Gauge: 54 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Binder: Dominican Republic Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan Factory: De Los Reyes Blender: Philip Zanghi Number of reviewers: 5 – Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Mickey T. (irratebass) John A. (Bostoneo) James H. (Keikan Jim) Doug S. (Unpossible_1) Price: $7.75 Age: 8 Months Release Date: July 2016 Contributed by: Cattle Baron Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 88
“Nice looking toro-sized cigar. Mostly veins are visible on the wrapper.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Aroma: 91
“On the nose, scents of spice, gingerbread and leather intertwine to create a delightful snuff. On a slightly firm cold draw, leather and baking spices dominate, making themselves well known.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Flavor: 87 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Jalapeno spice and very sweet cream. Very sweet and very spicy. The cigar doesn’t leave your palate very clean after a draw some very icky after taste. Earth begins to overpower the sweetness and the jalapeno spice is still kicking nearing the end of first third.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Cold draw gave me cinnamon laced almonds. Mild to medium to start out. Getting hints of coffee, wood, some cinnamon and quite a bit of cream on the finish.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Second Third
Flavor: 86 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Cigar is light medium in strength. Cane sugar is morphing into something a lot less sweet a light honey maybe. Earth is still a hard hitter and becoming more rich. The second third is probably the sweet spot in this cigar.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Salted peanut shells are the dominate flavor coming into the second third. Halfway through a change in pace occurs with a medium woodsy like taste, like fresh sawdust being planned off an aromatic fresh cut log. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Final Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Earth and light honey is the profile for the remaining 1/3. Burn performed very well.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Once again had the same flavors…….again not a a bad thing, but the cigar did get rather harsh, and I had to pitch it with about an inch and a half to go. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“No issues with draw and a v-cut.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Burn: 93
“The burn line had periods of razor sharpness and periods where there was a slight wave. At no point was I even thinking of a touch up. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Construction: 88
“Very good construction, Plenty of ash and smoke.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 86
“Was a very nice cigar can’t quite give it a box worthy cigar but definitely worth a shot.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“This cigar was good. Wasn’t mind blowing. It had plenty of wood, cinnamon, cream and some white pepper. The flavors were consistent all the way through, however at the final inch it did become harsh and I had to pitch it. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Spicy, peppery and medium to heavy incensed wood flavors were the flavors going on for the entirety of this ok stick. Overall, i didn’t find it too appealing in the beginning due to the intensity of the astringent flavors of char and black pepper, but if you stick through that 10 minute duration, you will be rewarded with a much more pleasant experience, but never reaches a good state, in my opinion. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“The size of this cigar was larger than I normally smoke. That being said, it was a comfortable in the mouth with the head of the cigar having just the right amount of give to allow me to slightly bite down and hold it in the mouth. The flavors were right up my wheelhouse with the sweet spice and floral qualities it possessed. This cigar could be paired with just about anything and be spot on. Smoking time was shorter than I would have expected due to its size. This was a probably due to the fact that I didn’t want to sit it down. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Honey and leather to start and then it was downhill from there. After finishing it, I was trying to figure out a why to explain what I thought. The only thing that comes to mind is sweet and sour chicken. That bitterness really played havoc with the sweet flavors the same way sweet and sour sauce does. Some people might enjoy this combo, as I do with my food. But definitely not a profile I’d want in my cigars. Tragic. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 79
Reviewer
Apr
Aro
1/3
2/3
3/3
Draw
Burn
Const
Ovr
All
Ryan H.
85
92
87
87
90
90
93
88
90
Mickey T.
90
88
87
87
87
88
88
90
87
John A.
85
90
78
85
85
95
95
90
83
James H.
95
95
95
95
95
97
97
95
95
Doug S.
90
83
85
83
80
90
85
85
83
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
"This cigar was good. Wasn't mindblowing. It had plenty of wood, cinnamon, cream and some white pepper. The flavors were consistent all the way through, however at the final inch it did become harsh and I had to pitch it. " -Mickey T. (irratebass)
