Vital Stats:
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.
Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabricas Unidas
Blender: Christian Eiroa
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Dave (mdwest) Ron (shuckins) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Aaron (aaron72) James (dscl)
Price: $8.00
Age: 2 Months Rest
Release Date: July 2013
Contributed by: CLE Cigars (Fabricas Unidas)
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 94
“This cigar immediately catches the eye…it has a very unique shape and a shaggy foot. Shaggy feet always fascinate me a bit…I’m weird, I know! There are several veins showing in the wrapper, and it has been rolled with visible seams. It has a nicely applied cap, though, and is heavy in my hand…both rustic and unusual…I like it!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 91
“A very sweet, almost floral aroma from the wrapper and a bit of raisin from the foot.” –Aaron (aaron72)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Harsh and bitter, with a little heat on light up, which I blame on the shag foot. Not a big fan of the shag foot, don’t understand the concept and usually cut them off before lighting the cigar, but didn’t this time because it’s a review. Now, once I got past the shag foot, coffee with a light leather and peppery wood tasting tobacco was there for me to enjoy.” –Ron (shuckins)
“This cigar started off with a blast of pepper that quickly transitioned into a caramel sweetness. The pepper only lasted for a few puffs and was replaced with an oily sweetness that covered my mouth and lasted from puff to puff. I really am enjoying the sweetness in the first third.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The pepper and spice from the first third is starting to mellow out a bit, allowing the chocolate notes to become more pronounced which is nice. The wrapper is starting to become an issue though and has begun to fall apart. Ill have to be gentile for the rest of the smoke in order to save it. Coffee and an unidentified sweetness (maybe cocoa?) have started to weave themselves in as well.” –Dave (mdwest)
“The light gritty cocoa is continuing with a slight graham cracker taste. I get a slight floral note on the retrohale. The smoke is becoming a bit more creamy. The draw has tightened up a bit, but with a little pressure on the opening the draw opens up.” –Aaron (aaron72)
Final Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Finished much better than it started, with a better burn, less heat and more coffee with leather flavor coming through. The peppery wood taste also faded a bit towards the end, giving the cigar a nice smooth finish.” –Ron (shuckins)
“The strength picked up nicely in the final third, but the flavor muted a bit as well. Except for a peppery finish especially on the retrohale.” –James (dscl)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“A nice even draw from start to finish. No complaints at all.” –Dave (mdwest)
Burn: 90
“Burn was a bit wavy, but always leveled itself out without the need for any touchups.” –James (dscl)
Construction: 91
“Once the slight plug was burned through, this cigar performed admirably. It ashed one time only, and burned nice, straight, and slow.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 90
“Very nice flavors and plenty of complexity to keep you interested from start to finish. Overall, I enjoyed this cigar and would be happy to purchase a few more and give them another try down the road.” –Dave (mdwest)
“I enjoyed the second half better than the first. I would like to smoke another one, but would cut the shag foot off to give it a better chance to burn right.” –Ron (shuckins)
“This was a nice, sweet smoke. Performance was great and flavors were enjoyable. I would have loved to have a few more flavors, but I’m just being greedy! If not for the harshness at the end this would have been a home run.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“This cigar had some unique flavors and quite a few transitions. I’m very interested to find out what this is as it is definitely something I would reach for on occasion to enjoy this unique experience.” –Aaron (aaron72)
“Not extremely complex, but the smoke overall was very pleasant and would I would absolutely smoke this again.” –James (dscl)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 73
Total Score: 91 (Very Good)
| Reviewer | Appea-rance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave | 88 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 93 | 85 | 88 | 90 |
| Ron | 93 | 90 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 83 | 90 | 88 |
| Jason | 95 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 88 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 |
| Aaron | 95 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 92 | 90 |
| James | 97 | 85 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 95 |
| Overall | 94 | 91 | 89 | 91 | 88 | 94 | 90 | 91 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.