In April of 2019, Debonaire House & Indian Motorcycle announced a second blend in the Indian Motorcycle line, the Indian Motorcycle Connecticut Shade. At first is was a Canadian exclusive, then in June of that year was released worldwide.
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.
Indian Motorcycle Cigars made their debut back in as a partnership between Debonaire House & Indian Motorcycle / Polaris. Originally the cigars were distributed by Drew Estate then split in 2018. The new The new Indian Motorcycle Connecticut Shade cigars come in boxes of 20 and two sizes: Robusto – 5”x50, and Toro – 6”x52. This is a regular production cigar.
“The wrapper had a great golden hue to it, with seams that were fairly visible.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Aroma: 91
“There’s a super duper sweetness on my lips when pulling on the cold draw with the only discernible flavor note being a faint grassiness.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Indian Motorcycle | Connecticut Shade
Flavor: 93 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“I was immediately satisfied by the wonderful body of this cigar when it first touched flame. Flavors were of mixed nuts. There was a dry stone fruit thing going on that reminded me of perique. On the retrohale I picked out notes of alder and filberts. As the first third moved on there were flavors of dry multigrain toast. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Very mild taste of nuts, leather, and cedar with just a hint of pepper at the end. The retrohale has a much stronger level of pepper and some coffee to boot. The draw is good and smoke output is great. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
Blind Cigar Review: Indian Motorcycle | Connecticut Shade
“The butter note is akin to popcorn butter flavoring, not necessarily the creamy yellow goodness you spread on toast. Regardless, it’s highly enjoyable and meshing well with the cedar and light coffee on the draw. The mineral / pencil shavings sensation is now dominant on the retrohale with the woodsy flavors that were previously front and center now buried down deep. Construction has been perfect so far.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
“Getting towards the second part of this cigar, fig emerges and blends exceptionally well with the animal cracker sweetness, give a nice balance of fruit and grain, while the bitterness of the fig and sweetness of the cracker note elevate each other. Call it crazy, but this is reminiscent of eating a “Fig Newton” cookie fresh out of the package. The retrohale has more of the same, with just enough pepper to it to add a zing to it. Strength is still on the lighter side of medium and the body is upping its game, as this cigar is very flavor forward. Burn has remained steady throughout as has the draw.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Final Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
Blind Cigar Review: Indian Motorcycle | Connecticut Shade
“This stick ends with beautiful notes of dark chocolate and cedar. Interesting notes to say the least.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“The final third sees a somewhat surprising uptick in strength through both the nose and draw. It also sees a return of the oak on the retrohale (which melds beautifully with the mineral) and the cedar is back in full force on the palate (buttery cedar? I’ll take it!). This cigar has been a highly pleasant roller coaster ride.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 96
“The draw was about as close to perfect as it could be start to finish” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Burn: 94
“The burn was solid on this cigar from start to finish. The ash held strong though the first half of the cigar. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Construction: 91
“There’s a slight sponginess at the cap and body of the cigar. The seams were tight and the triple cap was well applied.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Strength: Mild-Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 94
“Nice morning smoke or first smoke of the day. I think unless you start with something very mild the flavors would mostly be lost. The flavors were nice and light but crisp. I found the draw to be a little loose but it certainly make the smoke output rich and creamy. If you like a mild cigar to start your day this is a great option. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Before lighting up a stogie I always say “please PLEASE don’t give me a boring cigar!” and this sucker is far from boring. It constantly keeps you on your toes with flavors coming and going and then coming around the bend again. I will be buying a box of whatever these are, it’s a damn impressive cigar. ” –Matt Cade (CADE)
“A nice mid afternoon or grilling smoke. Not a lot of complexity with this smoke. A nice way to pass the day away.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“This cigar was very good. The initial flavors blended together well to make for a pleasant, medium strength smoking experience. This is a cigar that I would reach for on a regular basis in the morning with a cup of french press coffee and cream. Experienced smokers might be turned off by the lack of strength, but it is my opinion that the flavor more than makes up for. That being said, newer smokers will have a new cigar to try without fear of being overwhelmed. ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“This cigar started off great, and I was finding myself getting excited about it. Unfortunately the cigar did not build off that first third, and slowly things died down. That first third, though, outstanding, and I might find myself smoking more of these to chase that first experience. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Blind Cigar Review: Indian Motorcycle | Connecticut Shade Robusto
Summary
"Before lighting up a stogie I always say “please PLEASE don’t give me a boring cigar!” and this sucker is far from boring. It constantly keeps you on your toes with flavors coming and going and then coming around the bend again. I will be buying a box of whatever these are, it’s a damn impressive cigar. " -Matt Cade (CADE)
