Cigar Info
Codio Cigars was a new company to the PCA trade show last year. They were presenting three new releases, one of which was “The Clock.” This cigar was, according to the company, the best seller at the trade show, and that might have something to do with the fact that is claims to have Cuban tobacco in the filler. We are not positive as to the legality of selling this in the states, so take that with a grain of salt. As far as we can tell, the only place to buy Codio cigars is on their own website, which is currently password protected. These samples were given to us at the show.
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.
The rest of the blend uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Dominican binder, and fillers from Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, U.S.A. (Pennsylvania), and yes Cuba. It comes in just one size, a 6 x 56 toro, and boxes of 20. Each cigar has an MSRP of $14.00. It officially went for sale in September of 2022, a few months after the show.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 56
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 4 – Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Price: $13.99
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: September 2022
Contributed by: Codio Cigars
Initial Impressions – Codio The Clock
Appearance: 89
“This cigar looks fabulous. The dark brown wrapper is smooth and oily with nearly invisible seams. It is rolled tightly and finished with a thin double cap.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Aroma: 88
“Most of the cigar has a strong cedar smell; however getting to the cap there is a strong mushroom smell.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
First Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“After putting fire to the foot the initial notes are dry umami on the center of the palate. This is in stark contrast to the pre-light flavor profile. After about an inch there is a shift in profile. It has me thinking about cinnamon red hot hard candy. By the end of the third, the smoke on the palate is matching the pre-light notes. The retrohale has light floral notes that are very pleasant. The mouthfeel is medium and the finish is medium to long in length.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“Clipped the cap off and it almost immediately began to unravel. Ugh. Toasted the foot and away we go. Lots of salted nuts, dry tobacco, some white pepper, and really not much else. Very mild to medium in body. The draw is far too open and it makes me slow down so it doesn’t get too hot. Not a good start.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Second Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Continues to be a smoke bomb of a cigar. The dark smokey flavors of molasses and hickory have decreased and now notes of coffee and cocoa have developed Retrohale has increased to a more intense black pepper with light musty flavor.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
“There is not much change in the cigar moving into the middle part. Strength, body, and complexity are still very mellow and the flavors, for the most part, remain unchanged. Late in the middle portion a charred wood/campfire note appears and sits on the finish, but not much else changes.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Final Third
Flavor: 85
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Getting into the final third, the cigar creeps into the medium range in strength. Body and complexity are there as well, more body than complexity, as flavorwise, the cigar is fairly linear. Graham cracker, cedar, cocoa, medium roast coffee, and leather are all there. The retrohale has anise, white pepper, and citrus to it. Burn and draw have continued to perform all the way through.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The final third introduces a citrus component into the mix. All of the flavors are working well together. It keeps making me think of the old chocolate orange candies. The retrohale dances between the freshly shaved chocolate and floral notes throughout the whole third. The mouthfeel closes out as full while the finish has become long and flavorful with cinnamon tingling the tip of the tongue long after the smoke is gone.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Overall Impressions – Codio The Clock
Draw: 95
“Right on par draw with this one. I could bring the perfect amount of air through this cigar to get a lot of complex flavors.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Burn: 89
“The burn on this cigar was exceptional. The burn line is thin as a razor blade and even from start to finish. It never needed a touch-up.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Construction: 92
“Overall well made cigar with good straight burn with no touch-ups. However the cigar smoked pretty fast the gauge of the cigar I thought.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 88
“From start to finish this cigar billows out a ton of smoke. Great complex dark flavors. Starts strong smokey molasses and hickory. Then middle and end notes of coffee and cocoa come in to develop some complex darker flavors. Retrohale started light black pepper and musty flavor with it converting to the end more intense black pepper and no musty flavor.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
“Sadly this was a huge disappointment. The numerous construction issues took away any decent experience I would have had with this cigar. Muted flavors, open draw, unraveling wrapper, and just overall a big letdown. I hope it was just a dud in the box. I usually don’t write off cigars after one try, but I probably would with this cigar.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“This is one of the best cigars I have smoked in this short year. It has it all. It is a flavor bomb from start to finish. There are great transitions and all of the components work incredibly well together. In my eyes, this cigar is box worthy and I, for one, will be picking one as soon as I know what it is.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“This cigar performed well, but the flavor profile was a little muted and not really anything spectacular. It was not bad, it was just not memorable. Definitely, a cigar that can be enjoyed at any time of the day and could be handed to novice smokers without fear, and even experienced smokers can enjoy it.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 96
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Chad M. | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 93 | 88 | 88 | 90 |
| Kevin J. | 83 | 87 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 75 | 83 | 75 | 80 |
| Estevan Z. | 95 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Kevin A. | 90 | 87 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 85 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.