Cigar Info
The Kristoff Cameroon was first shown off at IPCPR 2015 in New Orleans. The blend uses an African Cameroon wrapper aged 7 years, Dominican Habano Seed binder, and Nicaraguan Habano Seed and Dominican Habano Seed fillers. It comes in three sizes: Matador 6.5 x 56, Robusto 5.5 x 54, and Churchill 7 x 50. All the cigars come in boxes of 20 in a bed of loose cigar leaf.
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.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: Charles Fairmorn Factory
Blender: Glen Case
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Matt Cade (CadeTNCC) Vance T. (Vance) James H. (Keikan Jim)
Price: $9.58
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: 2015
Contributed by: Kristoff Cigars
Initial Impressions – Kristoff Cameroon Robusto
Appearance: 93
“Excellent looking cigar. No blemishes or faults seen on the coffee-colored wrapper.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Aroma: 92
“This is an amazing-smelling cigar. Sweet cocoa and spices bound off the surface! I can’t wait to cut and light this one.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“I twist the pigtail cap off and it seems as though there’s ample airflow on the draw so any more cutting off the cap is unnecessary at this point. I sense that chewy rich sweetness on the cold draw. First up there’s light woodsiness and mineral immediately on the retrohale and a bolder oak note is front and center on the draw. While the retrohale doesn’t change, a faint French roast coffee joins the oak as the smoking experience continues and those flavors work nicely together.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
“The cigar starts off with a fair amount of black cherry, with quite a bit of bitterness, white pepper with an oaky, woodsy finish. The retrohale has some cabinet spice, a little bit of floral, and the same cherry notes. Interestingly, cherry note actually intensifies at about the one-inch point, but the bitterness fades, taking on a slightly sweeter profile. Bitterness is still at the forefront of the profile early on in this cigar, especially with the oak notes just sitting on the tongue after a retrohale. Burn at this point is very solid as well, with just the slightest wave to the burn line. The draw is very good, and smoke output is fairly substantial.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“This is one tasty, ugly, pain in the ass! The flavors evolved nicely throughout the first third but the burn was and is a major problem. Now, in addition to the smoke bleed, we’ve got a crack, some unraveling, and a nightmarish burn line. Every so often the peppermint I picked up on the cold draw will return in the retro but without nearly the prominence. Instead, the red hot candy persists, now coupled with notes of butter and black coffee.” –Vance T. (Vance)
“The coffee presence on the draw increases dramatically early in the second third and it’s now an equal to that oak note that’s been there from the first puff. The retrohale is unchanged with the woodsy flavors and mineral still coming through clear and defined. Construction has been very good overall, the ash does get a bit flakey so be sure to tap it off on the regular. Also, I did take an additional slice off the cap with my cutter and it improved the draw to almost perfect airflow. Sometimes twisting the pigtail off does the trick, other times the cigar can benefit from a wee little bit of help. That “wee” was a pig joke… remember the pigtail cap… wee wee all the way home… just forget it…” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Final Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Somewhat out of the ordinary, at least in my experience, the cigar mellows out and settles in during the final 2 1/2″ or so. Bitterness is completely gone, and there is a chocolatey creamy sweetness coating the tongue at this point. Retrohale is still cabinet spice, with floral on the finish. The cigar finishes like this, very sweet and creamy.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“By about the halfway point the smoke-bleed had finally resolved itself. The broken wrapper continues to unravel as I go but it’s no longer impacting the smoking experience. The buttercream note is coming through much more prominently in the final third along with cinnamon and red pepper.” –Vance T. (Vance)
Overall Impressions – Kristoff Cameroon Robusto
Draw: 93
“The draw on this cigar has been wide open from the start with little to no resistance. I would personally prefer a little resistance.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Burn: 91
“While the ash is a bit weak and flaky, if you keep an eye on it and tap it off often your lap will thank you. The burn line, however, was relatively straight and non problematic.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Construction: 89
“The wrap on this cigar was attractive and was firm to the touch. Once lit it softened slightly but was still acceptable. Overall, the construction was good but not great.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 89
“Great cigar from beginning to end. A nice dessert-tasting cigar. Hints of chocolate and cherry beginning about halfway and sticking around until the end. Other notes that come through are malt, jalapeno, and peanut. Great addition to the humidor.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“The final third saved this one for me. I am always out for a cigar that improves as it goes, and this one definitely did. The bitterness that was present for most of the smoking experience was a little over the top for my palate, but it developed nicely. Had the cigar started how it finished and developed from there, it would be an all-star for sure.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The plethora of woodsy notes in this cigar with the addition of the pronounced mineral component reminded me of several Cuban maduros that I’ve smoked over the years. It’s an enjoyable smoking experience, I especially appreciated the spike in strength in the final third which kept the finale from being boring. I hate boring cigars and this one passed the boring test.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
“My overall rating may surprise some considering the physical performance of the cigar, but I give this a solid B+ because, despite the burn issues (which can easily be anomalous), the flavors were great throughout. This particular stick could have done some serious damage to my favorite shirt if I’d not been careful, but I’d try it again in a heartbeat on profile alone.” –Vance T. (Vance)
“This rating could have been better if the smoke output in the first and second third mirrored the final third which was the shining point of this cigar.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 106
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Sean F. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 100 | 95 | 100 | 95 |
| Kevin A. | 90 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 88 |
| Matt Cade | 95 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 90 |
| Vance T. | 88 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 78 | 80 | 78 | 92 |
| James H. | 93 | 95 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.