"This was a very balanced smoke until the final third. It didn’t lose it completely, but the dark notes definitely took the spotlight in the end. I did enjoy the flavors throughout. Plenty of flavor shifts kept it interesting, which is good, because I got over an hour and a half out of a robusto. The smoke time alone is pretty impressive, and with the flavors, I feel quite satisfied. I would definitely smoke this again, probably even grab some for my stash. I have no idea what the price is, but unless it’s really steep, I’m inclined to say that you’ll be getting a lot of bang for your buck with this one." -Chris M. (Chris)
Pospiech Inc., the distribution company behind the Powstanie brand, has announced a new cigar: The Bangarang. While Powstanie is made at RoMa Craft Tabac, The Bangarang is made in collaboration with Espinosa Premium Cigars.
I'll preface this by admitting full well that I don't generally enjoy larger RG cigars, and typically smoke 46RG and below. That being said, this cigar blew my mind. I've always had fondness for the Neanderthal line, and with this cigar, I think Skip and Mike finally distilled their goal into the perfect package. It's squat and buff, in your face and unrelenting, and yet you keep wanting to come back for more. My total smoke time was 1 hour 55 minutes, but with a nubbing tool I could have squeezed another 10-15 minutes out of it; very impressive for such a short cigar. If you're a fan of strong cigars with a complex variety of flavors, regardless of vitola preference, I recommend you get your hands on one of these as soon as you can.
The saber Tooth is an extremely limited release of the Aquitaine EMH. Adding flair and flavor to the existing Aquitaine blend, is a thin barber-pole stripe of Ecuadorian Connecticut to the Habano Ligero wrapper. The Saber Tooth was made in a very small production run, with only 200 boxes and 50 bundles, each 24-count. With such a limited production and highly anticipated cigar, I count myself very fortunate that I was able to buy a box. The Aquitaine EMH Saber Tooth measures 5 x 56 and carries an MSRP of $10/cigar. As with all other RoMa Craft cigars, these cigars were rolled at Nica Sueño in Esteli, Nicaragua.
As we close out our series on Puro Sabor 2018, let's take a look at the events that made the week special. In all honesty, even the everyday lunches were special events. It seemed like every time we gathered for a meal, the organizers pulled out all the stops and made it a grand occasion instead of just another meal. One of my favorite things about all of these events was the reality of being able to sit down with people from all over the world, all walks of life, and all manner of experience in the cigar industry. We were all the same at these events. It was just an enormous group of friends gathering for a meal, some drinks, and great conversation.
"Let me start off by referring to my statement about being glad I had a good meal beforehand. This couldn't have been any more true here, as this cigar really builds up and leaves it all on the table. Definitely not a cigar for the faint of heart, but a very rewarding cigar nonetheless. You can't go wrong with notes like charred meats and red pepper, and then coffee and chocolate. I'd have no problem smoking this again, but would save it for a time I could really enjoy its nuances. I paired it with water to ensure I could pick up all the notes, but could easily recommend pairing it with a solid pour of bourbon to really ratchet up the chocolate note. " -Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
"There are times that you have a cigar and don't want it to end. This is one such time. An incredible cigar that gave me intense spice behind a creamy espresso profile. I love the size, the profile, and will definitely be looking to pick more of these up for my personal collection." -Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Three years ago, RoMa Craft Tobac and Cigar Dojo collaborated for the original Whiskey Rebellion. This cigar came in one size, a robusto, and was limited to 6,000 cigars and sold exclusively through Famous Smoke Shop. It sold out in one hour. It was later expanded in vitolas and released as a regular production cigar through Famous. Now, the two companies are releasing a sequel: Whiskey Rebellion 1794 Pennsatucky.
Very easy light and go. Just sit back and take this cigar in. This cigar will fall under every cigar smokers realm. Grab these by the boxes and bring them out for special occasions with a nice cocktail. This cigar will not disappoint." -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
In my most recent trip to Nicaragua I was fortunate to attend Puro Sabor 2018. Puro Sabor is a celebration of the Nicaraguan cigar industry and the people who make it so wonderful. I had previously been to Nicaragua once before, in the fall of 2015, and I was so grateful to be able to go back again. Since there's so much to cover about this trip I'll break it into a series of different articles each covering different aspects of the trip itself. One theme that I hope you'll notice in all of these articles is the people. The people are the most important aspect of every piece of the cigar industry in Nicaragua. Nothing is more important to the industry than its people and it's the relationships that make the cigar industry in Nicaragua so beautiful and so wonderful.