Cigar Info
Just before the PCA trade show this year, Warped Cigars announced their latest release: Sky Moon. The blend began as a personal blend for Warped owner Kyle Gellis and was only given to people at events from him personally. Now, this special blend is available in a single production limited run. The cigar comes in just one vitola, a 5.5 x 42 corona with a unique 109 cap. Gellis had the idea of making this special size years ago and had a small quantity of custom molds crafted allowing them to create this Corona 109 and give fans a vitola they hadn't seen for the brand before.
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 blend is described as a fusion of the Sky Flower and Moon Garden blends, thus the name Sky Moon. The blend uses a Jalapa Shade Grown Corojo '99 wrapper, with Nicaraguan Corojo '99 and Criollo '98 fillers with Jalapa Medio Tiempo. All the tobacco in the blend come from AGANORSA and the cigars are produced at the Aganorsa Leaf factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Only 500 cabinets of 50 were made and each cigar has an MSRP of $11.00.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Corona
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 42
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo '99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Agricola Ganadera Nortena S.A.
Blender: Kyle Gellis
Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Alan (Eulogy) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Quinn (quinnpins269) John A. (Bostoneo)
Price: $11.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2023
Contributed by: Warped Cigars
Initial Impressions – Warped Sky Moon
Appearance: 90
“Small little cigar that looks to have the 109 shape. Whatever happened to that shape? When I first started smoking cigars in 2011 the 109 was a very popular shape, but now you rarely hear about it… sad really, it's a very fun shape to me. The cigar has a medium-brown wrapper that appears to be quite toothy with plenty of both visible seams and veins.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Aroma: 89
“On the nose, leather, caramel, and malty notes fill the nostrils while a looser cold draw reveals flavors of a malty and wood like profile.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Right out of the gate, this cigar started with tons of pepper, especially through the nose. After settling a bit the pepper receded and left behind a burnt sugar and chicory profile that is different from anything I've had in quite a while.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The initial light reminds me of a Cuban mineral profile. The draw is a bit tight causing the burn to be pretty wavy. The smoke is a bit thin but the flavors are very bold with notes of baking spice, red pepper, tobacco, leather, and pencil lead. It is an interesting and pretty spicy start to the cigar.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Entering the second third with large clouds of peppery smoke, vanilla and oak notes begin a new transition into a medium-bodied flavor town. These flavors hold steady as this cigar continues to smoke like a champion with its undeniable boldness.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“Coming into the second third I noticed the smoke became a bit dryer with a bit of charred note. After a few more puffs the charred notes faded away. The peppery started to reemerge with hints of dry wood and nuttiness. I did have one slight touchup towards the end of this third. The cigar did not want to correct itself.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The profile has shifted to a very mineral and tobacco heavy on the draw. I can find the sweetness on the retrohale with baking spice and brown sugar really rounding out the entire profile.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The final third begins with medium-bodied wood and vanilla flavors with a peppery finish. This profile holds steady and does not stray at all through the very end of this bold and delicious smoke.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Impressions – Warped Sky Moon
Draw: 93
“I love these caps, easily adjustable for your preference on draw tightness.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Burn: 88
“It started very wavy but evened out after the draw opened up at the halfway point. I never did any touch-ups or relights but I could see someone having to if the draw was always that tight.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Construction: 90
“Great construction on this smaller ring gauge. It had a firm pack, but not to the point the draw was compromised.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 90
“On the cold draw I got some must mixed with more of that potpourri and salt. I had to cut this two times with the straight due to the draw being so tight. Unfortunately the draw was so tight I couldn't get anything out of it. As I worked my fingers on it I notice a lump right where the band is. I then decided to try a v-cut on it… no dice sadly now maybe I know why the 109 shape has gone the way of the do do. This one is kaput.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“If the draw was a bit better this would be a banger of a cigar. The profile was fantastic and for a smaller cigar, this would be perfect for the upcoming fall and winter season. It is a great cigar that needs to improve on the construction.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Flavor wise this was a nice cigar. A nice change from the first to the second third, and nice finishing flavors. If the burn were acceptable I would be happy to recommend… If they are all like this I would pass.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Really enjoyed this cigar from beginning to end. The profile had a nice range to it and kept me entertained throughout.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“Overall, I enjoyed the straightforwardness of the medium-bodied notes of wood, leather, vanilla, and peppery notes this cigar offered. This sample smoked like a champion for the most part, just be careful not to lay it down for too long as you will need to keep up with it to keep it burning at times. Coupled with the tapered Marblehead tip, one can easily control the draw that best suits them. A good smoke that is also versatile and provides ample amounts of flavor to satisfy!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 46
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Mickey T. | 90 | 90 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| Alan | 92 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 92 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 83 | 85 | 88 |
| Quinn | 90 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 90 | 92 | 90 |
| John A. | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 85 | 92 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.