Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: Perfecto (6 x 56)
Strength: Mild-Medium
Purchase Link: Room101 Johnny Tobacconaut
JOHNNY TOBACCONAUT ‘23 REVIEW – DOM
Summary: Buttery, peppery cedar gives me what I want out of a cigar that looks to be a time commitment. The taste lingers longer than normal on the palate which is a very good thing at the moment. Subtle bitterness leads to complexity, and this cigar has an unripe fruit note that sits comfortably in the backseat to the aforementioned butter, pepper, and wood. Uh oh. Honey is currently getting aquatinted with unripe fruit in the backseat; a flavor baby is about to be born. Coming off the foot, the smoke’s scent smells of graham cracker goodness.
Uh oh for real this time: the bitterness picks up at the halfway point. Other than a wave from some cinnamon, this cigar never quite breaks free from that Connecticut shade bitterness. It’s a good thing this cigar got ahead early because it was not built to come from behind. Hand some of these to your pal who only smokes Cubans. I think he’ll switch sides.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: The Detroit Lions
Pairing Suggestion: Peppermint mocha
Perceived Strength: Mild+
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5-pack
JOHNNY TOBACCONAUT ‘23 REVIEW – RICH
Summary: This cigar brought notes of cream, nuts, toast, citrus, cereal grain, and smaller amounts of hay, honey sweetness, and cedar. If that sounds like it all worked together really nicely to create something I enjoyed quite a bit, then you read it correctly.
Construction was spot-on. No issues with this cigar to speak of. Great smoking experience.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Breakfast
Pairing Suggestion: Coffee
Perceived Strength: Mild+
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box
JOHNNY TOBACCONAUT ‘23 REVIEW – BEN
Summary: Had to cut it down a bit to get a draw: WOW, once I got past the tightness it’s cedar, cedar, cedar! In between the wet grass and white pepper notes was a consistently uneven burn line. I almost thought there was lighter fluid on the wrapper the way every relight caught fire while patiently waiting to be blown out. Ended bitter with a long and strong aftertaste.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Value pack of tongue scrapers
Pairing Suggestion: Colgate with charcoal
Perceived Strength: Mild+
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single
JOHNNY TOBACCONAUT ‘23 REVIEW – TED
Summary: Well then… things kicked off with a creamy mix of leather, mild wood, white pepper, and the slightest cocoa note. Retro haled smoke was spicy and warm. I sensed a bit of Jekyll and Hyde syndrome and liked it. The foot came off the gas pedal a bit with a shift away from the spice, into wood, leather and cream with a bit of sweetness. The cigar was producing fantastic amounts of smoke.
By the middle section I was coasting through a smooth and creamy profile of wood, mild earth and cashew notes and a long leather finish. The pepper spice all but disappeared here but still, it was very nice.
Just when I thought I was in for a nice easy glide to the finish, the pepper spice ramped back up along with stronger wood flavors. The profile was simple, but smooth and enjoyable. Start to finish, the construction and performance from this stick was A+.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Crushing a bucket of balls from the top deck
Pairing Suggestion: A very clean martini
Perceived Strength: Medium
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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