Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.125 x 42 ”Corona-Noella”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.50

Here is another example of myth over availability. I recently reviewed this stick’s big brother and it was a pretty good cigar. Nine reviews later it just melts into the crowd of Nicaraguan flavor profiles.

But I bought this cigar during a sale at Atlantic Cigar and paid just over $5 each in a 5 pack. So I saved over $2 per stick. The sale was solely for VIP Club members. How could I pass that up?

It’s a small cigar so it shouldn’t take long to review. But it is jam packed with tobacco so it might fool me.

To celebrate his ten years in the cigar biz, Pete Johnson decided to release his original Brown Label Selecion de Cazador cigars with a new band, a closed foot and a box with gold aluminum foil encasing the sticks. Other than that they are his Brown Labels. I guess he figured why blend something new when you have something old to re-introduce.

One thing you can always count on with Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia…Construction is very good. The dark chocolate brown, oily wrapper is gorgeous and shimmers in the sunlight from the oils in the cigar. The seams are invisible and there are lots of spider veins. There is indeed a triple cap in place. And has a closed foot. The cigar is the perfect piece of solid vs. soft. Just the right amount of give.

I clip the cap and find aromas that include loads of dark cocoa, deep, and dark espresso, cedar, leather and wood, and dried apricot. With hints of citrus. That tartness sets it apart from your normal Nic stick. (Did I just do a Perdomo plug?)
Time to light up.

Right of the bat, the cigar is very tasty. It has all those yummy Nicaraguan qualities at work. The draw is perfect. The cocoa comes to fruition from aroma, to flavor. There is a dark, baking cocoa flavor. A slight creaminess that transforms the coffee from espresso to cappuccino. The burn starts off wavy. But the draw is excellent.

And then the spiciness hits. It is not overpowering, like a typical Garcia Blast, as I expected. But I wait and here it comes. A pie in the face of hot pepper. The two prior sticks I smoked had razor sharp burn lines. This one? A wavy line, of course.

Creaminess shows up on schedule at around the half inch mark. Mellows everything out except for the pepperiness.
The strength hits the high end of medium right away. The earthiness, and balance, is immediately noticeable.

The fruitiness and citrus make it from aroma to flavor. There is a small amount of tart sweetness with lots of zing and zest.
BTW- These cigars are sold without cellos. So the cigar I am reviewing today has only 7 day’s humi time. This one, by the box, is sold wrapped in gold aluminum foil. And the box is very simple and utilitarian only.

The cigar has become very chewy…I like that term which I’ve tried not to use. It seems pretentious but it is apt here. And if you don’t know what that means, let me help out: “Chewy” means that the smoke is thick and probably full of oils, which causes the flavors to be very strong in your mouth, and during the finish. It is the kind of cigar that coats your teeth with flavors. Almost as if you could eat it. It is what causes me to smack my lips.

So now you know. I rarely use that term because it is often misconstrued. A lot of people think it means that it is a good chomping cigar. I have to admit I thought that when I started out.

At the one inch mark, the cigar is an official flavor bomb. All that flavor of creaminess, spiciness, cocoa, coffee, citrus, leather and cedar are booming. The bit of citrus sets it a bit apart from your standard Nic blend. Plus, this little fire cracker hits the flavor button at the start. No waiting around.

I don’t have much to bitch about when it comes to pricing on this cigar. And I should add that it is now close to impossible to find them any longer. I know New Havana Cigars sells them at high retail.

Atlantic tends to sell them for a few shekels less than most stores. And I just checked and they have a large selection of these cigars in 7 sizes. And cheaper than anyone else. Check it out.

I finish the first half and it is simply a chocolate Creamsicle. This cigar really makes the most of its flavor profile. I’ve reviewed other Nic cigars with the same flavors but this cigar was blended to make sure that the flavors are in the right order and the right strength. I reviewed the Bella Encre size and while it was good, it wasn’t as flavorful as the Noella.

The body has relaxed a bit and is no longer at high medium. It is classic medium now. The nicotine level is low. This is the perfect blend for those afraid of stronger cigars.

The cigar band comes off easily. The last couple I smoked I ended up ripping off. Too much glue.

There is so much cocoa in this stick that it comes close to tasting like an infused cigar; like the DE Java. But not so cloyingly sweet.

There is an element of sweetness in this cigar but not as much as I expected. I’m glad that was controlled because there are so many strong flavors that excessive sweetness would ruin it. I know I said it tasted like a chocolate Creamsicle, but sweetened like fine Swiss or Belgian chocolate. They are very easy on the sugar; unlike American candy bars.
With a couple inches to go, the cigar mellows out quite a bit. The body is nowhere near the strength it was in the first inch.

Flavors have been the same from the start. Nothing added, nothing deleted. So it is sort of a one trick pony. (I really overuse that phrase) A really flavorful cigar that doesn’t change much. It is not a complex cigar. It relies solely on its flavor profile to entertain. The pepper factor has moved to the far reaches of the background. Barely there.

The cigar takes about 45 minutes to smoke. For $5 and change, it is a good deal. I’m not sure I’d spend $7.50 for it. A bunch of sticks could get expensive. Plus the larger sizes run around the $9.00+ range. That is just too much for this cigar.

It is a limited run so you won’t see it on Cbid. And Atlantic Cigars does sell singles, 5 packs and boxes. So if you want to partake in this special run, now is the time. I don’t know any other online store that carries so many sizes…and are still up for sale.
The last bit of the cigar sees the strength raise a little to high medium but the nicotine level stays low so it is easy to nub.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS