Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Binder: Nicaraguan Double Estelí
Filler: Nicaraguan Esteli, Condega, Jalapa
Size: 5.5 x 52 “Robusto-Rave”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.50

I am happy as a clam right after the yearly IPCPR trade show. For the next couple of months, a few manufacturers send me samples of their new wares.

This cigar came via my friend, Paul Stulac, who picked some up in Vegas.

I checked out the web site of Dissident and it is hipper than hip if you know what I mean. Except it is a body in motion as there are no photos or info of their two blends.

The web site also says that their goal is to have their cigars in around 30 B & M’s over the next year. No mention was made of online stores. But since their release is limited to only 10,000 cigars this year. Which includes the Soap Box blend, and their other blend: Bloc, it only allows for something around 200 boxes per cigar size.

The Soap Box is scheduled to be released this month but the internet is devoid of any information about where to buy these cigars. The SB comes in three sizes: Rant (4.75 x 46), Rave (5.5 x 52), and Tirade (6.75 x 56). Prices range from $7.50-$10.00.

The Bloc is scheduled to be released sometime in the next 2-3 months.

The name of this cigar, Soap Box, is an allegory to the name of the company: Dissident, and should be a platform…for you guessed it…to Rant, Rave, and have a Tirade. Clever.

I wasn’t able to find out anything about the owners or blenders of these cigars. I guess we will have to wait until their PR campaign begins and they finish their web site.

You can check out their web site at: http://www.dissidentcigars.com/parties.html

On to the cigar. Construction is beautiful. Very solid with the perfect amount of give. The Jalap wrapper is a light brown, smooth, and with some sheen to it. The cap is so well done; I don’t know if is a single or a triple cap. My guess is that it is single. Seams are tight and there are a lot of small and biggish sized veins.

Their website says that the cigar has a double binder of the same leaf. I’m curious about that.

I clip the cap and find aromas of spice, dark baking cocoa, cedar and leather. The clipped cap just oozes aromas.
Time to light up.

The sweetness hits me first. The cocoa, right behind. I can taste leather and cedar. The smoke billows so strongly, my eyesight is disappearing as I hold the stick in my mouth as I type. The char line is a bit wavy. The spiciness begins quickly and seems to be getting stronger and stronger. My tongue tingles and my eyes water. It overwhelms the other flavors at the half inch mark.

Clearly, this is a very good premium cigar. The character that is given out from the first is a testament to the blenders. The char line corrects itself. Since Paul got these at the trade show mid-July, he has had them for one month. He sent them to me without cellos as that was how he stashed them in his humidor. So that should be the correct time for testing its potential.

The ash is very delicate. It looks like it wants to drop off at any moment. There was no info on the web site about strength. But guessing from what I’ve smoked so far, it will either be medium/full or full bodied.

Halfway through the first third I am met with my old Nicaraguan pal, creaminess. It immediately tamps down the strength of the red pepper. My lips were beginning to burn. But I am a fan of the spicy cigar. Although, there is a limit. I smoked a Cu-Avana Punisher a couple times and it had the spiciest component of any cigar I’ve ever smoked. Way too much of a good thing.

As the first third ends, the sweetness is really kicking ass. Very candy like. It reminds me of sucking on a Butter Rum Life Saver. Gramps would visit twice a year from Pittsburgh to our home in Long Beach, CA…and I couldn’t wait until he pulled that roll of Life Savers out and let me take one. One of those fond memories. Even to this day, I dearly miss my grandfather. And this butter rum-like flavor reminds me of him.

The creaminess is treacly and buttery. It is quickly becoming a flavor bomb on the back of just a few flavors. The cocoa is extremely potent as well; with cedar and leather in the background.

So far, the char line has been burning like a champ. Very close to razor sharp.

Usually, I would grab a Diet Coke because of the strength of the cocoa, but not today. I want to savor the sweet, caramel, butter rum flavors.

The second third begins with seeing the red pepper ratcheting up again. It tries to overwhelm the sweetness factors.
This is not your usual Nicaraguan puro stick. It has the cocoa, spice, and creaminess….but this buttery treacle with a dash of rum makes it stand apart.

The halfway point sees the spice really strong. I retro hale and my nose wants to dial 911. Man, does that make my eyes water, or what.

I wish some of that spiciness would get the hell out of there. It is hampering the flavor profile I found delicious. And the body is moving to medium/full now. I am getting quite a nicotine buzz. And I still half a cigar to go. Oy vay. So I grab a big cup of water to drink. It’s too late for a bowl of cereal.

A nutty component enters the picture. A sweet, raw cashew flavor.
And the spiciness takes a dip in the pool. What a roller coaster. That buttery rum flavor, with loads of creaminess, re-enters the profile in spades.

The cocoa is not as strong as it was earlier. And the cedar and leather elements are faint.

The last third begins gracefully with my favorite flavors out front. The spice hurriedly makes itself run to the background. Although, it feels like I have scar tissue on the roof of my mouth.

So far, the cigar has drawn perfectly, the char line is great, the character of the cigar is bountiful, and it remains cool. I suckered on the Holt’s Cigars La Sirena Mermaid because they were so cheap. They are nothing like the original La Sirena. And these babies smoked so hot it was like smoking a hot potato. After an inch in, I had to put the cigars down and toss them. Just a kind warning. Let me be your dumb ass sucker for a not so good deal.

The cigar being a cool smoke is something we often take for granted. Most good cigars do smoke at a nice temp. But get a loosely packed stick and watch out. Nothing worse than a cigar you have to smoke with tongs…or an oven mitt.
The cigar is not a complex stick. It is very flavorful from just a few offerings. And I like that it is not your typical Nic cigar. With the same list of flavors.

The band comes off easily.

The strength at this point, hits the full bodied mode. This is a powerful smoke; not a stick for newbies. Or smokers who like Davidoffs or Macanudos. This stick is for connoisseurs and aficionados. The last couple inches turn this cigar into one of the strongest sticks I’ve smoked in a very long time. But the wonderful flavors keep me chooglin’.

Dissident did a fine job in blending this cigar. They steered it away from mediocrity and kept it unique. It is a little too pricey for me. I like the robusto due to the usual intensity of flavors, but the other two bigger cigars at over $9 and $10 are just too much of a good thing.

I am curious to see what other reviewers think of this cigar. As it is in limited release, it will be hard to get. And because of that, I only see the A List reviewers getting samples.

If you find some in your local B & M, I recommend you get the robusto first and try it before buying the bigger sticks. It is an unusual stick and at these prices, you don’t want buyer’s remorse. On the other hand, I would buy a couple robustos.

But unfortunately, none of the cigar stores in Milwaukee carry cutting edge, or boutique, cigars. Their stock looks pretty much like a Thompson catalog. What a crap town.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS