Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium
Price: $5.00 by the stick/$4.00 by the box

I am reviewing one more house brand from BestCigarPrices.com. The cigar was produced for them by General Cigar.

So far, each house brand (Star Insignia by Alec Bradley, Medici by Alec Bradley, & Gran Cantidad) I have reviewed has been outstanding. And I want to thank Jason Harding of BCP for the samples.

One of the sticks Jason sent me was the Alec Bradley Star Insignia which I consider in the top 10% of any A/B cigar. At half the price.

This cigar is so popular with BCP customers that it is often out of stock. But you can still order a backordered cigar simply by purchasing it…and then wait. They don’t make you pay for it until it is in stock once again…unlike a lot of online stores that make you pay for it upfront. Not only is this a good way of doing business, but it puts the onus on BCP to get their fannies into gear to get more. Sort of dangling that carrot….

Construction on the Relajado is excellent. Very firm in the hand. No soft spots. A lot of small veins but hidden by the espresso colored wrapper. There is a very oily sheen to the wrapper and feels very toothy.

I clip the cap and find aromas of sweet fruit, nuttiness, strong cedar, and some eye watering spice.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are full of earthiness with some black pepper quickly moving to the forefront. There is a very nice chocolate bar component. A natural sweetness rounds out the beginning of the cigar.

The draw is impeccable. And the char line is a bit wavy but well within the confines of normality.

I had to wait 3-4 weeks for this stick to be ready to smoke. It needs that time.

The cocoa is now very powerful. It tastes like a Snickers bar with the chocolate, caramel and peanuts. The cigar is also very buttery. At the 1” mark, I am impressed with this cigar. So far, Jason has not steered me wrong in picking cigars I would like.

I have always been leery of house brand cigars. They tend to be cheap versions of better cigars. The sticks sent to me have been cigars that I have since bought for my own humidor. Didn’t ask for any deals, just bought them because I deemed them worthy and already a bargain.

This stick is quicklym and quietlym becoming a very nice flavor bomb. It has a traditional Nicaraguan flavor profile. Cocoa, coffee, creaminess, sweetness, cedar, spice, and earthiness.

Halfway through the first third, the spiciness evens out. I would have liked to see it a little bit stronger. The body is at classic medium.
The second third begins and now the cigar blossoms like I did at my Bar Mitzvah. Flavors sort of jump out at me. That diminishing spiciness returns to the level I like. Potent.

The Snickers bar profile is nicely done now. Brimming with cocoa, caramel, nuts, and sweetness. For such a well packed cigar, it burns somewhat quickly. Maybe due to the fact that I haven’t taken the cigar out of my mouth since I started it. It is a real sweet treat. Most definitely a chocolate bar status.

OK. Name dropping time. Back in the day, while I lived in London and played big time rock and roll, our drummer Stewart Copeland, had a decadent world of candy to choose from. We had chocolate from Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy, and England. All the most incredible sweets you can imagine. So what did Stew grab during rehearsal breaks? A Snickers bar. I rode him hard on that one.

I hit the halfway point and the flavors are just terrific. Cocoa is driving the bus. A big dose of creaminess appears now. And so does some mocha latte. The luscious caramel really tops it off nicely.

I tried a couple of these sticks too soon only to find a very flavorless cigar. The 3.5 week point is perfect for this cigar. I like it so much that I will be buying a box. At $4 a stick, it’s a great deal. This cigar could have easily gone for $7 with the right big time moniker on it.

As the second third finishes out, I detect some dark honey flavors. There is a huge taste difference between regular, off the shelf honey and exotic dark honey. It is richer and has an incredible aftertaste.

I hit the last third and the cigar finds its nut. It is complex and über flavorful. Really. This is a killer cigar.

Meanwhile, the char line has behaved itself and not required any attention. The draw has been on point. I don’t want this cigar to stop.
The cigar comes in five sizes: 5 x 50, 4.5 x 60, 6 x 50, 7 x 50, and 6.25 x 56 (torpedo). I would stick with the robusto merely for the sake of guaranteeing that you get a flavor bomb. But we all have our preferences.

The last third is very complex. Very flavorful. The body has not changed and is a perfect medium. (A very good stick for my buddy, Wally Guse.)
So it looks like Jason at BCP is batting 1000. Every cigar he sent me was a winner. And I have ended up buying every single cigar he sent me. Tricky bastardo!

The last couple of inches sees a nougat entry that complements the caramel and honey flavors. The spiciness has returned once more to a level I like…potent but not overpowering. It enhances rather than getting in the way.

The cocoa and creaminess are way out front.

The cigar ends with a big flourish. It is a wonderful, full flavored cigar with a strength that allows you to smoke it any time of the day. It ends without a bit of harshness and is very smooth and cool.

If you are wary of investing in a box, a 5 pack is very fairly priced with each stick at around $4.50.

Once more, I’d like to thank my buddy Jason Harding at BestCigarPrices.com for introducing me to great sticks I may have never tried due to my stigma about house brands.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS