Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut and Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 7 x 50 “Churchill”
Body: Medium
Price: $8.00 by the box/$9.00 by the 5 pack

Today we take a look at the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole.

And due to the complexity of the cigar, both in blending and construction, it is a tad bit more than the wallet conscious blends on the Antillian web site where you can purchase most of the Sosa blends and other brands distributed by Antillian.

The cigar comes in two sizes. The one being reviewed today and the Salomone (7.25 x 58).

I’ve smoked a couple, with the latest being yesterday, and decided the stick was ready to go.

So far, most of the Sosa blends need a good four week rest in your humidor to really grab the blender’s intent.
If you smoke them much earlier than that, you just might be wasting a good cigar.

The Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole has a beautiful striped effect. The Connecticut wrapper and the Habano wrapper blend perfectly with each other. While some of the other Sosa cigars were a bit rustic in presentation, the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is anything but rustic.

Seams are perfect. Some veins but not too many. The triple cap is expertly applied. The oily wrapper shimmers in the sunlight which I am beginning to see outside. The wrapper is slightly toothy.

And the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole has the traditional fancy shmancy cigar band. Las Vegas style. There is so much going on that it would behoove you to grab a magnifying glass and really take a look.

I clip the cap and find aromas of floral notes, sweetness, spice, chocolate, coffee, raisins, cedar, and leather.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are delicious. Nougat, chocolate, red pepper, cedar, leather, oak, and more lurking behind the first quarter inch. And a deep, rich earthiness.

Sweetness is derived from rich vanilla pound cake and orange citrus. Sweet and tart. Like me.

The chocolate element kicks in.

One thing I noticed last night was a distinct flavor shift as I moved through one wrapper and then to another. The Connecticut made it lighter and sweeter. The Habano gave it more cocoa and spice.

The char line is dead nuts.

I’m sure most of you can tell the difference. The difference between a $5-$6 cigar that is excellent. And an $8 cigar that displays the characteristics of a high premium. It is more sophisticated and more complex from the start. The tobacco has a different taste and is a whole flavor profile unto itself. In the $5 cigar, you don’t get so much of that tobacco flavor profile. In its place, you may get a kitchen sink of wonderful flavors.

Well, the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole has all the character of a high premium. The tobacco earthiness is right up front. It is they type of cigar where you can almost taste the soil it was grown in…dark and crumbly.

The back and forth between wrappers is very noticeable. Not always the case in barber pole cigars.

Obviously, there is an overlap as you smoke. But there are a few moments when you are just smoking one wrapper. And the change up of the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is very apparent.

The flavor profile is on the verge of flavor bomb status as I reach 2” burned.

Honey becomes a stronger flavor while the floral aroma translates to flavor. A light orange blossom.

The cocoa and coffee team up. Creaminess enters stage right. And a whole new trifecta is born.

The strength is mild/medium. While I’m not crazy about mild bodied cigars because of their general lack of flavor, the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is packed with flavor allowing one to not notice the easy going strength of the cigar.

And then..Bam! The Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole hits flavor bomb status with only 2-1/4” burned.

Flavors explode. The baseline that the premium tobaccos create is wonderful.

Here they are: Cocoa, creaminess, honey, orange blossom, coffee, spice, cedar, vanilla, leather, oak, and nougat are kicking arse.

The red pepper has backed off considerably.

The char line is still spot on.

And no cracking of the wrapper. I am impatiently waiting for my Boveda packs to re-charge but it takes 4-5 days and I am only on Day 2. When it gets this cold, as it has done in Wisconsin in the last week, I must ramp up the humidity because I must have something to counteract the bitter cold we are getting.

The second third begins.

What a difference a month makes in the humidor. I tried one after a week and I had an anxiety attack. It wasn’t ready. Oh no. What am I going to do? We Jews are a neurotic and angst filled group of people. Patience was the only thing needed and voila!

The Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is oozing creaminess. It reminds me of a hot fudge sundae with nuts and whipped cream. I forget what it is called but while growing up, my father made us homemade hot fudge sundaes but he used peanuts instead of crushed walnuts. That’s the best. Ahh…I remember now: Tin Roof Sundae. And it is used with small Spanish peanuts.

The strength moves to classic medium body.

And with each puff, or a sip of water, flavors keep on chooglin’.

There are no major changes other than the potency of the flavor profile.

This is a totally enjoyable blend. I tend to stay away from gimmicky cigars like a barber pole. I can’t remember when I had a good one. Mostly gimmick and no heart.

But we are talking Arby Sosa here and he takes blending dead serious.

Before I forget. Arby has provided a 5% discount for my readers when you use the coupon code Katman5 during checkout.
And shipping is free.

I’ve reviewed the Sosa Exclusive Series, Macabi Deluxe, Sosa Auric Perfectum, Sosa Third Harvest, Sosa Super Collection II, Sosa Classic Maduro, Sosa Underground, Sosa Classic Natural, Doña Nieves, Headlines First Edition, and Santa Julia. All superb cigar blends.

The halfway point is upon me. Things ramp up. The red pepper returns. Flavors make a quantum jump into hyper cigar space.

In fact, the red pepper is in overdrive now. Wow.

Complexity really digs deep. The balance sings to me in Italian. And it has a very long finish.
Holy crap. What a great cigar!

One more reminder: Let the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole rest at least four weeks in your humidor before lighting one up. They ain’t cheap and do not waste a single one out of curiosity.

That’s kind of funny saying it ain’t cheap. All the new cigars that came out recently are all in the $11-$15 range.

Remember when spending $8 on a cigar was unheard of?

Arby had a brilliant plan to sell his wares online and cut out the middle man. Most of his stock is in the $4-$6 range. And every single one could go for at least $7. If you purchase them at a B & M you will pay more. But you won’t have to wait for UPS.

New flavors: Strong dark honey. Caramel. Crème brûlée. I can taste the caramel covered custard. Nuts…mostly cashews, hazelnuts, and black walnuts. Why black and not regular walnuts? The black ones have this delicious little hint of bitterness.

The Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is as smooth as butter now. Creamy and belongs in an upscale ice cream parlor. Not Baskin Robbins.

The last third begins.

Looming large. Flavors galore.

I’ve invested over 90 minutes in this cigar. And loved every minute.

I love listening to music while writing. The classic rock channel on TV has really good taste. “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Cream is playing. I am grooving to the music. Seat belt strapped in.

Most of the cigar has been in the flavor bomb arena but the last third is where the Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole gets down and dirty. The sweet spot.

Everything ramps up another step. And the pepper is right where I like it…making my nose run.
I use Flonase for my allergies. The doc told me that shit is no good. It makes you susceptible to staph. So I stopped using it. Just a Katman Public Service Announcement.

“What a lucky man he was..” from “Lucky Man” by ELP is playing and that’s just what I am feeling right now. I am so digging this cigar.

The strength seems to be moving towards medium/full. A bit of nicotine shows itself.

Certain flavors are in the lead: Creaminess, cocoa, honey, caramel, and nuts.

The cigar finishes smooth, without harshness or heat and muy flavorful.

The Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole is available online at Antillian Cigar Corp. right now.
Don’t forget the Katman5 coupon code.

I want to thank the lovely Arby Sosa for the samples.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: antillian cigar corp, cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Sosa Auric Barber Shop Pole Cigar Review, sosa cigars