Wrapper: Mexican Sun Grown San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 7 x 52 “Speaker”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.50 Single/$4.00 by the Box of 20

Today we take a look at the House Resolution cigar from Corona Cigar and J.C. Newman.

This was a gift from buddy Paatrick Hosler. PJ is like a hound dog. He can sniff out cigars like nobody’s business. He sends me sticks that are so out in left field, I struggle to find information on them. The only info available was at Corona Cigar.

From Corona Cigar Co. web site:
“House Resolution 1639 – The Traditional Cigar Manufacturing & Small Business Jobs Preservation Act is a pro-active bill written to prevent the FDA from taking away your freedom to purchase and enjoy cigars.

“House Resolution cigars are handmade in the Newman’s Nicaraguan (Brick House) cigar factory using a medium bodied blend of aged Cuban-seed, Nicaraguan grown long-filler tobacco. The wrapper is a chocolate brown, sun grown San Andres maduro. The rich flavor is slightly sweet with undertones of leather and nutmeg.”

This is one nasty looking cigar. The almost jet black wrapper covers most of the flaws, such as: shmeared roller’s glue, too much glue, very wrinkly wrapper, and unevenly packed. On the upside: invisible seams, few veins, a beautiful oily sheen to the wrapper, and a cap so impeccably attached, I cannot begin to guess how many there are.

Looking at the cigar band, I feel I am at the White House and I am a sleazy donor getting to shake hands with the president for 5 seconds and get my photo taken doing so for only $25,000 per plate.

The red ribbon at the foot is a nice touch.

It is fucking raining cats and dogs this morning. All night, as a matter of fact. It is nearly 8 am and it looks like nightfall outside. Flash on the camera today poor, abused readers.

I clip the cap and find aromas of spice, earthiness, molasses at the foot, smoky cedar along the shaft, leather and rich dark cocoa…and a dash of cinnamon.
Time to light up.

The first puffs taste like sweet charcoal. Very woody and very sweet. The earthiness of the tobacco makes itself known tout suite. The draw is spot on and smokes gushes through the dining room. I turn the fan on.
Rene must have nicely aged this stick because it begins to shine almost immediately.

The cigar tobacco is absolutely delicious…it is permeated with dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, floral notes, rich sweetness, cinnamon and nutmeg, cedar, and leather.

The char line is a tad bit wavy but no worries…yet.

Nuttiness is added to improve the balance.

I rarely smoke a 7” long cigar. But since this is only a 48 ring gauge, it is manageable.

I tend to prefer 44-48 ring gauges because of the tobacco to wrapper ratio. It seems to give the cigar flavor profile more of a kick.

I have several other sticks from Patrick that I need to review but unfortunately; they are cigars that can only be bought in Florida or only from one B & M. Hard to find shit. And I don’t like reviewing cigars that I cannot provide the stats on top of the review, are impossible to purchase, and even harder to Google.

A new candy element appears. Not caramel. Not toffee. Not butterscotch. It is a combo: Crème brûlée….a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. See photo:

With 1-1/2” burned, a big wallop of red pepper appears. Like a Garcia Blast.

The House Resolution has turned out to be a big surprise; especially for a $4.00 cigar.

I can taste some similarities between the Brick House and the House Resolution. The Brick House is a great cigar that is also ridiculously underpriced. I betcha they took some of the same tobacco, tweaked it a bit, and voila! The House Resolution.

Creaminess jumps in at the 2” mark completing the beautiful portrait. I gots to say dis…but $7.50 is spot on. Maybe a buck more or so. Unfortunately, Corona Cigar Co. only sells the House Resolution by singles or boxes. No 5 packs. But it is certainly worth it to try 2-3 sticks to see if you like it and then dive in head first and score a box at only $4 a stick. I’m thinking about that now. Except I have no money. Oy vay.

The cigar hit flavor bomb status from almost the beginning of this cigar journey.

The char line is almost dead nuts and the uneven burn issues disappeared early.
The strength is classic medium but it wants to be more.

I’m digging the hell out of this cigar. I grab a Diet Coke. It has all the right makings for an Egg Cream soda.

While the cigar is not evenly packed, it is pretty solid. Just some spots have a little more give than others.

Goddam the Pusherman! Mutha Fucka! This is a good cigar! Thank you baby Jesus!
And Rene….

Flavors are dripping down my leg. They are making a pool around my chair. The dog is lapping them up and smiling at me. She gives me her paw so I let her toke away on the cigar. She then goes into the kitchen, throws up and lays down.
It was worth a shot.

The second third begins after 35 minutes burn time. So 90 minutes is about right for this size. If it were packed better, it might have stretched to two hours. That’s too much cigar for me. I bore easily…even with a good thing.

The strength calms down. I swore it was about to move higher but instead, the beast has been tamed.

A medium body cigar is a good first cigar of the day. Especially, when you do this for a living like me…that’s right..I make tens of dollars per year on this blog.
I can feel the jealousy.
Except for you rich bastards.

Today is the day. My spinal stimulator gets turned on. I know there is a joke in there but I ain’t going there. This means that a week from now, I will be a changed, better person. A gentler, kinder guy. One who doesn’t yell so much. Or berate his friends. Or wag his penis at old women at the mall. Unfortunately, it is so small, most old women don’t notice. But I do the Chevy Chase routine, with the giant garden hose, from “Caddyshack” while I’m doing it; so it’s worth it.

Here are the flavors: Red pepper, creaminess, dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, Crème brûlée, cedar, and leather.

The House Resolution is again proving you don’t have to spend $12.50 for a good cigar. I just reviewed the Crowned Heads The Mason Dixon Project Southern Edition. And while it was a wonderfully flavored cigar, it had serious construction issues. And even without those issues, it ain’t worth $10.00.

My Katman’s Top 25 Cigars for 2013-2014 is a good place to start for the very best sticks for $10 or under.

My trusty S.T. DuPont lighter, the Maxi Jet, has turned into a piece of crap after only two years. It has a lifetime warranty but when I went to their web site, I have to come up with a sales receipt. I got it on Cigar Monster and did not keep the receipt. I know. Stupid. But come on! What difference does it make if I have a receipt or not? It is just one more way of keeping the good guy down by the Man.

I am at the halfway point.

The rain has stopped. The clouds are lighter. And I get to take my first photo without a flash. I know. BFD.
This has been a very enjoyable experience. Again, 7” is too long for me. I hear what you’re thinking and knock it off. The House Resolution is an extremely decent cigar.

Shit. All of my lighters are turning to shit at the exact same time. I have four lighters next to me and not one works correctly. I hate going out to buy more crappy expensive, or cheap, lighters. I just went to Amazon and bought a $12 cigar lighter. Fingers crossed.

I just used some crap butane called Vector and finished off two lighters for good. I only use Xikar butane. It is the cleanest and most filtered brand on the market. Never had an ounce of trouble with it. I let it run out. I buy the big can for $10 at CI..which I did yesterday. So now I’m screwed. My local B & M carries Colibri butane. Ha! Not a chance in hell.
Back to Bics until I get more butane or the new lighter.

Back to the House Resolution Speaker.

Way too much glue on the cigar band.

This is not a complex cigar. Flavorful, yes. But at $4.00, one cannot argue with its wonderful simplicity and flavors.

The time goes by quickly because the flavors are so entrancing. All the good stuff and none of the bad.

The spice has moved to the back of the line and the more complex flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and espresso are gone. Leaving only creaminess, molasses, dark chocolate, cedar and leather.

Still, I choose to finish this cigar out of curiosity. The last third might have something special waiting for me.

The House Resolution comes in only three sizes: Chairman 5 x 56, Speaker 7 x 48, and the Whip (Torpedo) 6.125 x 52. All sticks are the same price: $4.00 by the box and $7.50 by the single.

I reviewed another Corona Cigar Co exclusive the other day: “Intensa.” Another example of a fine cigar for only $4.00. Corona seems to be the go to online store for good house brands. Not the crapola most of the big online stores sell.

The smart move by Corona is depending on word of mouth and not creating a huge PR campaign.

The last third begins.

I’ve been pumping away on this stick for a good 90 minutes. And I’ve dragged you with me every step of the way. I was hoping to make this a 5000 word essay but I am going to fall woefully short. Your wife could have read it to you each night as you try to go to sleep. I’m sure that halfway through my review you will be out cold and dreaming of large women.

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

I would like to try the House Resolution in the 5 x 56 size. Curious about the difference that the drastic tobacco to wrapper ratio affects the flavors.

Amazingly, the char line has not required any angst on my part. Wrapper construction is great. And I haven’t had to clip the cap once to conceal Katman drool. For the last photo, I shall clip away.

This is a tough call. Is it worth $7.50? Yes. But if you buy four for example, you’ve put out $30. Almost half the price of a box. You are paying the amount that you would 7.5 cigars.

I do recommend the House Resolution. I would go for the box. I need to ask Rene how long he let his rest before lighting up and I will report back. I just sent him a message on FB.

I have a tiny FB cigar group. Tiny. But made up of readers. And by all accounts, my members say it is the best cigar group on Face Book. If you would like to become a member, find me on FB: Kat Man. Friend me. And then I will add you to the Katmensch Cigar Group. It is a lot of fun. Great guys. Experienced smokers all. And not an ill word spoken. “Fun, fun, fun til her daddy takes the T-Bird away.”

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, corona cigar co., house resolution cigars, House Resolution from Corona Cigar Co. Cigar Review