Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo ’99 Rosado
Binder: Double USA Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli Ligero, Jalapa Viso, Pueblo Nuevo Viso)
Size: 5 x 58 Robusto Gordo
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.50 (A buck less online)

I’ve had these cigars in hibernation, naked, for over 3 months…I bought them from Atlantic Cigar before they became a sponsor.

BACKGROUND:
Regular production.
From Halfwheel.com (12-22-2021):
“An exclusive cigar for retailers who attended the 2021 PCA Convention & Trade Show.
From Ace Prime:
“Luciano and I blended this cigar mindful that this product represents the most noble values of humanity and that’s why the hands and hearts involved into the craft of this cigar, everyone, understood the honor of being part of this project,” said Eradio Pichardo, master blender and co-owner of ACE Prime and Tabacalera Pichardo, via a press release. It is made at Tabacalera Pichardo in Nicaragua.

“It pays tribute to the heroes who fight in anonymity and sacrifice out of deep-rooted honor, regardless of recognition or acclaim. The company says it is medium to full bodied, marked by deep flavors and balanced acidity.”

APPEARANCE:
The smooth oily wrapper is the hue of sienna brown and espresso. The cigar is solid throughout. Although when it is squeezed, it refuses to depress from the touch of my finger. The weight feels right. Most probably a 90-minute smoke. Lots of veins…but at least they are symmetrical. Seams are barely tight. One might give me trouble once I light up and I open the windows in 7° weather. The triple cap is nicely done and also symmetrical. The cigar band merely says what I show in my photos. No mention of the manufacturer. When I remove the band, there is very tiny writing on one end. I grab my old fart readers, our giant magnifying glass that old people use for checking out Pluto…and I still cannot make out what it says. Now that the cigar is naked, I roll it in my hand (I’m an expert), and it feels solid like a small bar bell.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
Fat notes of floral and one of the most intense caramel nasal attacks in recent memory…Adding to those items are black and red pepper, dark chocolate, espresso, a vanilla creaminess, heavy malt, cedar, berries, licorice, burnt oak, slight barnyard, and citrus.

I open the cap and not a lick of air is passing through this cigar. Same thing happened with my previous stick. Lucky for me, I have the miraculous PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and go to work. I must insert over 2” of the tool into the very resistant hard tobacco to get an airway. But all it took was one thrust and I was done. Dr. Rod calls me Errol Flynn. You save three cigars and you’ve paid for the tool. I have friends that if they experience a plugged cigar, they toss it. You heard me. And a lot of smokers have their own fakakta rig to attempt the same thing. But nothing on the market is designed to not only pierce the center of the cigar but bring detritus out of the cigar due to its magic blades.

Other devices merely push the tobacco to the side and that is a fool’s errand. Dr. Rod gave me a huge present on my birthday recently. I felt obligated to a manifesto about his tool. Seriously, I discovered this wonder tool long before Dr. Rod became a sponsor. That is the best way to find new sponsors. It is an organic approach rather than writing a company and threatening to steal their first born if they don’t pony up a sponsorship.

Where the fuck was I?
The cold draw presents flavors of espresso, chocolate, red pepper, black pepper, peppermint, citrus, very nutty, malt, creaminess, and cedar.

FIRST HALF:
After all these years, I decided to make my life easier…and stop trying to split a 5” cigar into thirds. Makes me nuts with my Stanley tape next to me making sure I don’t force an error over lengths. If the cigar is 6” or longer, I will probably still use three thirds to describe the stick. The math is easier.

Now here is the down low on this blend. It came out months ago and I could only find a couple written reviews and not so many video reviews. Gulp. That usually only means one thing…Guess right and you win an all expense paid trip to Mooseville, Alaska. They are famous for having the most tourists eaten by grizzly bears. Think of your legacy if that happened to you. Grandpa was digested by a forest beast. Pretty cool.

Pandora starts me off with The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See?” Poifect.

Excellent start. No shit. A big wallop of complexity and a mish mosh of flavors with no distinction. Like me.
Immediately, the tobacco combo is strutting its stuff. OK. Time for a second puff.

A plethora of flavors come flowing out of the vault: Brown sugar, espresso, dark chocolate, black pepper, citrus, a variety of nuts, malt, some creaminess, and the candy Boston Baked Beans.

Unless this cigar takes a deep dive on me, this is going to be a highly recommended purchase.

The char line is as stunning as counting the ferrets in a suicide assault.

Strength is quickly potent…nearly reaching the advertised medium/full adventure.
Savory v. sweet makes an early determination that presents a nice balance.

It is burning slowly, glacier speed. I’m betting it will be a 90-minute Disney ride.

So far, the ACE Prime catalog has found my sweet spot. A company on the come after all these years.

I find graham cracker in a lot of blends. Obviously, my palate picks up that flavor as something natural to my taste buds. The creaminess cranks up along with the chocolate. We have S’mores.

Remember as a kid, your mom would buy a bag of marshmallow for something she was going to cook, and you’d beg and beg for a few? I did. But when you stick those fat sugar pillows in a kid’s mouth, it always made me gag. Much better toasted over a campfire.

This is an excellent blend. Burned 1-1/4” in15 minutes. Using my tiny brain, that only works out to a 60-minute smoke.

This is a blend that you must take your time to savor. The finish is better than making it through puberty alive. Transitions are on the slow side. No acid flashbacks occurring.

Constant transitions for the complexity. I’ll take it. Each puff brings something new to the table that creates a very balanced and well-rounded flavor profile.

The individual flavor points don’t reach out to scratch my eyes out…instead, they are consumed by the overall approach of the blender. Another stick in which the sum… (You know the rest).

Know what it reminds me of? And Isabela blend. I couldn’t tell you which one as each design is disparate from all the others. Still, there are quick transitions as the cigar treks to burn itself out of existence. In an easier to understand explanation, the blend gets more complex at a very fast rate. Pretty boss and groovy. Maybe even bitchn’.

Half an inch from the second half and it has consumed 25 minutes of my time. My stupid prediction it would be a 90-minute smoke is off by 30 minutes.

The cigar makes exceptional jumps from puff to puff.
I was scared stiff picking this cigar for review. I am a happy clam now.

First sip of water and flavors explode all over my face. I hate pearl necklaces unless I’m the one doing it. Sammy the Cat likes to hump my leg but since his balls were surgically removed, the only thing that comes out is dust. Not all that different than me.

A gorgeous design. There must be some aged tobacco that ACE Prime didn’t go into in their press release. I’ve reviewed several cigars lately with the same amount of humi time that don’t touch the hem of The Sergeant.

I highly anticipate the second half. It is going to get down and dirty.

A sawbuck for this cigar sees no complaint from me. If the manufacturer wanted, this stick could have gone for the greedy component that too many companies go for. Another $2-$3 would not be unusual. So, kudos to the folks at ACE Prime.

SECOND HALF:
Here I am. Where are you?
Exactly 32 minutes for travel time. 90+ minutes for a smoke requires a mindset that you will commit your time to reach the destination. An hour smoke is very often more reasonable for your schedule. Especially, if every puff brings a blissful experience to one’s palate. I’m enjoying the whole journey.

Construction is perfect.

I have plotzed right into the sweet spot of the blend. Fat juicy elements at play that make this cigar a cigar to lead you to deep introspection about why you chose to be born in the 20th century.
The strength of medium/full has been a constant. I know what’s coming. But I’m prepared with defibrillator paddles.

I got a whisp of blueberries.

While the tobacco has a death grip on the savory portion, the sweet factors ride like a sweet old horse.

I would have loved to see this blend in a Toro. I can’t get enough.
Jesus, this cigar is a winner by a long shot. The finish keeps my mouth overflowing with different and ever moving flavors. The transitions are in the cigar itself…not so much seeing flavors stand out; but rather, smooshed by the incredible depth of the blend.

There is some seriously aged tobacco working on the chain gang. The leaf stats are spot on.

The P.R. is evasive, but it seems to declare this will be a regular production cigar. It gets old reviewing excellent cigars that are extremely limited. Too many. It seems to be the norm these days. It is either a phase or here to stay. Look at any online store and count how many times you read those words Limited Edition. I have cigars waiting for review and most are here for a short time. It truly limits the number of reviews as it seems no point in reviewing a cigar that the reader can’t buy because they are long gone.

Again, the cigar reaches for the stars with every new puff.

Jimi. “All Along the Watchtower.” The speculation of how he would have changed rock n roll if he had lived. Of all the rock stars that died young, Jimi was the biggest tragedy.

I hope others review this cigar. I don’t find an impactful list of flavor points. But others might. I am totally focused on the sum of its parts. They work together like the time I was in prison and the Aryan boys held me down for fun. A team effort. I told them that my ancestors arrived with the Pilgrims. Being a WASP in prison is safer…as opposed to telling them the men in my family were a long line of rabbis.

No nicotine. Surprised and deliriously happy.

I expected the cigar to reach full tilt, but it remains in the medium/full category to the end.
Great blend for sophisticates and newbies alike.

I use my PerfecDraw as a roach clip. This is a must nub cigar.
Regardless of who you might purchase this cigar from, tell them the katman sent you.

The Sergeant lays to rest at exactly one hour.
No harshness, heat, or bitterness.
Both Atlantic Cigar and Small Batch Cigar carry this stick.
Y’all should get some if you haven’t already.

RATING: 95

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS