Wrapper: Honduran Candela / Nicaraguan Jalapa
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Honduran, Panamanian
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
Strength: Medium
Price: $11.15

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Cigar:

BACKGROUND:
Released February 2022
Limited Edition: 2000 boxes of 24
From Atlantic Cigar:
“Since 2013, Alec Bradley has annually released their incredibly popular Filthy Hooligan line of cigars just before St. Patrick’s Day. A striking barber pole, brand owner Alan Rubin wanted to create something new and added a candela wrapper mixed in with the dark Jalapa wrapper of the Black Market. The barber pole wrapper encases a unique combination of Ecuadorian Sumatran binder and Honduran and Panamanian fillers. The result is a creative blend that is supposed to add more strength and pop than previous years blends. Alec Bradley compares it to a flavorful Irish stout..Sounds good to me! But don’t delay only 2,000 boxes were produced worldwide.”

APPEARANCE:
This is a snappy looking stick. Small veinage here and there. The seams of the barber pole are perfectly executed. The weight feels right. I allowed for two days of dry boxing as it has been very humid in Milwaukee lately. So, not much give. Still, the tobacco feels evenly distributed; like all the wealth I leave behind to my heirs. If you stare long enough at the cigar band, you begin to see Dr. Seuss characters in the ornate banners and flora.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
The downside to dry boxing is that often the aromas of the wrapper dissipate leaving me with a cigar stuck up my nose in an effort to coax the damn cigar to spill its nasal flavors.

So here they are in miniature: Barnyard, floral, chocolate, malt, black pepper, peanut butter, cedar, vanilla pudding, charred oak, and freshly mowed grass.

How often do you snip the cap and find the draw absolute perfection for your needs? Of course, you must start off snobby and eccentric. That being said, this is one of those cigars. My bodacious PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool awaits patiently for me to smoke a non-review cigar later in the day. Later in the day is 3 hours from now.

The cold draw presents flavors of Candela grassy knoll, Dallas Cheerleader second sniper gun powder, old books from the Depository, Cuban chocolate coins, creamy brain matter from the trunk, and Russian patsy potato croquettes.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I’ve had my Filthy Hooligans resting naked for 3 months.

Immediate complex notes of black pepper, chocolate, espresso, malt, creaminess, and charred oak sprint from the starting line.

It hits medium strength as quickly as JFK pounced on Marilyn the first time.

The cigar presents a broad spectrum of tiny nuances that offer up hope for the great society. Now that I think about it, The Great Society was the precursor to Jefferson Airplane. A testing ground for Grace Slick. Of course, I did have possession of a couple albums in 1965 and 1966. Anyone out there my age? Remember lying on your bed at your folks’ house and staring at Grace while listening to the music?

Transitions begin…providing what I hope will be a constant state of motion for my palate and other non-essential body parts.

The character of this blend is hefty. Like weighted down with bowling balls at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. I make eye contact with Jimmy Hoffa.

The burn is doing the Hokey Pokey while I play Marvin Gaye.

The blend is delicious. It hits my G Spot like a ton of Secret Service agents chasing a Lincoln.

Sometimes one can taste the gentle sway of the change of wrappers in a barber pole construction. Other times, not. In this case, I get subtle changes that liven up the party which allows me to swirl my boxer shorts around my waist. Thank God I’m built like a Ken doll.

The blend is ready to discard subtleties and go for full on intensity that separates a dip shit cigar from a well thought out blend.

It takes 25 minutes to smoke 2”. That’s a good boy…Daddy loves you.
The cigar is perfectly packed. A nice slow stride that is on a virtual ride to Parkland.

I tried one of these snausages a few weeks in. I wasted a good cigar.

The mélange of intent goes from exhausting my palate with overload…to solid transitions of Cocoa Puffs, espresso, malt, creaminess, salted caramel, and charred steak. The finish shows the exact appropriate amount of spice, cinnamon, cut grass, lemon wedges, and dark chocolate.

This balance of totality and tidbits is rare. Usually, it is one or the other.
Every puff brings something different to the table.

I wasn’t expecting this cigar to hit all my erogenous zones, but it hammers down with a vision that no smoker can ignore. It is a potent blend of familiar flavors and exotic nuances.

Strength remains at a relaxing medium. I could nap. Sometimes I go back and read one of my reviews and it appears that I was asleep the entire time.

I have Pandora on the classic R&B channel. I grew up with these tunes. Charlotte grew up in Fulda Germany. She listened to nothing but Armed Forces Radio which played all the great R&B of the 60’s. As an adult, this is all she listens to.

The Filthy Hooligan Barber Pole is a staunch cigar blend. It is sophisticated. Flavors are as varied as all the conspiracy theories. A stick that both newbies and experts can enjoy in tandem…World Peace.

Removing the cigar band is like trying to hit a bowling split. Difficult, but not impossible.

I hit the halfway point 40 minutes in. Take your time, sweetie…Big Daddy is at one with the earth’s rotation.

I absolutely love the subdued spiciness. Just enough for that always needed kick in the ass…but never overpowering.

I lean back in my office chair and imagine myself sitting, on a warm sunny day, at the shores of Lake Michigan…watching the old tires wash ashore.

Strength perpetuates the medium impact like the Kennedy family saying they have no explanation or theories.

The blend becomes a shooting star with earth, wood, and fire. I have hit the major sweet spot. My tongue is moving around my mouth like it is trying to put out flames.

As this is an extremely limited cigar, I stop writing and buy another fiver from Atlantic Cigar.

Strength is upped to capo di tutti capi. The Filthy Hooligan now paints walls.

A major transition occurs. The experience, as a whole, outweighs individual flavor points. Kumbaya.

The toro size was a magnificent choice. A luxurious blend overflowing with character and the ultimate balance.

1967. Cream’s “Disraeli Gears” was released. My band had a college dance that weekend. The moment we broke into “Sunshine of Your Love,” the college girls went nuts. We were on a big stage, but it didn’t stop the girls from storming it. They grabbed at my ankles as they bellowed in Jungian primal screams. I had short hair. And I was so skinny that I only appeared in 2D. It was that moment that gave me purpose and the goal of every teenage boy: Become a rock star. We played the song in all 4 sets and the girl attack repeated itself like Groundhog Day. But we didn’t play any tunes by Sonny & Cher.

The cigar is perfectly packed as I see only 2” left. The char line is dead on.
Strength is an easy going medium+. And no barrage of nicotine.

The stick is so tasty that I want to slather it in sour cream and devour it.

After writing a couple reviews of blah cigars that had me verklempt at the end, this blend has me riding the mechanical horse in front of the grocery store.

The number of available cigars is dwindling.
Atlantic Cigar still has them.
I am now a sleepy macaque.
Get some.

RATING: 95

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS