Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 & Corojo, USA Pennsylvania,
Size: 6 x 54 Gran Toro
Strength: Medium
Price: $11.99
My cigars have rested naked for 3 months.
Bought my sticks from Luxury Cigar Club.
BACKGROUND:
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Undisclosed
From Atlantic Cigar:
“The Family X Loyalty cigars are truly something special. This ultra-boutique cigar line is focused and committed to finding the very best premium tobaccos from around the world and expertly blend them into something unique. Made in extremely small batches allow for the upmost flavor consistency. The dedicated team at Family X Loyalty cigars run on passion, mass production, which shows in their handcrafted products.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I hadn’t heard of this brand until Ben at Luxury Cigar Club mentioned it to me. He hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so I snagged a fiver.
No reviews at this writing. Gulp.
The draw is just a bit tighter than my ass all those years on Cell Block D. I grab my trusty PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and don my coal miner’s cap and go to work. A bit stubborn as I must thrust my stainless steel dagger deep into the heart of the cigar. I wipe my brow and pat myself on the shoulder for a job well done. The draw is now perfection.
I’m playing a Van Morrison album with 67 songs. That should keep me out of trouble during the entire laborious adventure I am about to embark upon. May need to take sudden breaks to do the Hully Gully…and maybe The Jerk. The Jerk sent more adults to the ER than any other dance step known to modern man. Plus, urban myth says more than 100,000 people died a horrible death due to the misanthrope movements one had to perform in 4/4 1960’s music.
Okie doke. The beginning brings great gollums of hope. The tobacco sends out micro signals that something good might be in store if I behave. OK. If I hafta’.
A flow of Nic puro flavors flood the sewers of my brain…. graham cracker, lots of malt, black pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, black licorice, steak sauce, espresso, cedar, and Iceland Dill Martini. Plus, some effluence from 80-year-old K-Rations.
Construction is doing well, thank you. Big clouds of smoke fill my depleting hair and it begins to grow into dreads. Yah, Mon. The char line is micrometer proof.
Strength is medium.
Nearly Nic puros, no matter the combination, taste of Nicaragua. Can’t get away from that. So, flavors are not distant memories as 25% of all cigars sold are Nic puros. I made that percentage up as it is too early in the morning for fact checking.
There is an AJ cloneiness…the master of Nic puro blends. In other words, while this blend is very nice, it ain’t something I’ve never smoked before this very moment in time and space. Off the top of my dreadlocks, I can’t point to any specific blend of AJ’s this reminds me of. 30 years ago, I’d rattle off every blend along with a master’s thesis in tobacco farming. Now? I’m happy I’m breathing.
Nice slow roll.
The black pepper is a bit strong…but as I’ve only burned 1-1/2”, the future is a mystery to all of us…except for Generalissimo Francisco Franco who I believe is still dead.
Creaminess enters and calms the spiciness and wags a finger at the pepper with “You are a very bad man…a very bad man.” It is here that Shmoopie intercedes.
Complexity kicks in with a bucket and a lawn mower. Transitions begin. The finish is a nice balance of savory v. sweet. I like that.
Smoothness elbows old ladies aside and runs away with the turning tide. The balance surges. Later, it will get a tattoo of the last thing you thought about. That’s right, cigars can be clairvoyant. Only 7 people in the cigar industry know this and now you do too.
I love that the cigar is chooglin’. Nothing linear happening in this cigar’s diaper. Transitions pick up speed while intensifying the finish.
Flavors put themselves on mute. The tobaccy takes over allowing the flavor profile to compress into a Red Dwarf star.
This increases the intensity of the blender’s intent.
2” in, and a lovely sweet spot sticks its tongue out at me and smiles. I smile back.
First sip of water and flavors flood the same tunnel that Sylvester Stallone was trapped in.
Strength begins to move on up.
It is 16 degrees outside, and the window is open. I remove my bathrobe and delight in the hardness of my nipples. All 6 of them. I was never a structural engineer. I made a living allowing homeless piglets to suckle. I then went to work for local farms. Paid well and I could lay down on the job.
The $12 price tag is more than fair.
Yes, the cigar is somewhat AJ-like, but it has its own distinct blending notes.
I detect corn relish. A first for me. Maybe I should block my view of the cat’s litter box with my laptop.
Sweet corn slathered in butter. And popcorn too. You ever do the popcorn box thing in a movie theater on a first date when you were a teen? Me neither.
Nicotine is making a massive entrance. I’m now typing from memory.
Medium/full is in place and will be going for full tilt very soon.
Despite this, the flavors thrive. The complexity wins a carny stuffed animal. The finish slobbers down my chin. The balance is on point. Savory v. sweet drives the bus.
I really like this cigar. It’s making a man out of me like my Bar Mitzvah couldn’t.
45 minutes to reach the halfway point.
The blender found a way to use the Nicaraguan materials to present a different approach than other similar cigars.
This cigar is so good that I take the sophisticated approach to allow 2 minutes between puffs. The transitions and the finish hang in the air like the Hindenburg.
Here they are: Creaminess, espresso, cinnamon, black pepper, graham cracker, malt, cedar, a touch of jalapeno, buttered popcorn, an unopened Slim Jim, and Tupelo honey.
The havoc caused by the nicotine calms allowing the extreme smoothness to shine. The balance sees no changes. All in all, a fine representation of Nicaragua.
Subtle notes of various baking spices, BBQ spices, and curry.
Palestinians moved in next door. At first, I thought it might be a cell. Turns out they are the nicest people in the world. Once a week, they feed us with a feast exhibited on 5 plates. If you’ve never eaten Palestinian food, it is a marvel of design and execution. Beats the hell out of spaghetti. Still, I sleep with my Mossberg on my chest. Charlotte reached over one night and sat up in anticipation…only to be disappointed that she was feeling the barrel of the gun.
I expected notes of chocolate, but none exist.
Nubbing is on the menu.
I don’t know why this cigar is described as a medium strength cigar. Medium/full at the minimum. As the last 2” go into overdrive and my merkin drops to the floor in a heap. It needed a combing out, so not a big deal.
A very complex set of leaves. They taste like extensively aged tobacco.
The rollers did an excellent job. Construction has been first rate. The char line has been dead nuts the entire time.
The cigar finishes out at 90 minutes. The way a Toro should.
Excellent cigar.
You can purchase this cigar from two of my sponsors: Luxury Cigar Club (15% off with promo code katman), and Atlantic Cigar.
Happy Hanukkah.
RATING: 93
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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