Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano, Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 5.875 x 60 Perfecto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $25.00
Date Released: November 2025
Quantity Released: 1,000 boxes of 8.
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua.
BACKGROUND:
From Luxury Cigar Club:
“The War Bear of Mass Destruction is headed our way, unleashing the boldest evolution yet in Powstanie’s beloved Wojtek Series. This annual limited edition, dating back to 2019, returns in spectacular form with the Powstanie War Bear 2025, a 5 7/8 x 60 perfecto built from the original Wojtek blend and wrapped in the line’s signature barber-pole design.
“Its dual Ecuadorian Habano and Mexican San Andrés wrappers spiral together in a striking twirl, encasing an Indonesian binder and a potent blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers crafted at Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua. Production is capped at just 1,000 boxes of eight cigars, roughly 250 fewer than initially planned, making this one of the rarest War Bear releases to date.
“This year’s edition breaks entirely from past packaging traditions, arriving in a dark, camouflage-painted metal sleeve designed with built-in mounting hardware for collectors who want to display it on the wall. Completing the transformation, each cigar is dressed in a sleek, all-black band, an aesthetic shift that mirrors the cigar’s intense, militaristic theme.”
Photo courtesy of Powstanie:
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I have no idea how a shmeggle of cat hair is on the cigar. You have a long hair cat, and your world is shneezing, schnorring, and schlepping. Fortunately, I have an industrial sized hand vac that removes the wrapper’s foreskin and half the binder. I’m good to go.
This is a beautiful cigar. The occasional vein disrupts the flow, but the oiliness and shine takes up the slack. The Nebraska twirl is cooler than an open container on your favorite SI pinup the day after Christmas. A plump cigar that gives weight to the proposition that all cigars are not created equal.
The 8mm punch on my PerfecPunch easily removes the pin head, proving a guillotine cutter is not necessarily needed when traveling. I don’t travel anymore, I cucaracha from place to place.
What does the wrapper smell like? Not much. I insert the apocalyptic pile driver into my giant schonozola, and I find notes of baking spices, nuts, barnyard, sweetness, and a bit of mocha java.
The draw is spotty but due to its irregular shape, and my previous sticks, I know that it will open up once lit. My PerfecDraw has its ear to my ankle and heard everything. There are snuffles, sniffles, and blubbering. A quick monkey motion with my left leg, and the PD goes sailing into a wall, gets knocked out, and there is peace in the land of the dead. The stuff I put up with so Dr. Rod can make a living.
Dang me. Right out of the gate, my slobber quotient goes crazy. So rich and delicious that I genuflect to the god, Richard Simmons. Not that there is anything wrong with that. This is a good cigar and matches perfectly with the consistency of my previous sticks. Can it keep it up? I hope so.
The char line is crisp without a crunch. Sharp without cutting the hand that feeds it. Gluten free al dente. And toasty like a double tap Pop Tart.
Here’s what I read in a description about the flavors: Malt Sweetness, Toasty Wood, Roasted Coffee, Baking Spice, Marshmallow, Leather.
The malt sweetness is clearly evident from the start. Toasty, yeah, big time. Café au lait is my compromise as there is a giant slather of creaminess. Baking spices are mild and concentrate on cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of clove.
Marshmallow is the big kahuna burger in the flavor profile. The leather touch has me sucking on my new gun belt I bought from Field Supply for a reasonable price. And the only thing left is the extreme earthiness that I love in women of all denominations.
In my previous sticks, the marshmallow intrigued me. Occasionally, this is noticeable but rare. This time around it is not a mild note; but rather, a driving flavor. I don’t taste chocolate which may keep the marshmallow alive and well without the algorithm that it is a S’more on wheels.
Ian Anderson didn’t do drugs. The Jethro Tull leader did not approve of drugs. So, when his bandmates, who approved of drugs, smoked some hash with us in Curved Air’s dressing room, Anderson unleashed hell with a litany of verbal threats. This repeated itself over the next few gigs. Anderson didn’t allow us to tour with his band again. We didn’t care. What a tool.
I’m a big fan of the Powstanie SBC line. I rated the Powstanie War Bear 2023 with a 95. And the War Bear 2020 with an 86. Time heals all wounds.
Strength began at medium but gets upped to the advertised medium/full at the inch mark. I feel the fuzz.
The toasty marshmallow is front and center. Transitions show off the blend’s sophistication. A disclaimer…after last night’s War Bear, I bought a box. It’s a lot of dough, even with the katman discount of 15%. But a $21 stick goes down better than a $25 option. I am careful about what I buy because things are so bloody expensive these days. Food alone is the same as a tonsillectomy performed by a gaggle of dentists. But I have no buyer’s remorse. I can’t wait for the cigars to arrive and then I will put them away for 6 months and reap the rewards. Since I have the memory disfunction of a typical septuagenarian, it will be a nice surprise. If you’re still with me in my gyrational exercise in displaying a wordle vomitorium, you know the outcome: this is a no brainer purchase, even if you can only muster a fiver.
What I like about this cigar is the consistency. Every War Bear smokes the same. No construction issues, perfect burn, and the perfect litany of flavors. I’ve seen sugar free marshmallows on Amazon, but they just won’t taste right. I haven’t tasted the little fluffy sugar pillows in almost half a century.
Know what’s odd? I really can’t remember the names of the bands that were the support acts for Curved Air. All were excellent acts with record deals that had more airplay than CA. I remember the Dutch band Trace but that’s because they were a disaster. We didn’t get along with them. They were arrogant as hell. Their road crew was made up of the cast from Deliverance. And they wouldn’t smoke cigars. Now Larry Coryell was cool. I smoked Cubans with him, and he was just a real down-to-earth gem of a man. When I offered Pete Townshend a cigar, he just laughed.
The first half was excellent (one hour). Sometimes you get what you pay for. Honestly, most expensive cigars are pure shams. Nothing pisses me off more than forking out my hard-earned dough on a supposedly good cigar and it fails miserably. But when I get that rare singularity that I can’t afford, I don’t care. I put it in the elite pile. The War Bear is a special occasion.
I’m in the fattest part of the cigar. Meanwhile, I’m fat all the time. Badda boom. Mental health is no joke. Well, actually…yes, it is. And where do I begin about retards?
This brutally cold Wisconsin fall/winter is killing the arthritis in my knees and back. I’m just miserable. If you feel the same, raise your crunchy appendage and shake your money maker. Currently, the wind chill is -14°. But it’s sunny outside, so I’ll take what I can get.
Marshmallow, malt, café au lait, leather goods, almonds and sweet cashews, a touch of honey, mild black pepper, childbearing earthiness, and half your spice cabinet. Damn, Drusilla…I’m having a real good time.
I’m playing the shit out of my new Ibanez SRF700 fretless. The extended 30 frets and the incredible tone have given new life to my extended laziness. I am now vigoroso when it comes to strapping on a big piece of wood.
I got a new haircut and new glasses. I have never had hair this short in my life. But I’ve been cutting my hair with the cat trimmer for 5 years and it was time to go back to baseline. I’m going to try for a fro. I look stunning with a War Bear in my mouth.
I have zero criticism for the War Bear. A lovely blend that checks all the boxes. The second half is dedicated to the one I love. Me. If the description of this cigar rankles the cockles on your skedaddle, you’ll like this cigar too.
You can purchase the Powstanie Wojtek War Bear 2025 Limited Edition from sponsor Luxury Cigar Club. Take 15% off with promo code KATMAN15.
RATING: 96
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