Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo ~ Aged 5 years
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Criollo 98, Corojo Ligero
Size: 5.75 x 48 Corona Gorda
Strength: Medium
Price: $16.00
Date Released: July 2026
Quantity Released: Undisclosed (One and Done limited release)
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura, Dominican Republic
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
This is an unassuming little cigar. A plain Jane with an oily wrapper that gives it sheen and a leg up when pressed for time. I sniff it and immediately scroll to the leaf stats because I smell floral, warm cotton candy, cinnamum, a rich earthiness, lager, and creamed corn.
My PerfecPunch laughs gregariously as I mutter out loud if maybe the cap is too small for a punch. I exert heavy sighs and lift the mansplainer into service and voila…he/them/they were/was right. Easy peasy.
First impression of the cold draw is foamy root beer. And then loads of cedar, milk chocolate, mint, cashew with a hint of peanut shells, and white pepper.
Tawny start with notes of peanuts, lemon crème, white pepper, baking spices, and nicely aged leather.
The wrapper is aged 5 years and delivers the goods via Western Union. If you’re under 50, you have no idea what a telegram is. Because you’ve never gotten one. My 1963 Bar Mitzvah book is full of them from well-meaning strangers. All I cared about was Show Me the Money not good wishes. Telegrams were a great way to share celebrations and avoid at all costs putting a check into an envelope with a card. This is 4’10 Philly at his bar mitzvah. Note: It seems that the rabbi fell asleep during my incantation of prayers as I hold the sacred Torah:
The leaf stats confuse me as they read like something that should have punch. But the cigar is advertised as a morning cigar. Sneaky Bastardos!
The thing is…guys don’t want to spend $16 on their morning cigar. I can’t afford it and I don’t know anyone that smokes a medium strength cigar after breakfast has been served. There are so many choices for easy going sticks under the $10 threshold.
Being a music producer can be a shitty job. On one hand, the musicians all pipe in on how they want everything to sound. And on the other hand, they want you to make them sound too cool for school. Nitpicking can drive you crazy. The mantra of every producer is: “Just wait. Let me finish. Let me show you. Be patient.” It might have worked 50% of the time. I can’t begin to count the number of times I slapped some overly exuberant musician’s hands who put his hand on my board.
I pass the half inch mark. The next inch will be critical mass. My favorite morning stick is Casdagli Daughters of the Wind. It cranks into gear around the one-inch mark. In fact, most morning sticks with an Ecuadorian Connie wrapper need to burn the symbolic one-inch effigy before opening up.
The start of this cigar was tastier than the first third. I’m beginning to become disappointed. I like Wildfire. They make some interesting cigars, and I’ve reviewed them with great enthusiasm. But I will hold back an overall prediction until I’m further into this cigar. I get anxious and neurotic (I hear you say, “No shit!”) because I know the price of the cigar. I cannot give 100% to a review without knowing the price point. It is absolutely necessary in correctly evaluating a cigar. Either that, or I’m too fakakta in mind and spirit to do a blind review properly.
The other thing that happened quite often was I’d be brought in as a bassist for session dates. The producer would be impressed with my background and ask me to sit in during mixing just for fun and trade road stories. I would make suggestions about what was coming out of the studio speakers. The producer would be seemingly grateful and make those changes. But then, it got away from me. The producer would feel threatened. Next thing I knew, the guy would bring me back into the studio to show me his version. AND…he would play the bass parts. These guys needed to show authority and to keep me in my place. Only infrequently, did I have an easy-going relationship with a producer. I never felt threatened by good suggestions. Musicians, engineers, and producers are very insecure underneath the bravado.
As the first half disappears into the ether, I’m left thinking this is just an OK cigar. Nothing more, nothing less. It is creamy, peanutty, sweet, and equally savory.
I expected more. I don’t know why this blend is so expensive. It is certainly nothing out of the ordinary that might cause me to say Woo Woo. I really want this cigar to succeed.
If the second half kicks the starter pedal, I’ll be lenient in my observations. I will waffle that the cigar needs more rest and I’ve sparked it too soon.
The bane of every recording studio is the selection of microphones. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of types of mics. And each has its own personality. With every artist and every band, the situation is different. Finding the right microphones for the instruments and the vocals is beyond vexing. One can easily spend hours finding the right sound. When I wasn’t hired to produce an artist, I was my engineer’s go-fer. I’d be in the studio adjusting mics while the engineer would be figuring if it was the right sound or the right placement. And you never stop buying new mics. It was a horrifying cost. It took an entire year once I ran the studio to finally get the right microphones for any occasion. We had a room dedicated to storing them. Initially, it can be overwhelming but after a while, we would be good at grabbing the right tools to accentuate the sound the artist/band wanted. The other problem was that we were always plagued by thieves. Musicians would try to nab mics, headphones, and even the signed posters and records we had on the walls. The missing headphones got so bad that I decided not to spend more than $10 on a replacement. Next to the mics, were boxes and boxes of ‘ears.’ Punk bands were the worst.
The second half is better. Flavors haven’t changed but the depth of field has.
Creamy peanuts, caramel, leather, lemon crème, and white pepper. Not exactly a wide spectrum but it will do, pig…it will do.
It’s a nice cigar. Would I spend $80 on a fiver? No. If the cigar’s price was diminutive, such as in the $12 price range before discount codes, I might just let them sleep for months and months. But there is so much competition for our money that we can be very selective. Cigars aren’t going to get cheaper. Tariffs don’t make it easy. Even catalog brands run in the double digits. In the coming years, it will be tough for the single blogger, like me, to afford review cigars. I picked the right time to give up sniffing glue.
You can purchase the Wildfire Radio Octave at non sponsor Luxury Cigar Club. Take 15% off with promo code KATMAN15.
RATING: 88
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
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