Hello everyone, and welcome back for another T Money cigar review. We have a great one for you today and hope this will give you some fantastic insight into this cigar. Today, we’re tackling the Powstanie Habano. I first was introduced to the Powstanie brand about 5 years ago when my good friend had given me one. We spent the day trying to pronounce the name and it was good for a laugh. Now, you might know them for their yearly release of the Wojtek,(Voy-Tech) which is Polish for War Bear. I have a review of that one as well, but let’s do a quick backstory of Powstanie (Poh-Ston-yay). The brand was started in 2015 by brothers Mike and Greg Szczepankewicz, who both also own Cigar Hustler in Deltona, Florida. They teamed up with Estaban Disla and Skip Martin to make their cigar company a true reality. The name Powstanie is Polish for “Uprising”. It’s interesting to note that each brother blended a different cigar for their portfolio. Greg did the Broadleaf and Mike did the Habano. These cigars are made in Nicaragua at the same factory as RoMa Craft. So, let’s cut up this bad boy and get to the meat and potatoes of this, shall we?

Powstanie Habano Belicoso 5.5×54

So, first released in 2015, this were exclusively only at their Cigar Hustler store. This cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder, Dominican Criollo, Esteli Ligero, and other fillers from Condega and Jalapa in Nicaragua. The tip of this belicoso comes to almost a perfect point, which is way different than most of the other belicosos I’ve seen on the market. The wrapper has quite a few prominent veins and almost looks like a cracked windshield. I used my Palio straight cut it as usual. The cold draw is super loose and has some graham cracker and wet grass coming through. I used a cedar spill to toast and light the cigar since the wind here was surprisingly at a minimum.

Right off the bat, I get a ton of earth slapping me in the face. I was not expecting that from a habano shade wrapper. The retrohale has a bit of semi-sweet chocolate and a dark roasted coffee. The smoke output is huge! I always enjoy getting a big plume of smoke from my cigars. Some grass and leather creep their way in a bit further into the third. The draw doesn’t seem to be open as it felt on the cold draw and the burn is getting a bit wonky. Had to do a couple of touchups, but nothing crazy. Towards the end of the first third, some smooth creaminess is lingering on the palate. It’s right below the medium mark in strength and the flavor is Medium/Full.

Getting into the second third, the earth and creaminess are still there. The retrohale has a bit of burnt wood. There is zero spice hitting me, which I was really surprised about. The burn has straightened out nicely and the draw is still perfect. Seems to be quite like the first third, except for a nuttiness starting to show its face, almost like a walnut or pecan. Smoke output is still impressive and doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. The strength is a bit more medium and the flavor is still medium/full.

Now, for the last third… This is where the magic of this cigar comes through. Dark coffee is back to the forefront and some spicy pepper is hitting me on the retrohale. Just a huge transition from the first two thirds of this cigar. Cedar, leather, and earth come roaring back in the way a prizefighter finishes in the later rounds. I’m doing everything I can to savor this and hold on to it way too long. I grab my nubbing tool and smoke it until it’s way too hot to continue. What a finish!!!

WOW! So I haven’t had one of these in many years and I don’t know why. This was a perfect anytime smoke with great construction and just a joy to smoke. It truly shined in the last third. I love a good earthy, smooth cigar and this one aced it! My smoking time was 1 hour and 40 minutes. I don’t know how much age was on this one, as it was given to me by Prez, Mitch, specifically for this review. Seeing as these are readily available on the market, I suggest grabbing a box, or two, and sharing them with your friends. At the very least, buy some for yourself and smoke them with great joy!

T Money Score: 4.5/5. Rebuy (multiple) boxes. I hope everyone has a chance to smoke something they enjoy today and as always; Do something nice for someone today!

Wrapper –  Ecuadorian habano

Binder – Indonesian

Filler – Dominican & Nicaraguan

Website: www.cigarhustler.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pints.

• Travis Peterson AKA T Money is the Co-Captain of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapter of Distinguished Ruffians. He started his cigar journey in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Outside of cigars he has a passion for brewing beer, playing guitar, bowling and golf. He is also a self proclaimed grilling and smoking expert.