Boutique Cigars

Powstanie Habano

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.

Liga Privada Dirty Rat

Good day, Distinguished Ruffian family. T Money back for another cigar review, just for your reading pleasure. This is a well-known cigar but has become kind of a unicorn due to availability and after-market pricing. I’m sure you all know the name and brand. As legend has it, Steve Saka created this cigar to have with his espresso while in Nicaragua. He has said to have over 50 boxes in his humidor and won’t smoke any that were made after his departure from Drew Estate. He even created the Sobremesa Short Churchill to replace this cigar so he could hoard his precious stash. I’m talking of course about the Liga Privada Unico Series Dirty Rat.

This has been a go-to early morning smoke for me, but they are hard to come by. This cigar has been aging since 2012. I have only a few left and wanted to get my notes down before I ran out. When I first started smoking cigars, finding the Unico Series on the shelves, was like finding the Holy Grail. The first one I had was the Feral Flying Pig. I’ve since stashed a couple of boxes of those away for a rainy day. The L40 was the next one I tried and being a hater of Lanceros, it didn’t do much for me. Then, this one came along. The corona size is also one that I had to grow to love and this is the one that sealed the deal for me. So without further ado, let’s get into it. It is a 5×44 Corona that comes with the same wrapper that is on the T-52. If you like the T-52, you’ll love this cigar. It has a Brazilian binder with Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. It comes in a box of 12 with an MSRP of $12, but as you know, there is a huge markup on these hard-to-find Ligas. I bought this box from Jerry’s Cigars in Tucson, back in 2012. I cut it with the trusty Palio and fired it up with the DuPont DeFi Xtreme.

Liga Privada Unico Series Dirty Rat

Starting off, the smoke output is absolutely crazy, as with all Liga Privada cigars. There is a TON of earth right off the bat. Slight amount of pepper on the retrohale, but nothing crazy. Getting further in, it has some semi-sweet chocolate coming to the forefront. The sweetness and the earth just meld really well together. The strength and body are at the lower end of medium as I reach the second third.

The second third starts to really show that semi-sweet chocolate flavor. Earth is now barely hanging on, but it is still noticeable. The retrohale is still about the same with some slight spice with a bit of cherry wood. I had a tunnel starting and had to let it go out. After letting it go out and a relight, it seemed to fix itself. It’s tough with these corona-sized cigars to fix a tunnel, but this didn’t have a problem. Strength and body are about medium for both.

Finishing up the last third, there isn’t a whole lot of change. A bit more bite on the retrohale, but that is to be expected with the smaller ring gauge. Semi-sweet chocolate,

dark earth, and a touch of leather round out the cigar. I nubbed it at about the hour and 20-minute mark.

Overall, I think the age really smoothed out this blend and melded the flavors together. I remember there being much more transitions when I first smoked the cigar. This one was crazy smooth and even the retrohale didn’t make me sneeze or eyes water as I remember the younger versions doing. I haven’t been able to find any lately, so I have no frame of comparison, other than my original notes. If you like a corona size cigar and want something with coffee in the morning, this is your go-to. Great burn, only a small issue with the tunnel and huge smoke output.

T Money score: 4/5 rebuy box. If you can find these at, or close to MSRP, grab them. You definitely won’t be disappointed.

Wrapper – Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder – Brazilian Mata Fina

Filler – Nicaraguan & Honduran

Website: www.drewestate.com

Rating: 4.0 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.

20 Acre Farm From Drew Estate

This 20 Acre Farm by Drew Estate took me back to when my Grandmother used to live in Hopewell Junction, NY., tons of farming areas. In fact she lived on a relatively small farm herself with my step grandfather. Beyond their land there was more and more land. The scents that filled the air, the tranquility you feel and most definitely that rich deep nourishing soil that lingers in the breeze is all around. Kind of like when I read Jonathan Drew’s (Founder and President of Drew Estate) statement regarding the 20 acre farm where they grew the tobacco in Florida. “The brand promise speaks to our love affair with this 20-acre plot of dirt in Florida that we continue to nourish year after year. Our brand promise is actually to the farm, kinda like that book [the little engine that could] we’re simply in love with that farm!” Especially WE, as cigar enthusiasts, knowing where are good tobacco comes from, we have to pay our homage to the farm lands just as Drew Estate created here with their new 20 Acre Farm release.

Speaking of release, 20 Acre Farm made its debut on the November 2021 edition Freestyle Live. The cigar had been released as a “mystery cigar” as a part of an event package leading up to that Freestyle Live. The Florida Sun Grown tobacco was grown on Jeff Borysiewicz’s farm, he stated “The amount of fun I experienced unveiling 20 Acre Farm with Drew Estate during Freestyle Live Special Edition was intense and I’m extremely proud of the cigar” he continues on by saying “20 Acre Farm is a masterpiece that showcases our Florida Sun Grown tobacco while enhancing the sophisticated smoking characteristics of the other tobaccos in the blend, especially the Connecticut Shade Grown wrapper. As a premium cigar retailer for more than 20 years, I can’t wait to offer 20 Acre Farm to my customers and I’m looking forward to hearing what other premium tobacconists think of the cigar.” Without further a due let’s get into my review of this 20 Acre Farm.

And just like that with my first couple of cold draws the 20 Acre Farm takes you to a place as if you were standing on some farm land (at least for me anyway). I picked up Earthy, sweet grass, very light essence of soil and almost like smelling that farm breeze that fills your nostrils. Having my palate ready; wondering what kind of journey I will be on through the enjoyment of this cigar I couldn’t wait any longer. Time to light up!

Upon light up; I knew right away with that soft, light, creamy, cedar, earthy, citrus, white pepper notes it was going to be a mild cigar. Embarking on the 1st third of the 20 Acre Farm I was picking up citrus, my glands were activated so that saline taste was coming through, there was a sweetness that came through and not your typical sweetness but what came to mind was stevia, sometimes called candyleaf, sweetleaf or sugarleaf incase you are not familiar with stevia. It’s a different kind of sweetness yet it is a plant ground up to a powder form. Along with the current profiles I’m picking up; I also tasted an oily covering that encompassed my palate. Not a bad taste at all, more of like an oily taste that you would get if you folded an orange peel, then pinched down, and let those oils from the peel hit your palate. As I get down to that last little bit of the 1st third of 20 Acre Farm some white pepper and floral notes crept in.

Continuing onward to the 2nd third of this wonderful Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade Grown wrapper, Sun Grown Habano binder, and fillers from Esteli and Jalapa as well as Florida Sun Grown leaf, the flavor profiles are continuing to impress. The floral, earthy, citrus note still hang around but some other notes crept in; a creamy caramel, toasted nut butter and a hint of cassis (black current) enter the palate party room along with some chocolate drizzled popcorn. It’s not an upfront in your face chocolate taste, it’s very subtle but that popcorn taste is what came to mind. No salt or butter just some good old fashion air popped popcorn with that ever so light taste of chocolate in the background.

In the last third of the cigar everything pretty much stays consistent; floral, citrus, cedar, creaminess with a few other profiles that introduced themselves. The chocolate, cassis, and popcorn taste drifted away but in came some toffee, honey, toasted salted peanuts, and a hint of cinnamon joined the mix. Very smooth and DEFINETLY creamy all the way until the 20 Acre Farm was right down to the nub. I’m going to rate this cigar 4.5 out of 5. As someone who like heavier, fuller bodied cigars to me it was missing that “Oomph” because it is a medium body cigar but by NO MEANS am I saying ANYTHING negative or think poorly of this cigar. I enjoyed the journey, enjoyed the profiles, even enjoyed the prices of 20 Acre Farm; Robusto (5 ¼ x 54) $12.40, Toro (6×52) $13.40 & Gordito (6×60) $15.40 all per cigar.

Finally I will leave this article by quoting more words from Jonathan Drew in regards to this cigar “20 Acre Farm is a brand with both purpose and promise. While many of ya’ll might think of Drew Estate as a bunch of roughneck reservoir dogs, this is really only partially true. We also have a very elegant side to us, a classy side if you will. The elegance of 20 Acre Farm is unquestionable, as that luxurious creamy bomb coats the palate with layer after layer of butta and more butta. It’s just so smooth it’s crazy.” And there you have it folks spoken by the Founder and President of Drew Estate himself. You’re only next step is to start your search for this wonderful 20 Acre Farm! Enjoy!!

Wrapper – Ecuadoran Connecticut

Binder – Honduran

Filler – Nicaraguan/United States