Cigar

JFR Lunatic Hysteria Barberpole
JFR Lunatic Hysteria Barberpole

Good afternoon #DistinguishedRufffian family. It’s AZ/NM Co-Capt, T Money, back for another cigar review. Hope you are ready to enjoy your week and are preparing for the Zoom meeting this Thursday. This cigar was given to me by PA Capt, Bill, and I had to do a review on it. This is one I’ve wanted to try forever. Barberpole cigars and typically hit and miss for me, but I love Aganorsa Leaf and knew this would be a winner. With no further ado, let’s get into it.

This cigar is a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive made by Aganorsa Leaf. The one I’m reviewing is a 5 1⁄2 by 50 Robusto. Comes with a Mexican San Andres and Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. Binder and filler are their signature Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 varietals. The MSRP is $6.60, so it is quite an affordable stick. As usual, I cut it with my trusty Palio cutter and lit it with my DuPont Defi Xtreme. It has a flawless barber pole construction and a semi-closed foot. The cold draw gives a ton of tobacco sweetness and some hay.

Right off the bat, it is SUPER creamy and has a smoothness to it I wasn’t quite expecting. There is a milk chocolate sweetness that is incredible. Retrohale has a slight bit of caramel with a touch of dark espresso. Getting deeper in, it has this almost praline flavor that hangs on the tongue. The draw and burn are both perfect. Towards the end of the first third, a really dark coffee note comes to the front, with a bit more strength showing through. Med body and strength to close out the first third.

Starting the second third, it is still super smooth. Sweetness is still prominent with that praline flavor hanging in there. The retrohale has a bit more spice to it, but nothing I would deem crazy for this cigar. Semi-sweet chocolate is taking over and the strength is definitely amping up right now. The creaminess starts to fade at the end of the second third, and you can tell it’s getting ready for a flavor bomb finish. Full body/Med strength.

Jumping into the final third, a slight black licorice flavor hits for a few puffs and then disappears. I’m not sure what that was about, but it was definitely there on all 3 I’ve smoked. Some deep earth comes to the front to go with that semi-sweet chocolate bite on the finish. The retrohale has that slight sting to it, but again, nothing crazy. I’m enjoying this cigar so much, that I burned my fingers trying to hold on as long as I can. Alas, I had to let it go around the 1 hour and 40 minute mark.

To sum it up, all I can say is WOW. Best barber pole cigar I’ve smoked hands down. Perfect balance throughout, and checked all of the boxes that I like in a cigar. San Andres, Corojo 99, Criollo 98, perfect draw, and perfect burn! The changes in flavor were outstanding and an experience all of their own. I instantly went to Famous Smoke online after finishing and bought 2 boxes. Also, at this price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better cigar.

T Money Score: 4.5/5 Rebuy *Multiple* boxes!

Perfect cigar for any time of the day, not just the morning with coffee. I can’t wait to pair this cigar with many different drinks, as well as, at different times of the year. Go grab some and let me know what you think. As always, do something nice for someone and watch someone’s 6. Hope this review finds you well! Talk care family.

Wrapper – Mexican San Andres and Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Famous-Smoke.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. 

Warped Chinchalle
Warped Chinchalle

Welcome back Ruffians! It’s been a bit since I sent a review, so I’m back with another new one for you. Today we’ll tackle the Warped Chinchalle. I’ve had several Warped cigars produced at the Aganorsa factory in Nicaragua but this is one of the first cigars ever released from Tabacalerala La Isla. The factory was opened up in the Dominican Republic by Hostos Fernandez Quesada. The name Chinchalle is a slang term used for smaller cigar factories in the Dominican. Warped was created in 2007 by Kyle Gellis and started a partnership with El Titan de Bronze to manufacture his line. He considers all of his blends to be a so-called, “Cuban Inspired” fashion. O.K. That’s enough fluff, let’s get into the cigar. 

Warped Chinchalle 

The Warped Chinchalle is only offered in a single 5×50 Robusto size. It has an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper over a Dominican HVA Binder and Dominican fillers. It was released on September 9, 2021, with an MSRP of $12.50 a stick. The cigar is packed super tightly and has a number of really dark veins throughout. The cold draw is a bit loose with notes of sweetgrass and leather. I decided to light my cigar with a cedar spill today and cut with my Colibri V-Cut. 

The start of the cigar has a lot of deep earth with smoldering cedar. The retrohale is creamy with a slight bit of leather. Burnt marshmallow sweetness shows up towards the end of the first third. The cigar has a decent burn and good draw. I would say it is mild to medium in strength and mild in flavor. 

The second third is a spitting image of the first. Earth and cedar are still at the forefront. The retrohale has some deep wood and slight red pepper spice. Some dried fruit and grass sneak their way in, but not enough to really hang around. It is still mild to medium in both flavor and strength. 

Going into the last third, still more of the same. Nothing in the way of transitions that really sticks out. Still lots of cedar and earth. Towards the end, a metallic flavor starts to take over. I tried to purge it, but the flavor still is overpowering, so it’s time to let it go. The cigar ends at about the medium range in both flavor and strength. 

Well, this cigar was interesting, to say the least. It was not at all what I expected. I had to relight it about 15 times and the draw seemed to get loose and tight in different spots throughout the cigar. It had some decent flavor but few and far between to be honest. It was pretty much the same flavors throughout the cigar and when it did transition to something good, it didn’t last long and was quickly overpowered again by the cedar. 

With the amount of relights, lack of transitions, and metallic flavor towards the end, I can’t see buying a box of these. The almost $13 price point would suggest a higher quality cigar. T Money Score: 2.5/5 Try Single. If you’re a fan of Warped, this is definitely worth a shot. I only had one to try, so I might have had a different experience with another stick. The ones from TABSA seem to be quite better in my opinion. Go grab a couple, give one to a friend and try it for yourselves. You may find something that grabs your attention more than what I experienced. Until next time, smoke well and do something nice for someone! 

Wrapper –  Ecuadorian Habano

Binder – Dominican

Filler – Dominican

Website: www.warpedcigars.com

Rating: 2.5 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. 

Menelik by Foundation Cigars
The Menelik Foundation Cigars

Here is a cigar that certainly ranks in my top ten of all time. Being introduced to Foundation Cigars years ago, I had no idea that years later I would, not only appreciate Foundation Cigars, but be able to actually meet Nick Melillo at TPE20 and fully embrace the quality of some top notch tobacco within the industry. 

The Menelik is offered in only one size (4 ½ x 52). It has Nicaraguan tobacco filler and binder with a San Andres wrapper, and to top it off The Menelik includes TABSA’S (Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.) signature Aganorsa Leaf tobacco. 

Back in 2017, Foundation Cigar Company added an event-only cigar known as the Menelik. After two years, Nick Melillo made a decision to bring The Menelik in as a limited production line and the cigar was showcased at the 2019 IPCPR Trade show. For those that are reading this article and don’t know what cigars are within foundation Cigars then I’ll share with you a little background on when Foundation Cigar Company launched. First was, The El Gueguense (The Wise Man), and The Tabernacle. The Tabernacle pays homage to the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to be in a wooden chest containing two stone tablets representing the Ten Commandments. The Tabernacle is said to have been dismantled and superseded by King Solomon. Today the country of Ethiopia claims to be home of the Ark of Covenant. It turns out that Menelik was an ancient emperor of Ethiopia and is said to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Menelik was also known as Ibn al-Hakim which translates into “Son of the Wise Man” – thus the tie-ins to both cigars. Also included within the Foundation Cigar Company are the Charter Oak, The Upsetters, and Highclere Castle. 

Now you’ve had a little from the past – now for some of the present. I’m about to cold draw and light this amazingly crafted cigar! This cigar does have a pig tail yet I did decide to straight cut it. First tasting notes that come to mind upon taking a few cold draws are chocolate, spice, and some deep rich earthy sweet notes, all of which get the palate salivating and ready for light up! 

Right from the first light I’m getting some red pepper dusted with cocoa powder with a hint of molasses and a sweetness of black cherry kind of comes through. Going right into the first third that spicy red pepper note dissipates while a velvety smooth chocolate and molasses stays strong on the palate. The burn stays slow and consistent, can’t help but feel like I’m having a sweet n savory treat. The Menelik has some deep rooted earthy spicy chocolaty notes with that dark cherry covered in maple and molasses. 

Smoking into the next third of The Menelik some light toasted nuttiness comes through with that sweetness still hanging around although, that dark cherry profile went away and moved into a hint of blackberry with molasses still lingering. Acknowledging the perfect balance between the earthy and sweetness of The Menelik. Chocolate still hanging strong and not just traditional Hershey chocolate but we are talkin layers of richness with that velvety Dove chocolate profile. Smoking into the last third not much has changed in profile. Twists & turns of maybe certain profiles rotate from the front of the palate to the back of the palate and vise versa but overall the balance between everything certainly brings a lot of joy during the journey of smoking The Menelik. With a price tag of only $13.00 (unless you’re in N.Y. or CA then the price tag goes UP) this is a cigar that I will smoke again and again; over and over; when I see them ANYWHERE there is no doubt without question or hesitation I will purchase as much as I can. Again, they are a limited production so when you do get a chance to see them whether individually or a box of 12 it’s certainly a must buy! For me a 5 out of 5 pints ALL THE WAY!!! Hope you get to enjoy one of these spectacular, perfectly balanced, well crafted cigar!

Wrapper –  San Andres Mexico

Binder – Corojo 99 Jalapa

Filler – Esteli, Condega, Jalapa

Website: www.Foundationcigarcompany.com

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 pints.

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time.