Cigars

Protocol Themis
Protocol Themis

“Themis (/ˈθiːmɪs/; Ancient Greek: Θέμις) is an ancient Greek Titaness. She is described as “[the Lady] of good counsel,” and is the personification of divine order, fairness, law, natural law, and custom. Her symbols are the Scales of Justice, tools used to remain balanced and pragmatic.” Now when Protocol Cigars named the Themis after this a female version of Thanos, wait that’s the wrong type of Titan… Originally released at the then named ICPCR in 2017 the Themis is an addition to their line blended in part by one of Cubariqueño’s partners William Agathis who worked closely with Hector Alfonso Sr., Director of Operations at Espinosa Premium Cigars. Naming this cigar Themis is a pretty bold statement given what she stands for, balance, equality, order. This cigar has a lot to live up to for this name, lets see how it does.

The look of the cigar is a muted light brown color, like tea with a bit of cream added to it. The wrapper is mostly smooth with some visible veining and a soft powdery finish. The seams are snug, the body is firm to the touch and there are no apparent dead spots. The smell from the body is faint and there’s nothing much that can be described there, from the foot I notice a some floral notes and light spices. The cold draw gives flavors of bread and butter with a hint of pepper.

For the first third there I notice some creaminess to the cigar, a bit of toasted wood and a light pepper flavor on the back. The cigar burns evenly with no issues and the smoke is light and plentiful.

Moving into the second third more of the creamy goodness from the first is there, this cigar is almost like smoking butter. The pepper does start to stand out a bit more on the back of the pallet. It’s not over powering just enough to let you know it’s there. The burn stays true and the smoke production is plentiful.

In the final third the spice picks up a bit, and the buttery toast flavor with cream remains consistent. The burn is sharp throughout the entire cigar (only one out of 4 did I have an issue with and it was a particularly windy day so I will name that as the culprit) and the amount of smoke is more than satisfying.

For me I found this cigar to be around a medium in intensity and is a great morning cigar or if you’re looking for something a bit on the lighter side to smoke in the evening. It has a flavor profile that can be easily appreciated by both the novice and seasoned smoker and would pair well with just about anything you put it up against. While I did not find much flavor change from start to finish this is not a bad thing. Perhaps that’s why it was named Themis, it’s a well balanced cigar that carries its flavor and texture from start to finish. Or maybe I’m like Mr. Fantastic and that’s a stretch. (Sorry everybody, we’ve been re-watching all the Marvel movies again recently.) Either way when you see these make sure to pick some up because you won’t regret having these on hand.

Wrapper –  Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Price: Around $10.00

Website: https://www.cubariqueno.com

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 pints

Undercrown 10
Undercrown 10

What better way to celebrate an anniversary than with making a new and better blend. Drew Estate has done just that with the Undercrown 10. I’m sure most of us remember when he original Undercrown came out offering a less expensive alternative to the Liga Privada No. 9 and T-52. Created, almost out of necessity, by the blending team when told they could no longer smoke Ligas, as an effort to keep enough product to fill orders. Because of it being such a grassroots creation the Undecrown was labeled as being “Born On The Factory Floor” and since then there has been the addition of the Undercrown Shade and Undercrown Sungrown and now a fourth has been added to the regular production line with the Undercrown 10. “Like all other Undercrown cigars, Undercrown 10 is born on the factory floor and celebrates Nicaraguan tobacco heritage and the people who work at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, but Undercrown 10 is just a little bit more special than the other cigars in the line. Anticipate a cigar with tobaccos that are aged a little longer than other Undercrown cigar tobaccos. Expect a cigar that’s spicier and bolder than other Undercrown offerings too.” The Undercrown 10 is different than the original with its use of a more premium selection of the San Andrés maduro wrapper seen on the original Undercrown Maduro blend, harvested from the highest tobacco priming available. They then use Connecticut Broadleaf binder and rare Nicaraguan leaves throughout the filler.

I like the “All Dekk’d Out” look of the cigar, with the foot band, ribbon and double band across the top third, but of course most of that needs to be removed to really see it. Once the foot is uncovered and the ribbon is removed I get a good look at the dark brown wrapper. It is slightly oily with some visible veining and a few bumps along the body giving it some character. Now I don’t know if this was intentional or a happy accident but when looking at the cigar under lighting the ribbon has appeared to have left some small specks of gold color on the wrapper above the main band that shine if the light hits them right, giving it an even more regal look. The smell from the body is sweet and floral and from the foot I pick up earth and dried fruit. The cold draw is easy and the flavor is all aged sweet tobacco to me.

The first third starts off quite spicy and a bit chocolatey. I don’t make these sort of wild flavor comparisons but for a moment I thought it tasted like an horchata margarita from Cava de Tequila in Epcot. (That quickly went away as soon as I thought about how pretentious that sounded.) The rest of the first third keep a good spice and pepper flavor. The burn was even and like pretty much all DE cigars there was plenty of smoke to fill the room.

In the second third the pepper begins to fade toward the back and earth and cream notes move forward followed by a bit of bitter dark chocolate. The burn stays consistent, as the construction is solid and of course there’s all that smoke.

At the final third the cigar becomes very creamy to an almost buttery smooth constancy along with a bit of woodiness. The pepper and spice are faint on the retrohale and can be noticed on the finish. Pedro Gomez had commented that there is the flavor of sun dried cherries which I did not notice until I put the cigar down and discovered that the lingering flavor I had was indeed cherries. The burn stayed sharp for the entire production and the medium weighted smoke always satisfied.

I’ve always been partial to the Undercrown line as it came out shortly after I began smoking and wasn’t comfortable spending Liga prices while developing my palate. It gave a solid stick at a fair price and introduces you to quality tobacco. With the Undercrown 10 they step it up a notch with even better tobacco and a new blend that is a real pleasure to smoke. The Undercrown 10 is something I will be keeping in my humidor and part of my regular rotation. With its style it could be smoked by pretty much anyone and pairs well with either tea, coffee, a nice bourbon or peaty scotch. Look for these cigars in your B&M stores and don’t be affraid to buy a box you won’t regret it.

Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés

Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler – Rare Nicaraguan

Price: Around $12.00

Website: https://drewestate.com

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 pints

Pledge Prequel From E.P. Carrillo
E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel

E.P. Carrillo won themselves another cigar of the year from Cigar Aficionado for the Pledge Prequel. Released in September of 2020 it was something easy to miss because, lets face it, we were all fairly preoccupied. The Pledge Prequel got its name from the fact that it is actually part of a trilogy of cigars released called the Perez-Carrillo Series. The first in 2014 with La Historia (E-III claimed #2 cigar of the year in 2014) and then in 2018 with Encore (which took home cigar of the year for 2018 as well). “Only these cigars are allowed to bear the name Perez-Carrillo and each vitola is an homage to someone within the family and celebrate the pride, joy, and cigars of the Perez-Carrillo history.”

Taking a look at the cigar the wrapper is a rich dark chocolate brown color with slight mottling, a bit of tooth to it and a slick oil sheen. It’s box pressed body is very firm and full to the touch, a bit on the veiny side with seams that are nice and tight. The smell is sweet tobacco, chocolate and cedar. The cap cuts without causing construction issues and from the cold draw I pick up flavors of Licorice, vanilla and of course tobacco.

The first third of the cigar starts with lots of pepper which dissipates after a few puffs and then turns more creamy with some earth and spice on the back end. The burn is spot on and even along with a plenty of medium weighted smoke

Transitioning into the second third the cigar remains creamy but adds a bit of bitter dark chocolate and some leather, with pepper still coming in at the end. The burn staid very sharp and the smoke production was more than satisfactory.

In the final third the flavor becomes a bit more woody, the bitter chocolate becomes more sweet and there is a lingering flavor that is familiar but I can’t put my finger on it. The burn never faltered and the smoke production was always ample.

After smoking a few of these I can see why this cigar got such a high rating it did not disappoint at any time. Starting off at a medium smoke and then transitioning into medium full at the end the flavors will keep you paying attention to this cigar for the duration. Because of its popularity from the cigar of the year award it was a little difficult to find for a bit but most retailers have them back in stock now so when you see them at the shop make sure you grab a fist full of them you won’t be upset about it.

Wrapper – Connecticut Habano

Binder – Ecuadorian

Filler – Nicaraguan

Price: $10.70

Website: https://www.Carrillocigars.com

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 pints