Distinguished Ruffians

Powstanie Habano
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
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. 

Kintsugi by Alec Bradley Cigars
Kintsugi Alec Bradley

Now here is a cigar that is super interesting; the name alone “Kintsugi” is pretty remarkable on its own when it comes to naming a cigar. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold – a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections. Kintsugi teaches you that your broken pieces make you stronger and better than ever before. When you think you are broken you can pick up the pieces, put them back together, and lean to embrace the cracks. 

I can certainly express one thing, I embraced every puff and draw during this tasting of “Kintsugi”. Kintsugi is an elegant, multifaceted medium bodied cigar created by Alec and Bradley Rubin. They had created this cigar to pay homage to the ancient Japanese art form which in turn joins pieces of ceramics back together with gold lacquer-making them even more beautiful. Cigars, like the gold lacquer, are a bonding agent-bringing people from all walks of life together. With a Honduran Habano Wrapper and Honduran/Nicaraguan binders & fillers, being produced at the Raices Cubanas factory in Danli, Honduras, “Kintsugi” certainly was created to celebrate camaraderie! 

Being that the two brothers (Alec & Bradley) grew up in the cigar industry and under the guidance of their father (Alan Ruben), they have learned to appreciate the tradition of cigars (the history, the blending, the agriculture, the social significance) their very first release back in 2018 was the “Blind Faith”. Then in 2019 their second release was the “Gatekeeper” and of course their third release in 2020 was none other than the “Kintsugi”. That’s enough history let’s get into my review of this wonderful cigar. 

Before lighting up, I took a few moments with some dry pulls. My immediate sense of taste went to milk chocolate, cardamom, toasted cashew, and a very light essence of sweet cream. In my opinion, my palate was pleased and my glands started to salivate before lighting up. Let’s see what the next step has in store. 

Upon Lighting up, some floral notes hit me with a hint of white pepper, a swirl of milk chocolate and believe it or not, because I have not thought of this particular snack in quite some time but I’m sure you have heard of or at least tried, Asian snack mix? (You know that Asian version of our Chex mix except it has that sugary glaze on them on peas in that mix.) Well, if you’ve tried them then you know you get that toasted, grainy, sweetness that makes you want more. At least for me anyway, I always want more. Now if you have not tried that type of mix, as I described, it has a toasted grain with some sweetness. It’s such a unique taste that A: you should definitely try some and B: I’m wondering if having that snack mix to snack on while smoking this cigar would enhance. Hmm… maybe next time I’ll try that. Anyway, onward to the first third of this cigar. 

Carob Chips come to mind. Another flavor profile I have not thought of in awhile. What are Carob Chips you ask? Carob Chips are from a sweet pulp that is dried, roasted, and then ground into a powder. Carob is less bitter than chocolate AND is not made with added sugar but while I continue to smoke the first third there is some sweetness with a hint of cedar creeping through. 

Continuing on down to the second third of “Kintsugi” most of the profiles are remaining present. Although, some new flavor profiles joined the palate party; picking up some woodsy earthiness along with a subtle hint of saffron. Maybe it’s the floral note that remained present is why I tasted saffron. The toasted notes continued to please my palate but it certainly transits from cashew, to almonds, to that Asian snack mix. 

Reaching the last third of the cigar the richness of everything came through and then some; notes of coffee, salted dark chocolate, cedar and leather, all of which had that sweetness to keep the glands salivating. Overall, this is a very good cigar. In my opinion I’m giving it a 4.3 out of 5. Now, I’m partial and enjoy smoking Honduran tobacco so this rating maybe higher than what you would rate it as. With that said, “Kintsugi” comes in four different sizes for you to try: Corona Gorda (5-5/8 x 46), Robusto (5×50), Toro (6×52), and Gordo (6×60). 

If you enjoy Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco then there is a good chance you will enjoy this cigar. Most certainly this cigar is moderately priced ranging from $7.40-$10 (depending on what state you are in prices may vary) so only one last thing to do. Go and purchase one for yourself and give it a try!

Wrapper –  Honduran Habano

Binder – Honduran/Nicaraguan

Filler – Honduran/Nicaraguan

Website: www.alecbradley.com

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 pints.