Brick - it never goes out of style. It's a timeless material that has strength, durability, and is cosmetically pleasing. I love to stop and admire the brickwork on buildings when the design goes outside the box. Different colors, shapes, and orientation can result in some very impressive architecture. At one time, the J.C. Newman family home was the only brick house in their small Hungarian village. The website tells the tale of how locals & visitors would swing by every night and do the proverbial Live Love Laugh (and smoke cigars of course). The Brick House brand is a nod to that family home and was completely revitalized in 2009 by the grandsons Eric & Bobby. So let's fire up the Classic Corona and see what this J.C. Newman staple is all about.





The Deets
Cigar: J.C. Newman Brick House Classic Corona
Origin: EstelÃ, Nicaragua
Factory: Puros de Estelà Nicaragua S.A (PENSA)
Size: 5 X 42
Wrapper: Havana Subido (Ecuadorian Habano)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
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Appearance 9.5/10
 What a solid looking cigar. The band has an old-timey but fancy vibe which is properly applied over a slightly oily Havana Subido wrapper. They tack a trademark symbol on that wrapper title, so I'm assuming it's a proprietary leaf. Very light veins course over this thick leaf that I feel like I could craft a shoe from. The cap is bountiful. I like this one.
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Draw 9/10
 Used a small straight cut to begin with since the bunching at the foot wasn't super dense and the feel of the cigar had a smidge of give. It was a good call and it provided an excellent draw with proper resistance. Sometimes a double-puff was needed, but it wasn't like I had to work at it.
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Burn/Construction 8.5/10
 The ash was somewhat firm with hearty cracks. No accidents happened and the ash held until told to do otherwise, but there were some nervous moments, like watching your young child climb 10ft up the playset. Burn line was decent with only a touchup needed on the final third. The band held tight and then came off super easy. Love that.
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Taste 8.5/10
1/3 - Fitting to the branding, I pickup oak tree right off the bat. Orange bitters and pecan quickly arrive. The retro is that of dusty cedar at first and then has a slightly sweet finish on the lips. General leather raises its hand and there is a mild zing in the far back.
2/3 - Zinger wasn't happy being in the back and has pushed up. Retro is still dusty cedar with a sweet leather finish. The oak, bitters, and pecan are still there, but have been quieted a little by the introduction of taco meat with a drop of lime.
3/3 - Taco meat with plenty of greens is dominating the final third. Retro now includes some white pepper and the cedar has been dusted off. Rich & full by the final third.Â
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Overall 8.9/10
 I remember having Brick House when I first began my cigar journey, so it was really nice to come back and revisit this with a more experience palate. I can totally see why this gained the Bargain Cigar Of The Year award in 2009 upon release. It has also scored well in various other reviews; many of them with better scores than mine! For the price, it's really hard to beat. Decent flavor with mild transitions and a body that should satisfy a bold smoker. So go find yourself a Brick House bargain!
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**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1
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