We go down a lot of roads throughout our life. Some metaphorical and some literal, but each of them provides an experience. Of all the roads that life throws at me, one of my favorites is Stogie Lane. You've been there. Feet up, cigar in hand, tasty beverage at the ready, and approximately 60 minutes of "mm, that's good". Cruising along you may come across Stogie Road Cigars. Sounds right up your alley, right? Well you may want to pump the breaks a bit and take a closer look.
The Deets
Cigar: Stogie Road Cigars Edición XXXV
Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Nuevo Nica SA
Size: 7x38 Lancero
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano Maduro / Ecuadoran Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan Jalapa Ligero
Appearance 7/10
Looking this over I'm a little surprised. Considering the noticeable veins that are easily felt and overall bumpy profile, I'd expect to see rough seams too. Not the case. All seams are snug and with the exception of one vein that snagged my finger and pulled a tiny bit of wrapper, it all holds nice. That cap though...it looks like it was applied via spitball. Sloppy. It only managed a 7 because the seams were good, the band was applied well, and I've seen bigger veins.
Draw 8/10
Since the cap was so shotty I snipped a very small straight cut off the head. I was expecting the typical super tight lancero draw, but believe it or not, it was on the loose side! I had a good chuckle with that. A lancero that's loose...no no, that is the punchline haha Eh, maybe it's just me. Laughs aside, it wasn't so loose that it ruined the flavor and it did provide ample smoke output.
Burn/Construction 6/10
At least in my experience, lanceros or smaller ring gauges usually provide a straighter burn. Not here though. Regardless of the number of flame kisses it received, most of the time the burn line was a W shape. Towards the final third the hangover job of a cap started unraveling. Falling apart is a major loss of points.
Taste 6/10
1/3 - Imagine walking into a barn and immediately met with someone with a leaf blower who's blasting the floor grime in your face. It was kind of like that. Dry, dusty, and void of life. Classic cedar emerges in campfire form. At the end of the 1st third there is a mild cinnamon in the back, but not sweet.
2/3 - Cedar campfire is still burning. To round out the flame there is burnt caramel and warm nuts. On a few puffs I'm actually able to taste the notes from the two different wrappers. They somehow become more distinct and the overall flavor profile is chewier. Creamy vanilla in the back finishes off the 2nd third.
3/3 - Don't get too excited. As soon as the goodness showed up in the 2nd it was gone. Any sweet note has skipped town and we're left with smoky sawdust and damp earth. The saving grace for the final stretch are the wisps of grassy notes.
Overall 7/10
I was a little annoyed that this came in at 6.75 and had to be bumped to 7. Even that seems a little high for this one. There were a couple aspects that deserved merit, but there are more negative marks than positive. Stogie Road has too many potholes and isn't paved. I'd steer clear.
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1