The Cigar Spy

A cold and windy day beckons me outside for a quick smoke.  Little did I know, but this one quick smoke was going to turn into a long bitterly cold battle with the elements.  In my hands today was the newest cigar at my local shop, the Brickhouse.  I had been hearing a lot of raves about this cigar online, the question is: is this cigar worth even its relatively low price point?  I brave the cold and danger to find out.

Wrapper: Havana Subido

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitola: Toro

Background: Brickhouse is the second old Cuban cigar brand to be recreated by J.C. Newman.  Originally a Cuban Puro it has been rebuilt as an all Nicaraguan stick.

Mission Notes:  Pre-light aroma is earthy, kind of like peat and compost.  The wrapper is a deep, rich reddish brown, but very ugly with prominent veins, wrapper creases, and lots of small bumps and bulges.  I decide to go with a punch. Pre-light draw is very nice, not too tight or loose.  Lighting this stick gives me a smell like a nice wood fire.  The first taste is different, a very rich flavor, but with a bitter, pine needle type of aftertaste in the back of my throat.  I keep getting this aftertaste for a while, until I learn that this cigar requires very slow smooth draws.  The burn on this cigar is very slow, it takes much longer to smoke than I normally would expect for a cigar of this size. Also smoking it is tricky, if you go too fast you get the bitter, pine needle taste, but if you draw too slowly you get no flavor at all.  There are also several issues keeping this thing lit.  When everything goes perfectly this is probably one of the most flavorful cigars I’ve ever had.  Wood fired taste with a touch of sweetness, occasional hints of roasted peanuts, and a clear bite of pepper.  The cigar takes a long time to smoke, so make sure you have plenty of time.  As I pass the halfway point the cigar goes out, making me relight it.  The ash is grey with black splotches and holes, it’s very ugly and flaky looking. It seems as if the ash is just going to crumble at any second, but it never does.  The flavor continues to build throughout the cigar and never drops off.  I manage to smoke it clear down to the nub, requiring me to use a new tool to continue. (More on that tool in a later review.)  Finally as my lips start to get hot, the cigar goes out again and I decide there just isn’t enough left to bother fighting with it anymore.

Final Notes:  First it should be noted, this is an ugly cigar.  Some cigars you look at and are blown away by how smooth they are.  This is not one of those, even the ash is ugly.  This is a cigar to smoke, not to look at.  If you are obsessed with the look of your cigar, then you are going to miss out on a great smoke.  There really isn’t any power in this cigar, I didn’t even feel any light headedness from it, just a light relaxation.  It’s not going to knock the top of your head off, but it is going to give you a nice smoking experience.  The burn on this cigar is very slow, and you have to smoke it that way too, or you are going to have problems with flavor consistency.  Other than that, I have no complaints, when this cigar tasted right, it was one of the the best flavored cigars I’ve had in a long time.  Give it a shot.

Agent 86 out, and headed to R&D for permission to release details on my newest spy gadget.