Hammer + Sickle La Habana Tradición Serie Corona Gorda

I’m not too sure what to think about this cigar. This is the first CotM that was kind of chosen as a joke, rather than for being a standout cigar. April 2014 began with an April Fool’s gag that ended up with one aficionado representing “Communism” and a second aficionado representing “Freedom”. The Hammer + Sickle corona gorda was chosen as the “Communist” CotM for its obvious affiliation with soviet imagery. I had never heard of it before, so this is brand new territory. The “corona gorda” name is a bit of a misnomer, as at 7″ x 46, its actually much closer to a Churchill. I can understand why a cigar steeped in soviet imagery would want to avoid using the name “Churchill” in its marketing though.

Statistics

CotM: April 2014

April 2014





Shape: Parejo

Parejo





Chosen by: barzupopsz







Size: 7″ x 46







Country of Origin: Dominican Republic







Wrapper: Connecticut Shade







Binder: Dominican







Filler: Dominican







Color: Colorado Claro

Colorado Claro





Strength: Medium

Medium





Price Paid: $7.05

$7.05





Smoke Date: April 7, 2014

April 7, 2014





Age: 2 days

Accessories Used

Xikar VX V-Cut X Mesh cutter, Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

In the absence of any “Russian Caravan” tea, and not feeling like having vodka in the early morning, I opted to pair this with the most fitting tea I could think of. In China (another communist country), what we call “black tea” in the west is actually referred to as “hong cha” or “red tea”. Red tea? From China? Yeah, that works. I went with Imperial Mojiang Golden Bud Yunnan Black Tea August 2013, served in a small glass teapot and glazed ceramic and cracked celadon “rust and green” tea cup. The tea was rich and malty, with an almost cocoa-like flavor to it. The rich cocoa flavor was aerfect complement to the lighter, creamy taste of the cigar.

Appearance/Nose

For a Connecticut shade wrapper, it was rather dark, bordering on the colorado side of colorado-claro. It was sooth and silky, though it did have a couple of mottled spots and a large vein running down the back. The double cap was a tad crooked. Otherwise, it was q uite nice-looking cigar, as Connecticut shade-wrapped sticks tend to be. The band was striking, though I am a bit surprised with their choice of beige and maroon for the color motif rather than a more traditional “red”. The nose was suprisingly pungeant, and smelled of fresh bread, dried fruits, and honey. Delicious!

Construction

The cigar felt firm and springy throughout its considerable length. There was some rather minor wrapper damage that had happened to this cigar before or during shipping, with a bit of the leaf peeling up about 1/3 of the distance from the foot. I did not anticipate it causing any problems other than cosmetic. The caps, though crooked, seemed to be on quite well. The burn was quite fast, which helped keep it amazingly straight the whole way through. The ash formed light gray with dark black vertical streaks. It fell after about an inch and a half.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was on the looser side of normal, even with a narrow v-cut. The flavor was grassy with a strong note of black pepper.

Smoking

First third

The first puffs were mild, but flavorful. There was very little pepper of spice, but plenty of bread, dried fruit, and nuts. Smoke production was on the high end of normal and the stick burned quickly.

There was some sweet honey and graham cracker on the retrohale, but there was a nice, fruity taste that pervaded each puff. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the flavor, but it was similar to a sweet apple.

About an inch in, some cinnamon spice joined in, which truly complimented the apple well. While the honey, grass, apples, and cinnamon danced around, graham cracker quietly became the dominant flavor.

Graham cracker and apple sweetness closed out the first third.

Second third

Entering section two, the flavor remained the same, but a dry, chalky flavor began to develop in my mouth. It occurred to me that this smoke was rather astringent, and the tea helped significantly in moisturizing my palate, being on the oilier side of teas.

The apples, cinnamon, and graham cracker continued into the halfway point. The cosmetic tear in the wrapper leaf burned away without me even noticing.

Despite the mildness of the cigar, the flavors were quite rich. Relying on the tea between puffs helped me avoid another buildup of astringent chalkiness.

Final third

The cinnamon became more apparent in the final section. Graham cracker was still the primary note, but the spice on the retrohale increased.

This soon died off though, and the cigar actually got a bit milder, with the cinnamon and apple fading a bit.

Graham crackers and cream finished out the last two inches, with the apples being only a faint hint on the retrohale.

Notes

Draw: Easy

Easy





Body: Medium

Medium





Primary Flavors: Graham cracker, red apple

Graham cracker, red apple





Smoke Output: Medium

Medium





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Overall

For a cigar chosen as a bit of a joke, I am fairly impressed. I don’t usually care too much for Connecticut-shade-wrapped Dominicans, as they tend to be rather mild, chalky, and boring. This one was considerably richer than I expected, and had a nice flavor of graham cracker and sweet red apple. It didn’t fall into the trap that many do of being too mild or having a minty, herbal flavor that adds complexity, but does not compliment the mild nature of the cigar. There wasn’t much complexity or variety, but what was there was tasty, simple, and nice. I would have preferred a shorter vitola, as I did get a bit bored with the one-note nature of this cigar by the final stretch, but I would definitely give this cigar another go, especially while doing something else like reading in the morning, when I don’t want a cigar that demands attention. The construction and burn left me with zero complaints. This is the kind of cigar you can just light, and then not think about too much for a couple of hours. My only major gripe is the chalky astringency that built up if I went for any length of time without sipping my beverage. Still, a pot of tea, a good book, and a sunny morning practically beg for a cigar like this. It definitely ranks among the best Connecticut-shade cigars I’ve had.

Rating