Cigar Review: Smoking Jacket by Kelner Boutique Factory

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online

Robusto Imperial, 5” x 52 ring gauge / approx. $8.99, Silo Cigars

Long-time readers and friends may know this already: I really, really like to try new and different cigars. I always have…well, always have since I started smoking cigars anyway, and that’s been about 12.5 years now. A few weeks ago, when I was visiting Silo Cigars in Knoxville, I spotted something I hadn’t seen before….”Smoking Jacket? What the heck is that?” I picked up one and brought it home without knowing anything, then got into the research mode. Turns out these are the first release of the Kelner Boutique Factory in the Dominican Republic, and a blend by Hendrick Kelner, Jr. The name should be familiar to long-time cigar smokers, especially fans of Davidoff products. Hendrick Kelner, Sr., is the master blender for Davidoff and he apparently instilled a love of the leaf in his son, as well. I found a full press release from June at Cigar Obsession…read it when you get time. As for the specific information on the cigars, this is what appears on the company’s Facebook page:

Smoking Jacket is a new cigar brand released in the US market on September 2013 , only 75 cigar stores will carry them as supply is extremely limited. The line consists on 4 cigar sizes each with it’s own blend to offer a unique smoking experience . The description of the blend on the 4 different Vitolas is as Follows :

Favoritos 46 x 6 . The filler is 60 % Dominican , 20 % Nicaraguan and 20 % USA Broadleaf. The Wrapper is 9 year old Dominican.

Robusto imperial 52 x 5 . The Filler is 40% Dominican , 40 % Nicaraguan and 20% Peruvian Pelo D oro. The wrapper is Brazilian Cubra.

Toro Magno 50 x 7. The Filler is 40% Dominican , 40 % Nicaraguan and 20% Pennsylvanian . The wrapper is Brazilian Cubra.

Short Robusto 56 x 4 1/2 . The filler is 60 % Dominican , 40 % Nicaraguan and 20 % of a Kelner Family Reserve Tobacco. The Wrapper is 9 year old Dominican.

All 4 cigars are around medium body with lots of taste and complexity.

Not having realized that the 4 vitolas were distinctly different blends before buying, I picked up the size that fit best for my flavor preferences and pocketbook (and considering what Silo had in stock at the time of purchase), settling on the “Robusto Imperial,” featuring Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian fillers and a Brazilian Cubra (never heard of that variety) wrapper. This review is based on my initial experience with this brand and this blend. Assuming I like what I find, I’m sure I’ll be back to try other sizes…and considering that the different sizes have different blends, I very likely will be back to try them regardless.

Starting off, as I always do, with some notes on the appearance, the banding on Smoking Jacket is unique and interesting. The art is a simple black on red design that I took for a stylized “V” at first. That’s actually a representation of the lapels of a “smoking jacket” and the die cut shape along with the metallic gold ink trim for some reason put me in mind of design from the 1960s. Maybe it’s just the fact that when I think “smoking jacket” I think of a by-gone era of hip swingers and Austin Powers “groovy baby” haircuts. The wrapper of the cigar was a tan color, darker than most Shade wrappers would be, more similar in color to an Ecuadorian Habano than anything else, but maybe more veins. The feel of the wrapper was oily, although it didn’t look particularly so. Giving the cigar a good sniff, I picked up faint hay and earth notes on the wrapper, along with a touch of sweetness; all the aromas were very faint and subtle on this Brazilian Cubra leaf. The foot gave up earth and leather, as well as a pungent rotting forest floor aroma. I clipped the end of the cigar and got a very good draw that had notes of wood, apricot sweetness and earth.

Once lit, the Smoking Jacket Robusto Imperial had a strong sweetness up-front that had notes of grass, orange and molasses, as well as background notes of earth and cedar. The retrohale had a medium-level pepper spice and a solid nuttiness. I found it to be a very solid and complex start for this blend, and surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), I got none of the distinctive fungusy funk that I associate with Kelner Sr. blends. So perhaps Kelner Jr. is working to carve out his own route and signature flavor. By the end of the first third, the flavors had settled down a bit, with a better mix of sweet and earthy flavors and not as much spice on the nose, though still enough to make things interesting.

In the second third, the Smoking Jacket grew a bit more cedary and also displayed more orange in the sweetness. The undercurrent of earthiness was still there as was a bit of pepper on the nose. Construction so far was fantastic; the draw was flawless, the burn line was quite even and the ash was rock solid for over half an inch.

At the end, this blend showed a bit of caramel sweetness mixed with the citrus, as well as an increase in cedar and black pepper. I would rate the body as medium-plus and the strength about the same, making this a very nice cigar for pretty much any time of day…not too strong for a “first thing in the morning” smoke and not too mild to follow up some other blends. The complexity and intensity of the flavors helped in the latter regard as well. I did enjoy this blend of Smoking Jacket and look forward to trying the others when I get a chance.

Body: 6/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10