Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$9
- Samples provided by Bocock Brothers Cigars
Background
Bryant Bocock was managing a very popular nightclub in Honduras when he fell in love with cigars. He had added a humidor to the rooftop bar since tobacco was a local crop, but didn’t really understand cigars to that point. Through that experience, though, he learned that, “It’s not just about what you light up, but most importantly, with whom” you share the experience. He later worked with his brother, Douglas, to develop their own brand of cigars.
Douglas contacted me at the end of January to see if I would be interested in featuring the Bocock Brothers “World Traveler Collection” on Leaf Enthusiast in a series of reviews. I said “Of course…I always love trying new blends!” and the cigars were in my mailbox in short order. I’m starting with the Connecticut Shade blend, which I’ve only been able to smoke once before this review stick (the last month has been unbelievably hectic, but I won’t go into that here).
As noted on their website, the blend uses Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, a Costa Rican binder, and a Connecticut wrapper. There was no specification if it’s a “Connecticut-grown” Connecticut Shade leaf or an Ecuadorian grown. I’m going to guess Ecuadorian, just because about 95% of all Shade wrapper leaves are grown there.
Bocock Brothers cigars are available on their website, as well as certain retailers around the country.
Prelight
The Bocock Brothers logo is a strutting rooster with a bow tie, a symbol of their unusual last name. It’s tastefully done in black and red and centered in the oval part of the main band, which is white with gold foil. The secondary band just saying “World Traveler” and nowhere on either band does it indicate what blend this is…although most cigar smokers would know just by looking at it.
The wrapper leaf was a really nice golden shade of tan that I honestly just don’t see that often. I love this color for a Connecticut Shade leaf. It had a touch of oiliness under my fingertips and a nice fresh hay and cedar aroma to it. The foot of the cigar was earthy with a little milk chocolate in the mix.
After clipping the head, I got a good cold draw that had flavors of sweet hay and cedar, with a touch of chocolate.
Flavor
Firing up the Bocock Brothers Connecticut, I got a mix of earth and wood, leather and hay, with a touch of sweetness and a little bitter astringency at the outset. It was an interesting mix and balancing act and the two or three weeks that this cigar spent in my humidor before I wrote this review did much to improve my impression of the first of these that I smoked the day after they showed up in the mail.
As I got into the second third, the grassy notes took a front seat, with a bit more bitterness than sweetness. Earth and leather went into the background and there was a little black pepper emerging in the mix.
The grassiness held sway over the last third, as well, continuing to deliver a fairly smooth and mild experience with bits of earth and pepper punctuating the mix.
Construction
I had a good draw, even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
I found this to be a good smoking experience for an average price so I’m giving it full value credit.
Conclusions
The Bocock Brothers Connecticut was a good mild cigar with a nice complexity, although I found it didn’t have enough sweetness for my palate. Your mileage may vary, so if you like a profile strong on the hay notes with some pepper, earth, and leather in the background, this may be a good choice for you. I did find it to be a true “mild” cigar rather than the more modern “mild-to-medium” variant that everyone seems to want to make these days, which was refreshing.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
