Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$9.50
- Samples provided by Bocock Brothers Cigars
Background
Last week I took a look at the first release from the Bocock Brothers Premium Cigars company, the World Traveler: Connecticut. The brothers of the name—Bryant and Douglas—took inspiration from the time that Bryant spent in Honduras where he had “taken some very precise notes after listening to what people liked and didn’t like from the cigars sold at their humidor.” He would then communicate what he wanted in a taste profile to the master blenders to get exactly what the cigar smoker wants.
The Habano blend uses Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, a Sumatra binder, and a Honduran Habano wrapper leaf. It is said to be well-balanced and medium-bodied, while delivering a punch. Like the other cigars in their portfolio, they offer this one in three sizes (Robusto, Toro and Churchill), selling it on their own website as well as through some retailers.
I was sent samples to review by the company and this review sample is the third time I’ve smoked the World Traveler: Habano. You can find out more about them and order them at the company website.
Prelight
The band design is basically the same as the Connecticut (and Maduro…coming up next week) except for the color-coded background. While the Connecticut used White as a background, the Habano uses Purple, which is honestly a color I don’t feel like I see enough on cigars…or at least not used well enough of the time. I found it to be the most attractive of the three versions of the band in this case, with white type and gold foil trim.
The wrapper leaf was a peanut butter medium brown with a bit of oiliness under my fingertips and an aroma of ripe earth and bell pepper. The foot had more earth with notes of wood and cocoa powder.
Once clipped, the cold draw was very good, featuring flavors of bell pepper, sweet hay, and touches of earth and molasses.
Flavor
I fired up the World Traveler: Habano and was greeted by medium-bodied cedar and hay notes up front. There was a little sweetness in the mix and a light white pepper on the back of the palate, while the nose featured roasted nuts and a little more pepper. As the first third slowly reduced to ash I got a slight increase in pepper, with notes of citrus emerging while hay and cedar faded a bit.
The second third had more citrus and black pepper with cedar on the back end. The retrohale continued to have roasted nuttiness and more pepper spice.
At the end, the World Traveler: Habano continued to deliver medium-bodied goodness with citrus, cedar, and black pepper leading the way, while milder sweetness and hay came in behind.
Construction
I had a good draw, fairly even burn line, and a solid ash from end to end.
Value
Good cigar and good price, so good value.
Conclusions
After smoking a few of each blend, the World Traveler: Habano is my favorite release from the Bocock Brothers so far. It had a very nice medium-bodied profile that had a steady, slightly complex blend of flavors…never really surprising, but never disappointing. This is a cigar I could smoke again and again.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
