Vitola: No. 88 (Robusto)- 5” x 48 ring gauge
- ~$6.50
- Purchased at Maxamar
Background
Keith reviewed this same blend and size of Cloud Hopper back in August. You should read his review if you haven’t done so already. While I was out in California in October, I saw them at Maxamar and decided to pick one up for my own review.
Cloud Hopper is the first release from Edition One, a joint venture between Kyle Gellis—founder of Warped Cigars—and his younger brother, Devin Gellis. It is made in the usual Nicaraguan factory for Warped: TABSA, home of Casa Fernandez and Aganorsa Leaf tobacco. All the tobacco in the blend is Nicaraguan, including dual Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 binders and a Corojo ’99 wrapper.
Leaf Enthusiast sponsor, Small Batch Cigar, carries Cloud Hopper in two sizes, in 5-packs or boxes, and in a mix of the two vitolas. They also published a very interesting interview with Devin Gellis.
Prelight
The boxes for Cloud Hopper do appear to use the same “simple” ascetic as most Warped releases and the bands are even better. Warped has done simple and neat for their Titan de Bronze blends, but then busy and hard to read for their Nicaraguan blends (for the most part…there are exceptions). This has a simple, easy to read and clean band design: just a simple gray band with white reverse-out lettering and pinstriping. The one thing it does remind me of is the general look of the Tatuaje Mummy release, though this cigar has a wider band and a distinctive font.
The wrapper was a milk chocolate brown overall, with a little lighter mottling, a little darker mottling. It was smooth and oily to the touch and smelled of a mixture of earth and natural tobacco, with a tiny bit of cedar mixed in. The foot of the cigar was a more pungent, but sweeter earth aroma with a touch of chocolate.
Once cut, the prelight draw was excellent, tasting of cocoa powder with touches of earth and cinnamon.
Flavor
I fired up the Cloud Hopper and was very pleased with the initial flavors of sweet hay, light citrus, semi-sweet chocolate, and earth I got on the palate. The retrohale had a little more of the chocolate, as well as a good dose of red pepper flake. As I got toward the end of the first third, I noticed the sweetness ebbing away a bit while more grassy notes grew in prominence.
As I puffed through the second third, the grassy notes were dominant, but there was a little citrus sweetness and a touch of cedar. Every now and then I got a little bit of a floral note in the mix, as well.
Floral notes came on strong in the final third, along with a nice fruit sweetness that wasn’t quite citrus, but was otherwise hard to define. Earthiness was underneath that with a bit of cedar occasionally.
Construction
The draw was a tiny bit tight on this, but nothing approaching unsmokeable. The burn line was very even and the ash held on for almost an inch at the beginning, as well as plenty of length at other times.
Value
The price tag for these is great. Combined with the very good experience they deliver, Cloud Hopper delivers exceptional value.
Conclusions
Edition One succeeded in their initial release by putting out something completely different in Cloud Hopper. This cigar is medium in body and complex in flavor profile, offering plenty of earth, fruit, floral and cedar notes at different times. It was really delightful from beginning to end, really hitting the spot as a great end of a long day of “stuff to do around the house.” I will be very happy to repeat this cigar frequently.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
