Vitola: Corona- 5.5” x 44 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$8.00
- Provided by company
Background
David P. Ehrlich is the name of a Boston tobacconist that has roots all the way back in 1868. It is, in fact, the second oldest tobacconist in America. Over 20 years ago, Mike Bellody bought his first cigar at the Ehrlich store, starting a process that culminated in his founding MLB Cigar Ventures, which has previously produced Imperia and Islero, both of which are made in the Quesada factory in the Dominican Republic.
The 2016 IPCPR show also saw the introduction of the David P. Ehrlich Tremont, a new blend that pays tribute to the first place he bought a cigar. It further ties in with MLB Cigar Ventures in that Barry Macdonald (part of the family that has owned Ehrlich for almost forty years) has joined the cigar company as National Sales Manager.
Production for the Ehrlich Tremont cigar is handled at the EP Carrillo factory in the Dominican Republic. It uses Nicaraguan fillers from Esteli and Condega, as well as Dominican fillers from La Canela, an Esteli binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper leaf.
I’ve had a couple of these before this review sample, which was provided by the company.
Prelight
The first thing of note with this cigar is that the band is a complete break from the MLB Cigar Ventures past releases. The David P. Ehrlich logo from the actual store is used, though the original apparently had the guy smoking a pipe, and it’s been changed out with a cigar here. Good vintage look to it.
The wrapper of the Ehrlich Tremont was the color of milk chocolate with touches of darker mottling in places and the veins standing out because they tend to be slightly lighter along those lines, something I’ve noticed before in some Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf. The wrapper had a slightly astringent wood and grass smell that seems very familiar to me from some of LFD’s offerings (which also use the same wrapper type). The foot had some of that same aroma, though with some extra earthiness mixed into it.
The cold draw was nice and open, providing flavors of cedar and earth, grass and river rocks.
Flavor
Once lit, the Ehrlich Tremont had quite a good balance of earth, wood, and grassy flavors up front, while I got some coffee and pepper spice coming close behind, then just a touch of that mineral note I so often get from Sumatra leaf. The retrohale had cedar and coffee notes mostly, though with a quick peppery note, as well.
As I puffed my way into the second third, I detected a mild sweetness working its way into the mix. I’d call it almost a molasses note, but that’s not quite right. There was still a good amount of earth and cedar in there, plus the slight coppery note on the finish.
In the last third the sweetness got more syrupy with lots of cedar and earth bleeding through. The copper note never went away, but was never overpowering or offputting.
Construction
I had a good draw throughout. The ash was solid enough and the burn line was even enough.
Value
Best cigar yet from MLB Cigar Ventures and they didn’t break the bank in making it…all adds up to very good value.
Conclusions
In the David P. Ehrlich Tremont, MLB Cigar Ventures has got themselves a definite winner. While Imperia may have been the cigar to put them on the map and Islero was an excellent continuation of the theme it started, this blend is probably the one that will make cigar enthusiasts really sit up and take note of this new-ish company. The Tremont is a medium-plus bodied smoke with a very nice flavor profile and enough complexity to keep my interest from end to end.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
