Cigar Review: Habano by Wilson Adams

Not sure how it happened, but…I took no photos of the cigar I smoked for review before or during the review. So…I’m relying on photos from the Wilson-Adams website…

• Vitola: No. 4 (Toro)
• 6” x 52 ring gauge
• ~$9.00
• Purchased at Maxamar

Background

I first tried Wilson Adams cigars in the first half of 2015 when my local area rep for Caldwell, Villiger and a few other brands gave me a couple samples to try out. He had added this line to his portfolio and was looking to help them expand in the southeast region. Wilson Adams began in 2012 when two Southern California cigar smokers decided to work together to create a new brand.

Three-plus years later, Brandon Wilson and Stephen Miller have produced three distinct blends…the Habano (White Label), Sumatra (Red Label), and Mr. Wilson (another White Label, but a different blend). I’ve had all 3 in various sizes, but the one I liked the most was the Habano, so when I was out in California recently, I made it a point to pick up a stick for review purposes at one of the local shops. (I listed it as Maxamar in Orange, but to be honest, I may have picked it up at Island’s Smoke Shop in Brea…I simply can’t remember at this point.)

The Wilson Adams website describes this cigar as:

A beautifully balanced cigar that consumes the palate in flavor without overpowering. Starts with a gentle pepper/spice combination that soon adds sweet florals, cream and dried fruit tones with undercurrents of earth and cedar.

It is made of mostly Nicaraguan fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper leaf. They ship it in 5 regular sizes, as well as a Limited Edition “A” size and it’s made in the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua.

Prelight

The packaging of the Wilson Adams line is nice and elegant…fairly simple, but not simplistic. The combination of gold foil and a smattering of red on a white background looks classy (and the reverse combination of red and white makes for a distinctive look for the Sumatra version). The wrapper leaf was the color of toasted caramel with a moderate amount of oiliness and veins. Giving the wrapper a sniff, I got an aroma of cedar and earth, with a touch of grassiness. On the foot I could smell more earth with a combination of coffee and cocoa powder.

The cold draw was excellent and featured flavors of citrus and dried berries over hay and cedar.

Flavor

Lighting up the Wilson Adams Habano brought a cascade of flavors including mildly sweet dried fruit, cedar, hay, and creamy coffee. Earthiness was in the mix, but not very prominent, which I found surprising for a Nicaraguan-heavy blend. Also strange was the lack of pepper in the mix. I got some on the retrohale, but very little really; there was virtually no heat on the palate. The basic impression I got at the beginning of this cigar was of medium body with a complex flavor profile…and I rather enjoyed it.

The second third saw a greater influence of cedar and hay in the profile, while the earthy and peppery aspects of the Wilson Adams Habano diminished to practically nothing. There was still a citrusy sweetness around the edges and an emerging nuttiness, as well.

The final third of the Wilson Adams Habano was still medium in body with citrus sweetness and a grassiness that defied its Nicaraguan origin. A little pepper did come back toward the end and there was a resurgence of cedar as well.

Construction

The ash held on for up to an inch at a time; I was fooled by how long it was getting, though, and tried to hold it a little too long, ending up with a lapful of ash twice. The draw was nearly perfect and the burn line was very even.

Value

For a small production by a “boutique” company, the price is surprisingly good. Combine that with a very good smoking experience and you get good value.

Conclusions

I found this Wilson Adams Habano Toro to be a good smoke, but not nearly as good as the Lancero I had earlier in the year. This is a case of size really determining how one feels about a cigar. I enjoyed the complexity in the early going, but was expecting it to display better flavors all the way through. Not a bad smoke, though. I would recommend it to people who like Nicaraguan leaf but are looking for a more nuanced and less powerful experience than you usually get from it.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10