Cigar Review: Moscow City by Hammer & Sickle

• Vitola: Petite Robusto
• 4.75” x 52 ring gauge 
• ~$9.00
• Purchased at Silo Cigars

Background

It was a Monday, sunny outside and I needed to get to smoking a cigar for “full review.” I didn’t have that many in the review humidor to choose from, but when I saw what was available, the choice was natural. Because on the day I am writing this, our President is visiting with true believers Communists and having his picture taken in front of one of the biggest Commie-Bastard Murdering Icons of the 20th Century, Che Guevara. So, naturally, I figured it would be a good time to smoke another celebration of Communist oppression, the Moscow City from Hammer & Sickle Cigars. (Please note, I don’t know how the owners of Hammer & Sickle actually feel about Communism and the atrocities perpetrated in its name during the existence of the Soviet Union…but I also don’t know that I feel that glorifying the Soviet era is a smart thing. I’ll maintain that they brought up politics with the name and branding of these cigars, but I’ll do my best to not say anything else regarding that during this review…except that Our Glorious Leader probably loves these cigars and all they represent…there…it’s out of my system.I think…From now on, I’ll just judge them based on the cigars.)

Naming the cigar after Moscow, the company maintains that it is “the most beautiful city on earth”…they are allowed their opinion, I guess. The Moscow City is made in the TabaDom (Davidoff) factory in the Dominican Republic, using Dominican fillers and binder leaves, as well as a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. This is an unusual combination for Davidoff and one that I don’t believe they have used since the Avo Maduro, which was recently discontinued.

Three sizes of Moscow City are available, all with ring gauges over 50…I chose the smallest ring gauge, and ended up with the shortest cigar, as well. The bottom line is that, regardless of my differences of opinion with their packaging and naming, I’ve not had a single Hammer & Sickle that I’ve felt stood up to the purchase price so far. This new one is the first I’ve seen from them under the $10 mark, so it automatically starts off with an advantage in that area. Using a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper doesn’t hurt, either. This is my first Moscow City and I bought it at Silo Cigars on a recent trip to Knoxville.

Prelight

I have to admit the pewter box of the Moscow City Series if pretty damn cool, even with the hammer and sickle emblem. It does continue the company’s tradition of very cool, but expensive boxes. The banding features mostly red and silver foil, with just a touch of black used for trim and outlines. It’s good looking and moderately up-scale.

The Broadleaf wrapper was the color of milk chocolate, with darker and lighter mottling in it. There were a couple flaws in the wrapper, but nothing that should affect burn or flavor, but overall, it looked rough and rustic. It had a good amount of oils to the touch and smelled of sweet earth. The foot had sweet hay aromas and a touch of earthiness to it. The cold draw had earth, grass, and a touch of cocoa powder to it.

Flavor

At the outset, the Hammer & Sickle Moscow City had a medium-plus bodied smoke with note of semi-sweet chocolate and hay coming through first, followed by some earth and a touch of leather, and finally a red pepper on the finish. As I got into the heart of the first third, I picked up a significant citrus notes…lemony, but with more sweetness and less sourness.

As I began the second third, notes of cocoa powder mixed with bread and earthy flavors. The pepper had subsided a bit without disappearing completely. The citrus notes were more relegated to the background at this point. Body was in the low end of the full range by this point.

The last third had more chocolate and earth up front with citrus, bread and pepper notes in the background, rounding out the blend.

Construction

As is to be expected for something from the Davidoff factory, construction was top-notch. I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash.

Value

The combination of good smoking experience and reasonable price tag make this a very strong value.

Conclusions

I have to admit to enjoying the Hammer & Sickle Moscow City. It is definitely the best of the bunch of H&S releases. The price is good and it fulfilled its mission of being a full-bodied Dominican-based blend. I really couldn’t find fault with it, except that the blend didn’t fully hit my palate just right, qualifying as a “good” smoke, but not a “great” one for me. Definitely one to try, though, if the description I gave above sounds appealing to you.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10