Cigar Review: Paradigm Corona by 262 Cigars

Vitola: Corona
Size: 5.5” x 44 ring gauge
Price $7.49
Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

The Paradigm was the first cigar released by 262 Cigars, back in the Spring of 2010. Since then Paradigm, 262 and brand owner, Clint Aaron, have become household names across this great nation of ours…well, at least in households that appreciate fine, small-manufacturer (some call them “boutique”) cigars. And as far as the rest of the households go…well, some people are just slow to catch on.

A couple years back, a Lancero was added to the Paradigm line-up and it quickly became my personal favorite vitola for this blend. I awarded it a “Perfect 10” in my review on the Tiki Bar, and it was a strong contender for my 2012 Cigar of the Year. Ultimately it would be another year and another Lancero before 262 won that much-coveted (at least in discriminating households!) award (I chose the 262 Revere Lancero for 2013 COTY), but the Paradigm story turned out to not quite be over.

In doing a little re-ordering of the line-up a few months back, Clint decided to drop the 6 x 60 vitola and add a new Corona size. This was very good news in my mind; I love Lanceros, but they are too prone to construction issues; I feel Coronas give 90% (or better) of the flavor experience with much fewer construction problems. In most cases, that’s more than a fair trade-off…I hate having to fight my way through a Lancero that has a tight draw or canoes constantly.

In more good news, 262 decided that the Paradigm Corona would start off as a store exclusive for my home shop (where I also work twice a month), Burns Tobacconist (110 Jordan Drive, Chattanooga…just off I-75 at the Shallowford Road exit…come see me on one of the Saturdays I work!). For six months the cigar will only be available at Burns, then it will be released on an unsuspecting world…well, by that point they might actually be suspecting it.

A little factual data…the Paradigm is made in Honduras by Plascencia and is composed of fillers from Columbia (Cubito) and Nicaragua (Viso and Seco from Jalapa and Estelí), a binder from Honduras, and a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. Being an employee of Burns, I was able to get early access to a box of these beauties…the box is a 10-count, making it quite affordable, and I purchased one box (so far). This review is based on the second sample that I smoked from that box.

Prelight

Nothing new to report on the appearance of this cigar or the packaging. The box is a tidy little affair, only holding 10 cigars; I do have to say I like that count because it does make box sales that much easier (of course, on the flip side, the companies have to make more boxes with these smaller counts, so it can have the effect of driving the price up a bit). The footband with Americana-feel lettering, banners, and travelers’ stars is still unique and interesting in the business. The milk chocolate brown wrapper leaf was oily and velvety to the touch and was redolent with earth and sweet vegetal notes. The foot had an aroma of earth with a touch of cocoa powder.

On both samples I smoked of this cigar, the prelight draw was just about perfect. The prelight draw had flavors notes of earth, unsweetened cocoa, and wood.

Flavor

Firing up was easy with my single-flame Xikar Tech and I soon got slightly sweet earth, cedar and cocoa powder flavors, along with a touch of pepper spice on the nose and at the back of the palate. As the first third burned along, I noted vegetal flavors that I had experienced on other vitolas of the Paradigm; hard to pin it down exactly, but I’d say the closest I can come is “bell pepper.”

During the second third, I got more earth and some black coffee flavor, along with a bit of citrus that brought both tanginess and sweetness. In the last third, the same flavors continued, but were joined by a resurgence of red pepper, adding to the interest level quite a bit.

Construction

The burn line was straight, the ash was solid and the draw was great…what more do you need?

Value

When the Paradigm first hit the stores, my reaction was that it was good, but a little pricey. Since then the price has either come down a bit or maybe just stayed steady while everything else in the industry went up. Either way, $7.50 is a great value for this cigar.

Conclusions

This was a great expression of the 262 Paradigm blend. While I still prefer the Lancero in terms of flavor, the Corona is a strong second-place for me, offering up medium-to-full body and full flavor from start to finish. It was complex enough that I never lost interest and construction has been nearly perfect on the two I’ve smoked so far. If you want yours now (and you know you do!), your only choice is to visit Burns Tobacconist or call them at 423-855-5200. We’ll be happy to ship them to you.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10