Cigar Review: S-307 by Nomad Cigars

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online.

Toro (box-pressed), 6” x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $7.95

A year and a half ago, Fred Rewey’s Nomad Cigar Company had a single line of Dominican cigars in a variety of sizes. I first met Fred at the 2012 Chattanooga Tweet-Up, the first one he participated in. Was it all because of our little Southern event that things started falling into place for him afterwards? I wouldn’t go that far, but it was soon after that he made the decision to go B&M-only on his cigars (eliminating his online sales), inked a distribution deal, then set out to expand his company’s line-up. First was the Estelí Lot 1386, an Nicaraguan cigar with a decidedly mild-to-medium body. While not a “bad” cigar, the Lot 1386 failed to do much for my palate after a few tries. Fred told me about the next thing he had coming, though…a Nicaraguan blend made in the AJ Fernandez factory…and it intrigued me. S-307 is named for the wrapper varietal (Sumatra) and number of square miles in the city of Estelí (307.2, officially). While the Lot 1386 was a limited edition, the S-307 is a full production cigar, and available in 3 box-pressed vitolas to begin. Rewey sent me 2 Toros and 2 Torpedos a few weeks back and I’m pleased to say I smoked the other 3 in preparation for this last one I saved for reviewing (that’s a hint as to how this review will go…I really like this blend). Besides the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, this cigar uses Ecuadorian Habano for the binder and Nicaraguan leaves for the filler.

The first time I saw the Lot 1386, I walked right by it without even recognizing it as such. Why? Because the band was the exact same as used on the original Nomad Dominican cigars…and the wrapper color was close enough that it didn’t stand out as different. That won’t be a problem with the S-307. The overall design of the band hasn’t changed, but the color is much darker, almost black in the background, rather than the brighter reds of the old bands. It’s an immediate difference, but just as importantly, it maintains the branding that has already been established. “S-307” is in small lettering to the left of the center portion of the band, with @Godfadr (Fred Rewey’s Twitter handle) taking the same position on the right side. The wrapper leaf is almost a milk chocolate shade of brown…just a little light under some lighting. Under my fingertips, it felt smooth and semi-oily. It gave off aromas of natural tobacco and wood, while the foot had a mildly sweet earthiness. The box press was almost perfect, neither so “mildly box-pressed” that it was hard to tell if the pressing was on purpose, nor so sharply pressed that you feel like you might cut your finger on the edge. The cut cigar had a very good draw that tasted of cedar and dried fruit, along with a twinge of copper, which is something I find often with Sumatra wrappers.

I lit the Nomad S-307 and was met up front with tons of cedar, along with a hint of earth and sweetness. Seconds later I noted a red pepper spice on the tongue and when I retrohaled, it was a searing wasabi-like heat on the sinus passages. The body was strictly medium at this point, but there was a lot going on to wake up my taste buds. As I continued burning the first third, I got a sharp mix of cedar and copper, along with plenty of pepper heat.

In the second third, the cedar died down enough to allow more earthiness to come through, along with some raisin sweetness. I also detected more subtle notes of coffee and anise. Construction was first-rate; I saw an almost perfect burn line with no touch-ups, a great draw and a very solid ash.

The last third of the S-307 continued to show earth and cedar with a bit of pepper spice and even a cinnamon note every now and then. In total, a complex and pleasant smoke from Fred at Nomad, combined with the blending and production skills of the AJ Fernandez crew. I liked the original Nomad, but this is a totally different animal that really showed off the Nicaraguan fillers as well as the sharpness of the Sumatran wrapper. My least favorite part was the first third when the Sumatran metallic note and cedar influence was the strongest, but when that passed, the flavor really picked up for me. Body was at the low end of full and strength was about the same, so this would not be a beginner’s cigar, but Sumatra wrapper aficionados should definitely give this one a try.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale

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