Short Cigars: Hustler Dog Walker by 7-20-4 Cigars

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online.

Dog Walker, 4.25” x 40 ring gauge / ~$30 for a 5-pack, Burns Tobacconist

It has surprised me how quickly cold weather has sprung on us here in the South East this year. Usually I seem to have until mid-December before I absolutely have to deal with pulling out the cold-weather herfing gear; this year colder weather has been hitting in short cycles since the end of October and by the end of November, talking about “short smokes for cold weather” was no longer a theoretical debate. And so it was the weekend before Thanksgiving that I grabbed what would be the final candidate for short smokes for this calendar year: the Hustler by 7-20-4 Cigars, in the new Dog Walker size. You may remember that this size debuted several years ago as part of 7-20-4’s original blend line-up; the Hustler came out near the end of 2012 and this new size debuted at the 2013 IPCPR trade show. The Hustler is made of Nicaraguan fillers, a Costa Rican Binder, and two wrapper leaves (Brazilian Mata Fina and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade) in a barber pole design. I have to admit to not being blown away by this blend in its original release vitolas (3 sizes; the smallest of which has a 52 ring gauge), but I was curious to see how the blend would fare taken to a very small diameter.

I do love the presentation of these cigars. From the “dapper gentleman” scurrying across the front of the box with his suitcases, umbrella and bowler hat, to the colorful retro banding, to the exquisite artistry of the barber pole wrappers…this is just a great-looking cigar. The wrappers gave up a mix of sweet earth and hay aromas, while the foot was a more pungent manure-y earthiness. Once clipped the Hustler had a cold draw that mixed the notes of hay and dried fruit sweetness. As expected, the smaller ring gauge made the flavors of the blend sharper and more focused right from the start. I got a solid earthiness, cocoa powder and coffee, as well as balancing notes of sweet hay and raisin. The red pepper on the retrohale just put an exclamation point on the whole thing.

All in all, I found the Dog Walker vitola of The Hustler to be much better for my palate than the other sample I have smoked of the blend (Robusto). While the Robusto seemed to be a medium-bodied smoke with muted flavors, this cigar was medium-to-full in body with flavors that were bright and bold throughout. The smoking time was over 30 minutes, so it’s hard to call it a really short smoke, but it was very good and worth a little extra time out in the cold.