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- Jan 4, 2001
- Messages
- 10,472
Defiance by Xikar
Size
The Renegade
Rubusto
5 x 50
SRP $6.50*
It was a nice day outside, so I decided to review the new Defiance cigar by Xikar. Defiance is an interesting concept; in short, the concept behind this brand is to help fight all of the nonsense legislation and taxes that we face in our hobby. A percentage of all sales of Defiance are donated to help fight the nonsense. Interesting idea indeed!
The weather was great, around 90F with a nice steady warm breeze. I decided to pair this cigar with a Pepsi Jazz (I don't normally pair cigars with drinks, however it just sounded good, so I did
).
Construction on the Defiance Robusto was excellent. Nicely rolled, not lumpy, overall, a quality roll. Snipped the head off, and the pre-light draw was perfect; not too loose and not too tight. Pre-light taste was a mix between coco and earth.
Lit the cigar up, and it fired up very easily. Immediately upon lighting the cigar, I was greeted with a lot of spice on the front, and pepper on the back. Personally, I like pepper/spice in a cigar, so I enjoyed the initial flavor profile. The smoke was very creamy, and by creamy I mean....rich. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can describe it. It was heavy smoke that I could really taste. Very nice; not all cigars offer a creamy/rich smoke, but this one did for sure.
As I continued to smoke this cigar, I tasted some pepper (not as much as before) and some earth. This may sound odd, but about 1/4 of the way through, I tasted some BBQ/Mesquite notes. Something I've never really tasted in a cigar, but it was there, at least that's how I can describe it.
The smoke had a sweet/woodsy aroma. This, I found very unique and pleasant. The sweet aroma lasted throughout most of the remainder of the cigar. The flavor was semi-mild, slightly floral. 3/4 of the way through I picked up on some nutty flavor.
As I continued smoking the cigar, I noticed something very interesting... Read carefully:
The cigar band said "Do not remove". First I thought Xikar just wanted the cigar band left on for free marketing.
However, when told not to do something, it only encourages you to do it! So, I proceeded to remove the band, and here's what I found:
Simply points out the story behind the cigar, interesting and clever.
Overall, this was a good cigar. I would consider it mild/medium bodied. The flavors didn't all jump out at me, though they were there and pleasant. There was nothing unpleasant about this cigar. If you have the chance to try Defiance, go for it. I recommend giving it a try! I may even buy a box or two and age them in the humidor. Will be interesting to see how they age.
Size
The Renegade
Rubusto
5 x 50
SRP $6.50*
It was a nice day outside, so I decided to review the new Defiance cigar by Xikar. Defiance is an interesting concept; in short, the concept behind this brand is to help fight all of the nonsense legislation and taxes that we face in our hobby. A percentage of all sales of Defiance are donated to help fight the nonsense. Interesting idea indeed!
The weather was great, around 90F with a nice steady warm breeze. I decided to pair this cigar with a Pepsi Jazz (I don't normally pair cigars with drinks, however it just sounded good, so I did
).
Construction on the Defiance Robusto was excellent. Nicely rolled, not lumpy, overall, a quality roll. Snipped the head off, and the pre-light draw was perfect; not too loose and not too tight. Pre-light taste was a mix between coco and earth.
Lit the cigar up, and it fired up very easily. Immediately upon lighting the cigar, I was greeted with a lot of spice on the front, and pepper on the back. Personally, I like pepper/spice in a cigar, so I enjoyed the initial flavor profile. The smoke was very creamy, and by creamy I mean....rich. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can describe it. It was heavy smoke that I could really taste. Very nice; not all cigars offer a creamy/rich smoke, but this one did for sure.
As I continued to smoke this cigar, I tasted some pepper (not as much as before) and some earth. This may sound odd, but about 1/4 of the way through, I tasted some BBQ/Mesquite notes. Something I've never really tasted in a cigar, but it was there, at least that's how I can describe it.
The smoke had a sweet/woodsy aroma. This, I found very unique and pleasant. The sweet aroma lasted throughout most of the remainder of the cigar. The flavor was semi-mild, slightly floral. 3/4 of the way through I picked up on some nutty flavor.
As I continued smoking the cigar, I noticed something very interesting... Read carefully:
The cigar band said "Do not remove". First I thought Xikar just wanted the cigar band left on for free marketing.
However, when told not to do something, it only encourages you to do it! So, I proceeded to remove the band, and here's what I found:
Simply points out the story behind the cigar, interesting and clever.
Overall, this was a good cigar. I would consider it mild/medium bodied. The flavors didn't all jump out at me, though they were there and pleasant. There was nothing unpleasant about this cigar. If you have the chance to try Defiance, go for it. I recommend giving it a try! I may even buy a box or two and age them in the humidor. Will be interesting to see how they age.
