wrussell46
Humble Arrogance
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2022
- Messages
- 682
Here’s the story…
After my first Kingmakers cigar experience I ended up chatting with Claudio, the COO, on Instagram over a couple of days. We hit it off, turns out we are both into Motorsports and motorcycles, as well as cigars!
From the COO, “As a brand and a company we are very much inclined to have the product and our collaborative be more of the story rather than us. Hence our name Kingmakers, those in the background. But from a production and experience standpoint between all of us we have decades of experience and for a few years now we mostly did small batch private labels and events for large brands, and events like the Super Bowl, NBA All Stars, etc. We decided to launch our own in-house brands this year after developing our first products in 2022. We are still dipping our toes in the general market but we have a farm and rolling facility in Esteli, Nicaragua, and have plans to expand to our facilities to a more hospitality centered approach. We are very much interested in keeping with small batch private labels and boutique style limited editions as we can hyper focus on each project and be much more focused on the quality.”
I was introduced to these cigars via a local lounge here called SMōK, owned and operated by a good friend of mine. They are the only lounge in town selling these cigars, as far as I know, and last month they ran a promo deal for the three regular production Robusto and their signature cigar for Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum.
I smoked the KP stick during the Aces only win playing against the NY Liberty two weeks ago and I was impressed. It takes some effort for me to branch out and try new cigars, especially from such a new brand with little to no info, and after smoking the KP Toro I was excited to try the rest of the lineup.
And here’s the review…
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Banding and branding are very well done. The cigar looks and feels premium with a stylish and ornate pigtail cap.
Body and pre light aroma are of heavy cedar, and a sweet dessert - biscotti, tiramisu, sweet cakes and coffee. Very unique.
First puffs at light up. Typical habano citrus and with some chili spice.
First third. Wow…fragrance. Almost like a cologne. Sweetness, floral and pollen, tobacco, and blonde roast coffee. But all mixed together. Like walking into a Lounge or Humidor that doubles as a Florist and a coffee shop. The citrus has morphed into the tobacco cologne fragrance and the spice fades to a light tingle that lingers long after the smoke has dispersed.
Wonderfully unique start, and the burn and draw are superb.
Moving into the second third - roasted nuts, cream, florals and a leather earthiness that coats the palate. Lingering spice on the tongue. Burn is sharp.
The cigar smells divine…this is a repeat smoke for sure! Bakers spice is ramping up. It does not demand to be smoked fast or slow, however the flavors differ whether you’re a furious puffer or like to take your time. Quite interesting.
Final third, the floral tobacco fragrance takes a back seat. Smooth finish, roasted nuts, aged tobacco, cream, and that familiar habano citrus returns to the back ground. Bakers spice has also fallen off.
As I neared the end, the cedar note from the pre-light body aroma comes in strong. Fantastic finish to an absolutely stellar cigar. I was impressed with this cigar, and I am looking forward to smoking it again!
Glamor Shots
After my first Kingmakers cigar experience I ended up chatting with Claudio, the COO, on Instagram over a couple of days. We hit it off, turns out we are both into Motorsports and motorcycles, as well as cigars!
From the COO, “As a brand and a company we are very much inclined to have the product and our collaborative be more of the story rather than us. Hence our name Kingmakers, those in the background. But from a production and experience standpoint between all of us we have decades of experience and for a few years now we mostly did small batch private labels and events for large brands, and events like the Super Bowl, NBA All Stars, etc. We decided to launch our own in-house brands this year after developing our first products in 2022. We are still dipping our toes in the general market but we have a farm and rolling facility in Esteli, Nicaragua, and have plans to expand to our facilities to a more hospitality centered approach. We are very much interested in keeping with small batch private labels and boutique style limited editions as we can hyper focus on each project and be much more focused on the quality.”
I was introduced to these cigars via a local lounge here called SMōK, owned and operated by a good friend of mine. They are the only lounge in town selling these cigars, as far as I know, and last month they ran a promo deal for the three regular production Robusto and their signature cigar for Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum.
I smoked the KP stick during the Aces only win playing against the NY Liberty two weeks ago and I was impressed. It takes some effort for me to branch out and try new cigars, especially from such a new brand with little to no info, and after smoking the KP Toro I was excited to try the rest of the lineup.
And here’s the review…
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Banding and branding are very well done. The cigar looks and feels premium with a stylish and ornate pigtail cap.
Body and pre light aroma are of heavy cedar, and a sweet dessert - biscotti, tiramisu, sweet cakes and coffee. Very unique.
First puffs at light up. Typical habano citrus and with some chili spice.
First third. Wow…fragrance. Almost like a cologne. Sweetness, floral and pollen, tobacco, and blonde roast coffee. But all mixed together. Like walking into a Lounge or Humidor that doubles as a Florist and a coffee shop. The citrus has morphed into the tobacco cologne fragrance and the spice fades to a light tingle that lingers long after the smoke has dispersed.
Wonderfully unique start, and the burn and draw are superb.
Moving into the second third - roasted nuts, cream, florals and a leather earthiness that coats the palate. Lingering spice on the tongue. Burn is sharp.
The cigar smells divine…this is a repeat smoke for sure! Bakers spice is ramping up. It does not demand to be smoked fast or slow, however the flavors differ whether you’re a furious puffer or like to take your time. Quite interesting.
Final third, the floral tobacco fragrance takes a back seat. Smooth finish, roasted nuts, aged tobacco, cream, and that familiar habano citrus returns to the back ground. Bakers spice has also fallen off.
As I neared the end, the cedar note from the pre-light body aroma comes in strong. Fantastic finish to an absolutely stellar cigar. I was impressed with this cigar, and I am looking forward to smoking it again!
Glamor Shots
