Ahhh, EQ cigars, that small company that has been posting heavily in social media these days. We recently reviewed their Maduro blend the other week and found it to be a flavorful and pleasant smoking experience with perfect construction and burn. Today we are taking a look at a lighter shade of the EQ Premium Cigars portfolio – the Habano blend.
Spoiler Alert; as much as I enjoyed the maduro, I found the habano blend to be even better.
I reached out to Henry Cruz, the owner of this small Boutique cigar company, to discuss the blend and he informed me it is blended as follows:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habana
- Binder – Dominican
- Filler – Criollo 98 Nicaraguan Seco
Henry also noted that the habano blend is available in a wide selection of vitolas:
- Robusto
- Churchill
- Torpedo
- Toro
- Perfecto
- Short Robusto
- Short Perfecto
That is a lot of vitolas, so I am sure you would find one that fits your desire. As for me, I sampled the EQ Premium Cigars Habano Torpedo, which I received from the Yannick G. Forel who is the company’s distributor. The samples were provided for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The EQ Premium Cigars Habano Torpedo is an absolute demonstration of proper craftsmanship for a cigar. With solid construction it boasts a marbled, lightly veined, medium tan wrapper. The packing is tight from head to foot and the cap is perfectly applied.
There is a single band that adorns the cigar. It is the same band as on the maduro blend so I wont get into describing it again here. Having a single band for a company keeps design and printing costs down so kudos to Henry for that decision.
Now that the visual exams are complete I moved in the aroma side. The Habano blend had some very inviting notes with a spicy and sweet floral barrel and bakery of spice off the foot including nutmeg and vanilla off the foot.
OK, Appearance – Check, Aroma – Check; it is now time to taste. I sliced the head of the torpedo about a 1/8 inch or so down from the tip and rolled it around savoring mostly muted nut notes and earth. The draw had a restriction just to my liking, an I suppose you could cut a little deeper to open it more if that is your desire. There is no pre-light heavy pepper on this like many of the cigars I sample so that makes me want to fire it up and see how it performs. Follow along as I walk you through the EQ Premium Cigars Habano Torpedo.
Cigar Review Notes
- Right off the flame I greeted with a full volume of creamy smoke
- A light pepper note wrapped with a touch sweetness begins the journey
- Espresso notes quickly follow to begin filling in the profile
- Cedar and Cinnamon evolve closing out the first inch.
- A light grey solid ash rests on a thin char line
- The sweetness is blending very well with the cedar
- The aroma is just as enticing with sweet cedar and nut notes filling the nostrils
- Smoke is ultra smooth near the end of the first third
- Wrapper is showing a tinge of oiling above the burn line
- Creamy Coffee notes move front and center
- Ash fell after two inches of solid burn !!
- Flat and centered burn cone
- Ash picks right up where it left off
- Spice begins to enter midway
- Burn is perfect so far
- Touch of bitterness enters
- The creamy coffee shifts to more of a Salty butter component
- A lingering sour cherry note rests on the tongue as it burns toward the end of the second third
- The bitter note maintains along with a growing peppery spice on the nasals
- Burns a tad hot to the touch near the end of second third (getting near the nub)
- Strength medium plus
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes to the nub!
Overall, the EQ Premium Cigars Habano torpedo was a spectacular cigar. The burn was flat-out, top-notch, and the flavor profile was loaded with core and nuanced flavor notes to keep your palate wanting more. Ending at medium-plus in strength, this is a cigar I would enjoy in the mid to late afternoon. I think Henry and his team have a true winner with this blend. If you are looking where to purchase these, you should reach out to Yannick G. Forel on his Facebook page.