Christian Eiroa and CLE Cigars have been teasing us for a while with the possibility of bringing back the Wynwood line that he created with Robert Caldwell back in 2012. The line went defunct back in 2013 when Caldwell left the brand but Eiroa maintained the brand rights. Now as we speed the film up to 2018, CLE has re-birthed the brand and has began shipping a trio of what is known as the Wynwood Hills cigar brand.
The trio includes 3 different blends each made in a single 4.5 x 50 Rothschild vitola.
- Unhinged — Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper, Dominican & Honduran Fillers
- Mayhem — Honduran Corojo Puro
- Deranged — Connecticut Broadleaf Wrapper, Dominican & Honduran Fillers
Each blend comes packaged in 50-count boxes and retails for $7.50/cigar.
For this review, I sampled the Wynwood Hills Mayhem which was part of the collection I received from the Smoke Inn Great Smoke 2019. The Mayhem is manufactured at the El Aladino Cigar Factory in Honduras.
Pre-Light Examintion
The Wynwood Hills Mayhem is a short 4.5 x 50 Rothschild that comes with a tissue sleeve covering half of the cigar and identifies it as the “Mayhem” . There is also a fun phrase “Question Everything” printed on the sleeve. The branding is completed with a red, gold, and white band that declares it as “Wynwood Hills” and “Established 1976”. The year 1976 is the year Eiroa’s father built the United States Tobacco Company’s (UST) factory in Honduras.
Once you remove the outer sleeve, your eyes are treated to a stunningly beautiful medium brown and marbled cigar that has a fine oily sheen. It is well packed to the touch and finished with a well applied cap. Looking at the foot, I am enticed by the black leaf in the center of the fill. There were some noticeable seams and it was light on veins.
As I brought the Wynwood Hills Mayhem to my nose, I picked up a spicy barrel and a savory meat aroma off the foot. It was a pleasant change from many of the cigars I have sampled recently.
I went with a simple straight cut to remove the cap, right above the shoulder, and gave it some long cold puffs. The draw was spot on and delivered initial notes of spice and salt followed by a growing pepper note as I rolled it about. A few more cold puffs provided a hint of malt in the pre-light profile. This is one you can cold puff for an extended time but like all fine cigars, it was destined to become ash sooner or later.
I used my double flame torch lighter to get things going, warming the foot and taking in the first few pepper filled puffs of smoke.
Cigar Review Notes
- Pepper shot to start
- Salty and savory notes enter behind the pepper
- Smoke is thick and mouth filling
- Solid white ash evolves on a medium char line
- Oils develop quickly above the char line
- Spice and savory notes continue into second third with a developing syrupy aroma
- Spice increases with a more of a peppery component but not harsh on the nasals
- Minor wave develops deep into the second third but never required a touch up
- Ash has grown amazingly still hanging tight through the second third
- Aroma shifts to a spiced nut
- Ash finally fell moving into the final third revealing a slightly off centered burn cone
- Spice tones done a bit with a more savory note and continued syrupy aroma through to the nub
- Medium Plus in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was just over 1 hour
Overall, the C.L.E. Wynwood Hills Mayhem was a terrific 1 hour plus smoke and offered a consistent set of spice and savory flavor notes. I would not described the Mayhem as complex but it did have some shifts and moves n flavor and aroma. From a construction perspective, the Mayhem held an amazing ash but did have a mild wave in the second half, and when the ash did fall it displayed a slight off centered burn cone. All in all, at a price point of $7.50, this is one that is worth the money and certainly highlights the great Honduran Corojo leaf that C.L.E. is famous for. I rate this a solid 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Burn Wave in Second Half, (-1) Slightly Off Centered Burn Cone, (-1) Not Complex
Bonus Points: (+1) Excellent Oiling, (+1) Extreme Ash, (+1) Buy a Box (or at least 10)
