It was eight years, in 2011, when Providencia Cigars founder, Jim Faber was almost kidnapped at gunpoint while supporting a youth soccer program he set up in Honduras. The years seem to have flown by, but that memory never fades from Jim or those he is close to. Through the creation of Providencia Cigars, Jim has been quietly telling the story through the brand names of the companies cigars.
First was the El Santo and El Padre, two cigars released in June of 2016 and were a nod to the Saint and the Father above, who protected Jim during a fateful day on a children’s soccer field. A day that resulted in Jim having to flee his adoptive country where he gave so much of his time to humanitarian and mission work. These first two cigars were followed by the Trinitas, this time a nod to the Holy Trinity that carried him through all this.
The Trinitas was followed up by “The Hostage” which you may have read my review of. The Hostage moved us deeply into the story of the thwarted kidnapping that had a huge impact on Jim, his family, and friends. All three of these cigars are hand crafted at La Pequena Vega Factory in Danli, Honduras by Javier Mendoza, a Honduran tobacco and coffee farmer and a master blender, who Jim met and befriended at the turn of the century. Jim and Javier worked together for ten years, creating blends as Jim learned all the ins and outs and ups and downs of the cigar business.
The Bloodshot
Today I am going to talk about the company’s Bloodshot line. This cigar is a deeper dive into Jim Faber’s story. Although Jim was not physically injured in the Kidnap attempt, there were gun shots involved and keeping with the ever growing theme of Providencia Cigars, they created the Bloodshot cigar to continue the story. This cigar continues to showcasevthe combined blending skills of both Javier and Jim.
The Bloodshot name is actually a derivative of the name Red Eye which is a coffee drink that consists of brewed coffee topped off with a shot of espresso. The company used this name because not only is it reminiscent of the event of Jim Faber’s life, but also the method of aging this particular cigar. As explained by Ray Zinar, co-owner of Providencia Cigars:
“The factory rests the finished cigars in a private humidor with roasted coffee beans that are also grown by Providencia’s tobacco grower, Javier Mendoza“
The Bloodshot is a limited production 6 x 52 toro. Only 600 have been produced and will be available this month and online at the Underground Cigar Shop in Fort Worth Texas and at various retailers carrying the Providencia Cigars brand (visit their website for a list of retailer partners http://www.providenciacigars.com).
The rich and full blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andres
- Binder– Indonesian
- Filler– Honduran Jamastran Ligero, Nicaraguan Ometepe, Estelí
MSRP has been set at $9.25/cigar.
Pre-Light Examination
The Providencia Bloodshot has a dark brown and marbled wrapper with a lightly gritty feel to the touch. It is solid in the hand and has few bumps but practically no veins running through the wrapper. The cigar is finished with a triple cap.
A single band adorns the cigar using a deep swirl of red and yellow around the Providencia Cigars logo which is centered. The name “BLOODSHOT” is printed below in a deep blood red font.
I took the Bloodshot and ran across the nose and was pleasantly greeted with sweet and pungent notes along the barrel and a sweet baking spice aroma off the foot.
Using a straight cut, I opened the cap and gave it some cold puffs which was pleasantly restricted and offered notes of mild cocoa and black pepper. I love this combination in a cigar.
With the pre-light exam out of the way and much to my liking, I warmed the foot with a double flame torch and took in the first puffs of creamy peppery smoke.
Cigar Review Notes
- Creamy peppery smoke to start
- Toasted Corn notes enter – I am going to say – yes – Cap’t Crunch
- Slight snug draw
- Whites ash evolves thick char line
- Sweet cinnamon aroma
- Burn started to develop a wave after an inch plus which eventually required a mild touch up
- Dry fruit adds to the profile
- Natural sweetness enters near end of first third
- Spice increases along with a coffee note
- Draw opens up moving through second third
- Dry fruit notes linger on the palate
- Strength moves up to medium
- Long ash fell reveals an off-centered burn cone
- Woody aroma starts to waft off the foot
- Buttery notes fill in the background
- Burn is behaving well after the touch up
- Flavors blend into final with increased spice and some fruit
- Medium to Full in strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 35 minutes
Overall, the Providencia Cigars Bloodshot was a tasty morsel for sure. I mean seriously, I don’t recall if I ever got that Cap’t Crunch note on a cigar, but I absolutely did at the start of the Bloodshot. I had to think about it and was nervous saying it, but it lasted more than a few puffs – awesome! The coffee notes were there from the aging process but more in the background. I enjoyed the profile of the Bloodshot. From a construction perspective, it did develop a slight off burn that needed a touch-up, but then it performed excellently through the journey. I would recommend picking up a five pack of these while they are still available. I rate this a 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slight Off-burn; (-1) Mild touch -Up; (-1) Off-centered Burn Cone
Bonus Point: (+1) Long Ash
