Founded in 2014, Stallone Cigars was born out of a passion for Premium Cigars and horses. The name Stallone was chosen as it is the Italian word for Stallion. Owner, Tony Barrios, besides having a deep passion for cigars, is also a lover of horses. He received his first horse when he was a child back in the 1980’s from his Italian grandfather. That horse was a real stallion and nobody could ride it. Tony Explains this story on his website:
The mantra of the company is “Blended by the Heart to be Smoked by the Soul”. I can subscribe to that!
The company’s inaugural line of cigars is known as the “Cowboy Series” which includes six different blends expressed in 20 exclusive vitolas. Each blend is named after a horse and each has its own character. For this review I purchased two sampler packs of the Cowboy Series from the Underground Cigar Shop and Lounge in Fort Worth, TX as part of the 2020 Stogie Press mission to Keep The Lights On. I chose to sample the Stallone Nicaragua Cigars Alazán Habano Robusto for this review. I will be reviewing others in the line in the next few weeks.
The Alazán Habano has a blend described by the company as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder – Brasil
- Filler – Nicaragua
These are offered in two different vitolas and come packaged in 24-count boxes:
- Robusto (5 x 52) – MSRP $6.80
- Toro (6 x 54) – MSRP $7.20
The robusto is also part of the 6-count sampler pack of the complete Cowboy Series which retails for $66.00. For this review, I sampled two of the Alazán Habano robustos.
Pre-Light Examination
I must say, the Stallone Nicaragua Cigars Alazán Habano is an aesthetically pleasing and well constructed cigar from a visual perspective. The practically veinless, reddish brown wrapper, has a slight oily sheen and just draws you in wanting to light it up. It feels nicely packed and firm to the touch. Construction is completed with a well applied triple cap.
The cigar is neatly adorned with two bands and a outer cedar sleeve. The primary band proudly displays the company’s logo in the center ( a rising stallion, with the copper clad word “STALLONE” and the owners name “TONY BARRIOS” printed across.) The right side of the band has a horse shoe and the left side the word “NICARAGUA” The secondary band is die cut to fit just under the primary band and uses a copper and blue motif declaring this as the “ALAZÁN HABANO” in the center. The bottom third of the of the cigar has a cedar sleeve that is wrapped with a blue satin ribbon.
I removed the cedar sleeve and ran the barrel along the nose, detecting a faint cedar aroma, which was no surprise considering the cedar sleeve it was wrapped in and the sampler box that was also made of cedar. As I shifted to the foot I picked up a natural tobacco sweetness and baking spice set of notes.
Moving on to the cold draw, I sliced the well applied cap with my double blade cutter, straight across the shoulder. The draw was perfect and offered enticing notes of earthiness and sweetness with a growing red pepper note. The more I cold puffed it, I noticed some salty butter notes adding to the pre-light profile. This horse is definitely showing some character early on.
It was time to stop the cold puffing and take this stallion for a journey. I used my newly purchased Bugatti double flame torch (which I Purchased from Sticks Cigars in Rahway, NJ) to warm the foot and bring it to an even orange glow. I drew in the the first puffs of woody and pepper smoke. Follow along as I burn this stallion to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial notes of woody and peppery smoke
- Full volume of mouth filling smoke, right off the first puff
- The pepper opens the nasals on the retro-hale
- The wood starts to display itself as rich cedar notes
- Solid white ash forms on a pristine burn line
- Floral (Cubanesque) aromas waft off the foot
- Ash fall in decent chunk revealing a flat but centered burn cone
- Cocoa nuances with a touch of citrus moving into the second third
- Smoke is quite smooth at this stage
- Light spice joins the mix
- Citrus notes increase with an added nut aroma
- Beautiful natural sweetness joins in end of the second third
- Dark chocolate notes blend in through the final with that added sweetness
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Overall, the Stallone Nicaragua Cigars Alazán Habano was a spectacular cigar that had a well balanced array of flavors and aromas from foot to nub. Medium in strength, this is a cigar any enthusiast would and should enjoy. I smoke two of these and will be looking to get more, which I know you can find at the Underground Cigar Shop and Lounge. Construction wise, it was just about flawless, with the only point deducted for the flat burn cone once the solid, pearly white ash dropped. This is a box buy for sure, or pick up a sampler of these and try the whole line of the Cowboy Series. I rate this a solid 96.
Point Deductions: (-1) Flat Burn Cone
Bonus Points: (+1) Buy a Box; (+1) Pristine Burn; (+1) Consistent Across Multiple Samples
