Back in 2022, El Artista Cigars, announced the completion of a full rebrand, a new brand strategy, and the launch of new cigar lines including a new Master Brand: ARTISTA. The first two blends under the ARTISTA Master Brand were shown off at the 2023 TPE Trade Show and were officially shipped to retailers in June. The two blends were the ARTISTA Harvest & ARTISTA Midnight. Today I would like to offer a review of the ARTISTA Harvest.
The blend of the ARTISTA Harvest is described as:
- Wrapper: Top-Grade Sumatra
- Binder: Habano Seco
- Filler: Dominican proprietary blend
Artista Harvest are expressed in two vitolas and offered in boxes of 20 cigars:
- Box Pressed Robusto (5 x 54) – MSRP $10.20
- Box Pressed Toro (6 x 50) – MSRP $10.40
For this review I sampled two Artista Harvest robustos which I received from the company for review on Stogie Press
Pre-Light Examination
The Artista Harvest is medium-dark brown box pressed cigar that exhibits some veins and noticeable seams through the roll. The wrapper is smooth to the touch, but the packing seems a bit loose, especially near the foot. A simple cap finishes the construction.
A single band adorns the cigar using the company’s new bold, branding. It displays the letter “A” on top with a grouping of tobacco leaves under it, all using a cream, yellow, and gold motif.
Running the Harvest along the nose, I noted light spice notes along the barrel while the foot exuded notes of a more pronounced baking spice.
I used my CigarMedics Baller cutter to open the cap perfectly and gave it some cold draw puffs that had a looser restriction than I prefer but not airy. The draw offered notes of butter and spicy pepper.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first blast of peppery spice to start the journey and clear the morning nasals.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial puffs offer a fine peppery blast to start the journey
- Pleasant butter notes add to the profile early to balance out the pepper
- Ash fell early revealing a flat burn cone
- Earthy notes add a layer of complexity
- Slight off burn after the ash drop
- Woody aroma wafts off the foot
- Natural sweetness adds to the under core of earthy notes
- Burn has been more behaved in second half though still a bit wavy
- Cinnamon notes begin to evolve deep in second third, blending well with the sweetness down to the final
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
The Artista Harvest Sumatra starts the journey with an exquisite, invigorating blast of peppery zest that serves as an electrifying prelude to the journey that is about to unfold. Amid the opening stages, delightful buttery undertones gracefully weave into the profile, that harmoniously counterbalances the initial pepper surge. Earthy complexity adds to the growing dimension of the profile. The foot emanates a bouquet of woody aromas, drifting gently on the air.
As the journey unfolds, a natural sweetness gracefully integrates into the underlying stratum of earthy notes, elevating the flavor profile with a pleasing nuance. Deep within the second third, a metamorphosis takes place, as cinnamon accents begin to unfurl, mingling seamlessly with the prevailing sweetness, a delightful synergy that persists until the final leg of the journey.
This is one that I feel is worth grabbing a fiver of. I rate this a 90.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Flat Burn Cone; (-1) Looser draw
