C.L.O.U.T. Cigars is one of the newest small brands I recently came upon and like all brands they have a story to tell. The name C.L.O.U.T stands for “Cigar Lovers Openly Uniting Together”.
Founded in 2018, by four brothers of the leaf, Kevin “KAP” Purnell, Jamonicus “JT” White, Brandon “BG” Goins, and Rodney “Pipp” Young, the company notes:
“The brand was created to provide all lovers of the leaf the opportunity to enjoy and experience unmatched quality and service. Whether you are an occasional smoker, consider yourself an aficionado or caught in between, CLOUT, LLC’s vision is to be more than just a place to buy cigars, instead our goal is to offer great times with great people. Whether it’s from our vast selection, competitive pricing, knowledge base, presence on social media and in the community with our events, CLOUT provides the total cigar concierge experience.“
.L.O.U.T. Cigars began their company with two blends, each in a Lancero and Toro vitola – The Select and The Signature. I received samples from the company of each blend earlier in the year and today I am pleased offer my first review of their lineup – the C.L.O.U.T. Cigars Select.
The C.L.O.U.T. Cigars Select has a blend described as:
- Wrapper – Brazilian Maduro
- Binder – San Andres
- Filler – Dominican & Nicaraguan
The Select is offered in 2 vitolas each packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Toro (6 x 52) – MSRP $11.00
- Lancero (7.5 x 42) – ) – MSRP $11.00
If you purchase a box, they work out to be $9.50/cigar
Pre-Light Examination
The C.L.O.U.T. Cigars Select is draped in an oily and toothy, dark brown wrapper that has a bit of marbling throughout and a few noticeable veins. The cigar is firmly packed with just a slight give in the center of the roll. A simple cap finishes the presentation.
A single large band adorns the cigar that uses a using the black, gold and blue motif. The company’s logo is proudly presented in the center and the name CLOUT is printed on top and the blend name “SELECT’ is printed in gold on a blue background on the bottom.
Running the barrel along the nose, I picked up mild floral notes while the foot exuded enticing notes of walnut and cocoa notes.
I used my double blade cutter to slice the cap straight across the shoulder of the cigar and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be rather unique in flavor with notes of floral and orangy fruit. The draw was a tad more on the open side with respect to restriction.
Using my double flame torch lighter, I warmed the foot gently, bringing it to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of smoke to start the journey. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- There a slightly harsh start to the cigar off the first puffs
- A solid light grey ash formed on top of a thin and well formed char line
- Full volume of smoke fills the palate
- Orange Citrus notes appear as the early harshness faded quickly
- Black pepper notes add dimension to the profile
- Vanilla cream notes begin to swirl in wrapping the orange pepper
- Cocoa aroma has been wafting off the foot
- Floral notes entering in the second third
- The long “stacking dimes” ash finally dropped revealing a flat but centered burn cone
- Spice and caramel develop along with the continued orange citrus deep in the second third
- Sweetness enters moving into the final, offering a fine balance
- The cigar burned a tad hot in the final
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 45 minutes
Final Analysis
Barring the slight harshness off the first few puffs, the C.L.O.U.T. Cigars Select Toro quickly delivered a pleasurable array of complex yet balanced and tasty notes throughout the journey. I pleasantly surprised with the orange notes that developed and stayed through the burn along with transitioning nuances of flavors and aromas. Construction was all but perfect except or the flat burn cone and it carried a long “stacking dimes” ash that dropped only twice through the experience. This is most certainly box worthy. I rate this a 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Early Harshness; (-1) Burned hot in the final; (-1) Flat but Centered Burn Cone
Bonus Points: (+1) Excellent Burn; (+1) Long Ash; (+1) Box Worthy
