The Hiram & Solomon Revival was introduced at the 2022 Tobacco Plus Expo. The cigar was crafted exclusively In the Dominican Republic at the PDR factories by Abe Flores, a member of the Elite Pro Cigar (Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers), for the MW Larry B. Thompson, Jr. Grand Master of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons for the state of North Carolina.
The company describes the blend as:
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Claro
- Binder: Ecuador
- Filler: US Broadleaf, Seco Dominican FDR2, Ligero Dominican FDR2 Corojo
The Revival is expressed in a single (6 x 52) toro packaged in 20-count boxes and carries an MSRP of $14.00/cigar.
For this review I sampled 3 of these cigars which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Hiram & Solomon – Revival exhibits a smooth and slightly veiny, dark tan wrapper. It has some give especially near the foot and is decently bunched and rolled. A double cap finishes the presentation.
A single band adorns the cigar and uses masonic imagery in the center along with the name “Hiram & Solomon” across the top and the word “REVIVAL” on the bottom. It also declares this as a cigar produced for the “Grand Lodge of North Carolina AP & AM 2022”
Running the Revival along the nose, I noted rich baking spice along the barrel while the foot offers notes of pungent barnyard and fruity floral notes.
Using my Baller cutter from CigarMedics, I opened the cap perfectly and gave the Revival some cold draw puffs. The draw offered notes of pepper and musty earth.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of floral fruit and pepper notes to start the journey. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers floral fruit and pepper notes
- White ash forms on top of a medium-thick char line
- Medium Thick mild wave in char line
- Dry cocoa powder notes fill in the background of the profile
- Fruity aroma wafts off the foot
- Long ash fell revealing a decent burn cone
- Floral notes increase
- Chocolate notes develop with an undertone of spice
- Creamy notes deep in second third
- Natural Sweetness enters
- Off burn that required a touch-up
- Spice down to final
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
I found the Hiram & Solomon – Revival to be rather floral centric starting with the first puffs of flavor and evolving through the burn, even into the wafting aroma. The cigar was moderately complex with some fine nuances that enticed the palate and kept the journey interesting. From a construction perspective, it was fairly solid through the experience with just a mild wave in the burn and slight off burn near the end that did require a touchup. This is worth grabbing a fiver. I rate this a 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Wave; (-1) Off burn in final third; (-1) Touch Required;
Bonus Points: (+1) Long ash; (+1) Pleasurable across multiple samples
