Established in 2024, HoneyBee Cigars was founded by Brianna Chiuchiolo. Her father owned a cigar shop when she was growing up. The experience and memory of being around the aromas of tobacco drove her to establish a legacy cigar brand that honors her family’s past and those who put it all in to build a lasting brand.
The company website notes:
“I am Brianna Chiuchiolo, Owner and CEO of HoneyBee Cigars. A woman in a male-dominated industry, I was told I wouldn’t succeed, that I would drown, that this wasn’t my place. That doubt didn’t break me—it fueled me. Coming from a strong Italian family of powerful women & men, entrepreneurship is in my blood. We don’t wait for doors to open; we build them ourselves.
My grandmother Lucille owned a liquor store—her strength and determination inspired me alongside many other women in my life. We honor my B-MA with our Connecticut Shade cigar, “Queen Lucilla Edition.” A guiding force in my life. These aren’t just names; they are stories. Every cigar we craft carries meaning, from the tobacco leaf to the name chosen, representing the strength, resilience, and legacy of those who came before me.
You might be wondering, why the name HoneyBee Cigars? Simple. Bees pollinate, uplift, and sustain life. They are small but mighty, just like the power we each hold within us. Their honey represents sweetness, resilience, and balance. That’s exactly what we stand for—spreading love, kindness, and strength, one cigar at a time.”
The newest cigar in the company’s portfolio is the G’s Flying Bees. Expressed in a (4 1/2 x 60) perfecto, it retails for $13.00/cigar.
The company is relatively secretive about what Nicaraguan factory it is made in and only explains that the blend uses an ultra-premium Maduro San Andrés wrapper with high-grade binder and filler tobaccos.
For this review, I sampled 3 of the Honeybee Cigars G’s Flying Bees, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Honeybee Cigars – G’s Flying Bees is a well-crafted perfecto, sporting a medium to dark brown wrapper that exhibits minimal veins. The cigar has a mild oily sheen and is packed firm throughout. Construction is completed with a well applied twist cap.
A single, brightly colorful band adorns the cigar. It uses red, orange, and black colors while boldly declaring the cigar as the G’s Flying Bees.
Running the cigar along the nose, I picked up a fermented leaf aroma along the barrel. With the foot being just a tip, I could not discern and aromas off the foot.
I sliced the cap about a 1/4″ down from the tip and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to offer pre-light notes of refreshing sweet fruity citrus with a growing black pepper.
Using my single flame torch, I ignited the tip of the foot and drew in the first initial puffs of pepper cracker and fruit to start the journey. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial notes of pepper cracker and fruit start the experience
- A hint of honey sweetness joins the early profile
- The retrohale brings forth peppery notes
- A well-formed light grey ash evolves nicely on top of thin char line
- Nutty essence after an inch or so of burn along with a leathery aroma
- There is a mild jag in the burn line
- Spice notes begin to grow midway
- There is a mineral bite to the profile
- The ash has been getting flaky but holding tight as the burn starts to wander a bit more off
- Touch of cream joins the mix
- The ash fell in a decent chunk revealing an off centered and flat burn cone
- Salty coffee notes moving down into the final with a mild fruity background
- Medium to Full in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Final Analysis
The Honeybee Cigars – G’s Flying Bees opened with a combination of pepper, cracker, and fruit to kick off the journey. A subtle honey sweetness soon joined the early profile, adding a touch of balance. On the retrohale, peppery notes pushed forward, amplifying the spice. A well-formed light grey ash developed nicely on top of a thin char line, showing solid construction early on.
About an inch into the burn, a nutty essence appeared, layering into the mix. The burn line did show a mild jag, but smoke production remained steady. Midway, the spice began to grow in intensity, bringing with it a distinct mineral bite that added some edginess to the profile. The ash, though somewhat flaky, held firm as the burn started to drift off a bit but did not require a touch up.
Moving deeper, a touch of cream entered the experience, softening the profile slightly. The ash eventually dropped in a decent chunk, exposing an off-centered and flat burn cone. Down into the final third, salty coffee notes took the lead, accented by a mild fruity background that lingered on the finish. This medium to full strength cigar is best enjoyed at a slower pace to let the flavors settle in. Check out a fiver. I rate this an 89.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mineral Bite midway; (-1) Flaky Ash; (-2) Flat and off centered burn cone; (-1) jagged burn in second half
