Howard G. Cigars was founded in 2020 and was showcased at both the 2021 TPE and PCA trade shows. The company is the brain child of Mr. Howard Gumbs and launched with three lines; Black Moses; Magic Stick; and the All Pro Series. The latter is a line that will pay tribute to former NFL players.
Howard Gumbs, the founder of Howard G. Cigars likes signatures. In fact his signature is on the band of each of his core line of cigars. So why not align with a pro-sports star that has his own unique kind of signature. I am talking about two-time Super Bowl Champion Ike Taylor. As I noted, he has a unique signature it is written 1OFAHKINE.. no that is not a “10” it is a “1” and if you break it apart it spells 1 OF AH KINE or think of it as 1 Of A Kind.
This is not just another cigar with a celebrity name on it. Like his signature, he wanted it to be one of a kind. Ike was not new to cigars, he is quick to note that he was smoking them when he 25 in cigar lounges when he was playing in the NFL. He knows what he likes and had to learn the process to create that one cigar that represents who he is. Through his partnership with Gumbs, the former Pittsburg Steelers player learned what goes into creating a cigar and even sat down and sampled 40 different tobaccos as part of the blending process to create the cigar that will carry his name.
The result of the process is a (6 1/4 x 54) toro that is described as a 80% Nicaraguan Premium Tobacco and 20% Premium Pennsylvania Tobacco. He had to pay tribute to Pennsylvania.
The blend can be described as:
- Wrapper: Nicaragua
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua & U.S.A (Pennsylvania)
The All Pro Series – 1OFAHKINE comes packaged in 10-count boxes with each cigar placed in a 5-count tray (2 trays to a box). The MSRP has been set at $20.00/cigar.
For this review, I sampled 3 All Pro Series – 1OFAHKINE’s which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Howard G. Cigars All Pro Series – 1OFAHKINE is a decently marbled dark tan cigar that is fairly solid and firmly packed with just a little give. The wrapper has just a mild grittiness to the touch and exhibits a few noticeable veins. A well applied twist cap adds a nice touch to the presentation.
A bold yellow and black band adorns the cigar that under closer examination has Ike Taylor’s signature 1OFAHKINE printed across the band and the image of a face staring at you with dark eyes and a creepy red smile. I don’t know what to make of it but it certainly is hard to miss on a humidor shelf.
Running the barrel along the nose I detected a slightly pungent leaf aroma while the foot really intrigued with notes of sweet and mild spice conjoined with a hint of earthiness.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder on two of the samples and the last one I used “The Baller” by CigarMedics to open it up. The draw with either cut had a decent restriction and offered notes of earth, mild pepper (yet warming the lips) and a hint of tobacco sweetness.
With the pre-light turning out to be inviting, it was time to start the journey as I used my double flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of peppery smoke. Follow along as burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers pepper notes especially on the nasals
- Sweet baking brownie aroma – you know the note, chocolate brownies in the oven
- Solid white ash forms on top of a thick a mildly wavy char line
- There are lingering nutty notes resting on the palate
- Ash fell in a solid chunk revealing a decently formed and centered burn cone
- A hint of dark chocolate enters midway
- Aroma shifts to a butter cracker note
- Mild spice notes begin to grow
- Sweet cracker notes form behind the spice
- Citrus notes develop in the final down to the nub
- Medium in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 35 minutes
Final Analysis
The Howard G. Cigars All Pro Series – 1OFAHKINE, though not an overly complex cigar, it did have excellent transitions in both flavors and aromas that it offered. I was very intrigues with the early chocolate brownie aroma during the start along with the sweet butter cracker notes deep in the profile. I found the construction to fine with just a mild wave in the burn. It never needed a touch up and each sample performed the same. This is one I suggest grabbing a fiver of and see for yourself, I do feel they will age nicely. I rate this a 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Wave in Burn
Bonus Points: Pleasant and consistent across multiple samples
