Today we take a look at one of the newest blends from the young and growing Konscious Cigars Company. This time, company founder Kevin “King” Brown set his eyes on some Cameroon wrapper leaf at the Karen Berger factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and worked to create his first Cameroon blend expressing it in a single (6 x 52) box pressed toro vitola and keeping it wallet friendly at just $12.50/cigar.
The cigars are packaged in 20-count boxes and are available at Konscious Cigars retailers and the company’s online shop.
The blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Cameroon
- Binder – Indonesian
- Filler – Nicaraguan (Estelí & Jalapa)
For this review, I sampled one of these, which I received from the company for the purpose for reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Konscious Cigars, Box Pressed Cameroon, sports a medium to dark brown wrapper that has a very mild grit to the touch and exhibits minimal veins. The cigar is firm with just the right give and no discernable soft spots. The box pressing is more rounded on the edges rather than a crisp press. A wide double cap finishes the construction.
A single band adorns the cigar, which is the same on all their lines. It uses a primary black and gold motif with the colorful company logo in the center and the name Konscious just below.
Running the cigar along the nose, I picked up a pleasant natural sweetness along the barrel while the foot exuded notes of nut and a mild fermented leaf aroma.
Using my CigarMedics Baller cutter I opened the cap perfectly to my liking and gave it some cold draw puffs that offered a smooth draw while offering the palate notes of moist earth and light pepperiness.
My single flame torch was perfect for warming the foot to an even orange glow as I drew in the first puffs of spicy pepper and natural sweetness. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Opening flavors included a dose of spicy pepper joined with a natural tobacco sweetness
- The early pepper morphs into a pleasant cinnamon spice that blended well with the sweetness
- A white ash forms on top of a thin, mildly jagged, char line
- The sweetness that lays in the background is splendid
- The ash fell in an inch plus chunk revealing a decent burn cone
- Dry fruit notes add to the pleasure
- Thick and creamy (smoke ring texture) smoke fills the palate
- An off-burn developed that required a touch-up
- Bit of citrus peel adds to the mix midway
- Peppery spice returns deep in second third
- The ash starts to get flaky
- The sweetness continues to lay in the background as the peppery spice brings you back to where it all started on the first puff
- Medium in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 45 minutes
Final Analysis
The Konscious Cigars Box Pressed Cameroon opening flavors introduce a tantalizing dose of zesty pepper that mingles with a luscious natural tobacco sweetness. As the experience progresses, the initial peppery notes evolve into a delightful cinnamon spice that harmonizes beautifully with the sweetness. The pleasure intensifies with the addition of dry fruit notes that elevate the sensory experience as the palate is enveloped in a luxuriantly thick and creamy smoke.
Once into the midpoint a dash of citrus peel accentuates the flavors, enhancing the complexity of the experience. The peppery spice makes a triumphant return deep in the second third, adding a welcomed kick to the mix. As the experience draws to a close, the sweetness continues to linger in the background, while the peppery spice brings you back to where it all began on the first puff. Though not overly complex, it was pleasant flavor experience. It did however exhibit some burn issues that dinged the score. If you are a fan of Cameroon wrappers, I would say you should grab a fiver of these and check them out. I rate this a 90.
Point Deductions: (-1) Jagged Burn; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Touch-Up Required; (-1) Ash got flaky in second third
