Back in May the newest release from Never Ash cigars hit the market. Known as the 815, it is nod to the city area code where Never Ah cigars owners (Tom Grilli and Steve Rotondi) reside. It basically covers the cities of Rockford, Joliet, and Plainfield just outside of Chicago.
The Never Ash 815 has a blend described as:
- Wrapper– Habano (Ecuador)
- Binder– Sumatra (Ecuador)
- Filler– Dominican
It is expressed in single (6 x 52) toro vitola and is packaged in 20-count boxes. MSRP has been set at $15.00/cigar. The Never Ash Cigars 815 is handcrafted at El Maestro Cigars (William Ventura) in the Dominican Republic. For this review I sampled two 815’s which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Never Ash Cigars 815 sports a dark tan wrapper that has a mild sheen and minimal veins. The cigar is smooth to the touch and solid to the feel. No soft spots are detected in the roll. A well applied cap finishes the construction.
There are two bands that adorn the cigar. The primary band uses a blue, gold, and white motif and proudly displays the company logo in the center, It is the same design as others in the line but uses a different color combination to distinguish t on the shelf. There is also a secondary band placed below the primary it boldly denotes this as the “815” printed in gold on a blue background. There is also a large outer cedar sleeve that covers about 2/3 of the cigar and is affixed with a gold footer band.
Running the 815 along the nose, I did not detect much aroma off the barrel while the foot presented a wet earth note.
I used my CigarMedics Baller cutter to neatly open the cap and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be rather heavy on earthiness along with some peppery spice and a salted butter note. The draw was pleasantly restricted.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot, bringing it to an even orange glow, as I drew in the first burst of peppery smoke to start the journey. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- First light offers pepper – lot’s of pepper
- Natural tobacco sweetness and cedar quickly join the profile
- Fruitiness and citrus round out the introductory profile
- Slightly jagged medium thick burn line forms while a solid white ash develops
- Vanilla cream notes start to form near the end of the second third
- Ash fell in a decent chunk revealing a well formed burn cone
- Slight off burn but did not require a touch up
- Caramel notes join the mix approaching the midway point
- Sweetness builds deep in the second third
- Spice adds down to final
- Mild to Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 35 minutes
Final Analysis
The Never Ash Cigars 815 was a mild to medium strength cigar that offered a pleasing array of balanced flavors throughout the journey. It did develop mild off burn but a touchup was not required. The ash held solid for a good third before falling and revealing a well formed an centered bun cone. This is cigar that is worth grabbing a fiver of and enjoy them as the first of the day or the last. I feel this would pair well with a cafe latte or even a highland malt. I rate this one a 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slightly Jagged Burn line; (-1) Slight Off Burn
Bonus Points: (+1) Consistent across multiple Samples
