If you are planning to attend the upcoming Protocol Pool Party this coming July 17th, you are going to be in for a treat with this years Protocol Pool Party Year 2 cigar. These cigars are not available for sale but everyone who attends the Pool Party Event will be getting their hands on these delicious morsels.
This special limited edition release cigar is a follow up to last year’s release and was produced at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It is Protocol Cigars first ever barber pole cigar. The PPPY2, as the company is calling it for short, will be a (6 x 52) round barber pole with a rabito on the head and will incorporate Mexican San Andreas Maduro and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade as the wrappers. Only 250, ten-count paper bundles were produced.
Juan Cancel, owner and founder, said the following:
“We are always looking to do interesting things with our limited releases. We were always curious about doing a barber pole but didn’t want to do anything too gimmicky when it came to the actual cigar.
However for a cigar that will be given to those attending our Year 2 Pool Party a barber pole cigar seems perfect! What’s even more exciting is the fact we are using the wrappers of the Themis and Probable Cause to make a really cool and unique cigar only available to those attending this special event!!!”
These limited edition cigars will be given to the first 250 attendees to the Protocol Pool Party on Saturday, July 17th. This is a ticketed event held in Mt. Bethel, PA at the Chelsea Sun Inn. This is the company’s second ticketed pool party with 2020’s being a great success.
Even though this cigar is not for sale, the company sent me some to sample recently and it is only right that I did a review of it as It showcases what perhaps may be a glimpse into future releases. For this review, I sampled three PPPY2 cigars.
Pre-Light Examination
I will start by saying the Protocol Pool Party Year 2 is nice looking barber pole that has tight seams, and a smooth set of wrapper leaves through out. There is a light sheen to each leaf and there are minimal veins through out the barrel. The cigar is seams solidly packed with no discernable soft spots and twist cap (rabito) finishes the presentation.
A single band adorns the cigar that uses the pool blue background and the three different Protocol “P’s” – Green, Blue, and Red – to spell “Protocol Pool Party”. A large number “2” denotes this as the PPY2 offering.
Running the PPPY2 along the nose, my aroma sensor picked up a spicy note along the barrel and enticing butter cracker note off the foot. This is just the start of the overall journey you will go on with the PPY2.
Once I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder, with my double blade Xikar cutter, I proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be just fine with restriction and offered mild yet growing pepper hitting the tongue along with a hint of fruit. Yes, this is showing signs of a pleasurable experience.
I used my single flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow as I gently blew some air on the ignited foot to be sure it was properly lit. The first lit puffs delivered a nasal opening pepper shot to get the party started. Follow along as I burn the PPPY2 to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Pepper shot to the nasals off the first puffs
- Fruit notes begin to break through from under cloaked pepper
- Light grey ash forms on top of a slightly jagged, medium thick burn line
- Pepper recedes and the fruit is joined with the pre-light butter cracker note
- Sweet aroma wafts off the foot gracing my nasals
- Peanut notes linger on the palate deep in the first third
- Off burn develops near the end of the first third
- As fell revealing a flat and off centered burn cone
- Spice notes enter moving into the second third
- Off burn develops again and requires a touch up
- Fruit notes morph into more of a dried fruit
- Almond sensation adds to the profile midway
- Aroma is more syrupy now
- Peppery notes re-emerge in the final
- Mild to medium in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 35 minutes
Final Analysis
It is too bad this cigar is not for sale, as it was a flavorful experience with well balanced and transitioning notes of pepper, spice, fruit, peanut, almond, and underlying sweetness. The burn was solid through the first inch and a half then developed a jag and eventually an off burn. Once the ash fell, another off burn developed that required a touch up. Barring the burn issues, I really enjoyed this from a flavor perspective. Juan, Kevin, and Erik you did a nice job on the blend. I rate this a 89.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Jag in Burn; (-1) Slight Off Burn; (-1) Flat Burn Cone; (-1) Off Centered Burn Cone; (-1) Touch-up Required
