In the year 2020 , you all remember that year, or maybe you chose to forget it and purge it from you memory, but either way, the little cigar company from Texas – Providencia Cigars, release a number of new blends in limited quantities. One of those blends was name the “BOOM”. It was a blend that both Jim Faber and Ray Zinar, owners of the company relay liked, but did not have a name for the cigar. As they thought about the enjoyment they were getting from the blend, they looked at each other and said let’s call it the BOOM, which is a phrase that “Chef” at the Underground Cigar Lounge always uses and was adopted by Ray in his ever growing vocabulary.
The blend stands on its own in the Providencia Cigars portfolio. It has with a bold mix of aged tobacco described as:
- Wrapper -San Andres
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan/Ometepe
The Providencia BOOM is expressed in a single (6 x 52) toro vitola and are available as single stick purchases exclusively now at the Underground Cigar Shop and Lounge. The MSRP has been set at $9.99/cigar.
Pre-Light Examination
The Providencia BOOM is draped in a dark brown oily wrapper that has an unfinished (shaggy) foot. The wrapper has a slight toothiness to it. The cigar has a decent weight and feels solid to the touch with no soft spots along the barrel, It is well capped and has a few noticeable veins and seams. I tested the moisture content with my CigarMedics HumidiMeter and got a perfect 65% telling me it was ready to smoke.
A single band adorns the BOOM. It uses a bright red, white and yellow motif with the company’s logo centered at the top and the name “BOOM” boldly printed below. Thee is a cartoon bomb on either side and the boom flash in the background of the word.
Like all reviews, the first thing I do after visually examining the cigar, is give it a few sniffs to see if it is ready for smoking. You don’t want to smoke a cigar that exudes even the slightest bit of ammonia off the foot. The BOOM presented itself as ready to smoke, after being in my humidor for about 6 months. Bright citrus notes were detected along the barrel while the foot presented notes of mild earth and a continued touch of citrus.
With the nasal portion out of the way, I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder of the cigar and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs. The draw was fine as far as restriction and graced the palate with a hint of dried fruit.
With the all examinations complete, I reached for my double flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow and then draw in the first puffs of thick creamy smoke. Follow along as I burn the BOOM to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Early light offers a thick and creamy full volume of smoke
- Rich volcanic earthy notes begin the journey
- Bitter cocoa enters at end of the shaggy foot
- Light grey ash forms on top of an thin, even, burn line
- Ash fell early revealing a perfect burn cone
- Dry fruit joins the profile as it progresses through the first third
- Lots of oiling appears above the burn line
- The profile starts to get a bit minerally moving into the second third
- Cocoa notes begin to grow as the mineral fades
- Deep in the second third the early cocoa morphs into dark chocolate
- Off burn develops moving into final third
- Caramel and spice enters in the final third to add a continued enjoyment
- Medium- Full in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
The Providencia Cigars BOOM was an enjoyable cigar and rightfully earns a solid spot in the company’s ever growing portfolio of cigars. It was not overly complex, but the bold flavors kept the palate interested. There was a bit of mineral note that entered in the second third and thankfully lasted for just a short part of the journey, eventually transitioning into a more pleasant cocoa note. I loved the transition to caramel and spice at the end of the journey. While the burn was all but pristine though most of the journey, it did develop an off burn in the final. I would pick up a fiver of these before they are gone again, which you can purchase through the Underground Cigar Shop and Lounge. I rate this a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Off Burn in Final Third; (-2) Minerally early in second third;
Bonus Points: (+1) Lots of Oiling Above the Burn Line
