Originally introduced in 2014, the Southern Draw Firethorn has been a core line for the company and also has evolved in different formats and tweaks since its debut.
The latest extension to the Firethorn line is the “Augusta“, a nod to the Georgia city just outside of Ft. Gordon – the home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command and U.S. Army Signal Corps where members of Robert Holt’s family served. It is also a nod to the most prestigious tournament in all of golf and the soul and deep musical influences of long-time Augusta resident, James Brown who began his illustrious music career by entertaining military troops at Camp Gordon. It is no secret that Holt and his Southern Draw family has a deep love for the military and veterans.
The blend for the Firethorn – Augusta is a unique variation of the original Firethorn, embracing changes in both ratios and aging of the same select tobaccos:
- Wrapper: Habano Rosado – Ecuador
- Binder: San Andres Maduro – Mexico
- Filler: Proprietary – Nicaragua
The Southern Draw Firethorn-Augusta is expressed in a (5.5 x 54) Belicoso Fino and comes packaged in 10-count mazos (bundles). MSRP has been set at $9.99/Cigar.
Even the mazo has an updated design for this release, reflecting the Holt family’s memorable parts of Augusta, GA.
For this review, I sampled three Firethorn-Augusta Belicoso Finos, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Southern Draw Firethorn-Augusta is a beautifully constructed, silky smooth, box pressed belicoso fino. Medium brown in color with a slight oily sheen, the cigar is well packed with just the right amount of give along the barrel. It has a smooth edges and minimal veins along with an expertly applied belicoso cap. The looks alone scream out, “Fire me Up“.
Two bands adorn the cigar. The primary band uses the same band as the Firethorn line, proudly displaying the Southern Draw logo in the center. A secondary band is placed just below the primary, using the same motif, and declares this as the “AUGUSTA” variety.
I ran the Firethorn-Augusta along the nose and detected a lightly pungent, fermented leaf note along the barrel. The foot offered a mild nut like aroma.
Using my trusty CigarMedics HumidiMeter, I stabbed the foot and got a perfect 65% reading. Good to Go!
I sliced the cap at a 45 degree angle, like I do most torpedoes and belicosos. Once opened up, I took some cold draw puffs that was just a bit snug and and delivered notes of natural tobacco sweetness, earthiness and a hint of pepper.
It was time to get the journey started. I reached for my double flame Bugatti Mirage lighter and warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first peppery burst of smoke. Follow along as I burn the Firethorn-Augusta to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial draw offers a white pepper blast
- The pepper receded rather quickly and made way for floral notes
- Medium volume of smoke
- A white ash forms on top of a straight, medium thick char line
- Slight jag in the burn
- Cream and sweetness add to the profile
- Ash drops early but reveals an excellent burn cone
- Cedar nuances fill the background of the profile
- Touch of spice mixes in midway through the burn
- Ash falls often
- Profile stayed fairly consistent through the second half
- An added cinnamon spice broke through near the final
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Overall, the Southern Draw Firethorn-Augusta was a pleasant smoking experience that offered a balanced array of flavors through a medium strength smoke. I especially enjoyed the early Cubanesque floral notes. The burn was decent, with just a slight jag here and there, but the ash did fall often through the journey. I would say this worth picking up a fiver and I rate this a 91.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slight Jag in Burn; (-1) Ash Falls Often; (-1) Medium Volume of Smoke
