Kerr Viajante, owner of Stogie Road Cigars has been a fan of barber pole cigars for quite some time. He has formed his company solely around this special vitolas. Working in collaboration with Chris Weber’s Tabacalera Nuevo Nica factory in Estelí, Nicaragua was a smart choice, as Chris has buncheros and rollers that are specialized in rolling barber poles. Chris’ experience with barber poles go back to his Veritas 3 Blends cigar.
The Stogie Roads Big Tony is one of 4 blends offered by the company each expressed in a single vitola. The complete portfolio includes:
- Big Tony
- SanDela
- Sweet Grass Gringo
- EdiciónXXXV
As for the Big Tony, it is near and dear to Kerr as it is named after his father. Kerr explains:
“I wanted to continue to honor my family through my blends. The Big Tony is named after my father who is a strong and powerful source of faith and inspiration in my life. What better way to honor such a man than to produce a cigar using a powerful double maduro wrapper.”
The blend of the Big Tony is described as:
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés Maduro/Habano Maduro
- Binder – Undisclosed
- Filler – Nicaraguan Estelí
The Big Tony is expressed in a single (6 x 50) toro vitola and comes packaged in 20-count boxes. MSRP has been set at $11.50/cigar.
For this review I sampled three Stogie Road Big Tony’s which were provided by the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The first thing you notice when setting your eyes on the Big Tony is the rustic look to the cigar and the toothy feel of its twin wrapper. Both leaves are dark brown in color with just a slight contrast between the two, but enough to notice the barber pole look. There some noticeable veins running through the leaves. The packing is tight and the cigar feels solid in the hand. A simple cap finishes the construction.
A large band adorns the cigar that uses a gold and brown motif and proudly displays the company’s logo which is a compass face and a star burst with the letter “SRC” and “Stogie Road Cigars” printed in the center. The logo is representative of Kerr’s travels in the cigar industry.
Running the Big Tony across the nose I picked up a musty note along the barrel and a light black licorice sensation off the foot. An interesting pre-light aroma indeed.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder of the cigar and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be properly restricted. The draw offered notes of pepper and earth.
Using my double flame torch lighter, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow, which took to the flame well and drew in the first peppery puffs to start the journey. Follow along as I burn the the Stogie Road Cigars Big Tony to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Medium pepper notes start the journey through a medium to full volume of smoke
- A flaky white ash forms on top of a thin char line
- Rich cafè mocha notes start the journey
- A sweet caramel nuance adds to the pleasure (Starbucks has nothing on this)
- Mild wave shows in the burn
- Ash fell in a nice chunk revealing a well formed burn cone
- Caramel notes increase a tad as cedar notes add to the mix
- Cashew notes grace the palate getting into the second third
- Toasted cracker and fruity jam notes begin to intrigue the palate
- Chocolate aroma appears midway
- An off burn develops that required a touch up
- Spice add to the fruit notes
- Sweet chocolate aroma continues
- Mild black licorice notes enter as it slides into the final third
- Medium Plus in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 Minutes
Final Analysis
If you are looking for a delicious and aromatic flavor bomb of a cigar then pick up a Stogie Road Cigars Big Tony. This is one of those cigars that offered a cornucopia of flavors and aromas from foot to nub. Starting with a medium pepper burst the Big Tony shifts and transitions throughout the 1 hour and 40 minute journey. Some of my favorite notes of licorice, fruity jam, cafè mocha, and sweet caramel kept my interested puff after puff. Add in some spice, toasted cracker, chocolate, and cedar and you just don’t want to put this one down. The sweet chocolate nuanced aromas kept the air around me pleasant. The burn was a tad wavy and it did develop an off burn that required a touch up but otherwise this is one I say is box worthy and think would age well. It may look a bit rustic, but it hit the mark. Great job Kerr and Chris. I rate this a 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Flaky Ash; (-1) Wavy Burn; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Touchup Required
Bonus Points: (+1) Box Worthy; (+1) Extremely Complex in Flavor and Aroma; (+1) Consistent Pleasure Across Multiple Samples
