Today I offer a review of the second blend in the Tabac Trading Co. Milk and Honey line. It is called the Matcha, which is a special type of Asian green tea that is popular in both China and Japan. Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. The green tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for three to four weeks before harvest; the stems and veins are removed during processing.
Patrick Potter, the owner of Tabac Trading Co. used the name matcha due to the green candela wrapper that is used in the production of the cigar and as you will read, the herbal and cream notes that show up in the profile. In fact, he recommends pairing this particular cigar with a cup of matcha, especially the one that Starbucks sells. I have yet to do that, but I did smoke one while drinking some fine Japanese green tea.
Released in 2021 and showcased at this years Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE), the Tabac Trading Co. Matcha Milk & Honey is expressed in a single (5 1/8 x 55) robusto gordo vitola. Like all Milk and Honey cigars, the Matcha comes packaged in 30-count boxes and carries a MSRP of $10.00/cigar.
The Matcha Milk and Honey blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Double Claro (Candella)
- Binder – Undisclosed
- Filler: Nicaraguan Habano, Corojo, and Criollo
Patrick notes that the original Milk and Honey filler was tweaked a little bit for the Matcha ‘with just a stinth more ligero‘.
For this review I officially sampled two Matcha Milk & Honey cigars, but have smoked a total of 5 and found them all consistent.
Pre-Light Examination
The first thing that you will note about the Matcha Milk & Honey, is the smooth and even, green shade, candela wrapper There are just a few minor veins running through the wrapper. The cigar is solidly packed from head to foot with a decent weight in the hand. A well applied triple cap finishes the presentation.
A single die cut band adorns the cigar that is the same as all Milk & Honey cigar blends from the company. It uses a gold, black, and white motif. The design tells the story of the cigar in that there are two honey bees, one on each side, representing the honey and a milk cow on the bottom representing the milk. The name “Milk & Honey” is printed in the center with the company name “Tabac Trading Co.” just below.
Running the cigar along the nose, I noted there was not much aroma along the barrel, but the foot exuded a bright cocoa note that I found to be quite inviting.
Once I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder, I proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that were just fine and offered notes of nut and cocoa along with a nuance of peppery fruit. Having enjoyed the original Milk & Honey, the Matcha had my attention right from the get-go.
I used a lit cedar spill to warm the foot, so as not to scorch the delicate wrapper, and drew in the first peppery shots of smoke. OK. follow along as I burn the Matcha Milk & Honey to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Pepper shot to start the journey
- Touch of honey sooths the pepper
- White ash forms on a thin char line
- Herbal aroma wafts off the foot
- Wavy burn
- Ash fell in a nice chunk, revealing a flat but centered burn cone
- Herbal notes are joined with a slight cream note
- Smoke volume has been full since the first puff and the smooth draw was spot on
- Lingering spicy nut rests on the palate
- Spice increases with a mild honey background midway
- Strength ratchets up moving into final third
- Medium – plus in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
The Matcha Milk & Honey from Tabac Trading Co. starts you up with peppery bursts of smoke before soothing your palate with a dose of toasted honey. Although not overly complex, it did provide for a relaxing error free smoke from foot to nub. The real surprise was the strength. Early in the burn it was mild to medium, but once it got past the midway point, the strength ratchets up and finishes at medium -full. I guess that is where the stinth more ligero is. I also enjoyed the mix of herbal and cream before the midway point and the lingering spicy nut. If you are a candela fan buy a box of these, even you are not and want to experience the green side of life, buy a fiver. I rate this a 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn; (-1) Flat Burn Cone
Bonus Points: (+1) Box Worthy; (+1) Consistent and Pleasurable across Multiple Samples
