Steve J. Rotondi and Tom Grilli, owners of the Never Ash Cigar Company explain the roots of their company:
“It started with a catch phrase amongst family and friends enjoying cigars and good conversation. The proper etiquette of cigar smoking is to “Never Ash” and thus began the “NeverAsh” media sites. People showing off their ash from all over the globe. Telling the story of where they are, what they are feeling, who they are with, and sharing with fellow Stogians.“
The company started their line with “The Churchill”, “The Figurado” and “The Robusto”. and added “The Torpedo” which is the focus of today’s review.
The company describes the Torpedo blend as:
- Wrapper – San Andres (Grown in Mexico)
- Binder – Sumatra
- Filler – Dominican Republic
The Never Ash Torpedo is expressed in a single (6 x 52) Box Pressed Torpedo packaged in 20-count bundles or for a few dollars more – a custom box. They have an an MSRP of $230.00/bundle ($11.50/cigar).
Pre-Light Examination
The Never Ash Torpedo is a well constructed box pressed vitola with a medium tan and smooth wrapper, whish is not characteristic of the many San Andres wrapped cigars I have experienced. It has practically no veins and there is no tooth on the wrapper, in fact it is silky smooth and it does have a slight oily sheen. The cigar is fairly firm with just a slight give to the barrel.
A single band adorns the cigar using an orange, black, silver and white motif. The center proudly displays the company logo on an orange background. The sides declare that it is “Hand Made” in the “Dom. Rep.”
Running the cigar along the nose, I picked up a mild spice on the barrel along with pungent fermented leaf and fruit notes off the foot.
I sliced the cap at 45 degree angle and moved to give it a some cold draw puffs that I found to offer a fine draw that was nicely restricted and delivered notes of a mild tanginess with a hint of butter and touch of earth.
Using my double flame torch, I warmed the foot gently to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs that greeted the palate with a light spice and a blast of earth. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Slight spice notes with a blast of earth to start
- Butter notes join quickly to balance out the spice
- Light grey ash forming on a medium thick wavy char line
- Delectable cedar finish on each puff
- Decent volume of smoke
- Ash dropped early, revealing a slight off centered burn cone
- Tangy notes begin to enter along with a sweet buttery aroma
- Spice notes build a notch entering the second third
- Lingering bitter tang note off putting the palate
- Peppery retro hale
- Rich cedar with off putting earthy tar notes on the palate and aroma
- Maintains through second third
- Aroma shifts slightly to a mild syrupy note deep in the second third
- Burn straightened out well moving through second third
- Woody notes with bitter finish
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 minutes to the final third
Final Analysis
The Never Ash Torpedo was a good looking box pressed torpedo that had the right firmness through the barrel. It did have a much lighter hue than most San Andres leaf you may be familiar with and there was no toothiness to the wrapper. I enjoyed the first third of the cigar with its rich cedar notes and early burst of earth and spice. The second third continued to develop some more but then a bitter tangy note took over that lingered a bit too much on the palate. The main issue was the off-putting tarry notes that developed deep in the second third along with the every present bitter finish. On a positive note, the burn after some early waves in the first third, straightened out beautifully in the second third. I rate this an 86.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild early wave; (-1) Slight Off Centered Burn Cone; (-2) Lingering Bitter Tang; (-2) Excessive Tar Notes; (-2) Unbalanced through the last 2 thirds
