Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54 Toro Box Pressed
Strength: Medium/Full
From Halfwheel.com (1-4-2022):
“Celebrity chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri is getting into the cigar business, and he’s doing so by teaming up with Espinosa Premium Cigars to create Knuckle Sandwich Cigars. There will indeed be two lines, the Knuckle Sandwich Habano and Knuckle Sandwich Maduro. The former uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper and wears a black foot ribbon, while the latter uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and has a red foot ribbon. Both cigars use Nicaraguan tobacco for the binder and filler and are being produced at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Ocatal, Nicaragua. They will be offered in the same three sizes and packing formats, though with slight price differences, and the Habano coming in red boxes while the Maduro is presented in black boxes”
Review:
This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the SOBE Food & Wine Festival After Party By Cigar Afficionado with special guest / host: Guy Fieri. Many retailers attended the event including Drew Estate, Crowned Heads, Montecristo, Sacrificio Cigars, Plasencia Cigars, C.L.E. Cigars, Oliva, My Father Cigars and Espinosa Cigars. Never smoking the Knuckle Sandwich (a collaboration between Eric Espinosa & Guy Fieri made in the AJ Fernandez Cigars Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua) and all the hype around Guy Fieri being at the event i had to dedicate some time to giving this flavor bomb a try.
This box-pressed robusto had a nice looking oily wrapper and gave off a great smell right out of the cellophane. The foot had notes of dark chocolate and pepper that stings the nose. The cold draw indicated me that i was in for a ride, expecting it to have a great pull all the way to the end. It did not disappoint from the first third of the cigar to the last, a great draw of medium to full bodied smoke filled my palate.
The first third started off as expected bold earthy flavors that strike the palate and the roof of the mouth. The notes of black pepper, strong espresso, and dark cacao make the smoke full of flavor which allows the nicotine strength of the cigar to be highly enjoyable and not repugnant at all. My favorite part was the second third where the flavors just seemed to mix to get together great and was highly enjoyable. I’m not one that says that cigars give off flavors of so many different things. Because everyone’s experience can be different ,and at the end of the day we are smoking aged tobacco leaves which allows us to compare the flavors it gives off with other things. This is a great smoke for a medium to full bodied cigar fan like myself that enjoys notes of dark cacao and black pepper with a lot of strength that just makes you want to sit back and relax. I would definitely add this to the rotation of Espinosa cigars that i like to smoke. The Murcielago has been my favorite from their portfolio for a long time, now smoking the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro it is now neck and neck.
RATING: 90
