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Southern Draw – Firethorn Augusta

Tony Casas — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:30:00 +0000

Yet another un-seasonably warm afternoon means more backyard time! This week my company includes a Southern Draw Firethorn Augustapaired with a bottle of The Bruery’s Elvish Mash Barleywine beer.

The Good Stuff:

Southern Draw has partnered up with Cigars International to bring us yet another great addition the exclusive brands the duo has produced together. From the Cigars International website:

On this Veterans Day, we wanted to show support for some veterans that currently operate in the world of cigars. Southern Draw is a small boutique company out of Texas that’s owned and operated by a family of veterans. Headed by two US Military vets, Robert and Sharon Holt, this company is committed to being socially responsible and charitable to those in need. So it’s only fitting that we show them some support today and everyday.

Not just good people, Southern Draw makes some damn fine cigars that have been growing in popularity rapidly the past few years. And today, I’m pleased to announce their newest release that can only be found right here at Cigars International. Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta comes crafted in a lovely 5.5”x54 box-pressed belicoso shape with only 1,000 mazos made available. The name of the cigar and artwork on the packaging pays homage to Holt’s time at Ft. Gordon in Augusta, GA.

As for the cigar itself? Crafted at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Factory in Nicaragua, you know you’re in for a flavorful treat. A double fermented Ecuador Habano wrapper greets the eye with Mexican and Nicaraguan Tobaccos underneath. The Habano wrapper leaf, paired with dark tobaccos underneath provides a sweet and spicy, medium-bodied experience with notes of roasted nuts, cocoa, and caramel. These cigars were rolled way back in May 2014, giving them a healthy 5 years of age, and now it’s their time to shine.

Size: 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.99
Pairing: The Bruery Elvis Mash (Barleywine 10.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta starts out with a gorgeously consistent, milky-brown wrapper. I’m hard-pressed to find any color inconsistency in this. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy with a whole mess of oils coating it. The wrapper itself feels very thick and dense as the cigar as a whole it very heavy, then a little soft to the touch. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading form the cigar’s foot up to it’s tapered torpedo cap. The soft-box-pressed format makes the cigar incredibly comfortable to hold both in hand, and in mouth. The cigar is polished off with a Maroon version of the Souther Draw band we’ve come to expect from the brand with the addition of a secondary band sporting the “Augusta” crest embossed in gold.

The wrapper on the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusts gives off good amount of floral and earthy notes while the foot of the cigar is much more moss/dirt based with notes of soft spice. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of pecan notes over a good amount of earthiness.

First Third:

The Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta starts out with a nice little black pepper greeting which faded from the experience after the first few puffs, but not before leaving my lips tingling a bit. Once the pepper faded the cigar began to release a ton of the pecan flavor I picked up during the cold draw over caramel, bold earthiness and some slight floral flavors with a dash of.. what I can only describe as banana. That’s a reach for sure, but I swear there is this subtle sweetness on the finish that reminds me of banana bread. Anyways, the draw is flawless as every little puff whips out a ton of thick smoke that doesn’t hang around for very long before dissipating while the cigar releases a decent amount of stationary smoke as it it rests in my ashtray. The burnline started with a pretty wide wave but has quickly started to fix itself as it leaves behind a trail of compacted dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling in my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta and everything is still going great. The Pecan, caramel and earthiness still lead the chard with lighter notes of floral, banana bread, and now some slight cocoa. The retrohale really brings out the spice and a bit of the pepper I picked up at the start of the experience. The cigar is still burning great and close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta and not a whole lot has changed since the second third, and I am all for that. Pecan and Caramel are the dominant flavors over earthiness floral, and yes, banana bread which surprisingly has stuck around for the long haul. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. One note, in a few of the cigars I smoked prior to this one I experienced a good amount of sap build up, as the cigar may still be very young. I really took my time smoking this one and experienced none of the sap so it’s likely I was smoking too quickly before.

Overview:

Forgive the lack of ash in my ashtray, it was breezy out so the wind too care of that. Southern Draw has been sneakily creating some world-class blends over the past few years and the Firethorn Augusta is no exception to that. The complex, and extremely pleasant flavor profile showcases just what this cigar brings to the table. The burn was flawless and the price point is very affordable considering the experience this cigar offered. You can’t really ask for more. This is something I will grab more of and add to my everyday rotation while they are still available.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s Elvis Mash is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine brewed with bananas, peanuts and salt. Coming in at 10.9% ABV this barelywine leads with loads of sweet brown sugar and strong natural banana flavors, which is a very hard flavor to achieve in such a big, barrel aged beer. Under the banana and sweetness are great notes of peanuts, malt, and caramel with a very heavy, sticky mouthfeel before finishing with even more brown sugar and banana over lighter notes of vanilla and malt. I have a thing for banana in beer and this beer had loads of it. The only thing really missing here is the barleywine, I was expecting more bitterness and hop instead of all the sweetness, but once I got through that shock I couldn’t get enough of it. As soon as I lit up the Souther Draw Firethorn Augusta for the first time I knew exactly what beer I wanted to pair it with. The toffee and banana notes blended in perfectly with the beer while adding a bit more complexity to the beer with the earthy overtones.

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Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue

Tony Casas — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:30:24 +0000

I know I talk a lot about the weather here, but when its like 700 degrees half of the year you get a big excited when fall hits, and our fall is awesome. I took some time to appreciate this weather out back with a Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue and a bottle of Goose Isalnd’s Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout.

The Good Stuff:

Southern Draw has quietly snuck into the humidors (and hearts) of cigar enthusiasts across the nation the past few years making their blends some of the more sought after boutique brands as of late. In the past, they have done quite a few exclusive blends and sizes for many of the larger retailers. This round, they created an all new blend exclusively for Cigars International, enter the Fraternal Order Blue. The cigar is offered in a single 6 x 54 toro format blended using a Corona 99 wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue comes packaged in boxes of 10 and will run $8 per stick. I do not believe this cigar is released yet, but should be hitting the store in the very near future.

Size: 6 x 54
Wrapper: Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8
Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout 2018 (Imperial Stout 14.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue starts out with a very consistent milk-chocolate brown wrapper. There are a few lighter areas scattered throughout. The wrapper itself is very thick and very dense while the cigar as a whole is very hard and tightly compacted. The wrapper’s texture carries some very light tooth and a good amount of oils as it showcases only a few minor veins and natural tobacco webbing scattered throughout the cigar’s long, thick body leading up to it’s double wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a new blue band featuring the Southern Draw crest embossed on the front in gold ink with the words Soli De Gloria Exclusive” on the front along with a secondary band featuring the blend “Fraternal Order Blue” embossed in white.

The wrapper on the Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue gives off strong toffee and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice, earthy, and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces really bold honey, floral, and earthy flavors.

First Third:

The Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue starts out with a strong cayenne pepper punch which left my tongue and lips tingling for a bit. After about a quarter inch the pepper began to fade and I was left with some great caramel, vanilla, toffee and musk flavors over light spice and earthy undertones. Being as tightly packed as this cigar is I was a bit worried about the draw but each and every tiny little puff kicked out massive clouds of thick, white smoke while the cigar itself released a good amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is so razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of brilliant white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue a really bold creamed coffee flavor rocketed into the mixed backed by bold toffee and musk, light vanilla and caramel over a lot of soft earthiness. The retrohale really brings back a lot of the pepper from the start of the experience so I don’t find myself doing that too often. The burnline is still rocking even and the cigar has required no additional attention from my torch. I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue and not a whole lot has changed, and that’s a good thing. The creamed coffee, toffee and musk still lead the charge backed by vanilla and caramel over some great earthiness and dirt. This cigar took me an hour and forty five minutes to smoke down to the nub and I experience no harshness nor extended heat. I never once had to touchup or relight the cigar and I close out the experience with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

This is a classic example of a great, old-school cuban style blend. The Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue was complex enough to keep me entertained, but not over the top making me have to sort through the palate to decipher what was really going on in there. The body was medium/full from start to finish while the cigar hovered in the medium-strength arena pretty much the whole time through. This is a solid offering and for the price, something I’d definitely keep on hand for my regular rotation.

Pairing:

It’s pretty easy to see why I chose Goose Islands’ Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout for this pairing. The 14.9% ABV imperial stout starts out with loads of sweet vanilla, milk chocolate, malt, caramel, and brown sugar with an extremely heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with more vanilla and malt with a nice bourbon barrel bite on the finish. The vanilla, malt, and caramel married up beautifully with the existing flavors in the Southern Draw Fraternal Order Blue while the sweetness added an extra layer of complexity to the overall paring experience.

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Souther Draw Cigars – Quickdraw Habano

Jeremy Hensley — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 13:30:25 +0000

The seasons are certainly changing here in Michigan. The mornings are brisk and the leaves are changing color. The cooler evenings are perfect to sit around a fire with the family, savor a cigar and remember the simpler things of life. The cooler days are also the time when I start searching for smaller cigars to burn. And the most recent one I have lined up to try is the Quickdraw Habano.

Southern Draw’s Quickdraw line is produced in Esteli, Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez. The cigars come wrapped in either Pennslyvania Broadleaf, Ecuadorian Connecticut, or an Ecuadorian Dark Habano leaf and filled with tobaccos from Nicaragua. Available sizes include Petite Corona (4 ½ by 44), Short Panatela (5 ½ by 40) and Corona Gorda (5 by 46). You can find our Southern Draw Cigars reviews below:

You can purchase the Southern Draw Quickdraw Habano from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.31
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Size: 5 by 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Dark Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 5 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Quickdraw Habano is dressed in a medium-dark brown Ecuadorian Dark Habano wrapper that is consistent in color. There are small veins webbing down the oily leaf and scattered bumps. Lightly pressing my fingers down the cigar, I encounter a void in the filler tobaccos between the band and the head of the cigar. The rest of the cigar feels firm to the touch.

The wrapper aroma is of dark red fruit, manure, and cedar. Being a closed foot, I don’t pick up much more other than a touch of chocolate from the foot. With the small pig-tailed cap cut off, the cold draw is firm as expected with the covered foot. I am met with sweet cinnamon and cedar on the cold draw and a mild spice can be felt on the lips.

FIRST THIRD

The Quickdraw Habano lights with ease but takes a few seconds to get the smoke production going on the draw. The opening profile is on the low side of medium with flavors of Pepper, yeast, and a sour edge. As the cigar warms, the pepper sharpens and a bit of saltiness and pencil shavings join into the line-up of flavors. The cigar is burning along well with a decent ash forming considering the small ring gauge..

MIDDLE THIRD

An earthier profile presents itself in the second third of the Quickdraw Habano by Southern Draw Cigars. The pepper is still holding strong, but the sour edge has dropped out as I make it near the halfway point of the cigar. This Corona Gorda is producing a mouth-full of smoke with each small draw.

FINAL THIRD

Since the second third, the Quickdraw Habano has been growing in richness and savoriness. A pepper and salt combination is at the forefront of the profile with the earthier notes trailing just a hair behind. The finish is made up of charred wood and coffee, while the retro-hale highlights the pepper but doesn’t bring out too much more spice.

WRAP-UP

Just like all the other Southern Draw cigars I have smoked, the Quickdraw Habano hit the spot for me. The Corona Gorda (5 by 46) format is one of my favorite sizes and, when you pack it full of rich and spicy Nicaraguan tobaccos underneath an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, it makes for one heck of cigar. The performance was great between the even burn and awesome smoke production. I would reach for the Quickdraw Pennslyvania over the Habano version, but that’s just because I am a sucker for Broadleaf. But either way you go, you are in for a treat.

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Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder

Jeremy Hensley — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 15:01:03 +0000

2017 turned out to be a spotlight year for Southern Draw Cigar Co. with the release of Rose of Sharron and Jacobs Ladder lines. Both cigars received high praises and landed on many top cigars of 2017 lists. Rose of Sharron and Jacobs ladder hit the shelves of select retailers in August 2016 to beat the FDA deadlines, but it wasn’t until 2017 IPCPR Trade Show that the lines were showcased and made widely available.

The Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder features a three-country blend and is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua. Available vitolas include Robusto (5 1/2 by 54), Toro (6 by 52), and Gordo (6 by 60). The cigars range in price from $9.50 to $10.99.

You can purchase the Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $9.50
Vitola: Robusto
Size:5 1/2 by 54
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuadorian Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Jacobs Ladder by Southern Draw wears a nearly black Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper. Sugar-like crystals glisten all over the leaf that has only minor bumps and small veins for the most part. It is a very nice looking cigar.

The wrapper aroma is very pungent with vinegar, barnyard, and dirt. I am picking up the same aromas on the closed foot with the addition of chocolate. A quick cut opens up an easy draw allowing notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and rich cedar to pass through. A spice is felt on the lips and in the mouth.

FIRST THIRD

Full-flavored smoke pours of Southern Draw’s Jacobs ladder immediately after lighting. There are flavors of dark red fruit, earth, cocoa, rich cedar and a pepper spice. The pepper is medium/full in the mouth and right at the full mark as I expel the smoke through my nose. The pepper is accompanied by a yeast on the retro-hale. The burn-line is thick and even as a solid grayish black ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

The first third flavors continue to hold strong and are very enjoyable as I burn into the second third of the Jacobs Ladder Robusto. There is no harshness and the flavors are well balanced. As I reach the middle of the cigar, earth sits heavy on the finish and a sweetness is appearing every few puffs. The rich cedar has evolved to more of pencil shavings and a salty quality has joined in. The burn-line has a minor wave going on, but I don’t see a touch-up being required anytime soon.

FINAL THIRD

With the last leg of the journey underway, the earlier sweetness is more distinguishable and seems to be tied to the yeast flavor that now plays a more dominant role in the profile. The ever-evolving wood flavor is now charred wood. Overall, the flavors have lost much of their intensity and the smoke production is lacking. The burn is back in-line and just about perfect as I close out the cigar.

WRAP-UP

Between Southern Draw landing the #4 spot with their QuickDraw Pennsylvania on my top cigars of 2017 list and the number accolades Jacobs Ladder received last year, I had high expectations going into this cigar. And the cigar did not disappoint. From the start, Jacobs Ladder showed off dark, spicy and rich flavors with noticeable changes in each third. The strength paired with the full flavors but never got out of control. Even though the cigar seemed to die out a bit in the last third, the overall experience was very good and I look forward to burning through many more of these cigars this year.

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Top 7 Cigars of 2017 – Jeremy Hensley Edition

Jeremy Hensley — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 14:29:57 +0000

Top cigars list are flying out all over the place and I would be amiss not to share my favorite cigars of the year with our awesome readers. As Tony already mention on his list, we don’t follow any hard rules in the creation of our lists other than we enjoyed the heck out of the cigars and we think you would to. Being an accountant by trade, I follow way too many rules day in and day out. So when it comes to writing about cigars and creating a top 10 (or 7) list, I ain’t doing that. Cheers!

# 7 – Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro

I never thought I would see the day when a Rocky Patel cigar would make my “Top X List”, but the day has arrived with the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro. A few words from the review:

The flavors of the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro were unexpected, but they were not disappointing. The earth flavor was central to the profile and there was an evolving fruit flavor that begun as a dark red fruit, but ended more like a grape jelly. The sweetness provided a nice contrast to the dark earth flavor and some noticeable changes in the sweetness were noted throughout the cigar. But it was really the richness in the final two thirds that won me over.