Getting back into the cigar review world meant having to decide whether to accept cigars for review from manufacturers or marketing companies…it was a pretty easy decision: I will take your cigars and I will give an honest opinion on them. I do wish I was quicker to get to them, though. Creativas Group Public Relations sent me samples of the Outcast by Miami Cigar & Company back in the summer and it took a while to get through a backlog of other reviews, vacation, illness, and just “life”…and for that I apologize. I have cigars from a couple other sources that are waiting on reviews, too, and I pledge to try to get to supplied cigars faster from now on.
Getting into the Outcast, the website for the brand says it uses Dominican fillers, an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and a Brazilian Cubra wrapper. What isn’t mentioned is what I’ve read from other sources…one said it was “infused”…and halfwheel makes mention of a conversation with Jason Wood who told their reviewer that the cigar does have a sweetened cap, and it does use some Black Cavendish pipe tobacco in the filler. That explains what I experienced in the first sample I smoked…it frankly confused me at the time.
The wrapper was a very nice dark chocolate color with a bit of oiliness to it. Giving it a sniff, I immediately picked up on the Black Cavendish pipe tobacco…it’s not the wrapper leaf itself, but putting a sweetened tobacco like that in a cigar then putting that cigar in cellophane for months ensures that the aroma is prevalent no matter what part you smell. It’s a rich chocolatey, mocha note that I associate with Drew Estate’s old Natural line…specifically the Dirt size that always had this kind of aroma.
Speaking of Drew Estate, they could learn a thing or two about not overdoing the sweetened cap…the Outcast gets it right…it’s definitely sweetened, but it’s very subtle and pleasing, not gag-inducing. Once the cigar gets going, the sweetness of the cap, the mocha of the Black Cavendish, and the richness of the Cubra wrapper all blend seamlessly together to produce a moderately sweet, flavorful, earthy, and spicy cigar…it really is much better than you might expect it to be based on the tobaccos used and the somewhat silly branding. They will have an uphill battled convincing “medium to full bodied” cigar smokers to try this…but if they do try it, I think Miami Cigar will ultimately succeed in their efforts to give them a pleasant surprise.
