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Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Hammer & Sickle Tradicion Serie Churchill
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Gary (headfirst)

74
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique generously sponsored by our member klamm143 (Kevin).  This was done as a blind review so there were no pre-concieved notions about what anyone was smoking.  The cigar provided for this round is the http://www.cigargeeks.com/cigardb/default.asp?action=showcig&cigar_id=28767">Hammer & Sickle Tradicion Serie Churchill.

This was a Cigar Aficionado Top 25 pick in 2015 (coming in at No. 11). As the brand name indicates, Hammer + Sickle has opted for tradition over trend with its TradiciĆ³n Serie Churchill. It isn't a scaled up, modern interpretation of a Churchill, as others have created, but stays within traditional parameters. Eric Hanson, who released his first Hammer + Sickle brand in 2010, has adopted the symbol of Russia as the cigar's logo. He points out that the hammer and sickle does not represent the Soviet Union (which incorporated a star), but symbolizes Russia's industrial north and agrarian south. For him, it's a heritage symbol and not political.




Hammer & Sickle Tradicion Serie Churchill

Brand:
Hammer & Sickle
Name:
Tradicion Serie Churchill
Length:
7
Ring Gauge:
48
Country of Origin:
Dominican Republic
Filler:
Dominican Republic
Binder:
Dominican Republic
Wrapper:
Connecticut Shade
Color:
Colorado Claro
Strength:
Medium
Shape:
Churchill
Average Member Rating:
4.5 star rating based on 1 Review(s) (1 Review(s))
This cigar was enjoyed with Bulleit Bourbon

Pre-Light: 8 Points of 10 Possible

A pretty typical looking Connie stick with a real matte appearance/texture, no sign of oils.  A little veiny but not overly so and the color was uniform except at the head.  Appeared to have a double cap that performed beautifully through first a V cut, then a guillotine cut, and throughout the smoke.  The band is not an attention getter, fairly muted colors with a simple hammer and sickle logo.  The aroma was a nice honey and hay type of smell and the foot was similar in aroma but with a milk chocolate type of aroma added.

Lighting and Burn: 8 Points of 15 Possible

The lighting was ok but the burn was an issue throughout the smoke.  It took about 3/4 inch for the initial burn to even out and the ash resembled an exploding mushroom several times.  It needed a correction about 3 inches in and the cigar needed a complete relight at 4 inches in.  Smoke volume when I could get a good puff was medium.

Construction: 23 Points of 30 Possible

The cold draw was very tight upon an initial V cut so I went with a full cut and it didn't improve much.  The full cut revealed what looked like an overpacked head.  I used the perfect draw tool to try and bore it out and even 2 inches in didn't see much improvement.  Once lit the draw was just a little tight but not terrible.

The cap performed beautifully throughout the smoke as did the wrapper.

Flavor and Aroma: 35 Points of 45 Possible

The palate flavors were mainly cream to start with and as the cigar progressed it turned to a little more of an ash type of flavor.  Occasionally I'd catch a little butter in there which was nice, wish there was more of that.  The retrohale was pretty good, consisting of honey, hay, and cinnamon to start with and stayed fairly consistent with the honey fading a bit as the cigar progressed.

Summary

Thanks to Kevin for sponsoring and inviting me personally to review this one.  Unfortunately at the end of the day it smoked like a budget Connie and just didn't ring my bell.  I'm curious to see if the other reviewers had a different experience.


   
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