The Krisoff Nicaragua was introduced back in 2023 at the Premium Cigar Association trade show.
Available in two sizes; Robusto (5 x 50) & Toro (6 1/4 x 54) this Nicaraguan puro emphasizes the three largest growing regions: Jalapa, Esteli, and Condega.
Cigar Review: Kristoff Nicaragua
Size: 6.25 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Nicaragua Corojo
Fillers: Nicaragua (Condega, Esteli & Jalapa)
Factory: Tabacalera von Eicken S.R.L
Country: Dominican Republic
Release Date: September 2023
Release Type: Regular Production
Box Count: 20
The Cigar: An exceptionally veiny Habano wrapper adorns the Kristoff Nicaragua. The band of plum, gold and white doesn’t do enough to pop against cigar which is poorly rolled. In the hand the cigar is exceptionally light with some voids of tobacco along its length.
The Taste: The cold draw is a bit uneventful outside of wine like tannins while the aroma from the foot is tobacco and a touch of cedar. Once the cigar is toasted and lit the airy draw continued to serve up wine like notes of tannins and grapes.
Smoking our way into the first third of the Kristoff Nicaragua the cigar is extremely mellow coming off as mild-medium at best. There are tannins, grapes, and a very subtle leather. It’s reminiscent of a cheap supermarket wine with a screw top cap. The retrohale ads some summer fruits to the mix and virtually no spice.
The second third sees things change up considerably as the wine like notes begin to disappear and the cigar has some hay, cedar and earthy notes. I would never guess this cigar to be a Nicaragua puro and would probably guess a Dominican puro. As we smoke past the halfway point some spice begins to develop with bread notes.
The final third sees the return of some wine like tannins, nuttiness and an abundance of hay and earth. The notes of the cigar are never extremely forthcoming and as a result the cigar lacks the body I want in a smoke. The retrohale has leather, cedar and a cracked black pepper.
Conclusion: I don’t understand why some cigar companies turn to the Dominican Republic for a Nicaraguan Puro. It’s like wanting Italian Pasta but ordering Lo Mein from a Chinese Restaurant. No matter how hard Dominican companies try to make a Nicaraguan cigar it just doesn’t happen. The biggest issue is the fermentation process and how cigar manufacturers do it. In short, Nicaraguan tobacco spends less time in fermentation than Dominican tobacco. So when a Dominican factory gets Nicaraguan tobacco they simply overcook it. There is a lot more to it, but that is the simplest way to explain it.
Thus is the case with the Kristoff Nicaragua which struggles to take Nicaraguan tobacco to what I hoped for and makes it smoke like a Dominican cigar. Dominican tobacco isn’t bad, but a person expects a Nicaragua puro to have a certain taste, strength and body. The Kristoff Nicaragua is a failure plain and simple. It does not taste Nicaraguan, just like Lo Mein does not taste like Spaghetti.
Score: 80
Price: $11.00
Available via site sponsor Small Batch Cigar.
