Dave Said:
Quick quiz: how many cigar companies do you know of that have their own manifesto? (Government-owned cigar companies who adopt their government's manifestoes don't count.) I am fairly confident that the answer is...one. Revolution Cigars is a recent entrant into the cigar business and just released the 262 Paradigm. Officially, this is only available online, but the manager of Burns in Chattanooga got a few boxes in because he liked them so much. You can visit the company's website to read the manifesto for yourself, but suffice to say it is a celebration of American freedoms and I wish our own government would adhere to this philosophy more. The name "262" is for the month (February) and year (1962) that the Cuban embargo was begun. These cigars are hand-crafted in Honduras, using Nicaraguan and Columbian filler, Honduran binder, and a Brazilian wrapper.
Despite the slick, hip-looking band, the look of the wrapper was fairly rustic with strange mottling and some stretched spots. It felt pretty solid from head to foot and was quite oily and a bit toothy. The body had faint aromas of barnyard and leather, while the foot had much stronger notes of chocolate along with some barnyard. The prelight draw was good and featured a rich, sweet, chocolaty flavor; it also left just a little spicy tingle on the lips.
Getting the 262 lit was an exercise in patience-I suggest a triple-flame torch if you have one. Initial puffs had some black coffee and cocoa powder notes, along with a nice amount of sweetness. The rest of the first third had an interesting mix of flavors from the chocolate and coffee to some earth and anise. There was not as much sweetness as I had expected based on prelight and initial puffs; there was just a tiny bit of pepper on the retrohale.
In the second third, the 262 took a turn toward a more sour and ammoniated flavor, usually a sign of tobacco that has not been properly aged. There was still earthiness and coffee underneath, but pretty much all sweetness and cocoa notes went out the window. On the plus side the construction was very good with an even burn line and ash that held on well even under windy conditions.
The flavor recovered a bit in the last third, losing most of the sourness which was replaced by cocoa powder and more coffee. Overall, the 262 is a very fine first effort with loads of potential; it was medium-bodied and well made, although I think this particular cigar needed a few more months of finishing time. That is sometimes a problem with new companies or new releases; I had a very similar experience with early editions of the Casa Magna-an ammoniated flavor that was not present in cigars I smoked months later. A company rep told me via Twitter that his favorite size is the Torpedo, so I will try to pick one of those up soon to give them another chance to "wow" me. He also mentioned that they have mild and full-bodied sticks in the works for release later this year, so big things are ahead for this new company.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 7.5/10
Keith Said:
In contrast to our first joint review my experience with the 262 pretty much mirrored Dave's experience with a couple differences.
First off the band was a pain to get off. There was way too much glue on it. I ripped the band and had to try and get it off without ripping the wrapper.
The flavors throughout the smoke were in-line with what Dave experienced except I didn't get as much bitterness. The slight bitterness I did get was actually enjoyable.
The flavors didn't change a whole lot, but built in strength through the stick.
The draw was pretty much perfect and the burn stayed pretty much even and the ash held on very well.
I think that they have got something pretty good here if they can get enough distribution. I know when you are starting out your costs are higher, and I think that the price is just a bit high and it would be hard for me to spend this much on a short robusto. As Dave mentioned the rep said their favorite size was the torpedo and I would definitely give it a shot. I too am looking forward to trying the new sticks in the works from this company.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8/10
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