Cigar Review: Table 36

Robusto, 5” x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $7 - 8.50, depending on size
Another of the “new guys” at this year’s Chattanooga Tweet-Up, Table 36 did just release their first line of cigars, called “Fellowship.” They said this: “No value better reflects who we are as the members of Table 36. This inaugural cigar line reflects the feeling of camaraderie that smoking cigars creates among people be they friends, family, or the newest additions to the local cigar lounge.” They worked with Alec Bradley to create the blend for this cigar and spent over a year refining the blend to get something they felt a novice could smoke, but a seasoned smoker would still get excited about. It uses fillers from Trojes, Honduras and Jalapa valley, Nicaragua; a Honduran Criollo 98 binder; and a Honduran Habano “Colorado Subido” wrapper. This initial offering from Table 36 is available “across Missouri” to begin with. This review is based on the second one I’ve smoked and both were obtained through the Tweet-Up.

The Fellowship is a cigar you’ll know by site only if you know who made it and recognize their logo. The band has a photographic texture along with some metallic gold ink and embossing for the logo, but the only thing readable on the band is that logo: “36.” Not “Table 36”...just “36.” Fellowship is not noted anywhere, either. So a minimalist statement with an interesting look, especially the ragged edges of the band...it may not have been the design path I would have gone down...but I like it! The wrapper was the color of slightly overcooking caramel and had a bit of oiliness to it. Held to the nose, I got a hay aroma up front, then some oak and finally a barnyard earthiness following at the end. The foot had more of a manure earthiness mixed with natural tobacco. The cold draw gave just the right amount of resistance and had a pronounced sweet fruit flavor to it...berry or cherry, something like that...under a layer of natural tobacco and earth notes.

After setting the Fellowship alight, I got heavier earthy flavors, along with some oak and mildly sweet cherry notes; on the retrohale, I got a medium-sized pepper blast...enough to wake you up, but not enough to wake you from a coma. At the outset, the body seemed right in the medium-range. The flavor turned into a mix of sour and sweet flavors throughout the rest of the first third: citrus notes, some cedar, a little spice, and that underlying fruit note.

As I burned into the second third, the construction was proving to be very good. I had a perfect draw, very even burn line for the most part (one minor touch up), and a fairly strong ash that had not flaked but had tapped off easily twice already at just over half an inch. The flavor continued the sweet and sour balance.

And that flavor balance did not vary much in the final third of the Fellowship, either...more citrus, more black cherry, a little spice and a little oak. I found it to be a very good Honduran-heavy smoke...but I’m not crazy about Honduran-heavy smokes, so I can’t say it was something I would repeat on a frequent basis. If you like the typical output of Alec Bradley, though, this is probably something that would appeal to you. The body was just slightly over medium and the nicotine strength never got very high. If you can find these, then you should give them a try.

Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10