Short Robusto, 4.5” x 50 ring gauge / MSRP $7.50
When founding his new tobacco company, Christian Eiroa went to some lengths to partner with other people to make and distribute their cigars as well. One of those people was Robert Caldwell, who founded the Wynwood brand named after Miami’s art district that shares the same name. The first cigar is the Wynwood Honduras, appropriately named because it is made in Honduras and features Honduran filler and binder along with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. As with the related products (CLE and Asylum), I got this single sample during the Chattanooga Tweet-Up.
Looking at the Wynwood Honduras, I could see the Connecticut Shade wrapper is a beautiful one. It had small veins and no flaws. It was a little stretched and puckered in some places from the rolling process, but nothing excessive. When I picked it up I noticed just how oily this wrapper was. This was surprising, really, because Connecticut Shade wrappers really aren’t known for their oiliness. The band is interesting and understated. Five bands of color with the name in white against them. It is somewhat minimalist, giving off some class and artistry, but in a modern way. The wrapper had a ripe barnyardy aroma to it with a little grass and wet earth underneath; it seemed much more pungent than your average Shade wrapper. The foot was even more pungent and aromatic, with a strong manure component along with cedar. The cold draw had flavors of hay, citrus, earth and cedar.
While lighting, I noticed a dry, graham cracker sweetness, which was quickly joined by grassiness, cedar and a touch of citrus on the palate. The retrohale was slightly spicy, but featured more cedar and hay again. The Wynwood Honduras started off solidly mild-bodied, and the flavor notes I’ve stated mostly sound like ordinary mild, shade-wrapper fare, but the minor notes of citrus and spice really hit as accents. I got a straight, refined natural tobacco note, too, that was just very pleasant. So far, there was nothing in this that would shock a newer smoker or fan of mild cigars as far as body or strength, but I was a little surprised by just how nice it tasted when considering the country-of-origin makeup and price point.
During the second third, I noticed a little more earthiness and wood flavors, but the hay and citrus notes still led the way. When the ash got to over an inch long, I had to forcibly knock it off the cigar as I didn’t want to risk dropping it on my iPad, but it felt like it could have stayed on much longer. The burn line stayed very even with no help and the draw was excellent.
In the last third the Wynwood Honduras picked up a little body, edging up into the mild to medium range, but there still was not enough nicotine strength to cause any problem for new smokers. The flavor grew a little more earthy, but still maintained enough of the graham sweetness from the beginning to balance out the more bitter notes, such as the creamy coffee that started to show up near the end. I enjoyed this cigar and would definitely consider buying more. It was a nice milder smoker that would go great in the early morning. I would also recommend it to newer smokers as they will get a very flavorful expression of the Connecticut Shade wrapper and something different from what you might normally get in a mild smoke. The price point is reasonable, too.
Body: 3/5
Strength: 4/5
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
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