Hopz Cigar from Ted's Cigars

Disclaimer: This cigar review features a cigar that was provided at no charge to the reviewer by Ted's Cigars (http://www.tedscigars.com/), makers of the Maker's Mark cigar. However, this in no way has affected the review of this cigar.

Every once in awhile, someone comes out with something intriguing. The Hopz cigar is one of those "intriguing things." A couple months ago, I came across a thread on Puff.com about a cigar that was "seasoned" with hops. So, after a quick Google search, I came across Ted's Cigars and the Hopz cigar, which is, according to the Web site, seasoned with Centennial hops.

Those who know me know that I'm a beer lover and that I'm a huge fan of IPA's. So, when a cigar comes along that has one of my favorite beer ingredients in it, I get a bit excited.

I contacted the customer service people at Ted's and asked if it would be possible to get one of the Hopz cigars for review. They were kind enough to send two and a wicked cool bottle opener. So, plus one for customer service guys, that's a great way to start a review off!

The cigars that Ted's sent were two in tubos, and are hermetically sealed, so they require no humidification. I threw them in my coolidoor, anyway because it was convenient and let them sit for a month or so. So, let's get on with this review and find out whether or not the Hopz cigar is the new black in the cigar world.

Cigar Facts:
Hopz Cigar from Ted's Cigars
Vitola - Petit Corona
Size - 5 x 38
Wrapper - Cameroon
Binder - U.S. Connecticut
Filler - Dominican Republic

Price: Unknown

Appearance and Construction

The Hopz cigar is shipped in a hermetically sealed tubo. When you open it up, you can smell the Centennial hops right out of the gate. It's a great smell for us hop heads and I was excited to get hit by it right away. Underlying the hops, you can also smell the wonderful smell of tobacco. One small issue for me is that the band is "upside down" compared to how other cigar bands are placed on a cigar. I understand that this is a marketing thing so that the band's position matches the position of the band on the outside of the tubos.

The cap is relatively small and barely covers the shoulders. When I saw this, I was concerned that after I cut, it would unravel. This fear, however, was unfounded as the cigar held together quite nicely.

The cigar is fairly veiny with evident seams. As I roll this stick between my fingers, it feels fairly soft. My guess is that it's fairly loosely rolled with a limited amount of tobacco, which would be normal for a petit corona. I normally like a tighter, more solid roll. The wrapper is a gorgeous light brown, but it has a small water spot on the foot.

Pre-light
The pre-light draw is easy, almost loose. The flavor of the Centennial hops is very evident. There is a slight sour/bitterness (hops bitterness) to the cold draw. Underneath you can taste tobacco and light earth.

Smoking Characteristics
Light up is at 2:50 pm. I'm expecting a relatively short, enjoyable smoke. Initial flavor profile is nice and hoppy. Oddly enough, it's not a bad taste. However, I am an avid fan of IPA's, so my palate may be biased.

On each puff, there is a good amount of smoke, but the bitterness of the hops is actually almost overwhelming the other cigar flavors. The burn is even. Slight peppery flavor begins to come forward and the hops moves back, but never leaves the dance floor. The hops flavors are very evident in the aftertaste between draws. There is even a slight butterscotch sweetness and light creaminess.

The ash is fairly loose and it lets go about every half-inch down the cigar as I smoke. This confirms my initial thought that the cigar is constructed loosely and with less tobacco than other petit coronas.

There is continued pepper and slight butterscotch through the first third and near the end of the first third, the burn begins to canoe slightly, but is easily corrected.

As I burn through into the second third, the smoke is thinner. I'm not getting a lot of smoke on the draw. As the second third begins, I get a very light taste of young oak, like a sapling. Pepper stays consistent, creaminess and butterscotch is still hanging out at the dance, but the hops flavor is actually gone at this point.

About halfway through the second third, the hops makes a comeback. The overall flavor profile is herbaceous or even fern-like. Ash continues to fall apart every half-inch or so. There are some slight floral notes, but not the type of floral notes you would expect from hops.

As the burn creeps into the final third, the wrapper begins to crack. Pepper and young oak sapling are still working within this blend. There is no nic hit, the cigar stays very light-bodied throughout.

As the final third burns, something strange happens. Normally, as the smoke heats up, a cigar can become harsh, or in some cases it enhances the flavors to a completely new level. Unfortunately, with this cigar, this is not the case. In fact, it begins to completely lose most of the existing flavor profile. The cigar becomes very soft, and the only real flavor left is a light cream flavor and maybe oak. It's as if the two final flavors in this smoke are trading back and forth before fading out completely.

By 3:20, I'm finished with the stick.

Final Thoughts
The Hopz cigar begins with a hops profile. The Web site states that you should enjoy this cigar with a good IPA. However, for this review, I wanted to concentrate solely on the cigar, so my libation was water. It has a good overall burn and it stays lit. This tells me that the humidification inside the sealed tubo is spot on.

Here's the bottom line. I don't believe that this is a "cigar smoker's" cigar. In fact, I honestly wouldn't recommend it to someone who I consider to be an aficionado. That being said, if I'm with some of my friends who enjoy quality beer, microbrews or homebrews, I would definitely consider offering them this cigar as a gateway into the world of cigars. I think the idea of a hops infused cigar would intrigue them and possible make them consider looking at other smokes.

My biggest disappointment is how the cigar ends. The loss of flavor was really unexpected.

Rating
I'm going to give this cigar a 3.5 out of 5 puffs because I can use it as an introduction to cigars for the uninitiated beer drinker. I believe it's a novelty-type cigar that seems to be focused more on a marketing gimmick than actually appealing to the serious cigar smoker.