Protocol has been a new brand of cigars that I’ve seen popping up at cigar shops in New Jersey, and when I stopped in at The Royal Leaf I decided it was about time I gave one of their cigars a try. The manager James Appello told me that I should try this one and I obliged! It was a great place to kick it back and review this cigar, I would definitely recommend grabbing a cigar and lighting up with the great people there like James and owner Dee!
The Cigar
- Origin – Nicaragua
- Wrapper – Nicaraguan Rosado Habano
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan
- Vitola – Box-Pressed Churchill
- Size – 6.5 x 48
- Strength – Medium
Source: Cigar-Coop
Cold Draw/Before Lighting
On the cold draw I got very sweet and juicy flavors. I began to taste cranberry juice on the draw which was appealing.
First Third 1.8/2
That juice flavor continued in the first third after lighting it up at the beginning, but began to fade. What replaced it was the earthy flavor of Nicaraguan tobacco.
Middle of Cigar 1.7/2
The flavor did not change much during this section, I picked up a couple notes of cocoa and it was a continued smooth taste through this section.
My only gripe was that it was having trouble staying lit, I had to relight it a couple times and it was hard to figure out the right pace to keep it lit.
End of Cigar 1.55/2
This last portion did not present any new notes, I continued to have that earthy taste, a little bit stronger than in the middle.
This could have been because it was burning a little hot due to having to relight it; I began to realize the biggest issue was the filler and binder burned quicker than the wrapper so I had a deep ash. This most likely caused the cigar to not stay lit.
Overall Thoughts
This is a cigar that I definitely want to buy again to try out again and see if I’m able to get more tastes out of it. For it’s price (listed as 10.50$ MSRP), it isn’t one you would regret buying, it’s definitely worth the smoke. Having to relight it could have taken away from the notes I would have tasted otherwise so when I pick up another I’ll be sure to update this review if I do. Let me know how your experience is with this cigar when you pick one up to smoke!
Ratings
1/1 Pre-light
1/1 Construction/Apprearance
0.9/1 Overall Lighting/Burn Process
5.05/6 Smoking Experience
1/1 Personal Enjoyment/Value
8.95/10 Overall
~ Connor Coles
Beforetheash 