Back 9 Cigar Co.

[Magnum PI]

A few months ago I began trading private messages with the owner of Back 9 Cigars, who had been a member of SC. (I have not seen him post here in a very long time.) Back 9 Cigars claim to contain Cuban binder and filler inside a Connecticut shade wrapper grown in Ecuador. (For more info, see www.back9cigars.com) We were talking about his cigars and he agreed to send me a free sample pack if I promised to review them, and so I did.



I received four different sized cigars in the mail. In order to give everyone at SC a fair review of these cigars, I enlisted the help of some of my closest friends - MikeD and Fishound, two guys who know more about habanos than I ever will, and Scott81425 who, like me, knows a bit less about Cuban cigars.


(Our reviewers, from left to right: MikeD, Fishhound, Scott81425, and Magnum)

I smoked and reviewed the Robusto.



(Quarter appears courtesy of GarTrader.com)

As shown, the Robusto measured 4 1/2 inches long, and appeared to me to be darker than the usual Connecticut wrapper.



50 ring gauge. Easily cut it with my Palio and lit the cigar without any problems.



Burn was even throughout and there were no construction problems. The smoke produced for the duration of the cigar can best be described as light and thin, almost transparent.



I have to admit that I was very skeptical before smoking this cigar. I thought that there would be no way that it would taste like any habano. Incredibly mild, and light, not very filling, but the taste was there. If I had to guess where the tobacco in this cigar came from, I would have guessed Cuba. That twang was there.



I nubbed it.

Overall I thought it was a great cigar, but it left me with questions. What confuses me is that we all know that wrapper plays a huge roll in the taste of a cigar. This cigar didn't taste half-cuban, or semi-cuban, it tasted like a puro. I don't know if this is indicitive of all of the Back 9 Cigars. Perhaps the other reviewers will think I am way off. I had always been under the impression that Cuba does not sell off any of its tobacco, so is this cigar really what it claims to be? Lets see what the other reviewers think.

[scott81425]

why do i have to be the goofy bald guy while you get to be john cusack? that doesn't seem fair to me, and i think it will hinder my ability to get chicks in the future. and when did this turn into an ad for 1001 buddy? geez, can't even read a good cigar review these days without seeing a little creative advertising

i did not take pictures. sorry, i should have. and i believe i smoked the corona (guessing by the sizes listed on their site, i don't have a handy ring gauge measure-er, though it smoked more like a toro than a corona) size, although someone may hop in here and correct me on that. the wrapper was flawless, and i agree with you, appeared a little darker than what i consider to be a connecticut. i always smell my cigars before i smoke them, and this was no different. smelled to me like a cigar. plain and simple. almost like a drug store special, pure tobacco. pre light draw was the same: pure tobacco, maybe with a little wet hay mixed in. at this point i wasn't too excited for the smoking experience. but i clipped it and lit it anyway, and got started.

construction and burn were flawless. and i mean perfect. my usual accompaniment to a cigar as of late has been coors light, but i opted for ice water with this one. keep the palate clean, and give the stick a fair shot was what i had in mind. this stick produced a plethora of smoke. seriously. it wasn't rolled loosely or anything, but the draw was just right, and the amount of smoke that came was on the verge of mind blowing. in other words, this was a very smokey cigar. flavor was pretty basic, nothing too overpowering here. i would call the flavor woody, with a hint of ash and earth. not lick your ashtray ash, but the flavor was definitely there. almost like eating a burned leaf. hard to describe, and not bad, just unique. the only thing this cigar lacked for me was complexity. after the first inch of the cigar, the first draw tasted the same as the last. i actually found the cigar to be enjoyable. at it's price point, i doubt i will be investing in any. however, i am thankful to have had the oppurtunity to smoke one, thanks to our favorite p.i.

now on to the final verdict- was the cigar REALLY made from cuban tobacco? to me, it had that earthy tone to it, that can only be found in the forbidden fruit. i really think the wrapper imparted a different flavor on it however. almost like having a lit monte isom and a regular monte hanging out each side of the mouth at the same time. the flavor was there, but it wasn't necessarily the dominant flavor of the cigar. it tasted like a very well made fake. which could have been because of the wrapper. so i'd say yes, it tasted cuban-esque. overall a very good smoke. holy cow this was a lot of writing. i should stick to posting pics. thanks again andy!

[MikeD]

Don't feel bad Scott... Andy made me the big black guy. I look nothing like that....lol

Anyway, back to the review...

The cigar I was sent appeared to be a corona (5 5/8 x 42). the construction was very first rate. Very even, with no soft spots and a triple seam cap.

Upon lighting it, it started off a bit on the mild side, but as I got about an inch into it, the flavors began to ramp up. I noticed some nice earthy flavors, with some notes of spice and sweetness to it. It only got stronger the more I smoked it down. I wound up nubbing the damn thing. Also present was the signature Cuban twang that's present in every Habanos cigar.

Here's my take on this cigar. It is supposed to be a Cuban binder & filler with a Nicaraguan wrapper on it. From years of cigar smoking experience, the wrapper may be the smallest component, but it does have a big impact on flavor. I'm familiar with Cuban cigars and Nicaraguan alike. I didn't get any hint of non-Cuban tobacco in this thing. Nothing that would indicate any Nicaraguan tobacco. I would even say it was actually an Saint Luis Rey Corona re-banded.

My concern is that the sample cigars received by Andy were just re banded Cubans and if one should place an order for a box it would be one of two things: you get real Cuban cigars, but a cheaper box marked up way over standard market price, or you get something that's nothing remotely Cuban at all; e.g re-boxed glass top Cohibas.

So while the sample sent was a very good and enjoyable smoke, it wasn't was it was supposed to be.

---

And Andy... based upon the size of the cigar and the description of the flavors you gave I'd say it was a Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto.

[EvilAsh]

Interesting for sure! Thanks for the reviews guys!

[scott81425]

so far we all concur that it was very cuban-esque. with mike going as far as to pinpoint an actual cigar. awesome. andy can you comment on the wrapper color between the 4? was it consistent, or did they all appear a little different? it appears from the pic they may all be a little different, but that could just be the angle. and if mike smoked the corona, i must not have. i remember thinking it was a toro, but after i read up on the brand, they don't have a toro, so i was just trying to guess from memory. my bad. maybe i smoked the churchill?

[Jimmie the Mum]

Interesting point Mike..

[Magnum PI]

so far we all concur that it was very cuban-esque. with mike going as far as to pinpoint an actual cigar. awesome. andy can you comment on the wrapper color between the 4? was it consistent, or did they all appear a little different? it appears from the pic they may all be a little different, but that could just be the angle. and if mike smoked the corona, i must not have. i remember thinking it was a toro, but after i read up on the brand, they don't have a toro, so i was just trying to guess from memory. my bad. maybe i smoked the churchill?

The wrappers were all different shades. I remember one of them being much, much darker than the others. Lets see what Fishy has to say.

[MikeD]

I gotta call Bob to see if he even smoked the thing yet...