Back in 1874, RG Sullivan would open up a cigar factory in New Hampshire that would become one of the largest in the world. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire the 7 story, 55,000 square foot building still stands 175 Canal Street in the downtown area and the top of the building still showcases 7-20-4 cigars. The brand resonates with local cigar smokers because of the history behind it.
The brand was resurrected in 2006 by Kurt Kendall and it is hand crafted in small batches in Honduras before being sold at cigar shops throughout the United States. Today we offer our review of this historical cigars brand.
Cigar Review: 7-20-4
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, and Mexico
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Robusto
The Look: Packaged in 20 count boxes featuring two rows of 10 cigars, the 7-20-4 gets a make over as the bands now feature the use of foil on the gold accents. The Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper is flawless with barely any veins present on a near perfect roll and a pigtail cap. In the hand the cigar is firm to the touch with no soft spots and a well packed foot.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar has a syrupy sweetness to it with hints of pecans while the aroma off the foot of the Robusto offers up notes of a warm raisins. It’s been a long time since I lit one of these up and I eagerly toast the foot of the cigar looking forward to the experience before me.
Once lit the first note of the cigar is a raisin like sweetness that is joined by pepper on the retrohale. Moving forward on the first third of the 7-20-4 notes of cedar and nuts dominate the palate. As we move through the first third some sweetness develops while the retrohale offers some black pepper. The finish is short to moderate.
In the second third, cedar remains the focal point as some of the sweetness begins to fade and an earthy component begins to show itself. The retrohale still offers some black pepper, but there is also a sweetness to it as the finish of the cigar becomes longer and even more enjoyable.
The last third sees the cedar notes get toned back some as nuttiness becomes dominant. There is a slightly floral part to the aroma of the cigar that doesn’t carry over to the retrohale of the cigar which is spicy with a hint of mocha. The moderate finish of the cigar helps continue the enjoyable experience.
The Finish: While the brand is known nationwide, I had no idea of the history until I moved to New Hampshire and how proud people are of the RG Sullivan building that use to make these. It’s an iconic part of the state and it even brings a smile to my face when I drive past the building knowing of the rich history of cigars in the live free or die state. As for the cigar, it doesn’t disappoint with its classic profile that is worthy of being in your humidor.
Score: 91
Price: $7.28 / $128.99
7-20-4 Robusto
7-20-4 Robusto Foot
7-20-4 Robusto Burn (Ash Just Dropped)
