According to the JC Newman website, “In 1937, J.C. Newman launched Brick House; a true Cuban puro cigar made with the finest Havana tobaccos. To honor his family and heritage, J.C. modeled the Brick House label after his childhood home – the only brick house in their small, Hungarian village. Locals and visitors would gather at the house nightly to eat, drink, smoke and enjoy each other’s company. But with the Cuban embargo came the end of the Brick House.
Over 70 years later, grandsons Bobby and Eric Newman re-launched Brick House using the most exquisite Nicaraguan tobaccos. Wrapped in a hearty Havana Subido™ leaf, every cigar features a rich blend of Nicaraguan puro tobaccos carefully hand-rolled by master artisans. Aged over a year in the mountains of Nicaragua, every Brick House cigar is a melding of flawless construction, superb quality and master blend.”
Today we review the latest addition to the line; The Traveler.
Cigar Review: Brick House
Size: 6 1/8 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaragua Havana Subido
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop
The Look: The Traveler is the first Brick House to come in a tube, and that changes things up, but more on that later. The tube is gorgeous and definitely an eye catcher on the shelf. Inside the tube the cigar sits without cello and inside of cedar. The cigar itself features the Brick House band of red, black and gold with a beige background and black text. The wrapper which has a significant brindle like appearance is veiny and toothy.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Brick House reminds me of bok choy and water chestnuts over a canvas of earth. There is also some cedar on the finish. I question my sanity for these notes seem like something Jonathan would name right next to his infamous Chinese Pea Pods. The foot of the cigar is woody with similar notes experienced on the cold draw.
Smoking the first third of the cigar there is an abundance of cedar notes which is different from other sizes and a lot of that I feel has to with the cedar sleeve in the tube. As the first third of the cigar comes to a close there is a creaminess to it reminiscent of Dr. Browns cream soda.
The second third of the Brick House has some elements of sweet tea, with a continued cedar with some ramping up of a subtle spice on the finish. The creamy notes experienced on the first third has faded as some elements synonymous with Nicaragua begin to emerge.
The last third of the cigar continues with notes of sweat tea and cedar, with the hints of nuts on the finish. The pepper that appeared in the second third of the cigar remains but is barely noticeable.
The Burn: Brick House – The Traveler is a cigar that burns slow and true from the first light. The light color ash holds for more than a third at a time with a razor-thin combustion line. The draw is superb with a slight resistance and the cigar remained lit for the duration.
The Finish: I love a cigar that has hearty cedar notes and this one delivers just that. Add to the fact it can be had for under $7.00 a cigar and you have a smoke that is perfect for every day. The tube packaging is ideal for those on the go or to take in your golf bag for a day on the links. At the conclusion of my review I went and bought a box and suggest you do the same.
Score: 94
Price: $6.99
Bullet Points
- The first Traveler that I smoked was before the show and it was given to me by Sean Poza who was the local rep but is now in Texas.
- JC Newman and Fuente product tends to have excessive amount of pectin used on the bands which makes them a pain to remove and sometimes causes them to stick to the wrapper.
- The cigar in this tubed format has an abundance of cedar notes on both the palate and the aroma.
- The tube is my favorite tube from a graphic aspect on the market today.
- Smoking time was 1 hour and 55 minutes; once again I will state I am a very slow smoker.
- I paired the cigar with coffee.
- Sorry about the stock images below, I forgot to put the memory card in the camera. Don’t you hate when that happens?
