Cigar Review: Garofalo

In honor of David Garofalo winning an Industry Service Award from Davidoff, we decided to take a look into the cigar that carries his name, Garofalo. Owner of Two Guys Smoke Shop which has three locations in New Hampshire, he is also the lead host of the weekly radio show of which I am a part of, The Cigar Authority. I could tell you about the cigar, but  I will attach a video at the bottom and let David talk about it himself.

The pressure is on though, and I am writing this on the first cigar I have ever smoked of the blend. If I don’t like it, I don’t have a review scheduled for today, so I am stuck using this love it or hate.

Cigar: Garofalo
Size: Toro 6 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)
Distributed By: United Cigar Retailers

The Look: Every time I type “The Look” I am reminded of the song by the same name from the band Roxette, which is now stuck in my head. As for the cigar, we will start with the band which features a calligraphy style G on a field of white with some gold and black. The shade grown wrapper has a nice golden color with some small veins visible and a little bit of tooth. In the hand the Garofalo is firm to the touch with a nice weight and a triple cap.

The Notes: Off the foot of the Garofola there is a heavy molasses note with a touch of fig that is warm and inviting. It is so well-defined that there is no second guessing  as to what aroma was, I just took it in and enjoyed it. I decided to mix things up and went with a bullet punch and the cold draw reminds me a little bit of fun dip. If you don’t remember what Fun Dip was, it was a powdered candy that came in a pouch that you scooped with a white chalk like stick. There was that slightly tart grape like note of the candy present that was a nice walk down memory lane.

As we smoke the first third of the Garofalo there is a little bit of spice, especially through the nose. The cigar gives way to a nice nutty note, with a touch of sweetness in the background that didn’t fully develop in the first third as the nuts and spice provided the dominant profile.

In the second third of the cigar the sweetness defines itself as butterscotch which I have tasted from time to time in Perdomo smokes. Normally, I don’t like to compare a cigar to another, but being this is something most of our readers haven’t had before, I figured a comparison was called for. The notes of nuts continue in the background and there is a nice continued spice through the nose.

The final third of the cigar takes on a bit of an earthy component as the sweetness fades away. The core note of nuts remains til the end when I put this cigar out with only a half-inch remaining on this tasty Garofalo.

The Burn: The Garofalo lit up with easy after a quick toasting of the foot. As the cigar burned it gave way to a light-colored ash with some marbling of darkness mixed in. The burn of the cigar was razor-sharp, with a thin carbon line which denotes aged tobacco with proper fermentation. There wasn’t a lot of smoke produced by this cigar like some of the brands that are on the market today. The ash fell off the cigar near the half way point when I dropped the cigar. I am happy to report that the wrapper didn’t crack and it continue to smoke extremely well.

The Finish: The Garofalo is a cigar that starts with a little bit of a kick and then develops into a complex cigar with an enjoyable flavor profile. The finish is short, and the desire to smoke another one is long which makes it a winner in my book. Just as David Garofalo was worthy of an award for his service to the industry this is worthy of a 5 pack or more.

Score: 90
Price: $6.79