Cigar Review: StillWell Star Holiday Y2022

It’s a long standing tradition in pipe culture for carvers to craft one off designs and blenders to create special mixtures to mark the holidays. In honor of this practice Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has teamed up with Cornell & Diehl to follow suit with a delightful aromatic puro with a mild Cavendish Burley and Virginia tobaccos.

According to Steve Saka, “This year’s release is a delightful aromatic puro with a carefully balanced selection of mild Cavendish Burley and choice Virginia tobaccos incorporated. Unlike the Aromatic No. 1 in the core line, this Holiday release does not feature a dulce cabeza, however the tobaccos themselves are wonderfully sweet to the tongue – the flavor and aroma are nothing short of exceptional. Personally, I find the smoking experience to be like sipping a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows fireside. It is nuanced and balanced, a very deftly executed blending of cigar and pipe tobaccos that evokes the emotion of enjoying a relaxed Christmas morning.”

Like the other releases of StillWell Star the cigar measures 6 x 52 and is rolled at Joya de Nicaragua.

Cigar Review: StillWell Star Holiday Y2022
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: San Andres
Filler: Cavendish Burley and Virginia.
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Toro
Humidimeter Reading: 62%

The Look: Packaged in 13 count boxes the StillWell Star Y2022 features a white and gold band along with a foot band denoting the release. The cigar which doesn’t feature a sweet tip like some of the prior StillWell Star releases. The wrapper has a nice velvet like texture under the fingers and while the cigar has no soft spots it does feel rather light in the hand.

The Notes: It’s interesting to note my co-worker lit one up before I began this review and the aroma in the room was extremely enjoyable. As far as the cigar the the cold draw has a rich chocolate and subtle marshmallows. It tastes like fresh hot chocolate not something out of a packet. The aroma from the foot mimics the cold draw with warm notes of hot chocolate. I have to admit I almost don’t want to light this thing as the cold draw is heavenly.

Once the cigar is lit there it is incredibly reminiscent of a caramello candy bar. There are notes of milk chocolate and caramel which just a hint of spice. I sit here smoking this and I remember the spice being followed with too much of a bite on the tongue when I first learned to smoke a pipe. It took time to learn how to smoke and avoid that bite. With the StillWell Star Holiday Y2022 that bite does show itself if you smoke the cigar too fast and it burns to hot much like with a pipe. However, if you sip the cigar and smoke it slowly the experience is incredibly rewarding.

Continuing into the second half some of the chocolate sweetness has left as notes of marshmallows and burning wood captivate the palate. The finish is long and heavy on the tongue, especially if you retrohale which I tend not to do when smoking this line of cigars.

The Finish: StillWell Star isn’t a cigar for everyone. For someone who has never smoked a pipe before they will look at this as a flavored cigar. For those who enjoy a pipe from time to time, this cigar should be thoroughly enjoyed. It’s something I know I will grab a few of to enjoy on a cold winter night in front of the fire. For those who are avid pipe smokers this could be a go to cigar for you. One thing for sure it’s wonderfully rich and different.

Score: 92
Price: $15.49 / $178.99