Consider a room known as a studio. A room where craft is King. Perhaps a record studio where legendary music is composed. A move studio where great stores are captured frame by frame, or even a woodworking studio where a natural material is perfectly formed into an elegant design. A studio is also where fine cigars are crafted. Welcome to Studio 21. Where a very special cigar was created and named fittingly ‘Studio 21‘.
These are the words used to describe Studio 21 as an insert in the box and today we offer our review of this new looking cigar.
Cigar Review: Studio 21
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 42
Size: No. 2 Lonsdale
The Look: Studio 21 gets a face lift from the box to the wrapper. These high gloss boxes sport a dark teal color with a new logo on the front . Inside, the cigars now sport a darker Ecuador Connecticut wrapper with a new band showcasing colors of black, slate blue, red and gold. The darker Ecuador Connecticut wrapper has some sheen to it, and a fair amount of veins to it but none of them are significant enough to distract from the cigar itself. In the hand the No. 2 Lonsdale has a nice weight to it with no voids of tobacco and a well packed foot.
The Notes: Using the my Vertigo Jaws cutter, the cold draw makes it easy to figure out what factory these are made out of. The barnyard notes that are so dominant on the cold draw seem to be synonymous with a factory in the Dominican Republic. The aroma from the foot of the Studio 21 serves up similar notes of hay, earth and cedar. After toasting the foot of the cigar the initial notes are a delicious shortbread that captivates the palate.
As we smoke the first third the shortbread notes begin to pull back as wheat becomes dominant with the occasional wisp of cinnamon that teases the palate leaving me wanting more. As the first third comes to a close wheat and cedar dominant the palate while the retrohale sees a subtle spice and sunflower seeds become part of the profile.
Moving into the second third notes of cinnamon become a more regular occurrence but notes of shortbread, wheat and cedar are dominant. The cigar has an earthy finish that is fairly short, but not obscenely short. As the second third comes to a close the cigar has a bread like component begin to emerge that gives the cigar a bit of a French toast feel to it.
As we finish the Studio 21 No. 2 Lonsdale a French toast like component encapsulates the palate with notes of bread and cinnamon. On the finish it is earthy with hints of wheat and cedar. The retrohale sees the finishing notes intensified as well as the duration of the finish.
The Finish: The original Studio 21 was a 1 on a scale of 10, but this re-invented Studio 21 comes in at a 3 out of 10 in perceived strength. It’s incredibly flavorful with a nice amount of complexity. It seems like the quintessential cigar to pull out of the humidor while having breakfast on the deck this summer. It’s smooth, and complex and made with a dedication to craft that becomes apparent the moment it hits your palate.
Score: 92
Price: $8.49 / $135.99
Studio 21 No. 2 Lonsdale
Studio 21 No. 2 Lonsdale Foot
Studio 21 No. 2 Lonsdale Burn
