Intemperance EC XVIII Faith Cigar Review

In 2012 RoMa Craft was born with a partnership between two friends Michael Rosales and Skip Martin. Prior to their partnership Michael was owner of Costa Rican Imports, and Skip was owner of a cigar shop in Galveston, Texas that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Upon the creation of their company the first cigar they released was Intemperance which is available in two wrappers. Today, we take a look at the Ecuador Connecticut and next week Derek will take a look at the Brazilian Arapiraca version.

The branding of Intemperance EC XVIII comes from a political poster produced by A.D. Fillmore in 1815 and features the logo inspired by a famous artifact of the movement.  The movement achieved their goal when the 18th Amendment established a prohibition on the consumption of ‘intoxicating liquors.”

According to RoMa Craft, “In the last sixty years, the anti-smoking movement has grown in influence and power much in the same way the temperance movement before it grew. We believe that it is well past time to initiate our own modern intemperance movement.”

Cigar Review: Intemperance EC XVIII
Size: 5 x 50 (Perfecto / Faith)
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Nicaragua / Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium

The Look: The Intemperance EC XVIII comes packaged in 20 count cabinet style boxes and is available in four sizes. Today, we take a look at the Perfecto which is called Faith and measures 5 x 50. The cigar features a Connecticut shade grown wrapper from Ecuador and is rolled short creating an exposed foot. In addition to thin veins there is an abundance of oils present on this well rolled stick that has no soft spots and a hefty weight to it. The band denotes Intemperance in brown on an ivory background.

The Notes: Utilizing a Lotus Jaws cutter to clip the head of the cigar the initial notes on the cold draw are earthy with a hint of wheat and cedar.  The aroma of the cigar is Cubanesque with a manure like nose and a compliment of the earthy components experienced on the cold draw.

After a quick toasting of the foot with a Black Label Bombay lighter that sits on my desk at work, the cigar starts off with dominant notes of cedar and a slight spice on the lips. As the cigar smokes deeper into the first third there is a slight honey like sweetness and a touch of pepper on the retrohale.

As we quickly reach the second third the notes of cedar remain but the notes of honey begin to become dominant on the profile of the Intemperance EC XVIII. Through the nose the retrohale has less pepper than on the first third of the stick and there is a vanilla like component on the finish.

In the last third the cigar from RoMaCraft takes on notes similar to the cold draw. There is an earthy profile with hints of wheat as the dominant notes, with the cedar taking more of a backseat. As the cigar continues to burn down some nuttiness begins to develop as the honey like sweetness disappears from the profile. Through the nose the spice is turned up as the strength moves from the lighter side of medium to the fuller side.

The Burn: On the first third of the cigar I was worried by how fast things were moving as the cigar really burned faster than I expected. However, as we moved toward the girth of the cigar it slowed down considerably before picking back up on the downside. Smoking time was just over an hour and I never needed to relight or touch up the cigar. The draw while not loose was more open than I like to see in a cigar but it was weclomed in the size which often sees the vitola with a tough draw. The thin combustion line revealed a white ash that had a slight flake and held on for nearly the first half of the cigar.

The Finish: The Intemperance EC XVIII is much more than a political statement as it showcases that the company known for stronger cigars is more than a one trick pony. While mild for a person that enjoys strong cigars this medium bodied smoke offered a wonderful flavor profile that was enjoyable with a lot of similarities to Cuban cigars in my opinion. For those who shy away from the company because of their penchant for strong cigars this is a wonderful introduction to the brand.

Score: 93
Price: $6.69 each / $139.99 box of 24

Notes

• When the brand was first released there were no bands on the cigars, but due to demand, RoMaCraft began banding their smokes.
• The Connecticut is referred to as EC XVII and the Brazilian as BA XXI. The roman numerals are in reference to the 18th and 21st amendment of the US Constitution.
• Two Guys Smoke shop has this available in singles, boxes and a sampler called the Sinful Seven.
• The cigars are made at Fabrica de Tobacco NicaSueno in Esteli, Nicaragua and were originally released in 2012.
• I smoked two cigars for review, one of which I paired with Cuban Coffee.