Toward the end of November we named our Contender’s for the Cigar of the Year. The process begins with us sitting in a room, and discussing the cigars that came out in 2018. We argue, we debate, and we argue some more before settling on eight contenders. However, unlike the rest of the Cigar of the Year’s this is the only one where you get a vote on who wins. So far during the course of the year we have reviewed the other 7, today we review the missing link King’s Treasure.
Cigar Review: King’s Treasure
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Size: Gordo
The Look: Packaged in a treasure chest type box, the King’s Treasure features a golden Connecticut shade wrapper. The busy band of gold, beige, red and blue denotes King’s Treasure in the center. The foot band which is black, blue and white denotes Selection #7 but it doesn’t fit with the box, or the main band. In the hand the cigar is firm, with no voids of tobacco while the foot is well packed.
The Notes: The cold draw of King’s Treasure reminds me of a pop tart. Not the filled part, but the corner of the pastry. There is also some buttery richness which brings up the question, have you ever had butter on a pop tart? The aroma off the foot of the cigar serves up butter pecan with a hint of French vanilla ice cream. Once the cigar is lit the first note is a distinct butterscotch as I mentioned on The Cigar Authority VODCast.
As we smoke the first third of the King’s Treasure the butterscotch notes slowly begin to pull back as a citrus component begins to develop. As the cigar progresses that citrus note bordered along tangerines with hints of earth, cedar and a butter richness. The retrohale of the cigar serves up a hint of marzipan.
In the second third notes of almonds become the focal point until the halfway point when they are joined by hints of wheat that grow with a touch of leather. The retrohale of the cigar remains buttery smooth, with a hint of butterscotch.
In the final third the primary focal point is wheat with hints of cedar and almonds. The retrohale remains extremely smooth with a touch leather and abundance of cedar.
The Finish: When we named King’s Treasure a contender for cigar of the year, a lot of people were left scratching their heads as it was a brand they were not familiar with. However, those who have smoked it have chimed in that the cigar was very deserving. It comes to us from industry veteran Robert Wright who owns Pura Soul. He’s spend many years working for Christian Eiroa before venturing out on his own and using the knowledge to create a cigar that is very much his own.
Score: 93
Price: $8.89 / $156.99
King’s Treasure Gordo
King’s Treasure Gordo Foot
