United Cigars Firecracker Cigar Review

In 2006, David Garofalo had an idea to create a cigar that had a fuse attached to it and call it the Firecracker. The cigar has seen a variety of limited editions since its release but the one thing that has been constant is the regular production United Cigars Firecracker. This year, the cigar gets rebranded and reboxed giving it a more finished and polished look. The regular production comes to us from the Dominican Republic and is made at the Magia Cubana factory in Santiago.

Cigar Review: United Cigars Firecracker
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder:Dominican Republic
Fillers: Nicaraguan Ligero, Dominican Ligero, Dominican Seco
Length: 3.5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Firecracker

The Look: The new look Firecracker comes in a box of 20 laid out in two rows of 10 with the name emblazoned on the front of the box. The band of the cigar is very presidential looking with a bald eagle and American flag the focal point. Additionally, The United Cigars crest is reworked with the brand name in the center on the shield. The cigar features the signature fuse at the end with a closed foot. For a little cigar there is a nice weight to it, no voids of tobacco and the Corojo wrapper has a fair amount of oils visible.

The Notes: The cold draw of United Firecracker serves up dominant notes of wild cherry reminiscent of Smith Brothers cough drops while the aroma off the closed foot adds hints of nutmeg. Opting not to the toast the closed foot, we take flame to the wrapper and draw directly on the cigar where it serves up notes of chocolate and graham.

As we smoke the first half of the Firecracker from United Cigars it is flavor bomb with notes of cinnamon, apples, brown sugar and a touch of graham crackers. Call me crazy, and I am sure you will, but this thing reminds me of apple pie and would pair incredibly well with apple pie moonshine. The sweetness and depth of the cigar are really intriguing making it smoke bigger than it actually is.

Just before the half way point is reached the sweetness dissipates as the cigar develops notes of earth, caraway seeds, cedar and wheat. While the first half of the cigar saw the finish as being relatively short, it becomes long in the second half. The strength of the cigar also ramps up giving it that Firecracker pop that you expect from the line.

The Finish: Looking through my notes I haven’t smoked this since 2015 having been caught up in the limited edition versions. As I smoked the first half of the cigar I wondered why I haven’t smoked it as often as it should be. While the cigar is very different between the two halves, the experience was extremely enjoyable. At 3.5″ it is a quick smoke and a great choice if your time is short.

Score: 92
Price: $5.99 / $127.49