Pre-light Experience

The cigar has the common Firecracker format of a long pigtail fuse that runs under the band and down two thirds of the cigar. The wrapper is dark brown with a few slightly raised veins and is folded over the foot. The seams are barely noticeable and the head has two deep caps. The standard CroMagnon double band is present. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of wood and barnyard and is what is present at the covered foot as well. The pre-light draw is quite tight with the covered foot but brings sweet hay and a floral note along with a light spice to my lips.

First Third

The cigar begins with wood, some dull pepper and a floral note. At a half inch in, the interaction between the pepper and floral notes is really interesting. The retrohale is floral forward with the wood and black pepper slightly behind. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper recedes while the wood and floral note are up front. As the third comes to a close, the wood is up front while the floral note and black pepper are even in the background. The strength in this third was right at medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, some mustiness joins in to pair up with the wood up front while the floral note and black pepper remain in the background. At half an inch in, the black pepper is now only detectable on the finish while the floral note is in the background and the wood and mustiness remain up front. The retrohale presents a very similar profile. As the third comes to a close, the musty wood is the primary player while the floral note is now very faint in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood gains some char to go along with the mustiness and the floral note is only present on the finish. At a half inch in, the floral note returns to the background and takes the lead in the retrohale over the musty wood. At an inch in, the char on the wood is very light as it pairs with the mustiness. The floral note is not far behind. As the third comes to a close, the cigar warms up and brings a slight mintiness to the profile. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Burn

The burn line was straight the entire way. The ash dropped once at the halfway point and then held on until the cigar was finished.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

I always enjoy a floral note in a cigar and this one brought a good balance of it with the wood, black pepper and mustiness. Construction was great and the strength never passed slightly above medium. The RoMa Craft CroMagnon Firecracker 2018 is my second experience with a Firecracker offering and they have both been positive. If you’re a fan of the CroMangnon line, then smoking this is a no brainer, if you can still find them. For those that bought these, they are great shorter smokes that give you the profile you’re accustomed to. I would have no problem smoking more of these.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$0.90

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: RoMa Craft CroMagnon Firecracker 2018