Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is a light golden brown and has a few raised, knotty veins present. The seams are smooth and barely visible. The head is finished off with a triple cap where the top cap is slightly lifting. There are two bands with the primary being the lines traditional band while the foot band has the American flag colors and denotes Connecticut. The aroma from the wrapper has hay and barnyard funkiness while the foot brings graham cracker. The pre-light draw consist of hay and graham cracker.

Pre-light Experience

The Brick House Double Connecticut Corona Larga has a primary band and a foot band. The primary band is black lettering with yellow, red, black and gold accents. The foot band is a US flag motif with stars and stripes, along with the US flag colors against a cream background, with gold accents. The foot band indicates Connecticut. The wrapper on the cigar is a smooth Connecticut shade wrapper. One of the other observations is that the UPC design that holds the cellophane in place is well thought out. Instead of ripping the UPC code partially, they’ve created a break point in the sticker so the UPC code is left intact. It’s a nice consideration for retailers. Nosing the wrapper, I pick up rich, sweet tobacco, raisins, chocolate, honey and cedar. The foot has a combination of sweet tobacco and raisins.

Pre-light Experience

The Brick House Double Connecticut Corona Larga has a light caramel shade. Veins are roughly pressed, seams tight and visible, bunch and roll even and fairly firm and head finished off with a well wrapped triple cap. Aromas from the wrapper give barnyard funk, spoiled cheese, assertive white pepper and hay. Aromas from the foot give white pepper, cedar and apricots. Cold draw tells cedar, dried persimmons and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with toasted wood, aggressive black pepper and slight cream. At a half inch in, the pepper has eased up quite a bit and the cream is really teamed up with the toasted wood up front. At an inch in, the toasted wood, cream and black pepper are all at equal levels. The retrohale has the black pepper up front and the toasted and creamy wood behind it. As the third comes to a close, the toasted and creamy wood is up front with the black pepper right behind it. The pepper has a very long finish. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

Initially, the flavors are sweet, dry cedar, with some delayed spices on the post draw. The retrohale consists of light chocolate, along with hay finishing on the post draw with lingering pepper at a medium minus strength. That pepper lingers well after the draw. As the cigar progresses, light chocolate moves to the middle of the profile.

First Third

Initial few draws give a creamy baseline with cedar and herbal tea notes. A few more draws in, nuts and baking spices join in. Retrohaling the cigar shows spicy cedar and intensified baking spices. The finish is quite long with dried nuts and earthy dry dirt. Strength is medium and body is a bit higher than medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the cream becomes faint while the toasted wood is still up front and black pepper right behind it. At three quarters of an inch in, the cream has picked back up, but the profile has become a bit dry. The retrohale carries the toasted and creamy wood. As the third comes to a close, there have been no changes to the profile other than it becoming a bit less drying. The strength remains at medium.

Second Third

The flavor profile takes on a tannic cedar note moving into the middle third. The sweet chocolate in the middle of the taste profile now finishes with dry cedar. There is some delayed post draw earthiness, and then sweetness. In the bottom half of the second third, cedar moves to the front of the profile, followed by sweetness, then tannins at the end.

Second Third

The second third has the same body and strength (a bit more than medium, medium) but the profile picks up tannins and a slight bitterness. The other flavors are still intact (cream, cedar, herbal tea, nuts, baking spices). The tannins and hint of bitterness especially carries over on the finish, making it that much longer.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the cream has once again become very faint as the toasted wood is up front while the black pepper is faint as well. At an inch in, the pepper has completely left the profile and it is becoming a bit more drying again. The retrohale brings dry wood. As the cigar comes to a close, the profile is just toasted wood. The strength has remained at medium.

Final Third

The cedar from the second third carries the cigar into the final third, with hay joining in the middle of the profile, still finishing with tannins. Those tannins still have a medium length lingering finish. As the cigar establishes itself, post draw earthiness joins, and then later nutmeg. I found the cigar to have a fair amount of strength for a Connecticut Shade.

Final Third

The last third has the tannins and bitterness gradually increasing, causing the other flavors to decrease as well as a heavier palate. The first two third’s body was enjoyable and unexpected but at this point it is a bit over-whelming on the palate. Strength and body is still medium and slightly above medium, respectively.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy at times and straight at others. It did go out twice, requiring re-lights. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The burn is quite straight to start, and then becomes razor sharp as the cigar progresses. The burn is uneven moving into the second third but self corrects. The burn is uneven again in the middle third eventually requiring a touch-up. A re-light is required in the last third. Ash holds on well throughout the smoking experience.

Burn

The burn performance was flawless. Tight ashes, cool burn and sharp burn line.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with toasted wood, an aggressive black pepper and some cream. The pepper eased up fairly quickly. As it progressed, the cream moved around from being faint to even with the wood and the profile was dry at times. In the final third the cream and pepper dropped out leaving the toasted wood. Construction was good aside from a couple of re-lights. Strength was medium the whole way. This was an interesting cigar with the two types of Connecticut tobacco, but overall, I felt the profile was a bit lacking. The dryness took away from the enjoyment as I was frequently grabbing some water. I doubt I would return to this cigar as there are plenty of other offerings that perform better. The price is a draw, but likely for someone else that finds the flavor profile more appealing.

Draw

The draw is perfect, with the resistant being exactly in the ideal zone.

Overall

The Brick House Double Connecticut Corona Larga starts out with a medley of complex flavor notes. There are flavors of cedar, spices, chocolate, hay, pepper and earthiness. I found the cigar to be the most enjoyable and complex in the first third, with that complexity falling off for the remainder of the experience. The construction is impeccable, as is the packaging and overall presentation. I did find the cigar to be enjoyable, but I wish that the complexity had remained consistent throughout.

Draw

The draw was also flawless, giving the ideal air resistance.

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed the Brick House Double Connecticut Corona Larga. I especially enjoyed the heavier body and for the most part, standard array of Connecticut shade cigar flavors (cream, cedar, herbal tea, nuts, baking spices). What was off-putting were the tannins and bitterness within the last third increasing so much that the aforementioned flavors were nearly gone. All in all, pretty good effort by J.C. Newman.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$1.00

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$0.97

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$0.85

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Brick House Double Connecticut Corona Larga