Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer is medium brown and carries some well pressed veins running down the back of the cigar. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The band is black, gold and white and denotes the company and line. There is also a gold diamond applied to the wrapper, above the band. The aroma from the wrapper is very musty earth and some wood, while the foot brings raisin bread and some cedar. The pre-light draw brings very musty cedar.
Seth: The Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer is a good-looking cigar. Like the Skywalker, the gold diamond and bands pop against the dark maduro wrapper. The wrapper is oily with a fine gritty texture. Medium sizes veins are present throughout. Espresso bean coloring. The cigar has aromas of rich earth, coffee beans, leather, tobacco, cocoa and cedar.
John: The Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer comes in cellophane and does not have a UPC sticker. For artisanal complications, the cigar features a gold leaf inlaid in the wrapper. There is a single band with Cavalier Genève on top and Project Broadleaf underneath. I weighed the cigar at 12.7 grams and measured the humidity with the CigarMedics Humidimeter Pro at 63.7%. Aromas from the wrapper included musty wood, grass and sweet tobacco, while from the foot I was picking up musty sweet tobacco and wood.
Jiunn: The Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer has a hearty Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas tell of barnyard funk and mixed nuts.

Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, dark earth and baking spice. At a quarter inch in, some cocoa powder becomes present. At a half inch in, the baking spice transitions to black pepper. The retrohale is toasted oak, dark earth and lightly zingy black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and dark earth are even up front, with black pepper a bit behind and some light cocoa powder in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third starts with some faint cocoa and coffee bean notes. There are some cedar and hay qualities with the cigar, and it has a mocha creaminess with some warm baking spices. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with creamy tobacco followed by pepper and wood underneath, as dry wood and leather combine on the finish. A medium pepper note develops on the post draw after a short delay. Light strength chocolate and earth move into the retrohale as the first third continues. The sweet tobacco leading the profile intensifies as the cigar progresses.
Jiunn: The first third is proper delicious Connecticut Broadleaf. Dank earthiness, creamy and sweet milk chocolate and subdued yet balanced dried red pepper spice. The retrohale gives a surprising kick of dried red pepper spice, followed by trailing cedar. The finish is short with soft cedar wood. Strength is medium and body is medium-full.

Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, some wood bitterness joins the profile. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, dark earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit more. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and dark earth are even up front, with the black pepper in the middle of the profile and some cocoa powder and wood bitterness in the background. The strength dropped down to medium.
Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Some leather notes in this third. Cedar and hay qualities are present with this mocha and hazelnut flavor. Bits of faint cocoa and coffee beans. Like before, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third kicks off with creamy, sweet tobacco, medium strength spices and wood in the center, with wood and spices combining on the finish. A vegetal component mixes into the retrohale. The spices recede to light-plus strength by the halfway point.
Jiunn: There’s a major shift in flavors within the second third. The dank earthiness and milk chocolate notes are entirely gone, replaced by hay grassiness and cedar. Odd… and annoying. Strength and body remains the same medium and medium-full, respectively.

Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, a light creaminess has joined the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper increases a bit. The retrohale is now an even mix of toasted oak, dark earth and black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level becomes pretty heavy. As the cigar wraps up, the heavily toasted oak and dark earth are even up front, with black pepper just ahead of the middle of the profile and some creaminess, wood bitterness and coca powder in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third was in line with the second. Leather, cedar and hay qualities present with mocha and hazelnut notes. Cocoa, coffee beans and mineral spice with wood notes on the finish. Like before, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The last third begins with creamy tobacco and light-plus strength spices, as wood, earth and balanced spices combine on the post draw. The earth on the post draw moves up to medium strength as the third settles in. That earth then recedes to medium-minus, almost light-plus strength by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third is unchanged from the second third. Still the same mundane hay grassiness and cedar with no traces of dankness and chocolate. Strength and body finishes the same.

Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy throughout, and the cigar went out twice, requiring re-lights.
Seth: The burn was good from start to finish. The diamond threw it off.
John: The burn was relatively straight to start and remained straight through the second third. It continued straight into the last third, where it spontaneously went out at the halfway point and required a re-light. Given that the smoking time was on the fast end of typical for me, it’s difficult to attribute this to a slow smoking pace.
Jiunn: No issues with the burn. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer

Draw

Aaron: The draw was a bit tighter than I prefer.
Seth: The draw was perfect from start to finish.
John: I measured the draw at 54 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be 1½ to 2 notches towards the resistant spectrum.
Jiunn: The draw was also perfect, giving the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, dark earth and baking spice. Some light cocoa powder joined in fairly quickly and then the baking spice transitioned to black pepper. The second third saw some wood bitterness join in and the black pepper mellowed throughout the third. The final third saw some light creaminess join in and the black pepper pick back up a bit. Later, the the toast level of the oak became pretty heavy. The Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer had a nice start, with a good combination of flavors. The profile took a step down in the second third as the balance fell off a bit and remained at that level the rest of the way. This is a heavy profile, as can be expected from the broadleaf wrapper, but just wasn’t all that exciting past the first third. This offering was at the same level of experience I had with the Skywalker and I just don’t see really coming back to it.
Seth: I enjoyed the Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer. I liked Skywalker more, but this was a solid release. Very different. This blend came off as lighter and more wood focused while the Skywalker seemed to be more earth and cocoa focused. Both enjoyable, and both blends I would come back to in the future, but Skywalker is more my cup of tea. Give me Skywalker in the Boartamer vitola.
John: The Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer delivered a flavorful start with creamy tobacco, pepper and wood, supported by sweet tobacco and light chocolate notes. The profile lost some of its depth moving into the second and final thirds, settling into a primarily wood and earth-driven experience. Excellent construction was only slightly offset by one re-light late in the cigar. It was a pleasant experience, but I would have liked to see some of the complexity from the first third present in at least the second third as well. My total smoking time was 1 hour and 47 minutes.
Jiunn: What the heck happened between the first third and the latter two thirds? It felt like smoking entirely different flavor profiles. If the Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer tasted more in line with the first third, this would have been a winner without a doubt. What a shame.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$2.58

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.90

Cost/Point

$2.47

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.54

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.39

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Boartamer