Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The first thing you notice about the Freud Agape is the band, which covers a majority of the cigar. It is gold and purple and denotes the company, line and vitola. After sliding off the band, you can see the wrapper which is various shades of medium brown and has some thick, raised veins that carry a lighter color around them. The seams are a bit raised and the caps are decently applied. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of cedar and earth, while the foot brings a full dose of aged and musty cedar. The pre-light draw brings aged, musty cedar and tobacco sweetness along with a mid-level spiciness on my lips.
Seth: With or without the massive band on the Freud Agape, the cigar is decent in presentation. I don’t think just because you put a massive band with pretty colors on a cigar you automatically qualify for a beautiful looking cigar. The wrapper itself is natural in coloring and sports medium sized veins throughout. It is firm in hand, and has a silky texture. Aromas of cinnamon, earth, tobacco, sweet spices and coffee.
John: The Freud Agape has a massive band covering almost the entire length of the cigar. The band is a gold on crimson red upper portion with a two tone gold bottom. The cigar is inside cellophane, and does not have a UPC sticker. Once the cigar is removed from the cellophane I was able to pick up on aromas of fresh wood, light hay, iron and some faint talc, almost concrete powder. From the foot, there was sweet tobacco, wood and hay.
Jiunn: After unwrapping the massive band on the Freud Agape, the wrapper reveals a Colorado Maduro shade. Veins are roughly pressed, seams slightly exposed, bunch and roll even and head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell cedar and cardboard. Aromas from the foot give hay, meat and apricots. Cold draw reveals hay and dusty basement.

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with an odd toasted but stale cedar note and some earth. At a half inch in, the earth has picked up a bit. The retrohale shows an even mix of the toasted, stale cedar and earth. At an inch in, a light mushroom mustiness becomes present. At an inch and a quarter, a mild creamy black pepper joins in. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted, stale cedar up front with earth right behind and then light amounts of mushroom mustiness and creamy black pepper in the background. The strength was mild/medium.
Seth: The cigar starts off with a flavor profile that is cinnamon forward. It has this sweet cinnamon quality that is paired with leather, damp earth, coffee, charred wood and tobacco notes. Bits of peppery spices present as well, but a balanced cigar. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first few puffs bring sweet earth and tobacco. As I retrohale, there’s a pleasant combination of creamy wood and vegetation. Once the first third had a chance to settle in, a light-plus earth moves into the center, as chocolate and bread add to the retrohale. Some time later, a confectioners sugar and wood combine on the retrohale. The sugar is quite sweet, but stops well before the cloying sweet point.
Jiunn: The first third tells honey sweetness, hay, cedar, plums and a sense of savory umami. Retrohaling gives more cedar and introduces red pepper spice. The finish is medium in length with cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, a light chalkiness joins the profile. At a half inch in, some wood bitterness now becomes present. The retrohale is now toasted, stale cedar, earth, chalkiness and light mushroom mustiness. At an inch in, the mushroom mustiness has increased to the middle of the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted, stale cedar just ahead of the earth, with mushroom mustiness in the middle and creamy black pepper, chalkiness and wood bitterness in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly below medium.
Seth: The second third continues with that pronounced cinnamon quality that is paired with some leather, peppery spices, coffee and charred wood. Meatiness as well, but still smoking around that medium level for strength and body.
John: Creamy, sweet bread leads off here with a mild wood through the retrohale. The profile continues with the same combinations as it settles in. Some time later, a mildly tannic wood quietly comes into the post draw. A light chocolate returns to the retrohale approaching the halfway point. In the bottom half, moving towards the last third, a light-plus earth is present at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The second third gives deeper red pepper spice. The spice works with the umami flavors quite well, creating a salivating smoking experience. Aside from that, all of the same flavors as the first third. Strength and body is still medium.

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level increases as the staleness of the cedar has departed. At a half inch in, the wood bitterness has departed. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and light mushroom mustiness. At an inch in, the cigar warms up a bit and brings a floral/vegetal combination to the profile. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is toasted cedar just ahead of the earth, with mushroom mustiness in the middle and creamy black pepper, chalkiness and the floral/vegetal note in the background. The strength remained at slightly below medium.
Seth: The final third delivers a charred wood and cinnamon quality. Oak notes present. Bits of leather, pepper spices, coffee and meatiness as well. Some mineral qualities. Medium in strength and body.
John: Sweet earth and wood combine here, with a vegetal note acting as an accent for the first few puffs. The earth becomes medium strength in the post draw, combining with wood. Some spices move into the middle of the retrohale as the last third progresses. Some sweet bread also returns to the retrohale not long after. The earth takes on some bitterness at the front of the profile as the cigar moves to the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third is unchanged from the second third. Still leaning towards red pepper spice and umami with the other softer and woodsy flavors. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, and I needed to do one touch-up to keep things burning evenly. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: Burn was good from start to finish.
John: The burn was uneven as it progressed in the first third, ash falling at a half inch mark. The cigar started to stall near the end of the second third, going out in the last third which required a re-light.
Jiunn: Burn performance was great. Even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperature and plenty of smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: Draw was nice throughout.
John: The draw had significant resistance to it, roughly 3-1/2 to 4 notches into the resistant spectrum.
Jiunn: The draw was also great, giving the ideal balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted, stale cedar and some earth. Some mushroom mustiness and creamy black pepper joined a bit later. The second third saw a light chalkiness join in. The final third saw the staleness and wood bitterness depart and a floral/vegetal note join in. The Freud Agape was pretty average throughout as it was various combinations of flavors that didn’t really seem to work together. The stale cedar up front for most of the cigar didn’t give things a good base either. With the price point and the blender, I expected something much more intriguing, but that never came to fruition. I’m curious what the others think, but it doesn’t strike me as something I’d return to.
Seth: The Freud Agape is a good cigar and it has nice balanced Dominican profile that is cinnamon forward with some complexities. However, it doesn’t show a lot of transitioning throughout. There is some depth, but not enough to take it to the next level. The other issue, and I hate saying this, is the price. This is not a $30.00 cigar. I don’t care about the circumstances; I could not direct a smoker to this cigar. I couldn’t justify it.
John: The Freud Agape had an engaging flavor through almost the entire review. Unfortunately, it also suffered from a snug draw, and a re-light that was required just as it moved into the last third. I’m of two minds here, as the flavor profile certainly does enough for me to want to return, but the draw and burn issues are unacceptable for me with a cigar at this price point. Total smoking time of 1 hour and 59 minutes.
Jiunn: A delicious cigar through and through. At first glance, given the loud (and slightly obnoxious) massive cigar band, I scoffed at the Freud Agape. But after smoking it, this was one of the most flavorful and balanced cigars that I have had in quite some time. Fans of especially Davidoff and Kelner Boutique Factory made cigars should not pass this up.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$5.56

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$5.36

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.17

Cost/Point

$4.86

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$4.19

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Freud Agape