Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo is a dull dark tan and carries some raised, knotty veins. The seams are smooth, tapered head well finished and the foot is cut at a bit of an angle. The band is red, yellow, black and white and denotes the series and line name with the company logo on the back. The aroma from the wrapper is toasted hay and dustiness while the foot brings cedar and sweet floral mustiness. The pre-light draw brings a light mixture of cedar and floral notes.
Seth: I thought the band of the Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo looked bad, and it hurt an already average looking cigar. Wrapper had this soft natural coloring with small veins throughout. Slighty gritty texture. Firm in hand. Aromas of dry earth, wood, leather and spices.
John: The Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo comes in cellophane, and has a UPC sticker that tears in half when the cellophane is opened. The cigar is single banded, and the aromas from the wrapper included bread, sweet barnyard and fresh hay. From the foot, I was getting mild, sweet tobacco, hay and wood.
Jiunn: The Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo has a mustard yellow Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head is well wrapped. Aromas form the wrapper tell hay and dry barnyard. Aromas from the foot give the same as the wrapper aromas but with greater intensity. Cold draw reveals hay and subtle roasted nuts.

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, dusty earth and light mustiness. At a half inch in, the toasted cedar gains a light staleness to it. The retrohale is toasted cedar with light amounts of earth and mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the lightly stale, toasted cedar is up front with dusty earth and mustiness a bit behind. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third was average in experience. Medium in strength and body with some flavors of wood, leather, earth, tobacco and spices. Nothing really going on.
John: My first few puffs are flavors of sweet spices, wood, mild tannic wood in the center, and leather to finish which gives way to wood on the post draw. After a few puffs, mild chocolate joins at the end of the draw. Once the first third settles in, bread and spices harmonize well on the retrohale. As the first third continues, the spices move up to medium strength.
Jiunn: The first third provides sweet hay, cedar and lightly toasted mixed nuts. Retrohaling gives fuller sweet hay. The finish has an interesting waxiness (like a waxed soft candy). Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth loses the dustiness and is now right behind the cedar. At a half inch in, a faint creaminess joins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and dry earth with a light mustiness. At an inch in, the toasted cedar has lost the staleness. As the third comes to a close, toasted cedar is just ahead of the dry earth with light mustiness and creaminess in the background. The strength remained at slightly below medium.
Seth: The second third was in line with the first. Bits of dry earth, wood, leather, tobacco and spices. Medium in strength and body.
John: The second third opens with nuanced combinations of bread, spices and tannic wood. The tannic wood has a long finish through the post draw. Nuts, wood and sweetness combine along with salty accents moving towards the halfway point. Chocolate breaks into the profile during the bottom half, mixing with the salty wood.
Jiunn: The second third has narrowed down to mainly sweet hay without much else. It can really use anything aside from just grass and sweetness to make the smoking more engaging. Strength and body remains medium.

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, a very mellow black pepper joins the profile. At a half inch in, the toast level increases. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, dry earth with light amounts of mustiness and black pepper. At an inch in, a light wood bitterness joins. As the cigar wraps up, toasted cedar is up front with dry earth right behind and light amounts of creaminess, black pepper and wood bitterness in the background. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The final third was like the first two thirds. I’ve said it already.
John: Dry, tannic wood leads off here. Bread, wood and mild spices are present through the retrohale. As the last third progresses, powdered cocoa comes into the middle of the retrohale. Some time later, hay is present at the end of the draw. Dry hay and wood develop in the post draw, moving towards the halfway point. Hay on the post draw has moved up to medium-full strength, and some bitterness joins the profile at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The final third is still full of sweet hay but there is a change happening on the finish. The finish becomes noticeably drier, which is not a good combination with the sweet hay. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and three quarter increments.
Seth: Good burn throughout.
John: The burn was straight through the entire review and required no intervention.
Jiunn: The burn performance was great. Overall even burn, cool burning temperature and good smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Nice draw.
John: The draw was slightly into the resistant spectrum, roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches towards resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was perfect, giving the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, dusty earth and light mustiness. The cedar gained a light staleness fairly quickly. The second third saw the earth lose the dustiness and the cedar lost the staleness while a light creaminess joined in. The final third saw a light wood bitterness join in. Construction was absolutely perfect. The Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo had a simple and average profile throughout. I felt as though it was missing a component that could have moved it up to good and that would either be a fuller creaminess or some sweetness. The strength level is low and it’s an easy smoker, so I could see why it’s referred to as the “Breakfast Stick.” Maybe smoking it with some coffee or hot tea with sugar would create a good pairing. Not something high on my list to revisit, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.
Seth: I will always remember Ike Taylor as a Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback. I think I even got a few touchdowns with him in Madden when I played as the Steelers and the CPU made the INT. Tuna then took control of Ike and we went to the house. But in terms of cigars, he is not up there with the Ray Lewis, the Ditkas or the Leon Searcy. He did beat Ed Reed though in having a cigar. (Fun Fact: Ed Reed owns and requested a DP hat from Sir Aaron Loomis!) I thought the Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo suffered in overall appearance, I was not a fan of the bands, and it was an average blend. Not unpleasant, but not overly enjoyable.
John: The Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo kept me engaged for the majority of the review, with more fuller flavors than you’d get with a more classical Connecticut, while still giving some of the core Connecticut components. The burn was perfect, and the draw was slightly into the resistant spectrum. I would definitely smoke another of these again at my next opportunity. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Jiunn: This Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo was a decent cigar. Lots of sweet grassy earthiness, but where it failed was not having enough of a supporting cast to make it a good production. My final score may not necessarily reflect it, but if you’re looking to try the All Pro Series, skip this one and pick up the Leon Searcy instead.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.48

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$2.59

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$2.14

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.33

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Howard G All Pro Series Ike Taylor’s 1OFAHKINE Connecticut Torpedo