Pre-light Experience

After removing it from the glass tube, I initially notice that the ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar is fairly light for its size. The wrapper is dark tan and has a few lightly raised veins present. The seams are very smooth and hard to detect while the head is finished with a well applied double cap. There are two bands and they are upside down compared to how bands are typically applied and that is due to how these cigars are displayed in their glass tubes. The primary band is gold and black with a large 45 in the middle denoting the 45th President and has the Presidents name above it. The secondary band is black, gold and white and has a slight variation of the Presidents campaign slogan. The aroma from the wrapper is lightly sweet hay while the foot brings hay, wood and stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw brings sweet hay and creaminess along with a mild spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

Finished with a dark golden brown colored wrapper, the ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar is silky and firm in texture. It sports few veins and those present are small in size. I would classify the color as Dark Natural. With that, the cigar has an aroma of cedar, hay and soft tobacco.

Pre-light Experience

The ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar is presented in a sealed tubo. Opening the tubo to remove the cigar brings forth unmistakable aromas of bourbon barrel aging. The cigar itself has a primary and secondary band, which are placed upside down to traditional orientation. I’m not sure if this is a marketing gimmick or a complex social commentary relating to the U.S. Flag Code. Aromas from the cigar are the aforementioned bourbon barrel sweetness and hay underneath. From the foot, bourbon and sweet raisin.

Pre-light Experience

Oooo, fancy glass tube. The ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar package is quite luxurious in large part due to the glass tube. The cigar’s look itself is also luxurious, providing a nice golden claro wrapper and gold double bands to match. Aromas from the wrapper tell fresh cut grass. Aromas from the foot gives prunes, cedar and sharp baking spices. Cold draw reveals grape jelly, cedar and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with hay, dry wood and creaminess. The retrohale is dry wood and light mustiness. At an inch and a half in, a light wood bitterness joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, a perfume note has joined the hay, dry wood and light bitterness while the creaminess has lightened up a bit. The strength in this third was mild-medium.

First Third

The first third begins with notes of honey wax, cedar, hay, tobacco and sweet cream. I would classify the cigar as being medium in strength and body and it compliments the flavors.

First Third

My first few puffs and I taste sweet, dry hay and light, dry cedar. Graham cracker joins the retrohale as the first third settles in. So far, I would describe the profile as light and pleasant, but not overly complex. By the halfway point, the bourbon sweetness I picked up on the aroma comes through on the profile. Dry hay and dry wood have settled into the post draw.

First Third

The first third is mineral and vegetal focused. Flavors of hay, minerals, grass and dehydrated vegetables. There isn’t any spice until retrohaling, in which at that point some good waves of white pepper spice shows. The finish is soft and short with some faint hay. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the perfume, hay and dry wood are all even while the creaminess and wood bitterness are light in the background. At a half inch in, the wood bitterness has increased a bit while the creaminess has departed. The retrohale remains dry wood and mustiness. At an inch and a quarter, some mustiness joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the perfume, hay, dry wood and mustiness are all even, then the wood bitterness comes through at the end of the draw and has a long finish. The strength remains at mild-medium.

Second Third

The second third delivers notes of tobacco, paper, cedar and slight coconut, and like before the cigar is medium in strength and body.

Second Third

Bourbon sweetness, flanked by dry hay and wood take the cigar into the second third. Post draw hay takes on a toasted quality as the second third settles in. I would have described the cigar as fairly average, similar to the first third by this point. Approaching the halfway point, the profile takes on bitterness which serves to be quite off putting on the palate.

Second Third

The second third switches to a profile from being mineral and vegetal focused to wood and bread. There’s a prevalent cedar note through the mouth draws and finish. With the cedar also comes a faint bread/yeast note. Strength and body holds at medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood bitterness increases and has a weird interplay with the perfume note that isn’t all that appealing. At a half inch in, a light creaminess returns to the profile. The retrohale remains dry wood and mustiness. In the last half of the third, the wood bitterness and perfume note dominate the profile in a negative way, masking the other flavors. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly below medium.

Final Third

The final third delivers a profile similar to that of the second third and I am getting notes of tobacco, paper, cedar, honey wax and slight coconut. As it has from beginning to end, the cigar is smoking at a medium level in strength and body.

Final Third

The toasted bitterness dies down after the re-light, moving into the last third. Sweet hay is the primary flavor drive, with some sharp hay on the post draw. As the last third progresses, the bitterness returns, sitting heavily on the palate between draws.

Final Third

The final third is very similar to the second third. The profile is cedar and bread driven with cedar being long and drawn out on the finish. At times, the cedar does pick up some wood bitterness, but overall it’s tamed fairly well. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn was straight the entire way and the ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

The burn was fantastic from beginning to end.

Burn

The burn started out well, relatively straight with some mild flakiness to the ash. As I was puffing on the cigar, it spontaneously went out at the halfway mark, requiring a re-light.

Burn

No issues with the burn. Even burn, tight ashes, good smoke production and cool burning temperature.

Draw

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

Overall

The ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar began with a pretty typical Connecticut Shade profile centered around hay, dry wood and creaminess. The perfume note that joined in later was a bit unique and overall the cigar was average through the first two thirds. In the final third when the wood bitterness built up and paired with the perfume note, it created an off-putting profile that really dominated and took the profile pretty far downhill. The price point is attractive and I don’t really see the cigar targeting avid smokers, but maybe occasional or non-smokers and most of those wouldn’t make it to the final third anyway, so this may be something that works. The profile from the first two thirds didn’t have enough to bring me back and the final third really wouldn’t make me want to return, so I’ll keep the mindset of this cigar as a novelty that people can try it if they are intrigued enough.

Draw

The draw was absolutely perfect. Well constructed cigar.

Overall

Lacking in flavor and complexity, the ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar leans heavily on construction. The honey wax and slight coconut notes were fun, but the paper qualities hurt them. The strength and body were great, construction as well, but in the end the cigar lacked qualities and simply delivered some cigarette qualities in that I was getting tobacco and paper. The glass tube elevates the presentation, but it was completely unnecessary and simply increased the cost.

Draw

The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone of resistance.

Overall

The ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar was a disappointing experience, despite the attempts to dress the cigar up as something more palatable. The bourbon barrel sweetness, if it was indeed bourbon barrel aged, was a solid effort to add some complexity to the overall profile. I did find the first third pleasant, but I couldn’t shake the bitterness from my palate at the halfway point. The draw was excellent, and the burn had one issue, requiring a re-light. I don’t believe I would smoke this cigar again, although I have enjoyed the head to head contest aspect of the Trump vs. Biden cigar poll. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Draw

The draw also had no issues. It gave the best possible balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

With such a nice luxurious package (for only $8 nonetheless), the flavor delivery doesn’t match up. It’s more of your traditional Connecticut shade with softer notes. But the flavors in themselves fall short, due to it being too light and not as full as some other traditional Connecticut shades in the market. The ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar has a good presentation, but not something I’d come back to.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.05

Cost/Point

$1.58

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.68

Cost/Point

$1.71

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

4.48

Cost/Point

$1.78

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.39

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: ted’s Trump Presidential Cigar