Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Topper 125th Anniversary is a marbled medium brown with some thick, but well pressed veins. The seams are raised a bit and the caps are well applied. The band is gold, red, black and white and denotes the company name. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cedar and earth while the foot brings a mix of cedar, bread and stewed fruit. The pre-light draw brings cedar and stewed fruit along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Topper 125th Anniversary is a rustic looking cigar. Not a pretty Maduro, but more of a dark Colorado Maduro. Marbling throughout with small to medium sized veins. Firm in texture with a leather texture. Aromas of rich earth, tobacco, spices, minerals and coffee.
John: The Topper 125th Anniversary comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker that tears in half when opened. The cigar has a single band and no artisanal complications that I can see. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco, clover, faint wood, honey and mild citrus. From the foot, I was getting an intense bourbon cask sweetness, tobacco and aged barrel wood.
Jiunn: The Topper 125th Anniversary has a Colorado maduro wrapper shade. Major veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head is well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper give dry barnyard, cereal and bread. Aromas from the foot tell of dry barnyard and a hint of dry red pepper spice. Cold draws reveal cedar and sweet hay.

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, earth and black pepper. At a half inch in, a light cocoa powder joins in. The retrohale is a full and detailed combination of the toasted oak, earth and light black pepper. At an inch in, a light creaminess becomes present. At an inch and a half in, the black pepper has mellowed a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is up front, with earth in the middle, black pepper slightly behind and cocoa powder and creaminess in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The cigar starts out with some pepper spice notes that are paired with this mineral and coffee earth quality. Bits of cocoa and cinnamon present as well. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first third gets started with creamy baking spices, mild coffee and a finish that was a medley of earth, tobacco, wood and mild coffee as an accent. Sweet graham cracker develops through the retrohale as the first third settles in. Black tea is present through the finish, but without the associated tannic intensity. Powdered cocoa combines with the coffee component as the cigar moves towards the halfway point.
Jiunn: The first third presents a near medium-full body and medium strength profile. Flavors consist of layered dried red pepper spice and semi-sweet chocolate. There’s a nice sweet cream to the profile that does a great job of pairing the other flavors. Retrohaling gives more of the red pepper spice, but it’s never overbearing. The finish is drawn out, with dry cocoa.

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth picks up a bit and becomes darker. At a half inch in, the creaminess and cocoa powder are barely holding on. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is slightly ahead of the earth with black pepper a fair bit behind and faint cocoa powder and creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is fairly similar to that of the first third except that I am getting this toast and chocolate flavor. It is not very sweet, but more pronounced than the cocoa. Richer and creamier. Bits of pepper, minerals, coffee, earth and cinnamon as well. Medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy black tea leads off, with honey and wood combining in the middle and a mildly tannic wood to finish. Some coffee and earth return to the center of the profile as it settles in, along with a mild vegetal note through the finish. As it moves towards the halfway point, a black tea with tannic notes is present through the end of the draw. Tannic wood takes over the center of the profile through the bottom half.
Jiunn: The second third continues the great semi-sweet chocolate core note. Accompanying this note is the same dried red pepper spice and sweet cream. Strength and body is still medium.

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the creaminess picks up a bit. At a half inch in, the earth is now even with the toasted oak up front. The retrohale remains toasted oak and earth. At an inch in, the toast level picks up a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and earth are even up front with black pepper and creaminess a fair bit behind and faint cocoa powder in the background. Strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is fairly similar to that of the second. Toast, coffee and chocolate with some mineral, pepper and cinnamon flavors. Medium in strength and body. Smooth finish.
John: The last third greets me with black tea along with creamy wood in the center that lingers through the finish. Earth defines the center as the final third settles and progresses. Through the bottom half, the profile is primarily wood forward.
Jiunn: The final third sadly shifts away from the semi-sweet chocolate core flavor and instead brings just dried red pepper spice and charred cedar. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Average burn. Uneven at times.
John: The burn was straight through the start, holding a two inch ash at one point. Some unevenness developed in the second third, eventually requiring a touch-up to correct. No issues through the last third.
Jiunn: Burn performance was spot on. Cool burning temperature, even burn, tight ashes and ample smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Good draw throughout.
John: The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was perfect, delivering matched air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, earth and black pepper. A light cocoa powder joined in fairly quickly and some creaminess a bit later. The second third saw the creaminess and cocoa powder become pretty faint. The final third saw the earth become even with the toasted oak. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Topper 125th Anniversary started well, with a nice combination of flavors. The second third dropped a level as the supporting notes became very faint, and maintained that level the rest of the way. I was really hoping the profile from the first third could hold on longer, but it was a bit mundane from the second third on. Not a bad showing for an anniversary cigar, but not likely something I’d come back to all that often. I am a big fan of the ten cents per year anniversary pricing though.
Seth: The Topper 125th Anniversary was an enjoyable cigar and it had that rustic Connecticut Broadleaf quality flavor profile. It was a nice Connecticut Broadleaf, but it was paired with a blend that was lacking. I think a more complex filler blend would have helped make this wrapper pop, while still delivering that rustic/old Connecticut Broadleaf profile. I imagine it will soften out quite a bit with age, and with this cigar being just around medium, I think these would be best to smoke now.
John: The Topper 125th Anniversary was a delight to review and had some really engaging flavor combinations that kept me engaged and looking forward to lighting another one up again. The draw was perfect and the burn had some minor unevenness through the second third which required a touch-up. For an anniversary cigar, the Topper delivers not only on flavor but with a competitive price point that will have me seeking another one out the next time I have a chance. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Jiunn: This Topper 125th Anniversary is well worthy of an anniversary cigar. Proper broadleaf giving a strong chocolate presence with just the right amount of spice, sweetness and rustic earthiness. Not only is this a worthy anniversary cigar, the price point is seriously attractive in the current market of most companies pumping out overpriced mediocre anniversary / LE blends. Well done.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.05

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.15

Cost/Point

$2.43

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$1.86

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.83

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Topper 125th Anniversary