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Initial Smoke

Salty and smooth, with sizable servings of black walnut and peppercorn, and a tease of Sumatran funk flirting with the backend of the tongue, the first dozen minutes of this stick are undeniably vivacious. With spicier, hardwood-heavy retrohales and dark roast in the rear, the whole experience is just as much about the finish as it is about what you find up front. 

1st Half

As the body settles into medium territory, the blend opens up, allowing the Sumatran binder to stretch its legs for a minute. That roasty, darker finish may still be intact, but up front things take on a meatier, walnut-strong approach to habano flavor profiles, with leather and soil swirling in behind. 

As the spiciness of the smoke settles, creamier, smoother textures expand their reach, and before long fermented fruit flavors and some mixed baking spices blended with herb tea can be tasted. I find that this section, which is just prior to the midway mark, tends to be one of the high-points within the blend, achieving an almost balsamic glaze attribute, but without all of the syrupy sweetness. 

2nd Half

Still burning around a bowl-full of walnut flavors, the second half shows the palate that those spices can have some herbal accents as well. Slightly savory, somewhat foreign, and unmistakably spicy, the regearing of the blend sends a clear message that change is coming. What does not change, however, is body and strength, which remain on the medium side, whereas flavor continues to gun for full every which way.

Darker, nuttier, leather-like, and spicy, the final third flows freely and forms a strong fermented flavor profile. That Indonesian binder likely has a lot to do with this, especially in regard to aromatics, with retrohales adding that sweet, Asian spiced tea attribute that has made tobacco from that region so popular for the past few hundred years. The finish is excellent and not too long, with a balanced blending of many of the tastes detected prior pulling together for a last-minute motion.

Parting Puffs

Sadly, everything goes murky in parting puffs, with little more than intense Sumatran funk and an earthier, spicier send-off spiraling into a sharp, bitter aftertaste. The cigar also seems to get overwhelmingly hot, which is a pity because I would like to keep going.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Despite the burn waving about like a prom queen on a tobacco-adorned float in areas, my review cigar burned without much issue. There were some sections where it did combust cleanly, and my sample sticks did not stray too far from straight, so altogether I give this blend a passing grade with a solid B to B+ depending upon the stick. Part of the reason for this was due to the clean draw, which was inhibited just enough by that tapered marblehead, allowing the cigar to burn cool all the way up until parting puffs. Smoke quality was also good, with the texture remaining right around medium for the majority of the cigar's burn time. 

Final Thoughts

If there is one big takeaway from this blend, it is that it checks every box that is required to make an EDC smoke desirable. Affordability, quality control, consistency, tasting notes, aromatics, and availability all earn the Marblehead Habano a hefty thumbs up. It's also a very easy-going smoke, even though it does lean more toward full in flavor and intensity for much of the time.

There also wasn't much in the way of nicotine to be detected in any of the cigars I smoked. From a "yard cigar" standpoint, this is great, because when it comes time to wield a chainsaw or swing a sledgehammer, the last thing you want is a cloudy head. 

Even though I cannot allot additional points for pricing, I remain quite impressed that this cigar only costs eight bucks a stick. It looks, burns, smells, tastes, and performs like a blend that would cost double the amount, and does not have many chinks in its armor beyond some unpleasant parting puffs. Okay, so it is a touch repetitive at times, but that's not something that is going to concern you when you are concentrating on mowing the lawn.

If anything, it might be the band's placement that causes the most concern. Grubby, sweaty digits happen, especially when working outdoors, and having a cigar band to grab ahold of instead of a smooth wrapper is always appreciated. Perhaps it's time I look into a cigar holder so that I can look like Captain Hook while I'm weeding the garden...