Sexy habano, meet Sumatran sensualist. Oh, you two have a few full-bodied filler friends from Nicaragua and Peru looking to party too? Well, I guess ya'll came to the right place to play... 

No, this is not an excerpt from a series of collaborative works by Russ Meyers and Hugh Hefner based in the swingin' late 1960s schlock scene. It's an intro to the Classico by Fratello Cigars. A premium cigar blend from the minds behind the brilliant Bianco III, which it bears quite a few similarities to in many regards... until it doesn't.

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Unlit Impressions 

Every time I look at this cigar I think of a candy cane. Sure, the bright red and white angled banding, bold font, and partitioned lines have a lot to do with it, but so too does that shiny red habano wrapper. Glossy to the eye, but only mildly oily upon touch, this crisply fitted specimen is about as clean as it comes. Candy cane cap included.

Above that beautiful bunch (each cigar sampled was expertly rolled) came mellow smells of roasted pecans, Spanish cedar, and a dusty leather smell that brought back memories of my old leather jacket from my college days. Like most premium cigar blends, the foot produced a much more vivacious smell, as sour cherries and sandalwood spun about scents of caramel and mild mixed baking spices.

Dry and earthy, cold draws kept some of these scents in play but made rotated farm soil, hardwood tannins, and a blended nuttiness the main focus. This prelight impression was tasty, but not nearly as sweet as the aromas off the foot, which surprised me. 

Initial Smoke

Dried tea and equally dry mixed baking spices settle in swiftly, along with some roasted tree nuts that remain ambiguous in regard to their ethnicity. It may be a plain start for some, but the draw is perfect with a punch, and the smoke produced is clean, medium, mildly sweet, and jampacked with intoxicating aromatics.

1st Half   

Cedar smells and flavors roll out the red carpet for a bright and peppery first third that is equally bitter-sweet since both black tea and caramel can be detected. Roasted nuts remain a real contender for the top cigar flavor profile in this section of the stick, and retrohales produce a pleasant bounce-back of these notes that is not too strong nor too mild. 

Nearing the second third, the Sumatran binder starts to show itself a bit more, which for fans of this strain and its unique tasting notes, is sure to impress. It's still an habano smoke, but this underlying spiciness, and all of the exotic dried fruits and fermentables that follow play a pretty important supporting role. 

Smooth, medium-bodied, and incredibly clean is the smoke pulled forth, which is more medium-full in flavor. And while strength remains medium, aftertastes and retrohale impressions are fairly full, leaving you with a very balanced blended first half.

2nd Half 

Halftime show fireworks are all cinnamon, sweet spiced fruits, roasted pecans and cashews, and a hardwood aftertaste that goes heavy on the tannins. This is where the big transition in the cigar occurs, and it shifts toward a darker, richer, rounder smoking experience.

Dark soil grittiness adds to an increasingly full flavor profile while simultaneously doing a bit of body-building. Inside, a shift toward chewy granola occurs, which is more of a brown sugar and cinnamon mix and pairs perfectly with the roasted nut notes. Sumatran-heavy until the very end, the binder on this cigar balances the leather notes in this cigar, which as it burns becomes increasingly intense.  

Parting Puffs

Speaking of intensity, this blend tends to save all of its strength for that moment in the final third when parting puffs are about to begin. It's not as much of a haymaker as it is a slap of nicotine, and it makes the almost exclusively Sumatran final moments of the cigar quite potent.

Alongside all of the recognizable Sumatran spice and earthen robustness, come flavors of vanilla and candied pecan nut halves, stronger baking spices, and a big, bold charred wood taste.  

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Although it may have been impeccably rolled, my review cigar required two large touch-ups in the first and second third, and produced a tunnel near parting puffs. Since the other cigar I sampled only needed one notable touch-up and burned much cleaner, I erred on the favorable side and was not too harsh in my assessment. Plus, it was windy as all hell during my review session, so that likely held some consequence.

Furthermore, the draw on both cigars was spectacular. So much so, that I suggest a punch or a v-cut to help restrict flow a bit. Like all of Fratello's blends, ash formation is a strength of the Classico, as is the temperature of the cigar itself and the smoke formed, which never once showed signs of overheating. 

Final Thoughts  

Even though its burn was a bit off, I still really enjoyed my time with the Fratello Classico. It's a nice little unassuming smoke that sits somewhere in between being an habano and a Sumatran, with the pinch of Peruvian tobacco inside the long-filler adding a little earthen flair at the most opportune of times. 

This results in a cigar that is a bit more complex and flavorful, thanks in part to some excellent aromatics, righteous retrohales, and a few choice transitions to keep you intrigued along the way. Above average in almost every way, there's enough to this blend that gives me reason to reach for it over other habano-wrapped smokes in my Kobi Klaro humidor. 

However, the burn issues encountered and knowing that this blend could have been even better if the wrapper and binder lineup had been reversed continue to give me pause. But I am by no means a master blender or even a torcedor for that matter, so it is best to just enjoy what this stick offers and appreciate it for what it is: A good blend that should be considered by those who favor a high-spirited habano cigar and are okay with finding a few surprises hidden inside.

Flavor, Aroma & Transitions

Depth & Complexity

Construction, Burn & Physical Appeal

Backstory & Branding

Overall Balance & Repeatability

Stogie Specs