Cigar Review: Hiram Solomon Entered Apprentice Gran Toro
Hiram and Solomon Cigars gained considerable ground this passed year; Cigars & Spirits magazine recently featured them in their Top Ten Boutique Cigars of 2015, they had their first of what will hopefully be many events with us this month of March, and they recently released their first Connecticut wrapper cigar, and the star of today’s review; the most-fittingly-titled the Entered Apprentice! Is this new initiate worthy to run in the same pack as the Master Mason? Only time, about an hour and a half, to be exact, and a smoke-filled trial will procure the answer…
Form and Substance
- Vitola: Gran Toro
- Wrapper: Shadez Connecticut
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Dominican
- Dimensions: 5 ½” x 56’
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Aesthetics, Construction and Feel
The Entered Apprentice is much like any new initiate into any organization; it’s exterior is fresh and inexperienced (not aged very long) and its construction is solid. The wrapper has little to no ruggedness, and it exudes no veins, the only exception being the larger central veins of the leaf, which are themselves close to invisible. There are also no loose seams to be found on the wrapper; the seams blend in with the wrapper effortlessly from the foot to the flawlessly constructed cap. There are a few soft spots on the body, but other than that, the Entered Apprentice appears to be more than up to the challenge of honoring the label it wears.
Smoke and Flavor
First Third: Don’t let the Connecticut wrapper fool you; this cigar ain’t no lightweight. The first third of the Entered Apprentice is a packed house, with a rush of heavy earth and spice on every puff. The draw is rather tight, as would be expected from such a heavily armored stogie, but the smoke clouds get nice and dense after some mildly laborious continuous puffing. The ash holds tight and boasts a whitish grey coloring that contrasts well with the wrapper and label. The burn eventually begins to canoe due to the soft spots, but the ash still holds firm. A touch of bitter cedar provides a smooth transition into the second third.
Second Third: The second third begins with a good omen as the burn begins to even itself out, albeit slowly. The original heavy earth and spice flavors continue dominating both the foreground and the background, with the occasional small outburst of cinnamon in the background. The retrohale is particularly strong, especially for a Connecticut; a heavily concentrated mixture of basic spice for punch and nutmeg for flavor catch me off balance in a big way. Meanwhile, the cinnamon outbursts that season the background cease, replaced by a solid and permanent hint of sweet barbecue.
Final Third: The events and flavors of the second third have converged and coalesced by the time we segue into the final third. The burn has by now completely evened itself out. The heavy earth and spice in the foreground remain strong, mixing with the barbecue in the background and becoming both more delicious and intense. The retrohale too intensifies as the nub is neared, culminating in a bang of a finish.
The Final Verdict
Hiram definitely surprised me with this one! As unassuming a Connecticut as it was in appearance, the Entered Apprentice definitely had something to prove. The flavor was strong, solid, and consistent, and the retrohale was a flavorful one-two knockout punch, making it a complete and utter positive shock to the system. Despite the inconsistencies in the burn, the ash performed surprisingly well, only falling off about halfway through the smoke. So while a bit inexperienced, the Entered Apprentice has definitely earned the right to run with the other big boys in the Hiram Solomon lineup.
Final Grade: B+
Total Smoking Time: 01:37:24
Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience
- Be careful with the retrohale; it’s just as powerful as it is flavorful. Don’t go into it under hydrated; have a good strong drink on hand to keep both the flavor and the power in check. A darker Macallan comes particularly highly recommended.