Hiram and Solomon

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Cigar Review: Hiram Solomon Entered Apprentice Gran Toro

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
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Cigar Review: Hiram and Solomon Cigars Fellowcraft

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Hiram and Solomon aims to honor the tradition, culture, and fraternity of the Freemason brotherhood. The company is headquartered in Tom’s River, New Jersey, while the cigars themselves are rolled in the Dominican Republic. The Fellowcraft is the company’s intermediate outfit, with the Entered Apprentice serving as the novice line, and the Master Mason as the company’s full-bodied brand. Hiram and Solomon Cigars sent in samples for this review.

Blend Specifics:

Cigar: Hiram and Solomon Fellowcraft

Vitola: Gran Toro 6” x 56

Wrapper: Habano 2000

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

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Appearance and Construction: The Fellowcraft has a milk chocolate brown wrapper with very minimal veins, a superfine sandpaper texture and a slight oily sheen. Very well construction with tight, though visible seams, and very dense packing at the foot, and a nicely applied double cap.

Smoke and Flavor Characteristics

Cold Aromas: The wrapper has a cedar and grass mix. The foot gives off fresh cedar and a clean vanilla with just a hint of spice. The cold draw has just the right amount of tension, and presents cedar, a bit of citrus; a salty-oily residue can be felt on the lips with an ever so slight hint of cayenne pepper.

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First Third: Big pepper wash as the first notes start to pop up. A dry cedar and a darker and harder wood make themselves present and hold the core while there’s still a pepper wash on the back of the tongue. Lots of salt and cedar are in the aroma. The draw is nice and just right, providing for ample amounts of creamy smoke. There’s a hint of dried fruit, akin to raisins or dried figs. There’s also a decent amount of leather and sweet tobacco present. The pepper starts to die down quite a bit. The ash is a uniform slate gray and is slightly flaky but holds together as a chunk really well. The burn isn’t razor sharp but performance is just fine. The finish is clean and is somewhat short-lived, with a lingering leather note. The body is medium plus, the flavor is medium to full, and the strength is at medium.

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Second Third: Starting the second third, the ash is holding on strong. The flavor hasn’t changed much since the first, but still very entertaining and flavorful. Leather and cedar still teaming with minor notes of dried fruit, dark wood, and a pepper tingle. The burn gets a little wonky at times but corrects itself without any problems and no need for relights or touch-ups as of yet. The ash finally fell off on its own at 2.25”. The body is still holding at medium plus, flavor at medium to full, though starting to drop toward medium and the strength is at medium. Removing the band comes off really nice and easy.

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Final Third: Into the third, the flavors have dropped significantly and have culminated into a dry wood core with a-muted leather. Dried fruit and salt are practically gone. There still lies a touch of black pepper on the finish. Smoke production is still great with plumes of creamy smoke. This cigar required one touch-up here in the final third. The Fellowcraft finishes at medium plus in body, medium in flavor and medium to full in strength.

Final Thoughts: The Hiram and Solomon Fellowcraft seem to have some difficulties in getting lit right, most likely due to its very oily wrapper. Though once it gets going, it goes pretty well and usually without any other hitches. The flavor profile is dominant in cedar and leather, with minor notes of dried fruit, a darker wood, salt, which is also in the aroma in hefty amounts and black pepper, which shines best on the finish and lingers on the back of the tongue. The ash holds on phenomenally on this cigar, and the cigar itself can be best described as a mid-day smoke. Not quite suitable for after supper, and a bit too strong for an early day / breakfast smoke. This smoke is best savored in sips, though at times it can take a few double puffs to get a good draw. The profile is a steady medium plus in body, a varying medium to full to medium in flavor and a medium to medium to full in strength.

Smoking time was 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Grade: B