Swag SOBE – A February Delight

A cigar for a champion.  The makers of this cigar are part of the Miami culture and they have a special feeling for the lifestyle and aura of South Beach.  After leaving American Airlines Arena when the Heat won the championship, they headed for South Beach to celebrate with drinks and a cigar.  This blend was then named the South Beach Edition of the SWAG cigar.  It is meant to convey that imagery and feeling.

When you first look at the cigar it is impressive.  More so for the packaging than the cigar since it is almost entirely enclosed in a tissue wrapper topped by the band.  When you remove that you find a nice firm oily darkish brown stick.  I punched and lit mine without problem.  It immediately began producing nice smoke.

The construction of the cigar is good.  It held a nice tight edge and burned evenly throughout.  The draw was open and nice.  The only slight issue was that it didn’t hold a long ash.  Really, not a big deal.

Flavors tell the story of this beach cigar.  It has a sweet but serious start.  There was a fruitiness that I though was reminiscent of cranberry.  I was told the makers were looking for a taste like a red wine.  As the cigar was smoked it produced fruity flavors balanced with nutmeg and a hint of cinnamon.  For the final third, there was some nice spice.  Overall, I think of this as a medium bodied or ‘lunch’ cigar.  It has a short aftertaste and smoked cool.

Forty-five minutes of smoking for around $6 is ok.  But, if you are getting interesting flavors with a nice balance, great packaging, and the feeling of South Beach there is a lot of value.  I liked this cigar and will definitely smoke it again.