Some cigar companies take their websites more seriously than others to put it gently. I truly appreciate those that do everything they can to make sure that if you, the consumer, takes the time to visit their site you’ll be able to find a wealth of information about the company itself and their individual releases. J.C. Newman is one such company and by visiting their website I learned this:
U.S. Patent Office records show that J.C. Newman first rolled Sarzedas cigars in 1900. A century ago, Sarzedas was widely known as “The Aromatic Cigar.” One hundred and twenty-five years later, J.C. Newman has reintroduced Sarzedas cigars and they are now being manufactured at J.C. Newman’s PENSA cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.
“I have loved the Sarzedas name and the brand’s history as ‘The Aromatic Cigar’ for years,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman. “I have been wanting to bring this historic brand back, but had to wait until we could create a blend that lives up to the brand’s legacy. Sarzedas is the most flavorful cigar we have ever made.”
Sarzedas cigars are rolled in four sizes, a 6” x 50 toro, a 4.75” x 52 robusto, a 7” x 48 Churchill, and a 5.5” x 43 corona. They were blended by Rich Dolak, J.C. Newman’s longtime Vice President of Operations who has blending the cigars with the Newmans for 29 years. Sarzedas features a silky smooth Ecuadorian Shade wrapper, and binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
THE CIGAR – SARZEDAS by J.C. NEWMAN CIGAR COMPANY
Size: 6 x 50 (toro)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian shade
Binder: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua*
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua*
Price: $9.50 (Famous Smoke Shop has a wide selection of J.C. Newman products on sale now and you can save $20 off your $100 purchase using promo code TNCC20)
First off, the aroma pouring off the Sarzedas immediately after the cello sleeve is removed is indeed “aromatic”. If you look up synonyms for aromatic you’ll find terms such as fragrant, perfumed, scented, and sweet-smelling. All of those apply to the Sarzedas as well. It’s an aroma that reminds me of a girl that I briefly dated in high school who burned incense constantly (yes, usually while a Tori Amos CD was spinning), it’s also a scent that’s not dissimilar to a car air freshener or an Acid Kuba Kuba cigar. After a quick and effortless punch of the sweetened cap, the cold draw is – wait for it – very sweet. There’s also an Irish cream flavor that stands out amongst the other more herbal elements.
Once flame meets cigar, a crisp well-defined white pepper note comes through loud and clear via the retrohale. Cedar, heavy cream, and a touch of vanilla are the first trio of flavors to develop on the draw. Thankfully, for a traditional (non infused) cigar smoker like myself, any concerns about the Sarzedas being ultra-heavy on artificial flavorings and outside aromatic influences are not a legit issue here early on. Other than the sweetness on my lips, she’s smoking more or less like a traditional cigar.
Construction is very good with a smooth draw, straight burn line, and the Sarzedas is producing copious amounts of white smoke from both ends. Towards the end of the first third, a light coffee note joins the cedar, cream, and vanilla flavors on the draw. A splash of that Irish cream that was found on the cold draw is now arising through the nose and it plays nicely with the existing, mellow white pepper. And just a few puffs later, an orange zest note joins the party upstairs as well.
A pencil lead sensation suddenly pops up alongside the orange zest, Irish cream, and pepper. Needless to say, there is a lot going on now flavorwise with the Sarzedas and I’m mostly enjoying the toro’s profile if, and it’s a Big Fucking IF, I refrain from licking my lips. The second you lick your lips that thick sweetness from the cap instantly overwhelms the otherwise relaxing, enjoyable finish of the cigar.
I’m positive there are smokers out there who will be happily licking their lips constantly throughout the smoking experience because they actually seek out that sweetness, like a traditional cigar smoker might seeks out a ballsy blast of ligero. Different strokes for different folks. I do wonder if you were to cut off a much larger portion of the cap than is necessary if the impact of that sweetened cap might be lessened…**
As far as potential beverage pairings are concerned, I don’t think I’ve ever recommended partnering up a cigar with a flavored latte but here we are. If it makes sense it makes sense. One interesting aspect of the Sarzedas worth noting is that once a new flavor is introduced, throughout the 78 minute smoking duration, it remains steady until the last puff. Flavors don’t come and go, they come and stay. So EVERY flavor that you’ve read about thus far is still very present until the last puff.
THE NUB
TNCC Final Score = 88
There’s a huge market for nontraditional cigars, in the realm of the mighty Acids and the insanely popular Deadwood ladies, and J.C. Newman has now entered that market with a very solid initial offering. So if you’re a regular smoker of those particular brands, I feel confident that you will enjoy the overall profile of the Sarzedas. As we often say here in The Corner Of No Hope, the worst thing you can do is make a boring cigar and the Sarzedas is far from boring.
* J.C. Newman does not specify which exact country of origin the tobaccos used for the binder and filler are from, only that it features “binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua”. The Sarzedas could possibly feature a double binder and a mixed nation filler blend but your guess is as good as mine as to what’s definitively going on in there…
** So, I went ahead and clipped off a large chunk of the cigar’s head on another sample to see if that lessened the impact of the sweetened cap on the overall smoking profile of the Sarzedas. After several cuts that resulted in no real discernible difference, I cut the cigar down to the top of the band so my lips would rest on paper rather than wrapper leaf.
This drastic measure resulted in a more pleasurable smoking experience for yours truly. While the sweetness wasn’t completely eliminated, it was more tolerable for sure and there was less interference with the many other flavors present. The score reflected above will remain the same, however, as the original Sarzedas sample was smoked as it was intended to be smoked. I’m a professional cigar scientist so don’t try this at home, kids!***
*** I am, in fact, just an amateur cigar scientist (at best) and you should feel completely free to try this method at home. I don’t know what came over me back there, I apologize. I look forward, given the opportunity, to earning back both your trust and respect over time.
