The CRAFT Maquette Series began two years ago as a way for RoMa Craft Tobac to showcase some limited blends and give their loyal fanbase a firsthand look at some creations that fall outside the company’s core lines. Or that is my understanding of it. I was excited to try the Steel Porcupine earlier this year but I wasn’t able to secure a bundle upon their initial release. Thankfully, I found a sampler online recently that included a few Porcupines and I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
THE CIGAR – STEEL PORCUPINE by ROMA CRAFT TOBAC
Size: 4 1/2 x 56
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican Republic & Honduras
Price: $12.00
This firmly-rolled beauty features a graham cracker shade, silky Ecuadorian wrapper leaf. There’s a cedar aroma present accompanied by a slight and natural sweetness when sniffing the Steel Porcupine’s foot directly. That was a weird sentence to type. Do porcupines have feet or paws? I suppose it doesn’t matter…
After a quick and easy punch of the cap, there’s a touch of mint and a floral note detected on the cold draw prior to the Steel Porcupine being lit up. Flame on! Crisp, well-defined pepper overwhelms the nostrils first and foremost. The pepper lingers and settles itself in high, much like the perfect bite of wasabi. The cedar and floral elements mentioned earlier are both presenting themselves via the draw, and they’re soon joined by a mild earthiness as well.
A flavor reminiscent of powdered, original Coffee Mate® creamer has now entered the Steel Porcupine’s profile. It’s a very unique note and one that I’ve only experienced a few times while reviewing cigars over the last decade. Interestingly, one of those instances occurred while reviewing the Neanderthal H-Town Lancero back in 2018. The combination of pepper, cream, and the cedar/floral notes results in a very full, lingering finish.
The Steel Porcupine is one of those rare cigars that I could see almost ANY beverage pairing working well: morning coffee, Belgium tripel, German hefeweizen, Serbian rakija, chocolate milk, dry pinot noir, Steel Reserve malt liquor… you get the idea. From a construction standpoint, things are damn near perfect. A razor sharp burn, an open (but not too open) smooth cool draw. I guess maybe it’s perfect after all. The retrohale’s pepper has dialed down a bit here in the Steel Porcupine’s middle section, but it remains a core player for sure. That creamy, cedar-forward profile on the draw continues along steadily and continues to impress.
The thick ash finally plops off just past the fifty yard line. A separate creamy note has begun to developed, similar to a light buttercream frosting. I have an old RoMa “C.R.E.A.M.” t-shirt that I fit into many cigars ago… I love that shirt. Anyhoo, the Steel Porcupine is creamy as hell here in the cigar’s final act.
THE NUB
TNCC Final Score = 93
As a former smoker of almost exclusively darker, stronger cigars who has transitioned to lighter shade offerings over the last few years, RoMa Craft’s Steel Porcupine fits very comfortably in my current wheelhouse. VERY comfortably. I still seek out strength and power, to an extent, though I now prefer those factors to be balanced with a more nuanced, complex flavor profile. The Steel Porcupine is just that. My only complaint is that I can’t find any more of them**.
* Total Smoking Duration = 60 minutes
** As mentioned in the intro, I purchased these cigars in a RoMa sampler from a great online retailer (who does not advertise with the TNCC). I am not going to provide a link because, as of now, it’s my only way to acquire more Porcupines. So sue me dickhead, I’m selfish that way.
