Powstanie has waited eight years to introduce a third blend into its core line up. The Habano and Broadleaf are terrific cigars, thankfully, my local shop carries Powstanie and I find myself enjoying them often. I have also found that my natural cycle of cigar smoking has shifted towards Connecticut (CT) cigars of late and I was thrilled to hear that the Szczepankewicz brothers had finally worked with Nica Sueño on their own CT blend.

I bumped into Chet and Phil at the Jason Taylor Foundation’s Chili Cookoff held in February 2024. We exchanged some pleasantries and Phil offered me the cigar used for this review. As I mentioned previously, I’d been on a CT kick of late with the exceptional HVC Golden Line, Joya CT and Casa Cuevas’s exceptional offerings. I really wanted to see how the Powstanie would measure up.

STATS

• Blend: Powstanie Connecticut
• Vitola: Robusto 5 x 50
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
• Binder: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Weight: 11g
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. 
• Smoking Time: 01h 20m

PRELIGHT

When I first removed the cellophane, the aroma on the body of the cigar reminded me of wet dog. Not the most appetizing scent but after letting the cigar sit, I had trouble picking out anything specific on the wrapper besides tobacco and a slight vanilla. The foot had a bready, wheat note.

The Black and Gold color scheme of the bands pops off the wrapper on the Powstanie CT which was darker than other lines using the same CT leaf. The black field on the band had an embossed design that was visible when the cigar was at an angle. The CT is an attractive cigar and my sample had no spots or blemishes in the wrapper

The wrapper felt rough and dry but did not have grit, the feel reminded me of grocery store paper bags. There were minimal veins, visible seams and the wrapper was somewhere between matte and oily. I used a perfect cut to vent the cap. Cold draw was very good, the Powstanie CT had the right amount of resistance. Fruit and Cherry were prominent on the cold draw.

FIRST THIRD

This cigar really shines in the first third, the smoke production is top notch. The CT easily produces thick buttery sweet smoke that lingers on the palate with the cherry from the cold draw near the back of the mouth. The smoke was cool, the burn was not razor sharp but consistent. Not a strong cigar at the start but it exhibited some good body.

I do need to point out one issue I had very early on, even using a perfect cut with controlled depth, the wrapper started to unravel on me from the cap. I had to make sure while smoking it to keep that loose wrapper wet and secured by lips and teeth. This is not usual for Powstanie cigars or cigars from the Nica Sueño factory.

SECOND THIRD

Ash on the CT was tight! It held on to the cigar through the first third and dropped off in a solid two-inch chunk. The sweet berry note remains with a little bit of spice, the cigar remains creamy and smooth in the finish. I see in my notes that I was impressed at how great the smoke was on this cigar. The combustion was still wavy, but I also noted that the cigar was burning quickly. I had to remove the Connecticut sub band to avoid burning it. Looking at my smoking log, it took around 17 minutes to get through the first third and 16 more to smoke the second. There was nothing of note in the aroma of the cigar.

FINAL THIRD

The temperature of the smoke got warmer in the last third with less distance for drawn smoke to travel. The cigar needed no relights or touchups. Not the most elegant burn but a good combustion throughout. Smoke continued to pour out of the Powstanie CT which made it such a pleasure to smoke despite the delicate wrapper issue. I noted in the third that the burn slowed significantly. I got another half hour out of the CT before putting it down. Total smoking time was just over an hour. The strength also seemed to kick up in the final third and I saw I changed my initial strength from mild to medium. The flavors were similar, but this cigar really shines when retrohaled. The pepper kick is hiding in the retro and the flavors were more pronounced.

We have been blessed with some very good Connecticut cigar options. Gone are the days of your grandfathers CT, these new cigars have more body and strength than prior releases. The Powstanie CT brings something a little lighter to the line that you can put in anyone’s hand and they will find something to enjoy. The cigar scored very well on my rate sheet but I will take a point away for it unraveling on me. If these show up at my local cigar shop I will purchase some and I am looking forward to trying the CT in some additional sizes, one of which was just announced for PCA.