@WNYTony, I challenge you to a duel!

[Horseshoe]

So it sounds we can all agree @Horseshoe needs to smoke this cigar too tonight

No can do tonight. And tomorrow is off the table as I just ran into a nightmare at work. Maybe I can squeeze it in sometime in 2016.

[DogRockets]

@WNYTONY set the El Hippie free! Where is your review?!?

[c.ortiz108]

Jimmie’s Cigars
Made by R.W. Nooney

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The history of this cigar is shrouded in mystery. From what I understand, @DogRockets got them from some random street person who claimed to be the manufacturer, and decided to share the wealth with a few selectively chosen bums (who must have pissed him off royally somewhere down the line). I’m not sure who Jimmie is, or why he spells his name like that, or who R.W. Nooney is. On the back of the band is says “RWN II 1970”. No idea about wrapper, filler etc., and the interwebs yield no clues other than that RWN is trademarked in Miami.

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This is an infused cigar – so infused that its aroma permeates anything and everything within a three-mile radius. It smells like an artificially flavored McDonald’s chocolate milkshake, though I guess it could be coffee. This is only the 3rd infused stick I’ve had, and the other two (an Acid and a Tabak Especial Dulce) did not make me a fan. At all. So already I’m the wrong guy to be reviewing this!

First surprise is that this cigar doesn’t have a sweetened tip. That already gives it an advantage over Drew Estate infused cigars in my book. This is a seriously box-pressed stick, and a big fat ring gauge which makes it practically square.

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It takes some serious effort to get this thing lit – lots of huffing and puffing. And to be honest it’s a pretty unpleasant experience so far. The taste on the lips is very bitter – not regular tobacco bitter, but I’m guessing it’s from the flavoring. Worse, though, is the incredible sourness! I don’t know how to describe it. Not lemon-sour, but more like sourdough bread.

That flavor is persisting through the first 3rd. Imagine dry sourdough toast, caked in unsweetened cacao powder.

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Entering into the second 3rd, these flavors are enhanced by a little coal and tar. This would be a good smoke for roofers.

One weird thing I noticed is that as you smoke the box press bulges and puffs out and the cigar gradually gets rounder. About halfway it’s getting spongey. Squishy almost, and it starts needing relights (and this is after being dry-boxed for 24 hours).

The draw is good, the burn okay, good smoke output and it seems generally well-constructed. It’s also really smooth and very consistent. Not much change along the way. I give up after too many relights.

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I felt kind of bad about all the ribbing I gave Jeremy about this stick, considering it was part of a surprise bomb and everything. As I lit up I thought how nice it would be if I could give it a great review, publicly admit my error, and bow to the wisdom of Jeremy, sage and oracle of all things Dog Rockety. It’s not that this stick is bad, it’s just that it tastes like chocolate-covered fecal matter. Maybe some guys like that combination of flavors. Who am I to judge?

All I can say is, I have earned the Don Carlos I’m planning on smoking this weekend!

[WNYTONY]

Oh that was excellent Chico !
I'm so glad that this El Hippie is not an infused stick...... smoking it now

[WNYTONY]

El Hippie, by Victor Sinclair, is a Dominican hand made cigar according to the sales information.
The cigar so graciously gifted to me by @c.ortiz108 was the 5 x 38 Petite Corona
These are sold in bundles of 25, with an MSRP of $37.50 per bundle, but currently "on sale" for $18.95 at Cigar Hut to help you fill those humidors.
There is also a 2-fer option to grab 2 bundles (50 of these babies) for $28.74 - a mere 57 cents a smoke !
And the website says there are quantity discounts available on either quantity option.

I have decided to use my trusty Xikar multi-tool scissors to achieve a nice and fine cut on this cigar.
My lighter tonight will be the Zippo Blu, filled with Zippo branded butane.
And of course - my favorite single-rest cigar ashtray.


The first thing I notice is how the foot resembles a poorly rolled joint, like the roller just twisted off the leaf and left it hanging there.
I made my cut and the cold draw revealed a weird tasting sweetness from the tip. After checking the cigar info I see that it is billed as a "delicious sweetened tip" - I would not agree with "delicious" as being the best descriptive word for this taste. But the cigar draws well so we move on to the light.

It takes several minutes to get this thing lit. The extra flap of leaf on the foot keeps catching fire and take a while to burn away so that the foot is actually lit. As I draw to get the cigar started it is a very easy draw and I can immediately tell this is a very mild cigar. Again the cigar info confirms that this is "mild bodied".

Smoking along I am keeping a fairly steady pace as I am a little afraid this will go out if I don't. That weird taste from the tip continues and really overpowers any other flavor that might be present. It draws and burns well, and is mild but fairly harsh at the same time. It reminds me of a Swisher Sweets Outlaw or a Backwoods except for that weird taste off the tip.



At the halfway point I am noticing this cigar does not hold alot of ash and I'm happy to say that it hasn't gone out yet, and just then it does. That weird flavor off the tips seems to be lingering longer on the lips after each draw, although the intensity of it has weakened thankfully. Any real flavors are still unnoticeable to me, but perhaps others with a more sophisticated palate could pick some out. (I keep waiting for a hint of weed to kick in - it is name El Hippie after all LOL.)

As I enter the last third that weird flavor is not really noticeable any longer but my lips are starting to burn a little from it. I will say this - it does burn well. Straight line and only 2 re-lights in the second half. The end has loosened up quite a bit and the tobacco is starting to fall out. Time to grab the nub stick.



Smoking time was around an hour and fifteen minutes and I went all the way down on it. As I am getting to the end the burning sensation seems to be going away so I have now apparently gotten all that stuff off the end of the stick.

All in all it wasn't quite as hideous as I was expecting, but the weird sweetness was a definite turn off. If not for that I might be inclined to give this another shot as a yard gar. Thanks Chico - I can now cross this one off the list.

[c.ortiz108]

Great review, @WNYTONY - and you say you've never done one before? I you've uncovered a hidden talent. Hope you'll keep it up!

That stick sounds like an insult to hippies! Glad it wasn't as bad as expected though. Thanks for rising to the challenge!

[c.ortiz108]

@Horseshoe ,