NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker

This week's review is of the NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker. Dan from New Havana Cigars released this cigar a few months ago to fulfill his customers requests for a full bodied, full flavored cigar with plenty of balance that is readily available (unlike many of the one time releases throughout the year). There are two Vitolas in the Surrogates line, the Bone Crusher at 5 1/4 x 54 and this Skull breaker which is a 5 1/4 x 52 Belicoso. Here is a little bit of what Dan has to say about Surrogates:

"We stamped the bottom of the boxes "Made in Central America - for those who can't get enough". Everyone wants to know where, by who, etc. But this has become part of the Experiment. Smoke it and decide if you like it. Skip the hype and preconceived expectations. There are more. I think everyone will be more than pleasantly surprised. Our customers have come to trust my smoking preferences, as everything we sell revolves around whether or not it's something I personally want to smoke. There are MANY great cigars out there that aren't in my wheel house. But if you are like me, and like what NHC has offered in the past - then Surrogates is for you because it's based on what I like in a cigar. "

So, I have no idea who makes this or anything about the blend other than it has a Broadleaf wrapper.  This is a great looking cigar with a dark and toothy wrapper and appears to be well made. The aroma at the foot is spicy and chocolatey. The prelight draw shows a great draw with some sweetness and earthy flavors. Once lit the Surrogates starts out with a huge amount of black pepper spice, leather and earth. Right from the start I would say this is not a cigar for beginners. It would completely overwhelm a new smokers palate. You can feel the spice in the back of the throat. After about half an inch the pepper backs off just a bit and some rich coffee and dark chocolate flavors show up. The smoke is thick and chewy and full bodied right from the start. This is a fairly slow smoking cigar and the burn has been mostly even. The Broadleaf wrapper is quite thick but it still burning nicely. I am thinking I should have eaten something more substantial before lighting this one up because it is already well into the full strength category after an inch. I DO NOT recommend retrohaling this cigar unless you like feeling like the inside of your nose is on fire. 

At the halfway point the spice is still there but more in the background with the coffee and chocolate dominating the flavor profile. There is a slight sweetness in this blend as well that really balances out the strength and spice. This cigar produces huge clouds of smoke. Entering the final third of the Surrogates and the flavor profile has remained consistent. The spice returns at the end but it isn't as in your face as it was in the beginning. 

Overall I enjoyed the Surrogates Skull Breaker! This is great when I want a very full bodied black pepper bomb. I have smoked both Vitolas and I prefer this one. The Bone Crushers I smoked had a loose draw but this size is perfect. Like I said before, this is not a cigar for beginners. It is powerful and the spice is really in your face for the first half inch or so. As for the mystery around who makes this cigar, I really don't care, if you enjoy the taste then smoke it! These sell for $7.50 but Dan has them on sale currently at New Havana Cigars, the only place to get these. This is one I would like to have a box of for when I am in the mood for a heavy hitter like this. 

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press IV

This week's review is of the new LFD Factory Press IV. This edition of the Factory Press measures in at 6 1/2 x60 and features a San Andreas wrapper, Ecuadorian binder and Dominican filler. These come in a large cabinet of 120 cigars with the cigars being layed out in trays of 12. The vitola of the Factory Press is really unique, being a very flat and extremely box pressed cigar. 

The appearance and feel of this cigar is really unique with its odd flat shape. Overall it looks to be a well constructed cigar with a dark and silky wrapper. The aroma at the foot is of strait musty aged tobacco. Once clipped, the Factory Press IV has a great draw with some sweet flavors and some of that mustyness I smelled at the foot. Even at a 60 ring gauge this isn't an uncomfortable cigar because of the way it is pressed. Once lit this starts off very smooth with a small amount of black pepper, some sweetness and some great chocolate and woody flavors. This seems lighter on the palate than your average LFD but still very full flavored. There is just a little bit of a floral character around the edges as well that really round out the profile nicely. The burn has been even and I dropped the ash at just over an inch, though it probably would have held on longer. The floral flavor has disappeared and cocoa and some cedar are dominiating the profile now. 

At the halfway point the strength has moved into the medium/full range and the flavor profile has stayed consistent and tasty. The retrohale is pretty powerful, making me sneeze. I won't be doing that again with this cigar. As I reach the band I am getting a little of a flavor I pull out of a lot of LFDs, that great dried fruit/raisin flavor. The whole profile has actually gotten much sweeter. Getting into the final third the sweetness has backed off and the profile has shifted again, this time to a darker and more leathery flavor with some of that raisin sticking around to balance it out. The strength is in the full range but isn't as strong as something like the LFD Double Ligero series. The burn has been great all the way through, never burning uneven or going out on me. At the very end it has gotten a little squishy though. 

I enjoyed the LFD Factory Press IV. It is a really unique cigar due to the format and it delivers plenty of flavor! Any fan of LFD should enjoy these when they have the time for something this large. These sell for around $13 and at that price I will probably pick up one or two more to have around and to see what a little time in the humidor does to the blend.