It’s a very warm day out so I’m leisurely doing some things that need done like setting up the dehumidifier in the garage, putting together a new porch umbrella, watering the garden, taking care of the barn, etc. I looked in the humidor and this Stillwell Star Aromatic No. 1 grabbed my attention. This is one of four Stillwell Stars available, and the third one I am reviewing. So far I haven't had any bad experiences with these pipe tobacco and cigar blends, however, I haven’t really wanted to smoke more of the blends either. Nevertheless it is a neat concept and have been interesting smoking experiences, so I look forward to this Aromatic No. 1.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Mexican San Andres Negro “Cultivo Tonto”
Filler: Nicaragua, Black Cavendish, Golden Virginia, Burly
Vitola: 6 x 52 Toro
MSRP: $15.30 MSRP
Release Date: November 2021
Company Website: https://www.dunbartoncigars.com/
I still love the presentation of these Stillwell Stars. This one tastes like a sweet tipped cigar. It smells very much like a cherry vanilla pipe tobacco. The cold draw is dark chocolate covered almonds all the way. This cigar starts off the most distinctively like a pipe tobacco when compared to the other two I have reviewed. There is a ton of sweetness on the lips. The smoke is medium-full in body and medium in flavor. The draw is a general tobacco note with a bit of toasted vanilla and nuts. The retrohale is more toasted nuts and some cereal grains. About an inch in there’s some bitterness present, along with a jerky meatiness. It’s starting to canoe and needs to be touched up. I have to touch it up again moving into the second third. It’s also burning pretty fast, especially compared to the other Stillwells I have had. Hitting halfway very quickly the burn is still canoeing and will need to be touched up again. The bitterness is gone and the draw is a lot of toasted nuts, vanilla, and grains. The retrohale has some pepper, earth, and plenty of nuttiness. The flavor is around medium-full now and the body is still medium-full. Nearing the end of the second half it has become a lot more woody and robust. There’s a subtle pepper lingering in the finish. The wrapper has split in multiple places for some reason. The final third opens with the body and flavor going up to full and some strength becoming noticeable around medium. The sweetness from the tip has worn off. There’s a lot of wood with some tannins, earth, and a bit of pepper. The retrohale has some sweet pepper and earth. Hitting the band point the pepper has become more prominent and has a bite. There’s still plenty of wood and some earthiness. The retrohale has some creamy spices along with wood. The performance has been great in this third. Nearing the end the bitterness is returning. Coming to an end at an hour and 31 minutes the flavor profile has dropped much of the pepper and returned to some toasted nuts, wood, and earth.
Overall Experience
Overall I think this was okay. It was a little too much like a Black and Mild, or something along those lines, for my taste. I liked the wood, toasted nuts, earth, and pepper that were present throughout but this blend could have used more moments of the vanilla, grains, and creamy spices to help add depth. There were also a few too many moments of bitterness. I’m not familiar enough with pipe tobacco, so maybe this one is more geared towards pipe smokers than cigar smokers. However, I can only offer a cigar smoker's perspective and I don’t think I would smoke this again or recommend it to a cigar smoker.
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