Boris 11 Connecticut

The Boris 11 Connecticut might not be a cigar many people have heard of.   This is a cigar exclusive to Jeff Boryciewicz’s Corona Cigar Company stores in Orlando, Florida.  Many times when I visit a retailer, I like to sample a cigar that is unique to that shop.  Ive always been pleased with the Corona Cigars house blends as they have provided some very nice smokes at a great price.  With the Boris 11, this is positioned as a super premium house blend.  I recently had a chance to sample the Boris 11 Connecticut Shade, one of two blends in the Boris 11 line.  Given this is a super premium cigar, it does carry a higher price point. The big question in my mind how good a cigar experience the Boris 11 Connecticut Shade would provide?   The answer would be simple – outstanding.

From the Corona Cigar Company web site, we get the following information on the Boris 11:

“Some of the oldest, most experienced and respected people in the industry helped blend Boris 11 and make it one of our all-time best selling super-premium cigars“.

If you look the link above’s page title it does say “Boris 11 Exclusive Cigars by Avo”, so no doubt we are talking about the legendary Avo Uvezian.  As we get into the technical breakdown and assessment of the Boris 11 Connecticut Shade, this cigar definitely has an Avo/Davidoff feel to it.   As mentioned there are two blends of the Boris 11. The other is a maduro version.

Without further adieu, let’s take a closer look at the Boris 11 Connecticut

Blend Profile

There are not a lot of details known about the blend. As mentioned above, the wrapper is Connecticut Shade.  We also know the two Boris 11 cigars are made in the Dominican Republic and have Dominican fillers.   The binder has not been disclosed.

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Not disclosed
Filler: Dominican Long Filler

Vitolas Available

The two Boris 11 blends are currently available in the following sizes:

Churchill:7 x 50
Perfecto: 5 1/4 x 50
Robusto:5 x 50
Torpedo: 6 x 52
Toro: 6 x 52

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I went with the Toro vitola.  The Boris 11 Connecticut has a classic light brown Connecticut Shade wrapper.   There are not a lot of visible veins or visible wrapper seams.  I categorize the wrapper as silky and not oily.  When you closely look at this cigar, you can tell it is well constructed

The band features a color scheme of pale yellow, copper, gold, and black.   Prominently displayed on the band is the name “BORIS 11” in gold font that has a black border around it.  The “BORIS 11” text is purposely not evenly aligned.   Below that text is the text “SELECION ESPECIAL” in smaller black font.   The remainder of the band features gold, copper, and black pin-striping   There is a reddish cursive “C” on a small gold circle.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

I went with my usual straight cut into the cap of the Boris 11 Connecticut Toro.   It was then on to the pre-light draw experience.   The dry draw notes of the Boris 11 Connecticut gave me a profile that was reminiscent of a classic Dominican tobacco blend – namely notes of wood, straw, and some pepper.  These type of notes typically don’t excite me, but there is no loss of points here because we do not factor pre-light draw into our assessment.  At the same time, I can see this dry draw appealing to many cigar enthusiasts.  At this point, I was anxious to fire up the Boris 11 Connecticut and see what the cigar would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Boris 11 was also what I would categorize as classic Dominican.   There were a lot of notes of grass, straw, wood, and pepper to start.   It didn’t take long before an interesting sweetness evolved.   At first it seemed cherry like, then it seemed like a natural tobacco.  Eventually it settled into something more unique – and I’ll use an analogy as dried apricot to describe it.

Around the 20 percent mark, the grass and straw notes morphed into a classic cream flavor.  This cream with the apricot sweetness fused very nicely together.  At the same time, I don’t want to make this sound like dessert, as there was a real tobacco feel to these flavors.   Meanwhile the pepper notes that were present early took on a subtle form – and I assessed them to be more of a background flavor.

By the midpoint of the smoke of the Boris 11 Connecticut, the cream notes moved to the background and the sweetness was still center stage.  Meanwhile the spice of this cigar was slowly increasing.  The spice took on more of a baker’s spice around this point.   Eventually, as the smoke of the Boris 11 Connecticut moved into the last third, the cream dissipated and the baker’s spice displaced the sweetness as the primary note.   The close to the Boris 11 Connecticut had some spice, but it was not overwhelming or harsh.   The resulting nub was outstanding – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

I mentioned earlier than when you look at the Boris 11 Connecticut, you can see this is a well-constructed cigar.  This reflects in the burn and draw as the Boris 11 Connecticut gets perfect scores in these areas.   The burn was razor sharp from start to finish, requiring minimal touch-ups.  The resulting ash was tight and white.   The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.   As for the draw – excellent as well.  This is the kind of cigar one can really enjoy puffing on.

Strength and Body

From a nicotine profile standpoint, the Boris 11 Connecticut isn’t going to do anything revolutionary.   The Boris 11 Connecticut is a classic mild to medium strength cigar and probably right around the median for how most Connecticut Shade cigars assess in this area.  It is in the depth of the flavors that really blew me away.  This cigar has some of the most robust flavors I’ve had from a Connecticut Shade cigar.   I have no reservations saying this is a medium to full-bodied cigar.  The Boris 11 Connecticut is a cigar that really emphasizes flavor over power.

Final Thoughts

The past 18 months have seen a flooding of the market with Connecticut/Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade cigars.  The Boris 11 Connnecticut is one that is as good as any I have seen.   This is a well-made cigar that delivers a ton of flavor.  The price point is going to be higher for this cigar – $11 – $13.00 SRP from Corona Cigars depending on the vitola.  While we don’t factor price into our assessment ratings, this is something the consumer should know.   This is a great cigar for a novice cigar enthusiast looking for a special cigar.  Some seasoned cigar enthusiasts might want more strength with this cigar, but I’d still encourage them to check out this cigar as it is loaded with flavor.   This is a cigar that I’d consider buying a box of.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 94

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Corona Cigar Company in Orlando, Florida.