The CroMagnon Black Irish is a limited production cigar that comes from RoMa Craft Tobac.  CroMagnon was the line that started it all for RoMa Craft Tobac, as it is the company’s regular production Connecticut Broadleaf line. Back in 2013, the company released a candela version of the CroMagnon EMH (5 x 56) known as the Fomorian. This project resulted when the Nica Sueno factory discovered some aesthetic issues with some of the Connecticut Broadleaf CroMagnon EMH (5 x 56) cigars. As a result, RoMa Craft Tobac brand co-owner Skip Martin set aside about 250 of the EMH vitolas from production. He then asked the factory to place a candela wrapper, and thus the Fomorian was born. Since then, the Fomorian has become a limited small batch release. CroMagnon Black Irish is the next generation of the line, as it combines the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the regular production CroMagnon with the candela wrapper of the Fomorian in a barber pole format.

As for the availability of the CroMagnon Black Irish, it has been quite limited. Last year the cigar was mostly seen at select RoMa Craft Tobac events nationwide. One can argue that it is one of the more limited RoMa Craft Tobac releases on the market, and thus one of the company’s most sought-after cigars.

Without further ado, let’s break down the RoMa Craft Tobac CroMagnon and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The binder and filler of the CroMagnon Black Irish are the same found on the regular production CroMagnon line. The cigar essentially has two wrappers. There is a candela wrapper that covers the binder and filler tobaccos. A Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is then draped over the candela wrapper in a twisted fashion creating the barber pole effect.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf and Candela
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan (3 Fillers): Estelí, Condega, and a ligero leaf from a small farm north of Estelí on the Honduran border.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Nica Sueno)

Vitolas Available

The CroMagnon Black Irish is available in one size. This is the 5 x 56 EMH size found on the CroMagnon and Fomorian lines.

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper was wrapped around the candela, leaving a thin pinstripe effect on the barber pole. The cap of the cigar is made from a Connecticut Broadleaf leaf. There was also a ring of candela exposed just below the cap. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper had a roasted coffee bean color while the Candela wrapper had an olive green color to it. Both wrappers had a very light sheen of oil on the surface. Overall, this cigar had a relatively smooth surface and any visible veins were on the thin side.

The CroMagnon Black Irish features the same banding found on many of the other vitolas of the CroMagnon line.  There is a thin charcoal-colored band with the text “CROMAGNON” embossed on it. The back of the band contains the RoMa Craft Tobac logo. The charcoal band sits on top of a thicker white band. The white band containing etching of what could be considered “early modern man”.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

When it came time to remove the cap of the CroMagnon Black Irish, I opted to use a straight cut. Because the Connecticut Broadleaf cap was contrasted by the candela wrapper, it was quite easy to remove the cap. Once the cap was clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw experience. The dry draw delivered a mix of coffee and wood notes. I did pick up a touch of grassy bitterness.  I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the CroMagnon Black Irish and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The CroMagnon Black Irish started out with a mix of mocha, herbal spice, and a slight amount of black pepper. The mocha notes represented a fusion between both coffee and chocolate flavors. I also picked up a slight grassy taste on the after-draw. Meanwhile, there was a layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

As the CroMagnon Black Irish burned through the first half, I found the mocha and herbal spice to be the primary notes. Both of these flavors alternated in intensity. While the black pepper was prominent on the retro-hale, it was a much more distant note on the tongue. The grassy aftertaste from the early stages dissipated.

By the midway point, the pepper spices had increased slightly. It was around this point where the mocha flavor lost its fusion and it was a little easier to pick out the coffee and chocolate notes separately. The chocolate notes diminished, leaving the coffee notes in the forefront with the herbal spice. Both the coffee and herbal spice continued to alternate and vary in intensity.

The last third of the CroMagnon Black Irish saw the herbal spice notes take over as the main primary flavor. By this point, the coffee and pepper notes were the main secondary notes. This is the way the cigar experience of the CroMagnon Black Irish finished up. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Overall, the CroMagnon Black Irish scored quite well when it came to the burn. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line. I found the cigar burned cleanly through the barber pole seams. The CroMagnon Black Irish produced a silver-gray ash with some darker speckles. This wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to CroMagnon Black Irish was stellar. It had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I like. I also got a decent amount of smoke production from this cigar.

Strength and Body

While candela cigars are known to be milder, the inclusion of the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is going to give the CroMagnon Black Irish much more firepower. This is a cigar that started out as a medium strength, medium to full-bodied cigar right out of the gate. By the second third, the CroMagnon Black Irish was in medium to full strength, full-bodied range. While there was some “pop” with this cigar, I never found the CroMagnon Black Irish to be overpowering in strength nor did I find the flavors weighted too much on the palate.

In terms of strength versus body for the CroMagnon Black Irish, I found the body had the edge.

Final Thoughts

Overall the CroMagnon Black Irish delivered a very good smoking experience. It’s not only a fun cigar to smoke, but its one that delivered some very good flavors. While many would consider the CroMagnon Black Irish to be an offshoot of candela, I would say the opposite – this cigar is an offshoot of a Connecticut Broadleaf.

The CroMagnon Black Irish is a cigar I would steer toward a seasoned cigar enthusiast. This cigar is probably going to be a hard one to find. While I am not one to recommend going on a witch hunt for a cigar, my advice is if you find this cigar you will want to pick it up. If you have a chance to pick it up at an event, I would recommend getting multiples if you can.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha, Herbal Spice, Black Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Third), Full (Remainder)
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 92

References

News: n/a
Price: 10.99
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: RoMa Craft Tobac

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop