Brick House Double Connecticut Toro by J.C. Newman Cigar Company

In 2017 J.C. Newman Cigar Company introduced its third regular production offering under its Brick House brand known as the Brick House Double Connecticut. J.C. Newman operates the oldest cigar factory in America, the company also makes cigars in both the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, one of the brands produced there is the Brick House brand. The Brick House Double Connecticut introduces a Connecticut Shade offering into the Brick House line, and the “double” comes from the fact that the cigar also utilizes a Connecticut Broadleaf binder. Today we take a closer look at the Brick House Double Connecticut in the Toro size.

Brick House is a brand that can be traced back to 1937. It was a Cuban puro produced by company founder Julius Caeser Newman to honor his childhood home – which was a brick house in a small Hungarian village. Once the Cuban embargo was imposed it no longer became possible to make a Cuban puro, and the Brick House would be no more. Fast forward to 2009, and Newman’s grandsons Bobby and Eric Newman worked to bring back the Brick House brand – this time using Nicaraguan tobaccos. Brick House became a very successful line that has been positioned as a value-priced cigar. The Brick House Double Connecticut joins the Brick House (Nicaraguan puro) and the Brick House Maduro (featuring a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper) as the three offerings in the Brick House line.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Both the Connecticut Shade wrapper and the Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers of the Brick House Double Connecticut are grown in the U.S. The cigar also features all-Nicaraguan tobaccos. As mentioned above, the Brick House Double Connecticut line is produced in Nicaragua at the PENSA J.C. Newman factory.

Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Shade
Binder: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: PENSA J.C. Newman

Vitolas Offered

The Brick House Double Connecticut comes in six sizes. Each is presented in 25-count boxes.

Corona Larga: 6 1/4 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 54
Short Torpedo: 5 1/2 x 52
Toro: 6 x 52
Mighty Mighty: 6 1/4 x 60
Churchill: 7 1/4 x 50

Appearance

The U.S. Connecticut Shade wrapper of the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro has a light brown colored wrapper with a slightly weathered look. There was a very light sheen of oil on the surface of the wrapper. There were some visible wrapper seams and some visible veins.

There are two bands on the Brick House Double Connecticut. The primary band is the same one found on the core Brick House and Brick House Maduro lines. It consists of a pale yellow, gold, black, and red color scheme. The center of the band has an oval field with gold trim along with some gold and black adornments. On the center of the band is the text “BRICK HOUSE” arranged in diagonal fashion from the lower left to upper right. The left and right side of the band has gold, black, and red adornments.

There is a secondary band on the footer unique to the Brick House Double Connecticut. The left side of the band has a deep blue field with four white stars on the right side. The right side of the band has red and white stripes. To the left of the stripes is the text “CONNECTICUT” in gold font arranged in landscape mode on a white rectangular background. The far right of the band has gold and white J.C. Newman logo that acts as a band fastener.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

The cigar experience of the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro commenced with a straight cut. Once the cap was removed it was time for the pre-light draw phase. The dry draw delivered a mix of wood, cream, cedar, and some floral notes. This cigar delivered a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band, light up the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Brick House Double Connecticut Toro started out with a combination of cream, wood, black pepper, and a slight citrus note. Early on the wood and cream notes moved into the forefront with the citrus and pepper settling in the background. As the cigar moved through the first third, the citrus component developed a slight orange sweetness. Midway through the first third, the citrus also made its way to the forefront joining wood and cream notes. The black pepper remained grounded in the background. Concurrently, there was an additional layer on black pepper on there retro-hat with some cedar mixed in.

By the start of the second third, the wood notes took over as the sole primary note. There was a little bit of cedar mixed in. The citrus, pepper, and cream notes remained in the background. During this stage, there were times the citrus was more on the sweet side and other times it demonstrated a little acidic quality.

The last third of the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro saw the wood/cedar notes remain grounded in the forefront. There were still notes of citrus and pepper in the background, The citrus still demonstrated both acidic and sweet qualities. By this point, most of the creaminess present early on had subsided. This is the way the Brick House Double Connecticut came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and slightly lukewarm.

Burn

The Brick House Double Connecticut Toro had no problem maintaining a straight burn path. There was a slight amount of jaggedness on the burn line, but in the end, this cigar did not require many touch-ups. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose nor flaky either. This was an ash that had a salt and pepper color scheme to it. As for the burn rate, it was ideal. The burn temperature remained ideal for nearly the entire smoking experience. The final puffs got a little lukewarm, but by this point, it was time to put the cigar down.

Burn of the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro

Draw

The draw of the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro struck a nice balance of openness and resistance. This was a cigar that was low maintenance to derive flavor from. There also was a nice layer of smoke produced by this cigar.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro is not going to provide a punch. This was a cigar that pretty much stayed in the mild to medium range of the spectrum from start to finish with only a slight increase in intensity along the way. On the other hand, the flavors to the Brick House Double Connecticut Toro were in the medium range. There also was an increase in intensity and toward the end, the cigar came close to approaching medium to full territory.

When it came to strength versus body with Brick House Double Connecticut Toro, there was a significant edge to the body.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Brick House Double Connecticut wasn’t the first cigar with a Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf binder I’ve smoked. A cigar that comes to mind that uses that combination is the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Reserva. What makes the Brick House Double Connecticut different is that the wrapper used is grown in the U.S. while other cigars I’ve had have used an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut Shade. I found the combination to work well. The cigar delivers a nice amount of flavor – without the nicotine hit. I will say, I did find the first third of this cigar to be the best part of the smoking experience.

While our numeric score doesn’t factor in price, it’s hard to ignore the value here. At $6.30, J.C. Newman once again delivers excellent value for a premium cigar offering. In the end, this is a cigar that I’d recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. Even someone who likes a fuller-bodied smoke could enjoy this. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again – and it’s worthy of buying multiples to keep in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cream, Wood, Pepper, Citrus, Cedar
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good