Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Powstanie Wojtek Toro. This is a cigar previously assessed in the Perfecto size back in May 2020.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano/San Andres Maduro
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabricas de Nica Sueño
Toro (2020): 6 x 52

In 2019, Powstanie Cigars launched its second limited-edition line known as Wojtek. Powstanie is a brand owned by Mike and Greg Szczepankiewicz, the owners of Cigar Hustler. Powstanie pays homage to the Polish roots of the Szczepankiewicz brothers. The name Powstanie means uprising and pays homage to the resistance movement in World War II Poland against German occupation of the country. As for the name Wojtek, it means “war bear” and refers to a Syrian Brown bear that was actually enlisted in the Polish army during World War II. The 2019 release of the Wojtek featured one size – a perfecto. The 2020 release of the Wojtek would be in a Toro size and feature the same blend. Today we take a closer look at the 2020 release of the Powstanie Wojtek Toro.

The Powstanie Wojtek is highlighted by a barber pole wrapper consisting of an Ecuadorian Habano and San Andres Maduro leaf. The remainder of the blend consists of an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The Toro size measures 6 x 52 and was available in 21-count boxes with a total production of 500 boxes. Production comes out of Fabricas de Nica Sueño in Estelí, Nicaragua, the factory owned by Skip Martin and Esteban Disla.

The Powstanie Wojtek Toro opened with notes of coffee, cocoa, citrus, cedar, and red pepper. Sometimes when I get cocoa and coffee flavors in a cigar, they fuse together as mocha. In this case, the coffee and cocoa were separate and distinct. The coffee notes moved to primary early on, with the cocoa notes floating between the background and forefront. The citrus, cedar, and pepper rounded out the flavor profile with some additional red pepper and cedar on the retro-hale.

During the second third, the coffee notes took over as the sole primary note. The cocoa joined the other notes in the background. There was a decrease in the citrus and an increase in the pepper and cedar. The final third saw the coffee remain the primary note. The cedar and pepper notes were the most prominent background notes while the citrus and cocoa rounded things out.

The flavors were medium to full-bodied countered by medium to full strength. The burn needed some touch-ups but remained relatively straight. The draw had a touch of resistance which made it ideal.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Back when I smoked the Powstanie Wojtek Perfecto, I was impressed. With the Toro size, this blend goes to another level. The flavors are simply fantastic, and after smoking one of these cigars, I couldn’t wait to smoke another. As a factory, Nica Sueño has released some excellent cigars, but this one is at another level. In recent years, it’s become tougher to get scores above a 91 from Cigar Coop. The Wojtek Toro comes it at 92. It’s a cigar I’d recommend to a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but wouldn’t discourage a novice from trying. Not only is this a cigar I would smoke again, but it’s one I would buy a box of. Well above 90 points, this cigar far exceeds the threshold for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Cocoa, Cedar, Red Pepper, Citrus
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent