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 2021, a box-pressed Toro size of the Wojtek blend. This is a cigar previously assessed in the (rounded) Toro size back in November 2021.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano/San Andres Maduro
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabricas de Nica Sueño
Box Pressed Toro (2021): 6 x 52

Late in 2021, Powstanie Cigars released the third installment of its limited edition Powstanie Wojtek series. This was the third year and third different size for the Powstanie Wojtek and this one would be a box-pressed Toro size. The Powstanie brand name pays homage to the Polish roots of the brand owners Mike and Greg Szczepankiewicz,. 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. Today we take a closer look at the Powstanie Wojtek 2021 edition.

The Powstanie Wojtek 2021 is highlighted by a barber pole wrapper consisting of a darker Ecuadorian Habano and San Andres Maduro leaf. The remainder of the blend consists of an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The Box Pressed Toro size measures 6 x 52 and is available in 21-count boxes with a total production of 500 boxes. Production comes out of Fabricas de Nica Sueño in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The Powstanie Wojtek 2021 delivered notes of coffee, cocoa, citrus, cedar, and red pepper. Early on the coffee notes moved into the forefront. As the cigar experience progressed, the citrus notes also joined the coffee in the forefront. There was a slight astringent quality to the citrus notes. During the second third, the cedar notes increased and were also joined by dry wood notes. Just past the midway point, the cedar and wood notes displaced the coffee and citrus. The pepper notes increased somewhat in the final third. As the cigar experience came to a close, the wood and cedar notes remained primary with the notes of red pepper, coffee, citrus, and cocoa rounding things out.

The flavors delivered during the smoking experience of the Powstanie Wojtek 2021 were medium-bodied countered by medium strength. There was a touch of resistance on the draw which was ideal for this box press. The burn was high maintenance and required a large number of touch-ups. The burn path meandered off track many times.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

During the 2021-22 Cigar Year, the Powstanie Wojtek 2020 edition was one of the best-performing cigars on Cigar Coop for that time period. Unfortunately, the 2021 box-pressed version didn’t live up to the rounded 2020 edition. The 2020 edition was a flavor bomb. The 2021 edition delivered astringent and dry wood flavors which really didn’t have me doing handstands. On top of it, the burn was much higher maintenance than I prefer. Of the three releases of the Wojtek series, one has to rank third – and this is the one. It’s not a bad cigar, but it’s one I would recommend trying a sample of and seeing what you think.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Cocoa, Cedar, Wood, Red Pepper, Citrus
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent