2022 Cigar of the Year Countdown (Coop’s List): #16: Bandolero Firecracker by Selected Tobacco

“With a $9.00 price point, this is a great opportunity to get the ultra-premium qualities that Selected Tobacco delivers for under $10.00.”

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, and additional Undisclosed Tobaccos
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica
Firecracker: 3 1/2 x 50
Price: $9.00

Sponsor: Yes
Samples Provided for Initial Review: Yes
Review: Bandolero Firecracker by Selected Tobacco (10/19/22)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 1 (2022)

Coming in at #16 is the Bandolero Firecracker by Selected Tobacco. The Firecracker Series started out in 2007 as the brainchild of Two Guys Smoke Shop owner Dave Garofalo. It’s a series where he would work with leading manufacturers to produce a small 3 1/2 inch cigar with a long-fuse resembling a Firecracker. In recent years, the Firecracker Series has moved over to United Cigars and now is available for a national limited release to authorized retailers. In 2022, the Bandolero Firecracker was introduced. Bandolero is a brand under Nelson Alfonso’s Selected Tobacco. While United Cigars has been distributed Selected Tobacco for almost a decade, this still marks the first Firecracker installment done with Selected Tobacco.

The blend for the Bandolero Firecracker is derived from the Clandestino line (Serie C) that uses filler leaves from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and undisclosed tobaccos. The Bandolero Firecracker features an Ecuadorian binder and a dark Ecuadorian wrapper that is typically used on the Aventureros line (Serie A). The Firecracker itself measures 3 1/2 x 50. Production comes from Tabacos de Costa Rica located in Costa Rica.

The Bandolero Firecracker delivers notes of natural tobacco, earth, cedar, hay, and black pepper. This will be a cigar that delivers a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. The flavors aren’t necessarily the most flashy or exotic flavors, but they complement each other extremely well. One important note, if sometimes a Firecracker is too short in terms of smoking duration, the Bandolero Firecracker is a slow burn that can provide about an hour for the smoking experience.

For Selected Tobacco, this marks the first year and first time the company has secured a spot on a Cigar Coop Countdown. It’s also the first time on the 2022 Countdown that Costa Rica has placed a cigar. This is the fifth country overall to land on the Countdown. if you are keeping score at home, we’ve reached the halfway point and have unveiled 15 cigars thus far from 14 different companies and 14 different factories.