Cavalier Genève Prospektor (Toro)

At the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Cavalier Genève introduced a new regular production offering known as Prospektor. Cavalier Genève’s slogan is “smoke gold, stay gold.” Gold is a theme with many of the Cavalier Genève-branded cigars. Most of the Cavalier Genève offerings feature a 24k gold diamond affixed to the wrapper (and this can be smoked though). Prospektor is a play on the gold prospectors from the gold rush of the 19th century in the United States. As far as cigars go, Prospektor keeps to the tradition of having the gold diamond on the wrapper, but it also introduces a barber-pole offering to the Cavalier Genève portfolio. Today we take a closer look at the Cavalier Genève Prospektor.

Back in 2019, Cavalier Genève introduced a cigar known as Prospektor as a limited edition event exclusive cigar for Underground Cigars. That cigar was quietly released. That cigar was also a different cigar than the current regular production offering by Cavalier Genève we are talking about. While this current iteration of Prospektor was introduced at PCA 2021, the cigar was released the following year in 2022.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Cavalier Genève Prospektor and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The release is a 6 x 54 barber-pole parejo that features Double Capa Viso wrappers from Jalapa, a Nicaraguan Habano binder, and fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Paraguay. Production comes out of Cavalier Genève’s Fabrica Centroamericana de Tabaco facility in Danli, Honduras. Paraguayan tobacco is not common in many premium hand-rolled blends, but it has been used in the past by some companies.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa, Viso (Two wrappers)
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Fillers: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Paraguayan
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Fabrica Centroamericana de Tabaco SA (FCT)

Vitolas Offered

The Cavalier Genève Prospektor is currently available in one size – a 6 x 54 Toro. the cigars will be presented in 40-count boxes with 20-count refills available.

Appearance

There are two contrasting shades of wrapper from the Jalapa of Nicaragua that make up the Cavalier Genève Prospektor. The darker variant, which has a roasted coffee bean color to it, was the dominant wrapper. A light to medium brown wrapper is intertwined with darker wrapper to make up the barber-pole. There were some light oils on the surface of the wrappers. There also were some visible veins on the surface as well.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Cavalier Genève Prospektor. After removing the cap, it was time to commence the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a combination of coffee and earth with a slight amount of cedar. Overall, this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light draw is not scored, thee was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Cavalier Genève Prospektor and see what this cigar would bring to the table.

Tasting Notes

The Cavalier Genève Prospektor opened up with notes of coffee, earth, cedar, and even some underlying cream notes. Early on the coffee notes moved to the forefront. The earth, cedar, and cream notes stayed in the background. The cream quickly dissipated and was replaced by white pepper, followed by some musty notes. As the cigar moved through the first third, the cedar became the second most dominant note. The retro-hale delivered some additional cedar, white pepper, and musty notes.

The second third of the Cavalier Genève Prospektor saw the cedar notes join the coffee in the forefront. The secondary notes were earth, cedar, pepper and musty notes.The musty notes began to increase in intensity. By the midway point these notes joined the coffee and cedar notes in the forefront. The earth and pepper notes remained in the more distant background.

The final third saw the musty notes take control. The coffee and cedar notes joined the earth and pepper notes. The balance of the cigar was thrown awry here. As the Cavalier Genève Prospektor came to a close, the resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Overall while the Cavalier Genève Prospektor maintained a relatively straight burn path, it did require multiple touch-ups to do so. The burn line itself had a slight jaggedness to it. The resulting ash was silver gray. This was a slightly flaky ash. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

A side note. Normally I have not found smoking through the gold diamond a pretty experience. With the Cavalier Genève Prospektor, when I reached the nub on each sample, it was as it was burning through the diamond.

Burn of the Cavalier Genève Prospektor

Draw

The draw to the Cavalier Genève Prospektor was on the open side. Normally I prefer a draw that has a touch of resistance to it. In the end, there were no combustion issues with this cigar, so it was more of a personal preference thing. At the same time, this is a cigar that produced ample amounts of smoke.

Strength and Body

The Cavalier Genève Prospektor started out with medium strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. By the second third, both the strength and body increased in intensity where it remained for the duration of the smoking experience. Both the strength and body balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

With the Cavalier Genève Prospektor, the gold diamond almost takes a role as a primary band. The only band on the cigar has a look and feel of a secondary band. It is an edgier side to Cavalier Genève – a style we have seen this company take on over the past few years. The green, black, and rose-pink colors of the band and of the packaging help contribute this edgier style.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Cavalier Genève Prospektor certainly was not a cookie-cutter blend in terms of what it delivered. Flavorwise, the cigar started out promising. The first third was enjoyable, but things began to change as the musty component became more prominent. Unfortunately the last third of this cigar saw the balance of this cigar thrown off. In terms of burn and draw, I would have liked to see the Cavalier Genève Prospektor score a little higher. In the end, this is a cigar I would recommend trying a sample and seeing if this is in your wheelhouse.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Cedar, Pepper, Musty Notes
Burn: Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Good