2023 Cigar of the Year Countdown (Coop’s List) #18: Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H

#18 2023 Cigar of the Year: Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H

SPECIFICATIONS

Wrapper: Dark Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: San Lotano
Toro H: 6 x 54
Price: $13.95

Sponsor: Yes
Samples Provided for Initial Review: Yes
Review: Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H (3/26/23)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 11 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

The Details

The #18 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H. One of the big stories of 2022 was the announcement that celebrity restauranteur Guy Fieri would be teaming up with Espinosa Cigars to launch the Knuckle Sandwich brand of cigars. Knuckle Sandwich Cigars is a brand produced and distributed by Espinosa Cigars. The brand has proliferated and now has three regular production lines and three limited edition lines. The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro is a regular production line and is one of the two original blends released when Knuckle Sandwich launched. It’s the Maduro that has earned a spot on the Countdown.

The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro uses a Dark Sumatra leaf for its wrapper. The remainder of the blend utilizes Nicaraguan tobacco for the binder and filler. Production comes from AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua – a factory that Espinosa uses for some of its production. Hector Alfonso developed the blend. The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro is a box-pressed line. In this case, the Toro H is a 6 x 54 offering. Each vitola name has an initial, and the initials used represent people in Guy Fieri’s life.

The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H delivered notes of mocha (a fusion of Chocolate and Coffee), earth, licorice, minerals, and pepper. This is one of the bolder cigars on this year’s Countdown – delivering medium to full-bodied notes countered by medium to full strength.

Espinosa Cigars is one of the most successful companies in the history of the Countdown. They have placed a cigar on the Cigar Coop Countdown 11 times – a record. In this case, it is 11 consecutive years. This is the sixth Nicaraguan-made cigar to make the 2023 Countdown thus far.