All Saints St. Patrick's Firecracker
All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker

The All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker was one of four Firecrackers released by United Cigars in 2023. The Firecracker series is the brainchild of Two Guys Cigar Shop owner David Garofalo. Initially, it involved partnering with a leading manufacturer to create a limited-production cigar resembling a firecracker to honor American Independence Day. The cigar is no more than 3 1/2″ in length and features a long-fuse tail like a Firecracker. The series started as a store exclusive for Two Guys Cigar Shop. Eventually, it was made available for broader distribution to other retailers through Garofalo’s United Cigars distribution arm. Furthermore, it was expanded to other holidays. In the case of the All Saints St. Patrick’s Day Firecracker, it honors the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. It also keeps to the “All Saints” theme of honoring saints. As with many St. Patrick’s Day releases, the St. Patrick’s Firecracker incorporates candela (green) wrapper tobacco. In this case, the candela is intertwined with a barber pole.

The Series

As mentioned, four different Firecrackers were released in 2023 – with three released for a specific occasion: E.P. Carrillo Pledge Firecracker (Independence Day), All Saints St. Patrick’s Day Firecracker (St. Patrick’s Day), and Street Tacos Elote Firecracker (Cinco de Mayo). Also added was a new regular production Firecracker called Black Bomb. For completeness, we have listed all of the Firecrackers. Black Bomb 2023 and “The Firecracker” by José Dominguez are the only two regular production releases. Some of the other Firecrackers were released in multiple batches.

The All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker is the second candela-barber pole released by United. In 2020, the Irish Car Bomb Firecracker also featured a candela barber pole.

Let’s break down the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Candela wrapper, the barber-pole St. Patrick’s Firecracker features an Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper. The remainder of the tobaccos are all Nicaraguan. Production comes from Rocky Patel’s TAVICUSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, which handles all All Saints Cigars production.

Wrapper: Candela/Ecuadorian Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A.(TAVICUSA)

Vitolas Offered

The St. Patrick’s Firecracker is a 3 1/2 x 50 vitola. The cigars are presented in 20-count boxes with a total production of 6,000 cigars (300 boxes). The cigars will be made available to United Cigars retailers.

Appearance

The candela wrapper of the St. Patrick’s Firecracker did not have a “Kermit the Frog” green look. This candela looked a little weathered, which isn’t a bad thing.  There were some visible veins, and a long candela fuse was tucked under the cigar band of the St. Patrick’s Firecracker. The Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper had a coffee bean look.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut removed the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker cap. The long fuse was not wholly removed, and a portion remained tucked under the band. From that point, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cigar delivered classic candela notes of grass and cream. Even with the grassy notes, this still was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the St. Patrick’s Firecracker and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

More grass and cream kicked off the smoking experience of the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker. In addition, notes of coffee, natural tobacco sweetness, and white pepper were present. The early portion of the cigar saw the coffee notes become primary. The natural tobacco, cream, grass, and white pepper notes were secondary. There was also a layer of white pepper on the retro-hale.

The second third of the St. Patrick’s Firecracker saw the natural tobacco become the primary note. The coffee and grass notes moved back and forth between the forefront and background, depending on which section of the barber pole was burning. This was one cigar where the barber-pole effect was very noticeable. Meanwhile, the white pepper was in the background. The cream had pretty much dissipated by the midway point.

The final third continued what the previous third did. There was natural tobacco in the forefront, with the coffee and grass notes floating in and out of the forefront. The white pepper notes were a little more prominent on the tongue. This is how the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker ended. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker had a straight burn line and straight burn path, it needed frequent touch-ups. The touch-ups seemed to be needed most in the second third. The resulting ash was firm with light to medium gray shades. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

As for the fuse, I gently pulled it off once the secondary band was removed.

All Saints St. Patrick's Firecracker - Burn
All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker – Burn

Draw

The draw of the St. Patrick’s Firecracker performed exceptionally well. There was a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. At the same time, this was still a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

I have come to expect an element of boldness from vitolas in the Firecracker series. While the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker is more dialed-back and milder, it is still relatively bold for a candela cigar. The flavors delivered were in the medium-bodied range. There was a slight increase in the intensity of the body as the cigar experience progressed. Meanwhile, the strength level started out mild to medium in the first third but moved to medium by the second third.

The body had the edge from start to finish in terms of strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Both All Saints and United Cigars did a great job with the packaging. The primary bands resemble the band found on All Saints Cigars, but there were some green accents. The cigar features a secondary band denoting SERIES UNIDAS. This band is now found on many United Cigars collaborations – including the Firecrackers.

 

All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker Packaging (Photo Credit: United Cigars)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One thing I liked in the All Saints St. Patrick’s Firecracker is the effects of the barber-pole wrapper. There were portions where I was getting the candela and other parts where I got the Oscuro wrapper. The bad part is the candela came off very strong, and I found the grass notes to be a little much. The flavors also didn’t mesh well for me. At $8.00, this is not a badly priced cigar. Despite being a three 1/2-inch cigar, I still got about an hour of smoking time. However, this is a cigar I’d recommend seeing if you can try a sample of before deciding if it is for you.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Grass, Pepper, Cream
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Third), Medium (Remainder)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 87

REFERENCES

News: United Cigars and All Saints Cigars to Team up for St. Patrick’s Firecracker
Price: $8.00
Source: All Saints Cigars
Brand Reference: All Saints Cigars

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted