Today, we review the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut in the Short Churchill G size. The Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut is the third regular production size in Guy Fieri‘s Knuckle Sandwich brand of cigars. Knuckle Sandwich is a project that was done in partnership with Espinosa Premium Cigars. Espinosa handles the production and distribution of all Guy Fieri cigars. Much has been made of the success of the Espinosa-Fieri partnership, as the cigar industry has a poor track record of mainstream celebrities having success. The Espinosa-Fieri partnership has been a rare exception and is considered an enormous success. This success has been due to Fieri being hands-on with promoting the brand.

Currently, Knuckle Sandwich has three regular production lines and two annual limited edition lines. These lines include:

Knuckle Sandwich Habano
Knuckle Sandwich Maduro
Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut
Knuckle Sandwich Birthday Cigar (55, 56, etc)
Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special (*)

Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill G – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut utilizes all Nicaraguan tobaccos. The blend was developed by Hector Alfonso and is produced at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: San Lotano

Vitolas Offered

The Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut comes in three sizes, each in 20-count boxes. The Short Churchill differs from the other two sizes in that it is a box-pressed offering. It is worth noting that the initials used on each vitola name represent people in Fieri’s life.

Robusto J: 5 x 52
Short Churchill G: 6 1⁄2 x 48 Box Pressed
Toro H: 6 x 54

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper of the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill G was pristine-looking and brown. The wrapper had a silk-like complexion. This was a smooth wrapper with very few visible veins and no wrapper seams, which were also on the thin side. The cigar had a soft-press Cuban-style box-press.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill G, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a combination of cream and cedar notes. In addition, there was a natural tobacco sweetness reminiscent of a butterscotch flavor. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer ribbon, toast the cigar, and see what the smoking phase would demonstrate.

Tasting Notes

At the start of the Knuckle Sandwich, Connecticut, Short Churchill picked up where the pre-light draw left off. There were more cream, cedar, and butterscotch/natural tobacco notes. Notes of bread and black pepper joined these notes. Early on, the bread and cream notes moved into the forefront. The cedar, butterscotch/natural tobacco, and pepper notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

As the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill moved through the second third, the bread notes remained in the forefront. The cream note subsided into the background. The butterscotch component of the natural tobacco also diminished. Simultaneously, the black pepper and cedar notes increased in intensity. The cedar notes increased more rapidly and moved into the forefront. By the second third, the cream and butterscotch had dissipated.

The final third saw the cedar notes take sole control of the flavor profile. Bread, natural tobacco, pepper, and butterscotch remained in the background. This is how the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Overall, the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill performed excellently when it came to burn. This cigar maintained a straight burn path and burn line, requiring minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was silver-gray with a few dark spots, skewed toward the firmer side. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw to the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill G also performed excellently. Sometimes, a box press can lend itself to an open draw. This cigar maintained a sweet spot with a touch of resistance. At the same time, it was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

Espinosa has had two other prominent Connecticut Shade cigars—the Espinosa Crema and the 601 Black. The Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut is bolder than the Crema but milder than the Black. The Short Churchill started out as a medium-strength, medium-bodied cigar. During the cigar experience, there was a nominal increase in strength and body. In the end, the cigar still was in the medium range of the spectrum for strength and body.

In terms of strength versus body, strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut cigar features the same primary band currently found on all Knuckle Sandwich Cigars. This band features a black, red, and gold foil color scheme. It features Guy Fieri’s Knuckle Sandwich skull and chef’s hat log. The band is also emblazoned with the Espinosa name and insignia. The difference is that the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut cigar features a yellow footer ribbon and a white-colored box.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill delivered some excellent flavors during the first two-thirds. Toward the final third, I found the increase in the cedar notes not to be as pleasant, which made the final stages of this cigar somewhat disappointing. Still, it is more dialed back if you compare this to the Habano and Maduro offerings. It is also a cigar I would rate ahead of the Habano but behind the Maduro. There was still enough going on with this cigar to recommend for a buy. It’s also a cigar I am willing to smoke again, and I will smoke the other sizes in the line.

Summary

Key Flavors: Bread, Cream, Cedar, Natural Tobacco, Butterscotch, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good