Tabacalera Caballeros was founded in 2022 by cigar enthusiasts Cristian Quintana and Marco Accardi. It started with three lines: Connecticut, Habano, and Maduro and later added the Knight line. Each blend is offered in three vitolas: Robusto, Toro, and Gordo, except The Knight, which is only offered in the Toro vitola. Today, we will be taking a look at The Knight in the Toro size sent to me by Tabacalera Caballeros for review.

The Knight is only being offered in one size, Toro, in a 20-count box. The cigars are aged for one year after rolling. The Knight was created to pay homage to the Knights of Santiago de Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.

Photo courtesy of Tabacalera Caballeros

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder:  Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler:  Dominican and Nicaraguan
Country of Origin:  Dominican Republic
Factory:  Tabacalera Caballeros, Tamboril, DR
MSRP:  $9.00

Vitolas Offered

The Knight is only offered as a single vitola.

Toro:  6 x 54

Appearance

The Knight has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with a golden brown hue.  The wrapper doesn’t look to have much oil on the outside but has a more velvety look and texture. The cigar has minimal veins in the wrapper, and the seams are pretty smooth.  The cap doesn’t look the best.  It has a slightly rough appearance, looking as if it was hastily applied.  The band is elegant with embossed red, blue, and gold foil.  “The Knight” is stated on the band three times, but nowhere on the band does it say Tabacalera Caballeros, which is strange.  If you had just picked up the cigar, you wouldn’t have known what cigar company made it.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

The cold draw delivered notes of earth, cedar, and slight minerality.  The draw was a little tight, more than the milkshake tension I prefer, but nothing too tight.  I don’t believe it will be too tight to hamper the smoking experience of the cigar.  I lit the cigar with a soft flame Bic lighter and moved on to the tasting.

Tasting Notes

The Knight opened with notes of citrus peel, earth, and graham cracker, with a hint of spice and creaminess.  The notes lingered on the palate for a medium finish.  The citrus peel was most dominant on the first third, but not overly so.  The retro-hale was a nice mix of black pepper and a slight earthiness.

The second third introduces a caramel note that complements the other flavors nicely. The graham cracker was still present, along with an earthiness and a hint of citrus peel and spice. The creaminess had mostly faded at this point. The retro-hale remained the same.

The final third featured predominantly earth and cedar notes with a hint of spice, and just a faint suggestion of the graham cracker note.  The flavor in the final third was much less complex than in the first two-thirds.  The retro-hale remained the same.  It also developed a bitterness that, while it wasn’t overwhelming, I didn’t enjoy.

Burn

The burn was quite promising during my smoking experience.  I didn’t have to do any touch-ups while smoking.  The burn was a little wavy at times, but mostly, it was even throughout.

Draw

The draw was somewhat tight during the first third but opened up enough during the rest of the smoke. There was a small area just an inch below the cap that seemed overfilled with tobacco. After the cigar heated up some, I massaged it a little, and it opened nicely.

Strength and Body

The strength and body of the cigar remained mild-medium throughout the smoking experience.  It got slightly stronger in the final third, but not by much.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I thought The Knight was a nice entry to the already crowded Connecticut wrapper cigar market.  The flavors of the first two-thirds were quite nice but took a dip in the final third.  It wasn’t an overly complex cigar, but the flavors were quite good with what it offered.  The price point of $9.00 is very good, especially considering today’s market, making it competitive in Connecticut.

Summary

Key Flavors:  Earth, cedar, graham cracker, caramel, citrus peel, spices, and creaminess
Burn:  Very good
Draw:  Below average
Complexity:  Low
Strength:  Mild-medium
Body:  Mild-medium
Finish:  Average

Rating

Score:  88