Today, we review the El Titan de Bronze Redemption in the Corona size. El Titan de Bronze is a boutique factory that operates in Little Havana in Miami, Florida. Redemption is a brand produced by El Titan de Bronze and sold directly from their factory. In 2024, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) announced it had entered into an agreement with El Titan de Bronze to distribute the Redemption brand. While there are offerings sold out of El Titan de Bronze, such as Redemption Sun Grown and Redemption Maduro, an all-new blend was developed to be distributed nationally by General Cigar under STG, called Redemption. The cigar made its debut at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show.

El Titan de Bronze has collaborated with numerous boutique and larger companies over the years. Companies such as El Primer Mundo, Padilla, Warped, and La Palina have had long relationships with the factory. Drew Estate and STG have also worked with the factory. In particular, STG has produced cigars for Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana, and Partagas at the factory. It’s safe to say that the working relationship with STG set up the distribution agreement for Redemption.

The new Redemption blend is an ongoing full-time release, but in limited quantities. This is primarily because El Titan de Bronze is still a relatively small factory, especially by STG standards. As a result, distribution was also limited to select retailers.

Without further ado, let’s break down the El Titan de Bronze Redemption Corona and see what this cigar brings to the table.

El Titan de Bronze Redemption Corona – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The new Redemption features a sun-grown Ecuadorian Habano Claro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder from Estelí. The fillers are Nicaraguan tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Claro
Binder: Nicaraguan (Estelí)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí Jalapa)
Country of Origin: United States
Factory: El Titán de Bronze

Vitolas Offered

Redemption comes in three sizes – each produced in ten-count boxes. Redemption is rolled by eight certified level 9 Cuban expatriate cigar makers and four comparably certified Nicaraguan cigar makers. Level 9 is the highest level that a cigar maker can achieve.

Corona: 5 5/8 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Habano Claro wrapper of the Redemption Corona has a distinct reddish clay color. Upon closer inspection, you can see a slight mottling and a bit of toothiness to the texture. There are not many oils present on the surface of the wrapper. Additionally, the wrapper shows some visible seams and veins.

El Titan de Bronze Redemption Review — Close-up of the El Titan de Bronze Redemption Corona

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting the Redemption Corona, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was detached, I proceeded to the pre-light draw. The cold draw revealed notes of natural tobacco sweetness, earth, and wood. From this experience, it was clear that this cigar possessed many of the quintessential qualities of El Titan de Bronze that I was familiar with. At this point, it was time to toast the Redemption Corona and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

Once lit, the Redemption Corona picked up where the pre-light draw left off with more notes of natural tobacco sweetness, wood, and earth. Additionally, notes of cedar and pepper were present. Early on, the natural tobacco sweetness emerged as the primary note. The wood, earth, pepper, and cedar notes were secondary. On the retro-hale, there were mainly notes of cedar with some pepper mixed in.

The second third of the Redemption Corona started with the natural tobacco notes gradually diminishing. The wood notes increased, and by the midway point, the wood displaced the natural tobacco sweetness in the forefront. Meanwhile, there was an increase in both the cedar and pepper on the tongue. The retro-hale remained the same as the first third, with mostly cedar and pepper mixed in.

The final third of the cigar experience saw the wood still the primary note. Meanwhile, the pepper and cedar were the most prominent secondary notes. An underlying harshness emerged in these spices. In the background, the natural tobacco began to exhibit some bitter qualities, while earthy notes were still present. Overall, this final third was a rougher experience compared to the first third. This is the way the Redemption Corona came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Redemption Corona was prone to meandering from time to time. Touch-ups were necessary to maintain a straight burn path, but more were required than I preferred. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. This was a mostly light gray ash with one darker accent from time to time. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Draw

The draw to the Redemption Corona had a touch of resistance, which is something I prefer. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar that allowed for easy flavor extraction.

Strength and Body

The Redemption Corona started with medium strength and medium-bodied notes. As the cigar experience progressed, both the strength and body increased in intensity. The body increased at a more rapid rate, and by the second half, the body moved into the medium to full territory. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained the edge, and the gap grew as the cigar experience progressed.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Overall, the presentation of the banding and packaging of the El Titan de Bronze Redemption is quite nice. The color scheme of the near burgundy red and gold works quite well. The logo itself is more intricate compared to the original Redemption cigars. It is also worth noting that the cigar features two bands. The two bands fit together like two jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Packaging of the El Titan de Bronze Redemption Corona

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The El Titan de Bronze Redemption Corona started out strong and maintained that promise well into the second third. However, as I often mention on Prime Time Jukebox, “something happened on the way to heaven.” The Redemption Corona took a disappointing turn with harshness and bitterness in the final third. Ultimately, we score cigars as a whole, and while the Redemption Corona earned points during the first two-thirds, it fell short in the final third. Despite this, it still received a respectable score of 88 points. I recommend giving this cigar a try to see what you think.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Earth, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good