Cigar Ratings & Reviews

Excalibur Cigarillo Review

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Today Jonathan gives his Excalibur Cigarillo review, taking on one of the most popular small smokes on the market today

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been reviewing a few mainstay cigars recently, such as this, the Excalibur Cigarillo. That’s not to say I have anything against them. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The truth of the matter is we got all the new stuff from IPCPR last year and had to review all of them. This left the poor mainstays in the darkness of the bottom shelf in my humidor. Alone, cold, and unloved. Well it was about time we dug them up and gave them some attention with today’s Excalibur Cigarillo review.

Now I know some of you out there are uninterested in cigarillos, and don’t consider them real cigars. I urge you to consider this: Excalibur Cigarillos are one of the most searched for cigars in the United States, and a top seller in the world. From the most stuffy café in the heart of Paris, Hollywood Boulevard in Cali, to the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, people world over smoke these little pups because they’re pretty damn amazing for what they offer- a cheap, quick smoke that offers a great flavor and appealing aroma.

Now, unlike all my other reviews, I have no knowledge to drop on you, so I’ll just get right into my review.

Just kidding. I actually want to give you a tip on how to smoke one of these.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t plow through your smoke. Just like a cigar with a massive ring size, small cigars from corona down to cigarillo can be “over-smoked” If you over-smoke a big cigar, you may not realize it until the final third where you will get a bitter flavor. Just think about it; if you continually puff on the cigar, you’re just stoking the ember, making it hotter and hotter to the point where you will start burning tobacco prematurely, thus causing an ashy bitter taste. To combat this, simply rest your cigar in your ashtray for a few minutes to allow the cigar to cool down a bit. Problem solved.

Cigarillos on the other hand give a harsh burning sensation if you over-smoke them and it’s quite noticeable up front. Sure, cigarillos burn at a lower temperature than larger cigars, but the heat also travels a lot quicker down the length of a cigarillo. If you puff hard on it, the heat can blast the ever-loving crap out of your tongue and ruin your taste buds for a few days. To fully enjoy a cigarillo, take long, easy puffs on the cigar to get a smooth smoke every time.

Excalibur Cigarillo Review

Aroma

The aroma of the Excalibur Cigarillo reminds me of my first premium cigar. It’s simple yet massively enjoyable. It has a sweet tobacco aroma with light hints of freshly cut grass in the mix. It kind of reminds me that we all need a simple cigar once in a while. Sure, we all love complexity in our cigars, but when I’m in the office puffing away on a $12 stick, I’m not trying to analyze aroma or flavors. I’m trying to get work done to meet deadlines and it’s nice to have a supplementary flavor and aroma to help keep me going. That’s what’s perfect about the aroma of this cigar. It’s not heavy, complex, or offensive which would require special attention to get the full effect. Instead, it’s light, simple, and crisp; perfect for burning a quick one to add a little enjoyment to my day.

Draw and Burn

The draw is extremely consistent from one Excalibur Cigarillo to the next. I got a tin of 20 that I’ve been putting down all day now. That’s what happens with a 10–15 minute smoke and a smoke friendly office. The burn is also spot on, which is to be expected from a cigarillo. Big ring gauge means big burn issues, little ring gauge means little burn issues. It’s a simple fact. One downside to the burn is it keeps going out on me if I let it sit for a minute or two. Like I said before, little cigars have an ember that burns cooler. Because of this, and the miniscule size of the ember, it won’t take much for the Excalibur Cigarillo to go out on you if you neglect it. You can put a Robusto in an ashtray for 5 minutes and it will still be lit. Put one of these down for a couple minutes and it becomes cold as ice.

Taste

I’m not going to lie; the Excalibur Cigarillo is growing on me. I’m already a fan of smaller cigars, and the severe lack of cigarillos in my life recently has made me long for one pretty bad. I’m glad I got the opportunity to review them. Anyway, the taste is fairly simple yet enjoyable. Just like the aroma, the taste is not complex and does not require your undivided attention the way a more complex, larger premium cigar would. This is a sit back and enjoy-the-moment short smoke. The Connecticut wrapper delivers a rich tobacco flavor with some sweet spice thrown into the mix. I notice a slight anisette flavor on the back end of the smoke which just adds to the sweetness. Interesting considering there is no flavoring added to these babies nor have I ever picked this flavor up with any other cigar before. It’s actually quite refreshing to get a flavor change like this.

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It may not help you rule a kingdom, but I hope my Excalibur Cigarillo review helps you find a new favorite short smoke!

Final Thoughts

Overall, for a cigarillo, I have to give this a pretty high grade. The tobacco used is great, the flavor is rich yet simple, giving me exactly what I want in the smoke, and it’s inexpensive to pick up a tin of 20. I have to admit; I was an idiot and over-smoked one or two of them which is why I felt the need to tell you earlier to not over-smoke it. It’s simply because I’m a fast smoker, but it is starting to train me to slow down and relax while smoking which is what you should be doing anyway. So if you are looking for something to just slow down your day a bit and hit you with great flavor, this is perfect for you. I hope you enjoyed my Excalibur Cigarillo review, but if you want to learn more about the brand check out the official site for even more info!