Factory: AJ Fernandez San Lotano – Ocotal, Nicaragua
Size: 6”x54
Strength: Medium-plus
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan
Presented in boxes of 20 cigars
In the wake of the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano and Sumatra Maduro releases comes the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut cigar selection. This collaboration between Erik Espinosa, AJ Fernandez, and Food Network All-Star, Guy Fieri, was added to provide a third smoking option to fans of the top-rated brand. The Ecuador-grown wrapper on the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut is also rolled around the same Nicaraguan binder and filler core as its two predecessors.
Offered in three sizes, on the front of each box is a different letter which has been placed after the cigar’s name. For example, the Toro box has the letter H. These letters represent the initial of an important person in Guy’s life who he wanted to recognize. The Connecticut line was introduced at the top of 2023 at Espinosa cigar lounges, select retailers, and the annual Total Product Expo (TPE) show. Additionally, this past July the company announced the return of the limited production Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Chef’s Special LE Figurado.
Finished with a textbook triple seam cap, its silky, delicate, and seamlessly rolled wrapper gives the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Toro a clean appearance. A gold silk foot band also helps identify this line as the Connecticut version. The cigar has a nice firmness to it, no soft spots found. The wrapper offered a sweet hay aroma while at the foot it was nutty and chocolatey. Using a straight cut, the draw was perfect for me with prelight notes of roasted nuts, cocoa, and sweet tobacco.
The cigar toasted up nice, lit evenly, and pretty quickly, too. The opening notes revealed a mostly nutty and black pepper start with a hint of sweetness that doesn’t hang around too long. As the cigar began to settle in, the smoke was very creamy with more of a lighter, white pepper finish. The ambient smoke breathed an ample supply of cloudiness. Early flavors offered a roasted nuts baseline with traces of earth balanced by a sweet cocoa (as in hot cocoa) flavor. Both body and strength were medium.
At the midsection roasted nuts were complemented by nutmeg, and sweet cocoa with some earthy accents. The white pepper finish held fast. On the other hand, retrohales offered a bold shot of black pepper. Cedar entered the mix followed by occasional notes of bitter, 90% cacao-like chocolate. Earthier notes ensued as the drive to the final inches began. The body inched-up to medium-plus.
The last two inches were even earthier. The body held at medium-plus while strength remained at medium. Some pleasant nuttiness remained while the cedar and sweet cocoa flavors tasted weaker. With one and a half inches left, that was pretty much all she wrote.
If you liked either of the previous two Knuckle Sandwich cigars, yes. Note that it was also created as an alternative for those looking for a Connecticut option; that’s a yes, too. Based on the Knuckle Sandwich Habano Toro panel review we did back in April, I was looking forward to this Connecticut blend and it did not disappoint. I liked its creaminess, even burn, medium body, and mostly nutty and sweet flavor profile.
With that, I think most cigar smokers, and especially Connecticut Shade fans, will enjoy a similar journey. The per-cigar price is a little up there but it’s not out of reach. Suffice it to say, the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Toro is an approachable and straightforward cigar that can be enjoyed any time of day, indoors or out, and pairs-up with everything from coffee to whiskey.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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