Brick House Connecticut Toro

[Don Fernando]

Brick House is a brand with a lot of history and named after the brick house that was the Newman family home back in Hungary, the only brick house in the village. Originally it was a Cuban puro and the brand was discontinued when the embargo hit but since a few years its back as a Nicaraguan cigar, and with such a success that it had offspring, including this Connecticut line.

Again, just like the Perla del Mar Maduro, the Newman website doesn’t even mention this cigar, not even on the dedicated Brick House website except for a banner which says “introducing the Connecticut” but then nothing. I found out that it’s a Nicaraguan made cigar, with Nicaraguan filler and binder and a Connecticut wrapper. Judging from the MSRP, which is around 6 dollar, this won’t be an American grown Connecticut Shade wrapper, but where it’s from I don’t know.

The wrapper is yellowish, pale, combine with my prejudice on Connecticut Shade wrappers and you can guess that I would not grab this cigar in a shop myself. I was given this cigar with the question to tell the gracious giver what my thoughts are. The simple yellow, black, gold and red ring I like, classy, well printed and I also like the American flag style foot ring with the stars and stripes, although there are only 5 stars and 5 stripes but that might be a reference to the history of Connecticut that i’m not aware of. If that’s the case, please comment and share your knowledge. The construction feels good, the shape of the cigar is nice and so is the triple cap. The aroma is surprisingly full and strong, its fermenting grass what I think of when I smell the cigar.

I punched the cigar. The cold draw is fine, it’s sweet yet peppery. After lighting I taste a very mild coffee, smooth yet a little salty. After half an inch just a little bit of sweetness and some mild herbs. After a third a very mild chocolate shows up too. I don’t taste any Connecticut Shade mustiness though which is a plus. Halfway I taste a little more salt. The chocolate is gone, it’s just a mild salt with some sweetness. The flavors don’t change after that, except that the cigar gets spicy and peppery.

The draw is great, the smoke is great. It’s white, thick and plentiful. The light ash is dense and firm. This is a mild cigar, smooth but mild. It lacks some evolution. The smoke time is almost two hours.

Would I buy this cigar again? It’s too mild for me but if you’re into mild cigars this is a good choice.

Score: 89

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