Powstanie is a brand that harkens back to the Polish ancestry of Mike and Greg Szczepankewicz. They own Cigar Hustler in Deltona, FL, and Mike is also known from the Cigar Hustler’s Podcast. The word Powstanie basically translates to Uprising, and Wojtek is the War Bear. The original Wojtek released in 2019 and was a very limited release 5 x 50 Short Perfecto. This latest Wojtek also released as a limited production, this time as a 6 x 52 Toro. Here is Matt’s review of the Wojtek Toro.
Powstanie Wojtek Toro
MSRP: $13.00
Size: 6 x 52
Origin: NicaSueño S.A. (Esteli, Nicaragua)
Wrapper: Habano (Ecuador), San Andrés (Mexico)
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Prologue
The first thing you will notice about this cigar is the barber pole wrapper. Although the color difference may be more subtle than other barber pole designs, it is clear that there are two unique wrapper leaves at play here. The cigar is well rolled and has clean lines. The weight feels a bit heavy for the size of the cigar. The cigar has some mild aromas of cedar and leather, and the foot smells peppery and musty. The cold draw has a little more of that mustiness mixed with mild pepper and raw sugar.
Act I
When lighting this cigar, I notice a deep level of smoke output right away. The flavors and aromas start off with raw sugar, charred wood, barnyard, and a faint leather aroma. There is a unique kind of spicy sweetness that reminds me of molasses cookies. I also get some kind of interesting bitter component that is almost like a mineral dryness. The retrohale has some black pepper and leather aromas.
Act II
I taste an increase in spice as the cigar warms up. The charred wood notes and molasses mix with an interesting saltiness. It almost has a smoked meat quality to it. This goes along with some damp and musty notes and background of spice. There is a nice mix on the retrohale of black pepper, raw sugar, and some earthiness.
Act III
The strength ramps up in the last section of the cigar, and the core flavors follow suit. There is a mix of bitterness and sweetness, with elements of the charred wood and earth mixed with the molasses cookie from earlier in the cigar. The mustiness and mineral notes are still there, but far in the background. A few of the last draws have subtle hints of citrus and leather, but it doesn’t linger. The retrohale at the end is extremely spicy, with fleeting hints of the molasses from earlier.
Epilogue
I smoked three of these for this review, and I have to mention that one of the cigars had an extremely tight draw and needed some pokes with a draw tool to work it out. The other two cigars smoked for review had good draws and all of the cigars had good burn performance. I found this cigar to be a very good balance overall, and an interesting profile of flavors and aromas. As I have mentioned before, I typically don’t feel strength from many cigars, but it was noticeable in a few spots with this one. It worked well to enhance the flavors. The dark notes and earthy notes worked well with the sweetness and saltiness. Overall, a cigar I enjoyed quite a bit.
Powstanie Wojtek Toro – How Bout That Cigar?
Rating: How Bout A Box?
Overall Score: 91
PAD: +0.0 (What is PAD?)
Flavor Summary: Dark sweetness, charred wood, earth, saltiness, leather
Strength Assessment: Medium-Plus
Source: Cigars for this review were purchased by HBT Media LLC
Great smoke all day