Angry Elf Sun Grown Staff Review

The only elf you’ll find on my shelf around the holidays is an Angry Elf, and today a bundle of Angry Elf Sun Grown Toros is jeering at me though a shiny sheet of cellophane from the upper reaches of the labyrinthine bundle annex in the Holt’s warehouse, where I frequently lose track of time deciding what to smoke next.

I love to fire up an Angry Elf in front of people because the cigar band always gets a reaction. Aristocratic aficionados assume I’m not a serious cigar smoker when they see a goofy elf with a menacing grin on the band. But what they don’t know is that I’ve got ten times more cigars in my man cave than they’ll ever collect because I buy in bulk thanks to the astronomically low prices.

Angry Elf cigars hail from the Dominican Republic, and they’re offered in four unique wrappers: Candela, Connecticut, Maduro, and the Sun Grown I’m smoking today. There are noticeable differences in taste between Sun Grown and Shade Grown wrappers, as well as Sun Grown versus Maduro cigars, and the wealth of options to explore in these budget-friendly gems is simply dumbfounding.

Angry Elf Sun Grown cigars are handcrafted in three basic sizes: Churchill, Robusto, and Toro. For each, an oily, brown wrapper conceals a pleasant amalgam of premium Dominican long-filler tobaccos. When I peel the cellophane off a fresh specimen, a delightful aroma of aged tobacco, leather, and foliage fills my nostrils. After I clip the cap from an attractive Toro and take a couple quick puffs, tasting notes of earth and pepper whirl over my palate with a hint of molasses.

There’s nothing high-end about Angry Elf cigars, but they offer a lot more than most yard ‘gars because they’re made entirely of quality long-filler tobaccos, not the mixed-filler stuff. And they’re insanely consistent as a result. After roasting the foot with my trusty Visol Trigger Triple Torch, the binder, filler, and wrapper come to life in a uniform profile of leather, pepper, and wheat toast within a few short minutes.

I feel like slamming a Guinness, but I wouldn’t want to interfere with the delicate nuances of cardamom and rosemary my finely tuned taste buds detect as luscious clouds of smoke roll out of my mouth to fill the room with an intoxicating aroma. I admit, I’m overdoing my assessment. Angry Elf Sun Grown is a simple, no-frills smoke, but because it performs so well with its easy draw and approachable flavor, I’m vulnerable to daydreaming.

Woody notes of cocoa powder and assorted nuts mingle over a toasty foundation without turning bitter or too spicy. A light-gray ash develops and flakes off the foot of the Toro in a few instances but doesn’t disturb the cigar’s even burn. After roughly fifty minutes, a beefy crescendo of earth and pepper punctuates the nub before I gently place the leprechaun-clad band to rest in my oversized ashtray.

Make no mistake, I’m not “bah humbugging” the holidays with Angry Elf Sun Grown. I’m simply fortifying my cigar stash with economical smokes I can afford to hand out before the credit cards absorb another round of Christmas gifts, and this prickly pixie has been a steadfast companion to my coolerdor for years now. Order a bundle for yourself, for a paltry $3.24 per cigar, instead of cutting back this season.

Until next time, long ashes to you!