Brick House Staff Review
I’m breaking out a budget-friendly box of Brick House cigars for the pleasure of reviewing a dark and chunky 6.25-by-60 Gordo called the Mighty Mighty Maduro. This rugged and imposing smoke isn’t drafted from your typical Connecticut Broadleaf or San Andrés Maduro wrapper. Rather, it’s a Brazilian Araparica Maduro.
Brick House cigars are blended and produced by J.C. Newman, the parent company of several value-based brands, including Perla del Mar and Quorum, which are handmade at the Newman family’s PENSA cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. J.C. Newman also owns a handful of brands made in the Dominican Republic by the Fuente family, including Diamond Crown, Julius Caeser, Cuesta Rey, and La Unica. The company is also known for operating a historic cigar factory, called El Reloj, in the Ybor City district of Tampa, Florida, where they’re headquartered.
Although my sweet spot for price is closer to five bucks or less per cigar, the Mighty Mighty Maduro I’m firing up goes for just over nine, essentially because the cigars are packaged in tidy boxes of 25, in lieu of the inexpensive bundles I’m used to. As I’ve proclaimed from my penny-pinching pedestal many times before, you can’t smoke the packaging, folks. Besides, a box unnecessarily takes up precious space in my coolerdor, which is why I rarely store my cigars in the box they came in. So why pay for it?
Upon slipping the cellophane off a fat and fresh Mighty Mighty Maduro, a pleasant bouquet of cocoa, pepper, and tree bark fills my nostrils like a plate of hot brownies. Brazilian wrappers can be especially dark, and Brick House fits the bill with its rugged sheen and a few gnarly veins bulging on the surface. Once I slice through its oily cap and take a few cold pulls, a full-flavored impression of wood and wet soil sets the tone.
It takes a few minutes to fully ignite the foot with my trusty Jetline Hurricane triple torch. Big wafts of earthy smoke bring this big-ring gem alive like a chimney stack. Brazilian wrappers have a distinct intensity. This one is less sweet than a traditional Broadleaf and less spicy than a San Andrés, at least in the beginning. The chief tasting notes I get are earth and leather with a campfire quality and a slightly dry aftertaste.
As I power through my Mighty Mighty Maduro, it’s clear this isn’t a candidate for an early morning smoke. It’s not the strongest cigar I’ve devoured recently, but it’s got enough oomph to keep me on my toes. Big notes of dark cocoa powder and mesquite stir my taste buds while the cigar’s peppery aroma lingers in my nostrils like fireworks smoke.
Brick House Maduro is charry and intense, but the big ring gauge of the Mighty Mighty size keeps the draw cool and approachable. The Newman family has curated a piquant profile of leather, nuts, and earth with a hearty foundation. Overall, the tasting notes are on the basic side, but that’s okay for a bargain smoke. I think it should be a couple bucks cheaper, to be honest, but I’ll chalk that up to inflation for now. Toss a few Brick House cigars in your next order and fire up the Mighty Mighty Maduro when you’re craving a casual big-ring smoke. In the meantime, I’m debating whether or not to splurge on a full box for my man cave.
Until next time, long ashes to you!
