Cigar Review: Powstanie San Andrés with Still Austin Single Barrel

I’ve long been a fan of Powstanie cigars. Both the Habano and Broadleaf lines, in multiple vitolas, make frequent appearances in these Musings. I often joke that Powstanie is my vacation cigar — I always seem to bring a few along on my travels. So when I read that the company was adding a San Andrés blend as a new core line, I was eager to give it a try. 

The Powstanie San Andrés hit shelves in January of this year. I finally picked up a few in April but let them rest in the humidor for a bit before lighting one up — though I did sneak a preview by smoking one at the cigar lounge a few weeks ago. That little tease only whetted my appetite for the ones waiting patiently at home.

This cigar features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder, with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The line currently comes in four vitolas, with a fifth coming later. For this evening’s repast, I selected the 5 x 50 Robusto.

The smoke opens with notes of semi-sweet cocoa and nuttiness. As it develops, flavors of espresso and dark chocolate come forward, underpinned by a steady hum of pepper spice that broadens the profile. The burn was even requiring no touchups, and the smoke remained cool down to the nub. The Powstanie San Andrés delivers a rich, medium-bodied, and flavorful experience.

I paired it with Still Austin Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon. At 116 proof, this bourbon has a surprising smoothness for its minimal two-year age. The strength is apparent on the nose — especially when concentrated in a Glencairn glass — but the palate opens with cinnamon spice that quickly mellows into brown sugar sweetness. Notes of raisin, plum, caramel, and molasses soon follow, creating a layered and satisfying pour.

The cigar’s bold profile complemented the bourbon’s sweetness and lingering spice beautifully. While strongly spiced bourbons can sometimes overpower medium-bodied cigars, the Powstanie San Andrés held its own — robust without being overpowering.

Cheers!

Saturday Afternoon at the Brewery for Brews and Cigars

The second day of our Independence holiday activity revolved around a visit to 1781 Brewing for afternoon beer and cigars. Arriving shortly after lunch, the crowds were still small and we easily claimed a table under the trees in the garden. Rain threatened a bit later in the afternoon but for now the sky was just hazy and a light breeze blew. The resident roosters provided added entertainment as they prowled about.

It had actually been a long time since we made it to 1781. I'd spent time in the cigar lounge onsite, but even that was last in December. Checking out the menu board, I saw that the selection was as always, lengthy and varied. Colleen opted for the Høst Saison, while the Belsnikel Dunkelweizen tempted me.

Drinks out of the way, it was time to select a cigar to enjoy. I had brought along a Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda and a New World Dorado Robusto. The Powstanie kicked off the afternoon.

Belsniel Dunkelweizen is a dark wheat beer and the style is one I frequently turn to when pairing a beer with a cigar. This version checks in at an afternoon suitable ABV of 4.7%. The soft wheat and malt flavor with very low bitterness was refreshing and made a good pairing for the Powstanie.

The Powstanie line makes a regular appearance in these Musings. Both the Broadleaf and Habano versions, in any vitola, are a favorite. This Corona Gorda is a new 5 1/2" x 46 vitola that made its world debut in May at Fredericksburg's Hogshead Cigar Lounge. The event was attended by brand owner Mike Szczepankiewicz. I was able to enjoy the cigars right at the beginning of their availability, and of course brought some of each size home. The Powstanie Broadleaf features the same broadleaf maduro wrapper, Indonesian binder, fillers of Estelí ligero, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo tobaccos as the rest of the line. The usual flavors of creamy chocolate and wood, with a touch of cedar spice complimented the lager quite well. The Corona Gorda vitola is a great addition to the Powstanie line up.

We ended up staying for a second round and the New World Dorado also got its chance to shine with the beer. It performed admirably. Unfortunately the distant thunder was getting closer so we decided to leave before the rain started. I abandoned the cigar with a little over half smoked. Our timing was spot on as the first rain drops began falling as we exited the brewery. In a stroke of good timing, the heavy rain delayed until we arrived home. Despite the weather shortened visit, the afternoon was pleasant and hopefully a prelude to more relaxing summer afternoons spent enjoying good beer and cigars.

Cheers!

Powstanie Broadleaf

The Powstanie line of cigars is one I turn to frequently. Debuting in 2017, the brand name comes from the Polish word for "uprising," and the company's logo includes symbols used by the Polish Resistance during World War II. The cigar is available both Habano and Broadleaf versions. The Powstanie Broadleaf is my favorite. Sadly it was in short supply for much of 2020 but a few months ago my local shop was restocked and I picked up more of these flavorful smokes.

A fitting smoke when paired with a good bourbon, I've enjoyed the Powstanie Broadleaf in Toro, Robusto, and Belicoso vitolas, the Belicoso being my favorite. The cigars feature a chocolate brown broadleaf maduro wrapper, with an Indonesian binder, and Estelí Ligero, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo tobaccos making up the filler. The cigar gives a full-flavored smoke with creamy chocolate and woody notes throughout. A touch of cedar spice lingers in the background. The construction and burn is consistently excellent.

Enjoyed watching the sunset over the Appalachian Mountains…

Or while working in the cigar lounge…

At the beach last summer…

And again this summer…

It's a cigar for all seasons.

Independence Day Cigars & Cider

On July 4th, we headed over to one of our favorite spots to enjoy some live music, food, beverages, and, for me, cigars. The brewery / winery grounds were not all that crowded and we found a table under the shade of trees and set up camp. I had seen a social media post that a new cider was on tap at the brewery and headed into the winery for a couple glasses. Wilderness Gold Rush Cider is a dry, tart cider that turns out to be quite refreshing. I had intended to try just one before switching to some of my favorite 1781 Brewing beers. However, the cider was so enjoyable, and a perfect foil for the warm summer day, I decided to stick with it for the rest of the afternoon.

I lit up a Powstanie Habano to go with the crisp, dry cider. It occurred to me that the Powstanie was a somewhat fitting smoke for a day which celebrated independence. The Powstanie name comes from the Polish word for "uprising," and the company's logo includes symbols used by the Polish Resistance during World War II. And it's simply a good cigar as well.

A couple ciders later, it was time for food. The food truck of the day was Barbara's Soulfood Kitchen, serving up a wide range of tasty foods. Colleen opted for a crispy chicken sandwich, while I enjoyed a crab cake sandwich and an order of onion rings. The food was delicious and well prepared. We'll definitely  look for this vendor around town again.

As we continued to enjoy the live music, and the cider, I lit up another cigar to enjoy. The second smoke was one of the RoMa Craft CRAFT 2020 selections. I picked up a box of these uniquely wrapped cigars a few weeks ago and have been enjoying them. The CRAFT series is an annual, limited release, that features various combinations of Connecticut Broadleaf and Ecuadorian Connecticut wrappers featuring Mexican San Andrés accents, and also American Broadleaf and Ecuadorian Habano wrappers decorated with Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf. There are five different patterns presented in the box of 10. Distribution was limited to ten retailers, fortunately one of my local shops was included in that group. 

Both of the cigars paired very well with the cider. They are medium to full bodied with notes of nuts, wood, earth, and cedar. The cigars are similar, featuring some of the same tobaccos, and even rolled in the same factory. 

We enjoyed ourselves through the afternoon and into the evening. When we finally decided to call it quits, we were packed up and heading for the car when we were told that fireworks would be visible soon. So instead, we set up our chairs by the car and enjoyed the show. 

It was a most fitting ending to a day of recognizing and celebrating the wonderful gift of living free in this great country.

An Evening with Powstanie’s Catastrophic Failure and Bénédictine D.O.M.

With dinner finished and the after-dinner walk complete, it was time to settle onto the screened porch for a smoke. I had picked up a few Powstanie Catastrophic Failure cigars seven weeks ago during a shopping spree at my local cigar lounge. This evening, they were calling my name. I poured myself a small glass of Bénédictine D.O.M. Liqueur to accompany the cigar.

Released by Powstanie in late 2024, the Catastrophic Failure had somehow slipped past me, despite how fond I am of their smokes. This was my first time lighting one up. The 5 1/2 x 52 box-pressed cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, double binders from Mexico and Pennsylvania, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

The oily Sumatra wrapper is lightly mottled, nearly seamless, and smoothly rolled. It’s firm to the touch, but draws effortlessly. Upon lighting, it produces large clouds of dense, flavorful smoke. The burn remained even throughout the entire experience.

Opening notes of cedar, coffee, caramel, and baking spices set the tone. As the cigar progressed, I noticed a gentle increase in pepper and the emergence of an earthy, sweet base. Further along, a toasted bread and butter quality developed, all while the coffee and spice flavors continued to provide structure and depth — breakfast in a leaf, perhaps?

I was enjoying the cigar so much, I nearly forgot about the B&B sitting beside me. Bénédictine D.O.M. Liqueur is a pre-mixed blend of about 60% Bénédictine herbal liqueur and 40% French brandy, aged in small oak barrels to marry the flavors. I often enjoy it as a digestif after a good meal, particularly at a nice restaurant.

B&B is smooth, fruity, and herbal, with a pleasant honey sweetness. It’s light yet flavorful, leaving a lingering blend of mild bitterness and sweet fruit on the tongue.

The lingering honey and herbal notes of the Bénédictine D.O.M. paired beautifully with the pepper, earth, and roasted flavors of the cigar. While I was already enjoying the Catastrophic Failure on its own, the liqueur elevated the experience, adding another layer of complexity and enjoyment.

Cheers!

Mid-Week Cigar Break: Enjoying the Powstanie San Andrés at Hogshead

A rainy day offered the perfect opportunity to spend a few mid-week hours enjoying a cigar at Hogshead Cigar Lounge. It’s always a pleasure to settle in indoors for a smoke — and since most of my cigar time is typically solo, it was nice to pair this one with a bit of friendly conversation.

For the afternoon, I reached for a Powstanie San Andrés. I picked up a few of these new releases last month but hadn’t yet lit one up. The ones resting in my home humidor are Robusto size, so I opted for the Toro vitola to pass the time today.

I’ve long been a fan of Powstanie cigars, and I was especially eager to try their new San Andrés wrapper version. I’m happy to say it more than lived up to my expectations. Medium to full-bodied, the cigar delivered rich notes of espresso and chocolate, complemented by a moderate pepper spice. I’ll be doing a full review soon — complete with a beverage pairing.

All in all, those two hours spent relaxing in the lounge made for a wonderfully satisfying way to enjoy a cool, rainy afternoon.

Cheers!

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Powstanie Broadleaf Short Perfecto

We had a brief respite from the cold mid-week when the temperatures hit 50° in the afternoon. I decided enjoy an after dinner smoke on the deck. Even though the temperature dropped while I smoked, it was still an unseasonably temperate setting, though I did eventually fire up the heater.

A few weeks ago I picked up a few Powstanie Broadleaf Short Perfectos. The Powstanie Broadleaf is one of my favorite smokes, but I had never tried the Short Perfecto vitola. The small 5x50 perfecto seemed perfect for a quick smoke. 

Like the other size offerings, the blend features a Broadleaf Maduro wrapper over an Indonesian binder. Estelí Ligero, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo tobaccos are the filler tobaccos. It's a full-flavored smoke, with creamy chocolate, wood and cedar spice treating the palate.

 

I got an hour's worth of enjoyment out of this little stick. That was just long enough to coincide with the sun setting and the evening chill setting in.

Smoking a Powstanie Broadleaf and Enjoying the Snowfall

Two words I don't often in the same sentence, snowfall and enjoy. But the first snow of 2024 provided some enjoyable moments. Though the needle on the thermometer was hovering right around 30°, I fired up the heater and lit a Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda. The little alcohol fire pit provided some extra warmth for my hand holding the cigar. The other one remained in my coat pocket.

The Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda has been in the humidor since last May and smoked very well, despite the cold, dry air. The combination of a broadleaf maduro wrapper, Indonesian binder, and fillers of Estelí ligero, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo tobaccos made for a flavorful smoke. Flavors of creamy chocolate and wood, along with some pepper and cedar was a nice pairing to a warm coffee.

As I sat and enjoyed the smoke, I was struck by the awesome silence that accompanied the winter weather, No cars on the nearby street, no leaf blowers or chainsaws, not even the sounds of wildlife moving in the woods. If the storm continues through the night and into the next day, I suspect there could be chainsaws and even generators providing the background noise in days to come. But for now, all is quiet.

Cheers!

Tailgate Cigar and Whiskey Pairing

The weather was nearly perfect for last weekend's college football tailgate party. The partly cloudy sky allowed enough sun to come through to knock off any full morning chill. Though rain was in the forecast, the precipitation held off until after the game, except for a few last quarter sprinkles. The mid-afternoon kickoff had us starting the festivities late in the morning.

While we snacked and chatted, I lit up a Powstanie Habano Toro This cigar had been hiding in my humidor for over a year. The well-rested stick provided creamy chocolate and woody notes throughout. A touch of cedar spice lingered in the background. Powstanie is a favorite, though I typically reach for the Broadleaf wrapper versions. I think I will pickup a few more of these to stash away.

I had also brought along a bottle of Larceny Bourbon. This wheated bourbon has caramel, oak, and vanilla notes with very little spiciness. The smooth sipping whiskey was an exceptional compliment to the flavors in the cigar.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or just my mood at the time, but I felt this cigar and bourbon combination was one of the most enjoyable pairings I've had in a while. 

On top of the tailgate fun, we were treated to a very exciting football game. Our guys pulled out a win in what turned out to be the longest game in ACC history. It was a nail biter at times, but a great cap off to a fun day.

An Easy End to Vacation

The end of vacation is bittersweet. The thought of going back to the daily grind haunts me at the end. But at the same time, I look forward to eating normally, sleeping in my own bed, and after this trip, enjoying a cigar. We spent the week at a horticultural convention, enjoying conversations and lectures from enthusiasts and jungle-traveling botanists. It was a homecoming of sorts, as it's a world we were very involved in a couple decades ago. We saw many old friends and met new ones. 

But it was also a busy week in a hotel, with events from dawn to late, with no time or place to enjoy a cigar. After spending a lot of Sunday processing all the new acquisitions to our collection, it was finally time to relax with a smoke. I grabbed one of the cigars that had spent the week in the unopened travel humidor I had brought along, Powstanie Habano in the Corona Gorda vitola.

I've mentioned this new vitola for the Powstanie core line previously. Like the Broadleaf version, I find the Habano in Corona Gorda is the near perfect size for a relaxing 60 -75 minute smoke. Larger than a Robusto, but not quite a Toro.

The after dinner smoke provided the perfect transition moment from vacation to work. The cigar was pleasurable as a I contemplated the work week to come, as well as the grass in the yard in desperate need of mowing.

Cheers!

Bourbon and Cigar Pain Reliever

I was looking forward to a relaxing Friday evening, but first I had to repair the blade drive belt on the lawn tractor, and then mow the grass. After about an hour, much of which was spent trying to recall the correct route of the serpentine belt, the fix was done. But not before I stretched or twisted my back in such a way to suffer a very painful muscle pull in my side. My body doesn't flex like it did when I was younger! Riding the mower afterwards was an exercise in suffering. Offer it up they say.

The evening was spent in much discomfort. However, the bourbon and cigar did provide some alleviation. I poured some of the Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond I had picked up a few weeks ago, along with a Powstanie Habano. 

The Powstanie in both the Habano and Broadleaf blends make frequent appearances on these Musings. I had the pleasure of meeting brand owner Mike Szczepankiewicz a couple weeks ago at Hogshead Cigar Lounge when he made the worldwide release of the two cigars in a new Corona Gorda vitola. The Robusto being enjoyed was one of the party favors from that evening. The Habano wrapper covers an Indonesian binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. There's a mild spice blended with creamy chocolate and woody notes. The medium bodied smoke goes well with a smooth bourbon.

The Henry McKenna 10 Year BiB is a bourbon I don't get to enjoy as frequently as in years past. It used to be an inexpensive $25-$30 bottle. The bourbon won Best in Show Whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, that combined with the general boom in bourbon popularity has caused the price to double, if not more. In addition, the Virginia ABC labeled it an "allocated" bourbon, and as such is only available at their random drops. The artificially manipulated supply as a store and typically sells out in the first rush of shoppers after the announcement.  I find it a nice, well-balanced, 100 proof bourbon with a classic caramel, oak, and vanilla sweetness.

Despite the attempt at relaxation, the night was restless. I was also shooting in the morning and would deal with some lingering pain for that. That's a story for later.

Cheers!

Lookout Brewery, Black Mountain, NC

A couple of weeks ago we escaped to western North Carolina to disconnect for a week of relaxation. We ensconced at a bed and breakfast for the week, which made for a nice base of operations. We would eat a hearty meal in the morning, then head out for a day of hiking, sight seeing, and brewery visits. 

We were treated to an appearance by the local bird feeder bandit one evening as we enjoyed dinner on the patio. The hungry bear stepped out of the woods, stared at us for a moment, then retreated back into the trees.

Naturally, I was looking forward to enjoying cigars at local breweries during the trip. Surprisingly, the NC breweries we visited were, with one exception, less than accommodating when it came to that pleasure. Of course, there are dozens of breweries in the Asheville area, so maybe we just hit the wrong ones. As so many of our local breweries allow cigars, many even having humidors onsite, I was shocked by the restrictions at breweries in our neighboring state.

One notable exception was Lookout Brewing in Black Mountain. We stayed right outside of the town, so it was just a short drive to the brewery. That was fortunate as this was the only brewery that we opted to pay a return visit to, as much for the beer and atmosphere as the chance to enjoy a cigar.

We ordered a couple of beers, and grabbed a table on the side patio in the shade. I quickly lit a Liga Privada Sun Grown Maduro to enjoy with the Toasted Hazelnut Dunkel. The Dunkel had notes of coffee and a pleasing nuttiness. It was a refreshing foil to the rather warm temperature and as expected paired well with the cigar. The resident food truck was not open so we grabbed two delicious wood fired pizzas from the shop right across the street. (We were enjoying the leftovers at the B&B when the bear paid a visit.)

We returned later in the week for more good beer, food, and a smoke. This time the food truck was open and we gorged ourselves on some tasty, and large, hot dogs. This time I opted for Curren's Cloudbreaker Hazy IPA. For my smoke I lit one of my favorites, the Powstanie Broadleaf, in the Belicoso format.

The Hazy IPA was very well done. There was a refreshing fruitiness, without being overly sweet, and balanced with just the right amount of hop bitterness. Mouthfeel was creamy with a clean finish and the moderate 5.7% ABV made it easy to go for a refill. 

I was struck by the friendliness of the patrons at the brewery. The crowd seemed be mostly "local" rather than "tourist" like us. In fact, Lookout Brewing reminded me a lot of my favorite local haunt for enjoying beer and cigars, 1781 Brewing, where so many of these Musings originate. The patrons and staff were friendly, the beers delicious, there was food onsite, and they had no objections to the enjoyment of cigars. In fact, small ash trays were placed on many of the tables.

I talked to the bartender for a bit to express my delight with finding them, and shared how much we enjoyed ourselves. "We are just a small business trying to be welcoming," she replied. I think they are succeeding. If you are in the area, and want a break from the larger, more well-known, and crowded, local breweries you won't go wrong with a visit to Lookout Brewing in Black Mountain, NC.