The El Baton Firecracker by United and JC Newman

Smoked this yesterday, but finally getting around to posting. 

Sometimes you need a quick smoke and the El Baton Firecracker was waiting in my humidor.  I've never smoked any of the other United Cigars Firecracker collaborations, nor the regular El Baton (though this isn't the same blend) or much of the PENSA made JCN cigars, but no time better than now to start! 

BRAND / CO:  J.C. Newman
CIGAR:  El Baton Firecracker
VITOLA:  Petit Robusto - 3.5" x 50
STRENGTH:  Medium - Full
WRAPPER:  Cameroon, Natural
BINDER:  Nicaragua
FILLER:  Nicaragua
ORIGIN:  Nicaragua, PENSA (Puros de Estelí Nicaragua, S.A.)

APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION:   Good
This is a wee thing, as it's barely larger than my pinky finger.  The extended pigtail is fun as it's designed to look like the fuse on a firecracker and I appreciate how it's secured under the band.  The Cameroon wrapper looks gorgeous with good sheen, mottling and a super light tooth.  There's a lot of veins, but they're all thin and the seams are tight and unaffected.  Seemingly good construction all around with a nice, firm feel.

DRAW & BURN:   Good
The draw is perfect and the burn starts unevenly, but controlled.  It creates a light gray ash with even striations and I'll be shocked if it doesn't hold for the entirety of the smoke.  Spoiler alert, it does.

FLAVOR PROFILE:   Good
And firecracker as a namd is on point.  Immediate hits of strong pepper with a lot of charred woodiness.  I'm getting some of that signature Cameroon earthy sweetness, but the pepper is leading the initial charge.  That's really the biggest challenge with a pepper bomb because it overloads most of the other flavors and it masks any complexity the rest of the tobacco might bring. So at this point I'm hoping the pepper ramps down a bit to get some of the other flavors of the blend.

At the halfway point, which comes quickly, I'm still really only getting pepper, honey sweet, charred cedar and earth.  Is there leather, chocolate or other flavors?  It's hard to tell.  There's a bit of a sourdough note, and I'd say just the slightest hints of leather and chocolate.  I am getting that dry, chalky mouth feel you get from peanut shells as this is a pretty dry tasting profile overall.  Spicy, smoked peanuts is the net effect.  The spice is pulling back at the tail end, revealing more nuttiness and charred wood with hints of leather and light floral notes.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:   Great
Pretty good and a fun smoke, but I don't think I'd want this in a larger vitola as it works great as a Petit Robusto.  I was a little relieved it wasn't a pepper bomb the entire time because it let the other flavors shine at the end, but it's still left a very strong aftertaste.  This is a cigar that's best when you need a quickie or a night cap after other cigars.  It strikes me as a bit of a novelty, but it's good enough to give it a go at least once!

Purchase Singles or by the Box HERE

Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective