Wisdom by Stoic Cigars
Stoic is a new brand that launched in late 2024 and currently has 1 blend. That blend is named Stoic, and comes in 4 vitolas, each representing a virtue of stoiciscm; Courage (5" x 50), Moderation (5.5" x 46), Justice (6" x 52) and Wisdom (7 "x 48). A second blend with the same vitolas (and vitola names) is set to come out in July. They say the Stoic blend uses 7 different tobaccos from 4 countries, but not all are identified. Given that these are made by Kelner Cigars, I'm left fairly confident it'll be a good blend regardless.
Another thing that I appreciate is Stoic is committed to supporting B&M retailers. While you can find these online, they must have a physical presence to become a retailer.
BRAND / CO: Stoic
CIGAR: Stoic [Wisdom]
VITOLA: Churchill - 7" x 48
STRENGTH: Medium - Full
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano, Natural
BINDER: Ecuadoor (Habano)
FILLER: Dominican Republic / United States / Undisclosed (South America)
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic, Kelner Cigars, S.A.S.
APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION: Good
Warm milk chocolate brown with a light sheen and velvety soft texture. There's some good mottling adding additional color contrast. There's a number of veins, but they're very light and thin. The seams are tight, blend in well, and the triple cap is even and perfectly cut. There's a nice firmness to the roll.
The band has the 4 symbols Stoic ties back to their vitolas, and with the Churchill being wisdom, that iconography is highlighted in gold on the band. While I like the design and colors of the band, the real trick is what's beneath. The primary band covers a secondary band that has a unique serial number on it. The back of the primary band has a QR code that will take you to Stoic's website where you can register to track and journal your cigar. It's a fun twist, and I appreciated that the code was correctly linked to the cigar I had in hand.
DRAW & BURN: Good / Great
The draw was spot on and the burn starts ok, but gets wavy and a little uneven quickly, then starts to settle in, getting dead even by the second third. The ash is a very light gray with thick bands and flakes a little. It holds nicely, getting to almost the midway point before falling.
FLAVOR PROFILE: Excellent
The first draw brings nuttiness and wood notes, light vanilla, cocoa and baking spice. But within a couple more they all blend into a bready graham cracker flavor with a sweet finish. I'm getting a honey sweetness and a little zest on top. Pepper hints occasionally but just barely, it's mild baking spice for flavor mostly. This is super creamy and smooth, not a hint of bitterness or harshness. This isn't a complex blend, but it's starting off hitting the right notes.
The second third starts with a continuation of the primary flavors but pepper peeks in again. The sweetness picks up overriding some of the earlier savoriness it had, and there's a more noticeable salty mineralness to it. No dramatic changes, but the flavors feel like they're really coalescing and getting a bit more intense. The first third was on the mellow side of medium and now we're getting into medium plus territory. No real changes getting into the final third, but for me, this is landing as really enjoyable blend.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: Excellent
This is a fantastic introduction for a new brand. Stoic says they trying to "attract and inspire new cigar smokers into the community for which we’re all so passionate, while engaging and delighting experienced cigar smokers." The Stoic accomplishes that because it's approachable enough for newbies but robust and flavorful enough for more experienced palates. The ability to journal and track your cigars and other Stoic smokers on their website will attract those who like to gamify things (guilty!). If you're into more heavy pepper or darker profiles, this probably won't work you, but if you like sweet and salty graham cracker profiles, you'll love this. I'm excited to see what their next blend brings.
Purchase singles or by the box HERE!
Written by Sean McCloskey of the Collective.