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dissident cigars BLOC B_A Box-pressed

Three weeks ago I had never heard of dissident cigars, let alone smoked either of there two brands. I saw a picture of a Soap Box cigar on Facebook and thought to myself "that looks interesting", so I researched the cigar, then the company and here we are. Today, here I sit reflecting on this fine cigar, thinking about just what to say in this review to really do it justice.  I do know that I was blown away by the flavor and long complex finish of the dissident BLOC B_A.

There are some interesting things that should be pointed out about this cigar. You will see from the photo, the band is in the 8-bit video game style of graphics, the band at the foot has "Start Here" printed on it and inside the main band is printed "Continue? Yes, No" with the yes being highlighted. Seeing this made me chuckle a bit and if there really were a button there I would push yes! Oh and I nearly forgot, since the name is BLOC and the graphics are in block style, it is box-pressed; Of course, it couldn't be any other way. I am not going to post it all here, but go to dissidentcigars.com and read about what they are trying to accomplish with their lines.

Quick Details
  • Cigar Size: 6.25  x 52 B_A
  • Wrapper:  Habano Jalapa
  • Binder: Jalapa: double binder
  • Filler: Mexico /  All Esteli
  • Cutting Method: Xikar guillotine
  • Paired with: Diet Pepsi & Cascade Pride Sumatra
  • Price: $9.99 Samples provided by dissident cigars

The overall appearance of the BLOC was top notch and so was the construction. Feeling down the body there were no hard or soft areas, the dark Habano wrapper was rolled on seamless and contained very fine veins.  There was a medium amount of tooth to the oily wrapper and it had a nice aroma of cocoa. Checking the foot for cold aromas there were notes of spicy cedar and cocoa to the nose. Once the end was clipped the cold draw was free and had the same flavors found from the foot. After toasting and lighting the cigar, the first few medium body draws had flavors of mild black pepper, cocoa and molasses while leaving a lingering espresso aftertaste. The pepper subsided rather quickly being replaced by a bit of oak. A retro hale produced a mix of black tea and black pepper. As the burn progressed past the first third it left behind a soft gray ash, surprisingly it held on nearly to the top band, and a nice oily band on the wrapper.

Around the half way point the flavors shifted to a mix of creamy mocha and coffee with a hint of sweet tree fruit. In the final third is where I thought the BLOC B_A showed its' strengths by producing a nice long finish that was simply outstanding! I say this because the flavors in the final third shifted with nearly every draw. I experienced notes of cream, mocha, cocoa, semi sweet chocolate, brown sugar, molasses and charcoal either alone or in combination with others. Super, super finish! I liked the flavor mix so well that I gave it 20 points and this cigar is in the running for cigar of the year.

I paired this with a Sumatran coffee and my normal diet Pepsi. The coffee brought out the bolder flavors in the cigar while the soda enhanced the natural sweetness in the cigar. If you are interested in this BLOC cigar, and you should be, there is a list of retailers carrying dissident cigars on their site.

Rated: 95
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