Hex by Sindicato Cigars

Fresh off the heels of the 2013 IPCPR, there’s plenty of new cigars and even a few new cigar brands to gawk over. If you’ve been following the cigar news coming out of this year’s convention, you may have noticed newcomer Sindicato. And while the Sindicato brand may be new to the cigar scene, its creators most definately are not.

Sindicato Cigars is launching with three unique blends: Hex, Affinity, and Casa Bella. Today I’ll be reviewing the Hex in the 6 x 54 Toro vitola, a Nicaraguan cigar with a bold look and a dark, Ecuadorian Habano wrapper – Sindicato’s “darkest” cigar.

First off, I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a cool looking cigar, and the Hex is just that. It has a striking look about it, with a clean, understated band reading Hex in black over a creamy-white, textured backdrop. The silver foiled highlights to either side call attention but do not distract from the voodoo-esque font. The predominantly white band contrasts well with the dark wrapper, which really helps the cigar to stand out. On top of all this, Hex is rolled with a nice pigtail cap, I can barely resist smoking this thing!

The Hex has a real leather/barnyard smell to it, with a light, chocolatey pre-draw. Lighting up, the first thing I noticed was the ultra smooth smoke that just seemed to slip out my mouth and nose. Then nothing but Chocolate, smooth and creamy chocolate.

Somewhat surprising to me was the strength; I expected this cigar to be on the stronger side for whatever reason, maybe it was the intense appearance. Regardless, Hex dials in at a solid medium strength level, which I found to be a plus. It’s not every day that you find a nice, dark, chocolatey smoke with a medium strength; I wouldn’t mind smoking one of these for breakfast.

The smoke output was decent, not exploding with smoke, but providing enough to give you the sense of accomplishment. And the construction was absolutely stellar! Throughout the smoke, the cigar required no touchups, nothing to distract from the smoking experience. The flavors were full of  Chocolate, with nice accents of nut and leather, and a light spice on the finish, a very pleasant smoke thus far. Similar to the palate, retrohaling the smoke through the nose was nothing short of smooth, milk chocolate with just a touch of spice near the finish.

Progressing into the cigar, darker flavors begin to emerge, which is welcomed by me.  A firm tobacco flavor makes an appearance into the second-third of the cigar, along with darker chocolate and a coffee flavor that comes and goes. All the while, there is a sweeter tobacco taste on the tongue when pressed against the cut head of the cigar.

There is an inherent sweetness to cigar that had me captivated throughout, like vanilla cream or powdered sugar. Even while the flavors darkened, there remained this sweet essence, making for a contrasting balance and a diversity that I found very enjoyable.

Tobacco and anise, medium-dark chocolate, and the slightest bit of coffee now dominated the palate. Hex was at the halfway point and for me this is when a cigar typically begins winding down. The battle between keeping the cigar lit and keeping the smoke cool becomes increasingly challenging. But there was something about that vanilla, balancing the chocolate flavors of the cigar, that kept me going. In fact, that creamy, powdered vanilla flavor stuck with me well into the next day, nagging at me. And I’ll tell you this: it won’t be long before I smoke another Hex.

Would I smoke this cigar again?

I found this to be a great anytime smoke, one which I would love to start the day with. And yes, I will smoke the Hex again, I may even smoke one after this review! I found this cigar to have a comparable flavor profile to the Liga Privada Ferrel Flying Pig, not to say this is a $20 cigar, but you may find the Hex to have similar flavor qualities.

The Hex is certainly a cigar to keep an eye out for. As of now, Sindicato’s portfolio is only offered at local brick and mortar cigar shops, retailing at about $7 -$8. If you’re interested in tracking down one of their retailers, you’re best bet is to use the locator on the Sindicato Cigars site.

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