Powstanie Catastrophic Failure

Call it ironic, cheeky, or perhaps playfully pessimistic, Powstanie Cigars announced their latest project as the Catastrophic Failure this past November. It’d be quite the jarring title for those unfamiliar with co-owners Mike and Greg Szczepankewicz. On the other hand, it’s exactly the type of project you might expect after familiarizing yourself with the associated Cigar Hustler Podcast, hosted by Mike Szczepankewicz and Mike Palmer.

“We’re proud to introduce the Catastrophic Failure, a cigar that exemplifies everything Powstanie Cigars stands for. This cigar blends traditional expertise with modern innovation, making it a standout addition to our lineup.” —Mike Szczepankewicz

Catastrophic Failure Breakdown

Like most Pospiech/Powstanie cigars, the Catastrophic Failure was rolled out of the Nica Sueño factory (of RoMa Craft fame) in Estelí, Nicaragua. The cigar marks one of—if not the—first Sumatra-wrapped blends from the company. This leaf is joined by a fairly diverse interior blend, including a double binder from Mexico and Pennsylvania and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The project was rolled in a single 5½″ × 52 robusto extra format, being limited to 5,000 cigars for the release.

Appearance

The Catastrophic Failure catches the eye straight away, having an almost comedically exaggerated band—juxtaposing a flashy design with the cigar’s self-deprecating title. It’s a look that wouldn’t feel out of place in the gaming or racing worlds. The cigar itself has a nice appearance overall, featuring a soft box-press and a wrapper that’s notably lighter in shade than what you typically expect from Sumatra leaf. The robusto extra appears to be double-capped and shows minimal veins, being fine in both size and structure. With a gentle squeeze, the bunch offers a consistent springiness from head to foot.

The wrapper’s aromatics are subtle but present, showing tangy citrus and a touch of barnyard musk. The foot offers a bit more intensity, featuring pink peppercorn, sage, and cedar—a clean profile overall. After cutting, the pre-light draw shows ideal resistance, bringing forward notes of corn chips and cedar, backed by cashews and cardamom spice.

Smoking Experience

The Catastrophic Failure opens with a surprisingly complex character, requiring a couple of puffs to fully unveil its profile. Initial notes center on cola, accompanied by a red pepper spice reminiscent of pizza seasoning. There’s an interesting carbonated sensation through the nostrils that genuinely mimics the feeling of retrohaling after a sip of soda. The profile develops with light caramel and warm baking spices, while a bright citrus quality emerges that brings to mind carbonated pink lemonade (it’s quite the bubbly intro). Meanwhile, more savory aspects emerge, offering hints of umami and tomato soup (showing more prominently on the palate than through the retrohale). Just south of the burn line, the wrapper takes on a glistening, oily appearance. Construction proves solid out of the gate, with a mostly straight burn line producing sturdy, light-gray ash that builds beyond an inch. The draw is fairly good—perhaps a touch firm—delivering medium smoke output with a nice creamy texture. At this stage, the cigar registers at medium-plus in flavor while showing medium-minus intensity in both body and strength.

Moving into the second third, medium-roast coffee notes begin to surface as a dry texture begins creeping in during the finish. There’s still a bright, lively quality up front—the pink peppercorn character persisting—while anise emerges as the secondary component. The combination of dryness and rooty spice marries with the earlier citrus notes to create an interesting orange bitters quality. The smoke continues to linger primarily on the back, sides, and middle portions of the tongue, being slightly salty and bitter, with an umami quality. While the cigar requires one minor touchup through this portion, it continues apace, not overheating or charring in flavor. The profile has evolved to medium across all categories, with body perhaps pushing toward medium-plus (and flavor notably pulling back). As this section progresses, notes of dusty closet emerge, marking a less engaging profile than the opening half.

The finale brings darker cabinet spices and black peppercorn, though individual notes become harder to isolate as the overall profile takes on a muddied quality. The ash no longer builds to the impressive lengths seen earlier but maintains its sturdy character. A subtle mineral component develops alongside a touch of saltiness that lingers on the lips. The experience concludes with an increasingly earthy, rooty, and toasted character, requiring one additional minor touchup along the way. While the closing segment may lack the vibrancy of the cigar’s opening act, it maintains enough interest to carry through to the finale.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

Fun concept: check. Quality construction: check. Flavor output: check (mostly). Fair price point: check. That’s going to be a yes from me. While the first half is much more interesting than the second, it’s certainly enjoyable overall, providing bright and bubbly characteristics unique enough to make it worth the price of admission.

• As of now, the cigars are still available for purchase at Cigar Hustler (as well as a few other online retailers).
• Currently, the Catastrophic Failure ranks on Dojoverse as “100% Smokable,” placing in the bottom 55 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.

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