Cigar Review: House Resolution Chairman

Ever since June 2009 when President Obama signed the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,” my colleagues and I have written ad nauseam about the danger of granting the Food & Drug Administration jurisdiction over handmade cigars.

Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Co., hasn’t been taking this threat sitting down. As chairman of both Cigar Rights of America and the recently established Puro Pac, Borysiewicz has graciously volunteered his time and money to defend cigar rights. His current efforts are focused on building support for HR 1639, a bill that would exempt premium handmade cigars from FDA regulation.

To draw attention to the bill and raise money in support of it, Borysiewicz partnered with the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. to launch a line called House Resolution. Offered in three vitolas—Chairman (5 x 56), Speaker (7 x 52), and Whip (6.5 x 52)—the blend is made in Nicaragua with a San Andreas maduro wrapper and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-filler tobacco.

The House Resolution Chairman is priced at $79.95 for a box of 20 or $37.50 for a 5-pack at Corona Cigar Co. The dark, textured smoke is firm to the touch with no soft spots. The foot emits pungent pre-light notes of peanut and cocoa.

After establishing an even light, a profile of leather, black coffee, and charred wood emerges. Normally I would associate such flavors with full body. But this cigar seems to bundle bold tastes into a smooth package, leaving the overall impact milder than you might expect. Helping to tone down the body is a faint chocolaty sweetness. This sweetness builds as the cigar progresses. All the while the physical properties are excellent, including a straight burn line, an easy draw, and a gray ash that holds nicely off the foot.

The per-stick price when you buy by the box ($4) makes the House Resolution Chairman an easy recommendation. Although it doesn’t have loads of complexity or a whole lot of balance, it sports an interesting flavor that fans of San Andreas tobacco will find delightfully familiar. And it does so while going easy on your wallet and contributing to the cause of cigar freedom. For that, I tip my cap, and I award this cigar three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys