Cigar Review: Nomad S-307 Corona

In addition to heading up Emilio Cigars, Gary Griffith is at the helm of House of Emilio, an organization that provides distribution to what he considers to be the “best of the boutiques.”

The House of Emilio portfolio includes 1502, Bodega, Epicurean, Ezra Zion, Guayacan, Herederos, Nomad, and Rodrigo. “These are up and coming cigar companies that have superior product and great interaction with retailers and cigar aficionados alike,” reads the House of Emilio website.

The Orlando-based Nomad Cigar Co. was founded by Fred “GodFadr” Rewey, a man who considers great tobacco, great construction, and great blending to be the cornerstones of a great cigar. If you read through Nomad’s website, you’ll notice a theme of quality over quantity. “Nomad cigars are only rolled with the finest tobacco,” says Rewey. “It is because of this fact, from time to time, we have a shortage. Bottom line, if the tobacco does not pass inspection, it doesn’t go in the cigar.”

Among Nomad’s several cigar lines is S-307 (the “S” is for the Sumatra wrapper, the “307” for the square mileage of Estelí, Nicaragua). This is Nomad’s first full-production Nicaraguan smoke, handmade at Tobacalera A.J. Fernandez. In addition to the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper it has an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos.

The Nomad S-307 comes in five sizes: Toro (6 x 50), Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6.5 x 52), Toro Grande (6 x 58), and Corona (5.5 x 46). The latter is box-pressed, costs about $7, and has a light brown wrapper with pre-light notes of milk chocolate.

After setting a light, the loosely packed Corona yields a well-balanced profile with a chalky texture. Flavors include oak, black pepper, creamy peanut, and leather. The body is medium and the aftertaste is dry with faint spices that linger on the tip of the tongue.

As the cigar progresses, it’s hard to ignore two distinguishing physical properties. First, the draw is supremely loose, with each easy puff resulting in ample smoke. It’s almost as if no effort is required to draw on the Corona. And second, the straight burn line has a black mascara that’s as thick as any I can recall. The resulting white ash is light and billowy.

After smoking three samples, I’ve concluded there are minimal changes in the taste of the S-307 from start to finish. But I don’t count that as a negative. I enjoy the Corona’s flavor, and you can’t really complain about the construction or the price. For those reasons, I’m awarding this Nomad smoke a solid rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys