Brick House

Double Connecticut

A great daily smoke. Consistent burn and construction. Medium plus

Brick house double Connecticut $240

From a guy who doesn't really smoke Connecticuts, this one is really smooth. Notes of sweet cream and cedar throughout. Hints of bread come through but not often. Smooth clean draw.

Burn was good. Might be a little dry as humidity was reading 50% at the time. My rating 6/10. Wrapper was dry and bit of unraveling.

I’m a fan of foot bands, and I don’t think there’s a better one than this. If nothing else it’s the most recognizable. Combined with the regular band, it’s a great presentation. The cap is fancy and deep as well. The wrapper could look better; smoother, less veiny, but it’s not bad. My cigar was firm with a nice spring back. Scent off the wrapper is a standard cinnamon, hay, coffee, and barnyard. Foot has the same scents, but deeper. Straight, double guillotine cut was easy and the cold draw gave me cinnamon toast, and coffee. After light up, I immediately got wrapper sweetness, cinnamon, and toast, along with white pepper and nutmeg on the retrohale. The first third brought in some creaminess to the flavor along with cedar. The burn line was razor sharp, and I was enjoying the cigar right away. Retro gave me the graham cracker note I figured would be in there as well. The foot smoke was very close to being pleasantly aromatic. Nothing foul going in at all. Into the second third and the flavors didn’t change much, but there was some shifting. There was more creaminess, a touch of almond, and the retrohale gave more of an herbal/vegetal note. Ash stayed solid and fell off in 1” clumps by itself. Construction of these sticks is very good given the price point. The second third was also where the sweetness became more like a refined honey note. Towards the end of the second third going into the final, a floral note started to develop, which I really appreciate. The final third and things took a slight dip. I had to touch up the burn once, but no big deal there. The cream died down and the wood came up. The vegetal note turned more into a tea flavor, but that worked well with the honey note that was hanging on. The finish through the entire stick was great. It lasted longer than I was expecting and let the sweet toast flavor linger. The band came off with very little struggle, and the ash continued to hold on nicely, if not better than in the first two thirds. I smoked it down to a half inch nub and the flavor never got bitter at all. In fact, the final tasting note I got was a buttery almond. Overall, strength was a mild plus and this was a very enjoyable smoke that will not be my last.

Burned evenly requiring no relics or touch ups. The draw was a little on the tight side at the start, but started to open up by the 1/3 mark. The flavor was mild but nice with hints of creamy coffee and hay. It probably would have benefitted from being paired with something milder than the Balcones single malt.

I'm disappointed in myself for accepting my friends recommendation to try this. I know a Connecticut filler is too mild for me...and I was right. I rated the stick for what it is and not what I like. For those that like a mild to light smoke this is your stick! It was mellow, smooth and had a light roast coffee from start to finish. The wrapper (also Connecticut) had some leaf imperfections, but the actual wrap was impeccable. A craftsman with experience did this one! Even the cap was nearly indistinguishable from the wrapper. Kudos! The ash held well due to the construction excellence and the burn was even with no touchups. I won't buy it again, because its not me, but I recommend it for those who prefer such a smoke.

Easy, smooth draw with plenty of smoke.