Background

Last month I posted a quick run down of some of my favorite Petit Corona’s that I keep in rotation during the cold Winter months here in New England. Recently, Drew Estate released a petit version of it’s My Uzi Weighs A Ton (MUWAT) line of cigars called the Bait Fish. The MUWAT line is a collaborative effort between Drew Estates Subculture Studios and the Joya de Nicaragua factory. Until now, all of the cigars offered in this line have been a 60 ring gauge. The Bait Fish is the one exception and is a 4 x 44 Petit Corona that is ramped up in strength and is sold exclusively through New Havana Cigars. Dan from New Havana has posted the following background information on the release.

Made at the JDN factory, the much anticipated MUWAT blend was officially rolled out at the 2011 IPCPR where I had a chance to sit down with Jonathan.   After some brainstorming about doing some business with each other, Jonathan mentioned the infamous “Bait Fish” size of MUWAT, a 4×44 that was announced but still in the process.  After early feedback from the 60 ring gauge releases of MUWAT, many customers wanted something with some more strength to it.  Jonathan felt that Bait Fish might be the perfect outlet for a tweaked blend, and a great smaller project that New Havana Cigars would be a great fit for.  Humbled by the offer, I immediately said “Let’s make it happen!”

So with the temperature dipping below 20 Degree’s Fahrenheit tonight and the fact that we just had our first snow fall of the season, I thought what better smoke to reach for. Let’s burn this baby! It is getting friggin’ cold out here.

Stogie States

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: San Andreas Negro
Binder: Connecticut Valley Broadleaf
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan from JDN
Strength: Medium
Format: Petit Corona
Size: 4 x 44
Age: N/A
MSRP: $6.35

Review

This Petit is a uniform dark luscious brown with a slight oily sheen. There are no soft spots and the cigar appears to be wonderfully constructed with no flaws. Which is impressive considering I have been carrying it around in my pocket while shoveling snow for the last two hours.

The initial draw blasts me with a lot of charred wood and hay up front. The initial harshness is a bit of a turn off and the smoke has a very strong unpleasant scent to it. I immediately become concerned that my one cigar of the day may be not be what I expected but I am pleasantly surprised as the flavors quickly transition. As quickly as the initial draw blasted me, I am suddenly enjoying a fantastic mix of cocoa and spice. There is an incredible underlying sweetness and the finish is very clean. There is a fair amount of pepper when passing the smoke through the sinus’. So much so I hesitate to do it again. Thus far the burn and draw have been perfect and by the end of the first half the cigar is holding a two inch ash. Thus far I am really enjoyed the flavor profile and I forget about the cold for a few minutes.

The ash drops at the beginning of the second half and this seems to coincide with the arrival of a lot leather, oak, and meatiness to the flavor profile. The body of this smoke has kicked up a bit from medium to a medium/full but the strength has not strayed from a steady medium. I have yet to feel any nicotine kick. The ash is only holding for about a half inch now but the burn and draw remain perfect. After about 30 minutes, my hands are numb from the cold but the nub feels firm and cool.

Conclusion

This is a great Petit that I will be certainly adding to my cold weather rotation. I loved the flavors of both the first and second half and the construction was an A+. I am going to give the My Uzi Weights A Ton Bait Fish A Stogie Geeks Rating of “Box Worthy”. I recommend you check them out and add it to your Winter rotation. Stay warm my friends!