As a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s during the professional wrestling boom, I was a huge fan. However, my favorite part of pro wrestling wasn’t particularly the matches, the promos, or the hellacious chair shots to the back of an unsuspecting wrestler.  I loved the intros! Every time I hear the guitar intro of “I am a Real American,” I still get chills.

With cigars, I am the same way. Whenever someone mentions a hot new cigar that I like, I’m all over it! Moreover, whenever someone talks about the new Obsidian, I get real fired up! There are so many different aspects of this cigar I can cover, which I whole-heartedly plan on doing in this review. 

To start, the name and packaging itself is downright awesome. 20 Obsidians come packed in jet black boxes comprised of Spanish cedar wood. On the petit corona, belicoso, and gordo sizes; a black cigar band encompasses the entire body of the cigar, only leaving the shoulder and cap exposed. Presentation-wise, the Obsidian gets an A+ for originality.

Next, we’ll take a look at the blend of tobaccos that comprise the Obsidian. This Dominican handmade features a powerful mixture of Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillers. As I look at the foot of the cigar, I notice a nice combination of dark tobaccos (ligeros) in the core of the cigar, with a portion of lighter-colored tobacco (visos and secos) bunched in there as well. I anticipate a strong, yet balanced and complex cigar.

p>The binder is a limited Criollo ’98 leaf, a hybrid Cuban-seed tobacco that is known for a soft spice and creamy undertone. The binder and filler tobaccos are draped by a stunning, dark oily wrapper leaf known as a Brazilian Habano ligero wrapper. Though it is dark brown in appearance, this wrapper isn’t a true maduro like traditional Brazilian Aripiraca and Mata Fina tobaccos. Believer it or not, it’s stronger.

 

p>The Obsidian is offered in 6 different vitolas (sizes) but today I’ve narrowed my selection to the double perfecto; a powerful 6.0” X 60 figurado. The thing I enjoy about perfectos is the constant changing of the ring gauge throughout the entire cigar that exhibits a myriad of different flavors.

 

p>The Obsidian is made by the same company who brings you the epic Pinar del Rio line; powerful well-blended Dominican handmades. For me, the Obsidian is like the PDR Oscuro on ‘roids…strong, full-flavored and billows of aromatic cigar smoke.

 

Upon lighting the Obsidian Double Perfecto, dense smoke fills the air and my palate picks up chewy notes of leather. As the 1^st third of the cigar builds, hearty spices are detected in the blend. In the middle third of the Obsidian, I finally hit the immense, 60-ring bulbous point in the cigar…did I just hear the “Hulkster’s” theme music? I am more than enthralled at the fact that during this portion of the cigar, every draw had a distinct, unique flavor. A nice sweetness, along with ample pepper dominates this portion of the cigar. 

The finish is just as good as the start, featuring many similar flavors as I picked up when first lighting the Obsidian. The rich tobacco core tastes great and just when the cigar is getting hot (because I smoked it down to the bare nub), I finally put it down with a feeling of great satisfaction.

p>Something that’s notable with the Obsidian is the amount of comments I received from customers in regards to the aroma. The most popular remark I received was, “That cigar smells great!”

 

In sum, this is arguably the best new blend we’ve brought into inventory at the CI Super-Store in months. Not only does the Obsidian protrude flawless construction, copious amounts of smoke and savory flavor, these sub-six dollar sticks are well worth the value.

Expert advice for the day: “Say your prayers and eat your vitamins.” – H.H.