Chaffiot Collection - Brothers Keeper - Round Two
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If you are feeling a little deja vu, you are not wrong! This is a cigar I reviewed previously and had a few issues with it. Smoking only one that was sent for review at that time, the cigar had a few concerns - tight draw and some bitter flavors due to that tight draw I believe. Just goes to show that premium cigars are handmade and shipped, so even great cigar brands can have a one-off issue every now and then.
After posting the first review, Chaffiot Collection, believing in their cigars, asked if I’d be up for reviewing the Brothers Keeper again to have a chance to see if the first one was an anomaly, or a pattern. And thus, this review has been created. I am glad I had the chance to revisit this cigar because the first review did not do it’s true form any justice.
This is one good reason for any manufacturer that is wanting someone to review their cigars to send a couple to smoke to get a true representation of the cigar!
If interested in the Brothers Keeper, click here to discover more about this brand and where to purchase - Chaffiot Collection.
From their website:
“It’s Time To See Human Trafficking Go Up In Smoke…By the time you have finished smoking a robusto, approximately 68 people were sold or kidnapped and forced into trafficking somewhere in the world. Chaffiot Collection advocates to abolish modern day slavery. A portion of all proceeds are donated to fund the mission.”
#enditmovement
The Brothers Keeper is a Medium Plus Nicaraguan Toro, blended with an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This cigar has a unique quadruple plus cap that will take any cut you throw at it - I used the Colibri Deep V Cutter.
The construction is very nice, and the dark brown Habano Oscuro wrapper is beautiful.
Upon cut, the draw was a little tight, but not too bad. The cold draw has noted of leather, light chocolate and mild tobacco. Once lit the burn had a slight wave which led to a small tunnel - one small burn correction and this cigar burned true with a sharp burn line the rest of the through. Also upon lighting, the draw opened up to a near perfect resistance producing billowing, thick, creamy smoke. Ash fell off in thirds!
With the cigar smoking beautifully, I was excited to see how the flavor notes would develop and transition. I remembered previously thinking this cigar had a lot of potential, and smoking a couple this time to get a true sense of the cigar led to a very enjoyable smoke.
Getting into the flavor notes; in the first third I picked up caramel, mild creamy almond, with lingering white pepper. Baking spice and hint of citrus zest was left on the palate and through the retrohale.
Second third added a vanilla note to the creamy almond, caramel, mild baking spice, and citrus zest, which still lingers on the palate. Retrohale is smooth and creamy.
The #finalthird combines the flavors above well and showcases them all, with the almond becoming more toasted and the caramel and vanilla blending to a creamy smooth note. White and black pepper build on the retrohale as the strength ticks up above medium to a medium-full.
The body and complexity of this cigar are very nice. I found myself sitting back and thinking about each puff and what was coming next.
You can see the nice solid quadruple plus cap that was perfect for the deep v cut.
In the end I am really glad I was able to re-review this cigar and will add this one to my weekly rotation. I gave the Chaffiot Collection - Brothers Keeper a Final Third Cigar rating of 89.5 - almost 10 points higher that the previous review! I was sent two to smoke and they were both fantastic!
So get out and support a great brand that is also fighting for a great cause - ending human trafficking! Good cigars, great people, and incredible cause…a cause worthy of fighting!
See below for the full breakdown on the rating sheet: