Dea Torpedo

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Dea Torpedo

6 x 52 ring
Wrapper: Rosado
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica
Info: HERE and CW First Look

Pronounced “DAY-ah”, these are a private brand from our sponsor MD Cigars. Here’s a little more detail:

Cigar Report Daily, Heard In The Humidor, 4 August 2008: Mike Byelick, the owner of MD Cigars in Yuma, Arizona wanted to create a high-quality, mid-market blend that would retail at about $7 each, but that he could sell for less, perhaps $4-5. Thus, the Dea cigar was born.

Byelick notes that "the trend for super strong cigars, I think, is tough for people like me who like loads of flavor, but not a powerhouse cigar that often gets to your stomach. I call it medium-bodied; strong-cigar smokers may call it mild, but its more medium to me."

He created the blend in concert with Robert Spoden's Bucanero Cigars and Dea -- the Italian word for goddess -- is made in Nicaragua. Wrapped in a Nicaraguan-grown Rosado wrapper, the interior leaves are from Costa Rica and Honduras with a Sumatra-seed binder from Ecuador. The Dea line is made in three ultra-popular shapes: Churchill (7 inches by 48 ring), Robusto (5 x 50) and Torpedo (6 x 52). A Costa Rican-grown maduro-wrapped version to be called the "Dea Double Maduro" is also on the way.

Best of all is the price: from $4.53 to $4.83 each, they're packed in bundles of 20 that run from $73.60 to $78.40 not including local sales and tobacco taxes.

Here are my observations:
Construction - - An excellently done cigar. The bunch was on the firm side and even throughout. The cap was perfectly shaped and well made. At the foot, the filler appeared well distributed and expertly bunched. A nice cigar to behold! It also sports a classy silver, almost chrome in appearance, band with a gold outline.

Pre-light - - The wrapper was a beautiful satiny Colorado medium brown with smooth texture and pronounced but fine veining. Appetizing aromas of sweet alfalfa with some coffee notes. The draw was ideal with the right amount of resistance. Flavors were faint and of sweet grain.

Burn - - One minor burn issue at about the half way point self corrected without lighter aid. The smooth textured medium gray ash was flakey and structurally on the weak side.

Experience - - I’d put this cigar on the mild side of medium for body and solidly medium for flavor. Notes of wood and grain with hints of sweetness prevailed through most of the smoke when straight forward toasted tobacco took over at the ¾ mark right to the nub. The finish was woody, pleasantly oily and moderately long. Not overly complex, this cigar was smooth, well balanced and flavorful.

If you’re looking for a good cigar outside of the mainstream I highly recommend the Dea. It’s definitely worth a look!

Thanks for reading my review!