I have always enjoyed the White Series from Cavalier Genève. It was one of he first cigars that I remember pairing with a coffee first thing in the morning. Smooth, flavorful, and a perfect way to start any day. When I heard they were releasing a new size I was pretty excited. You can see that they’ve released the White Series in several sizes over the years below. This time, they’ve named the size after a Japanese fried food called Tempura. The blend stays consistent, with a Habano wrapper over a Honduran Connecticut binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Paraguay.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Short Perfecto
SIZE: 4″ x 60
ORIGIN: Honduras
FACTORY: Fábrica Centroamericana de Tabaco S.A
WRAPPER: Habano
BINDER: Honduran Connecticut
FILLER: Dominican, Honduran, Paraguayan
STRENGTH: Medium
SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:
October 5 @3pm
DRINKS:
Bottled Water
WEATHER:
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE July ’24
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 15
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Short Perfecto (4″ x 60)
o Petite no. 2 (4-3/4″ x 52)
o Corona (5-3/4″ x 44)
o Lancero (7″ x 38)
o Diplomate (5-1/2″ x 56)
o Toro (6″ x 52)
o Elegantes (4-1/2″ x 52)
o Medio (3-1/2″ x 58)
BAND DESIGN
The band is the same as otheres in Cavalier’s White Series: wgite with gold accents and featuring a man leading a horse. As with all Cavalier Genève Cigars, edible gold leaf is found just below the band. The box for the Tempura is a departure from the norm. It’s a slick design that utilizes magnets to keep the lid on. Instead of stacking the cigars, they come laid out single-file. The box is meant to be used by retailers to display the Tempura. Consumers are left to figure out how to store the box in their humidors.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The habano wrapper, is smooth to the touch. Veins crisscross the cigar, in some cases raising the wrapper slightly. It is the shade of light brown sugar. The gold leaf accentuates the color of the wrapper. The Tempura’s pigtail appears to be expertly done.
AROMA
The habano wrapper has a strong note of barnyard coming off of it. The foot has the same barnyard profile, but it is deeper than the wrapper. The foot adds notes of fig, a musty earthy note, and sweet tobacco.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw reveals notes of grass, raisin, and cinnamon bread. The draw has just the right amount of resistance.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector’s ICON III
Cocoa nibs, earth, orange zest, and roasted nuts all leap out from the initial light. Black pepper on the retrohale. There is a big caramel note that lifts the initial notes up.
SMOKE
The smoke is thick and unctuous. It’s a satisfying amount with each draw. It’s on the creamy side, and coats my palate in a most pleasant way.
FIRST THIRD
>> Caramel, Nuts, Black Pepper
The Tempura White Series begins with notes of caramel, citrus, and nuts. A high quality dark chocolate lingers on my palate. A musty note seems to permeate through all of this. Baking spices round it all out. Black pepper rules the retrohale. The burn isn’t razor sharp but it’s not wonky, either. The ash is dark grey with streaks of black. There isn’t a flake to be seen. The citrus note cuts through the earthy mustiness and brightens the flavors. Caramel, nuts, and black pepper are the dominant flavors
SECOND THIRD
>> Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Baking Spices
Cocoa powder, caramel, and baking spices begin the middle third. A hint of avocado oil begins to come through. Coffee, sweet cream, and raisin bread now. Baking spices on the retrohale. The ash begins to flake a bit. The burn is a bit more wonky in this middle third. The citrus note is all but gone and the rich notes of coffee and raisin remain. Baking spices come to the front with each retrohale. After breaking off the ash in the tray, the remaining ash seems to lose all cohesion; each draw finds more ash on my shirt.
FINAL THIRD
>> Chocolate, Avocado Oil, Baking Spices
Semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, butter, and baking spices is how the final third begins. Black pepper returns to the retrohale. Once the ash gets past the gold leaf, it regains its cohesion. I’ve smoked a fair number of Cavalier Genève and this is the first time that has happened. I think it is more an issue of vitola than gold leaf. The burn line is less wonky than the middle third, as well. Baking spices and powdered chocolate cut through the rich coffee note. Charred wood joins them. A hint of red pepper flake.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Tempura White Series has smooth flavor transitions, but that may be due to the flavors being very close to each other in each third: chocolate, coffee, nuts, caramel, baking spices and pepper. It’s a straight forward flavor profile that does not offer much in the way of change. There is some nuance to the short perfecto: avocado oil, raisin, cinnamon, and a bit of citrus.
BURN EXPERIENCE
The Tempura required no touch-ups or relights on any of the cigars smoked for this review. However, each cigar did see the ash become flakey in the middle third. I don’t think that it was an egregious amount of flake, but it was enough where I had to clean my shirt during the middle third of each. The burn lines on each one were never razor sharp, but they never became so wonky that I felt the need to touch them up. It is worth noting that one of the cigars’ wrapper did split when I removed the band. Upon inspection, the band had a lot of glue that was hanging off the band.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.77 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.86/ 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.40 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Complimentary flavors found throughout.
- Nuanced flavor profile despite the short vitola.
- Not my favorite size.
- Flakey in the middle third.
YOU BATTER BELIEVE IT!
Is the White Series Tempura a good cigar? The short answer is “Yes.” The longer answer is a bit more complicated and really comes down to personal preference. There were no issues that plagued the cigar, except maybe flakey ash in the middle third. I found the size to leave me wanting more, but this is why we weight personal preference so low. Each cigar smoked for this review was smoked in just under an hour…and that was due to me taking notes and my time smoking them. The vitola, in my opinion, doesn’t allow for complex flavors to develop. The nuances found in the Tempura are phenomenal, especially given the size. If you’ve got a short commute to work in the morning and are looking for something to pair with your coffee during your drive, or if you’re short on time and want a smooth cigar that will give you a nuanced experienced, the Tempura is something you should definitely smoke.
