Late last year Vance Taylor launched Stoic Cigars. His initial release was just called Stoic and came in four sizes: Justice (toro), Moderation (corona gorda), Courage (robusto), and Wisdom (churchill). The size names come from the four pillars of Stoicism. Released in August of this year, his sophmore release, the Equanimity, does the same. The Equanimity comes from Kelner Cigars S.A.S in the Dominican Republic and features an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, over a Criollo 98 binder from the Dominican Republic, and fillers from Ecuador, the United States, the Dominican, and an undisclosed country.Â
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Justice
SIZE:Â Â 6″ x 52
ORIGIN:Â Â Dominican Republic
FACTORY:Â Â Kelner Cigars S.A.S.
WRAPPER:Â Â Ecuadorian Corjo
BINDER:Â Â Dominican Criollo ’98
FILLER:Â Â Dominican, Ecuadorian, USA, Undisclosed
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium+
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
November 3 @1pm
DRINKS:Â Â
Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â August ’25
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Boxes of 20
Production Totals:Â Unkown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Toro (6″ x 52)
o Corona Gordo (5-1/2″ x 46)
o Courage (5″ x 50)
o Churchill (7″ x 44=8)
BAND DESIGN
The Equanimity band differs from Stoic’s original in a couple of different ways. First, the color scheme is green and gold. It is a very elegant color choice. Next, the Equanimity sports a secondary band that has the name “Equanimity” prominently displayed. This band is a more elevated version of the original. It has more design characteristics than the original and a quality look to it.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper is dark brown, with just a bit of mottling, and smooth. There is an oily sheen to the wrapper. The Equanimity has several veins throughout. The single cap appears to be expertly applied. None of the cigars have any obvious hard or soft spots.Â
AROMA
 Honestly, there isn’t much to the wrapper. It’s straightforward with notes of cedar and barnyard are strong off the wrapper. The foot has a dank mustiness to it that hits me right away. That’s followed up by barnyard, raisin, yeasty bread, and sweet tobacco.Â
COLD DRAW
The cold draw picks up where the aroma left off with notes of bread, funky mushroom, baking spices, and hint of raisin. The draw has just the right amount of resistance.Â
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector Icon II
The initial light is different than what I was expecting. It initially throws me off. Fresh bread, baking spices, red pepper flake, and vegetal note all come through. Big notes of black pepper on the retrohale. There’s a salty, almost mineral note coming through. A distinct floral note also weaves its way through the profile.Â
SMOKE
 Each draw fills my mouth with a thick and creamy smoke. It coats my palate and is extremely satisfying. At rest, however, the smoke production quickly dies down.Â
FIRST THIRD
>> Bread, Honey, Chocolate, Black Pepper
The Equanimity begins with a note that reminds me of buttered bread, floral, baking spices, wood, and red pepper flake. Black pepper rules the retrohale. There’s an umami flavor that hold everything up. A sweetness hides in between the other flavors. It is creamy. Mushroom and pepper notes give some weight to the flavors. Salted peanuts and a hint of honey add to the nuance found in this beginning third. The sweetness from the honey lingers on my palate. The flavors keep shifting, keeping my attention on the cigar. The burn is fairly straight midway through the first third. The ash is white with black streaks. It has a few giant flakes, but seems to be fairly compact. Chocolate, bread, spice, and pepper begin to wrap themselves around a wood note that now seems pretty constant. There is still an unctuous mushroom note, as well. Cinnamon raisin bread, a hint of red pepper flake, salt, peanuts, and wood now. Like I said, it’s keeping me on my toes.
SECOND THIRD
>> Citrus, Cayenne Pepper, Wood, Baking Spices
The middle third begins with a shift from floral to citrus. Wood, baking spices, and bread rally around the citrus. White pepper on the retrohale. The burn is just a little uneven and the ash is on the flakey side, but nothing too concerning. Cayenne pepper gently scratches the back of my throat. Cedar and citrus take the lead. Citrus and fruit linger on my palate. The finish is long on the Equanimity, giving me ample time to discover the nuanced flavors it has to offer. Coffee, citrus, and a hint of butter now. There is still a nuttiness to it. The bread and mushroom notes are all but gone, but a note of damp earth remains. The fruity sweetness and citrus play well together and go nicely with the earthy notes of wood and coffee. Butter remains on my palate, along with baking spices and pepper.Â
FINAL THIRD
>> Coffee, Cream, Chocolate, Black Pepper
The final third of the Equanimity begins with rich notes of coffee, chocolate, sweet cream, charred wood, and a hint of dark fruit. Black pepper returns to the retrohale. Leather and spice linger on my palate. What was a medium+ bodied experience moves into a more full bodied one for the final leg of this journey. Bread returns, sweet cream, dark chocolate, and a bright citrus note now. The Equanimity is going through change after change again. It is surprising how complex and nuanced this experience has been, especially in the first and now final third. The burn is less than stellar, and one side required a relight on the second cigar I smoked. That particular cigar had a vein that was clearly visible that just refused to burn correctly. The ash remains a bit flakey but compact overall. Chocolate, espresso, cream, wood, and earth are all flanked by a fruity note that reminds me of fig. The citrus has subsided. Leather and chocolate linger on my palate.Â
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
 The Equanimity comes out swinging with big notes of pepper, spices, bread and a nice floral note. It transitions into creamy mushroom soup, honey and chocolate. Nuance and complex. The middle third is rather straightforward, but still good. Citrus, pepper, fruit and coffee. It just seemed less nuanced than the rest. It finishes strong by ramping up to full body and hitting me with earthy and sweet notes full of nuance.
BURN EXPERIENCE
While the second cigar had some burn issues, the other two did not. What remained constant though, was the sh being flakey. The first Equanimity I smoked was extremely flakey. The second and third was just mildly flakey. The only real impact this had was seen in the relight of the second cigar.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
7.00Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.45Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Complex and nuance flavors dominate the majority of the cigar.
- Surprisingly well-balanced considering how many flavor notes it has.
- The ash is flakey. Compact...but flakey.
- One cigar required a relight on one side of the cigar.
GRACE UNDER FIRE.
So, what does “equanimity” mean. Essentially, composure under stress. Equanimity is the ultimate goal of a stoic. No matter what is thrown at you, you remain calm and even. That meaning works for the Stoic Cigars Equanimity Justice. It did not have the perfect burn, yet it was not a battle to keep lit or even. The ash was flakey, but I was not constantly brushing it off of my shirt or slacks. But the flavors. Oh, the flavors! From the start the Equanimity forced me to pay attention to it (something that I’ve found that all great cigars do). I was not expecting a bombardment of rich, deep flavors. It could have been overwhelming; yet, everything was nicely balanced. It found its footing and never looked back. The middle third was my least favorite of them, but it still delivered with notes of citrus, pepper, wood, baking spices, and fruit. The finish throughout was long, allowing you time to take in and savor the experience. The final third returned to the nuanced glory of the first third. Is it perfect? No. Perfection is not found in the result, but in the constant struggle to remain even-keeled during the strongest of storms.
