If you are familiar with All Saints Cigars, good; if not, you should be. The self-stylized Holy Trinity, consisting of friends Micky Pegg, Marty Corbon, and Frank Layo, started in 2019. Their first cigar, the Solamente, was rolled in 2017 but not released until 2019. The Solamente was a pre-release and was not put into regular production.
All Saints Cigars have made quite a splash with their regular production of the Dedication, St. Francis, Habano, and Colorado lines. They have also collaborated with United Cigars to produce their first LE, the St. Patrick’s Firecracker, with a Candella and Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper in a barber pole for them.
The current iteration of the Solamente is the first in their planned annual release. This year the each of the 500 boxes will be packaged with 23 cigars, next years release is slated to be packaged with 24, and plans are to continue to box the cigars in quantities that equal the year.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Toro
SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 58
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua
FACTORY:Â Â Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A., EstelÃ, Nicaragua
WRAPPER:Â Â Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER:Â Â Nicaraguan
FILLER:Â Â Honduran & Nicaraguan
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium-full – Full
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Smoke Inn
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Cabin on the Mississippi River.
WHEN:Â Â
Early Afternoon
DRINKS:Â Â
Water
WEATHER:Â Â
37° outside, 68° inside
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Limited Annual Release
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â October 2023Â
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Boxes of 23
Production Totals:Â 500 boxes or 11,500 total cigars
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Toro (5″ x 58)
BAND DESIGN
The Solamente is presented in a white and gold embossed wrapper featuring the All Saints Cigars cross. It is a simple and elegant band design. Notably absent is the foot band that was on the original 2019 Solamente.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
Wrapped in a rich, dark, and oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, the cigar seems to be very well constructed, as is the normal from Rocky Patel’s factory. The veins in the wrapper, while visible, were fine and did not detract from the appearance. I was not able to find any soft spots or anything that appeared to be underfilled.
AROMA
The pre-light aroma had a sweet toffee note to the standard leathery tobacco.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw mirrored the wrapper aroma, a slight sweetness was present with tobacco and hints of leather.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Straight Cut
Fire: ST Dupont soft flame
The first draws produce a light, airy smoke with a peppery note on the retro-hale.
SMOKE
Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
FIRST THIRD
>> Herbaceous, Leather, Toasted Caramel
In the first third, I found the primary flavor to be a herbaceousness, almost a dried lemon peel with an anise kick to it. Backing that up was leather and a slightly toasted caramel note. The herbasousceness is not overpowering, but it is a powerhouse taking center stage. It actually leaves a lingering sensation in the mouth that is not unpleasant. The ash was picture perfect and firm; when I rolled the ash off, it revealed a beautiful even cherry.
SECOND THIRD
>> Herbaceous, Baking Spice, Leather
The herbaceousness continues to dominate, not in a bad way but in a way that demands that you recognize it and appreciate it. Backing spices have started to complement and add some complexity to the second third, with leather coming in third. There are some barley perceptible floral notes. The retro and ortohale continue to be smooth and acceptable to the nose. The ash remains to present itself well, as does the burn line.
FINAL THIRD
>> Dried Lemon, Floral, Roasted Nuts, Caramel
Upon reaching the final third, I found the herbaceousness to have split into a citrusy dried lemon peel and fruity floral notes. Roasted nuts have easily replaced the baking spice notes, with the caramel adding depth and complexity. The ash and burn line continued to be excellent. The retro-hale continued to be smooth.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The zesty herbaceousness that transitioned to a floral lemon peel in the final third was able to tie each of the thirds together. The leather, and baking spice added just the right amount of complexity while the caramel left a hint of sweetness that rounded off the flavors perfectly.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Each cigar smoked during this review maintained and even and crisp burn line with firm and compact ash throughout. No touch ups or re-light, were needed, even after giving the cigar a generous rest.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.45Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
7.12Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.45Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Well balanced flavor profile.
- Beautiful wrapper and construction.
- Herbaceousness might not be everyone's jam
- Critique
THE HOLY TRINITY GETS BACK TO ITS ROOTS.
I was not lucky enough to be able to smoke one of the original Solamentes released in 2019. I will be hunting for one after smoking the 2023 release and look forward to the 2024 release.
Pegg has taken his brothers of the holy leaf on a tremendous ride since releasing their first Solamente as the pre-release and following up with the core line. He has been able to leverage his knowledge from retail through sales to produce some of the better cigars on the market today.
A few months ago Pegg accepted the position of President of Sales for Micallef Cigars. While All Saints will remain its own autonomous entity, I am sure that All Saints and Micallef will both benefit from the association.
