A few months before the 2023 PCA Trade Show I was fortunate enough to sit in on an online cut & light with guest Jeremy Casdagli. It was three amazing hours of sampling Casdagli cigars and hearing numerous capturing tales from the man himself. I can listen to those stories over and over again. They will never get old. During that cut & light Jeremy mentioned that the now called, “Brothers of the Sabre” line would be releasing later in the year but at the time was actually going to be called something entirely different. I find myself being very happy with the name change. Speaking of different, the Forrader offers up some Zimbabwe tobacco in the blend. Something different indeed.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Robusto
SIZE: 50 x 4.9
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
FACTORY: Kelner Boutique Factory
WRAPPER: Ecuador
BINDER: Dominican Republic
FILLER: Dominican Republic, USA, Zimbabwe
STRENGTH: Medium to Full
SOURCE:
Casdagli Cigars
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Home in my garage
WHEN:
November, 2023
DRINKS:
Wild Turkey Longbranch & Water
WEATHER:
Chilly Fall
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
Four
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE August, 2023
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 20
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Robusto (4.9″ x 50)
o Piramide (6-1/2″ x 53)
BAND DESIGN
Intricate. An almost a ghostly image of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher with his focus to the right, looking forward and paying attention, is surrounded by gold leaf with the word Forrader above and his last name below. This sits on top of a blood red tunic lightly embroidered with the Casdagli Family Crest flowing around the cigar with the names Leipzig, Waterloo, Ligny, Bautzen, Jena, Lutzen, and Paris to commemorate only a few of the Napoleonic Battles of this mans life. At the far right of the band while laid out is the Casdagli logo.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
Casdagli. It should be a term used in the industry to describe cigar construction. Looking at the foot of the Forrader Robusto is like looking at a topographical map of all you have been through. The head of the cigar doesn’t expose it’s cap easily while the shade of it’s wrapper doesn’t scream you’re in for a treat. Sitting on my glass of bourbon, it says relax. It’s been a hard day. You’ve done good. You’re alive. Enjoy.
AROMA
The pre-light aroma of the Forrador has subtle hints of tobacco, hay, and a bit of spice. It makes you wonder if it will really develop into a medium full cigar when it has such a smooth and mild presence.
COLD DRAW
Much like the aroma, the cold draw brings in the same profiles with an addition of a nuttiness. The draw itself is appreciated. There’s no sign of a tight roll or hard draw ahead. It seems open and ready to smoke.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Les Fin Lames Le Petit Knife
Fire: Xikar Tactical One
Water is the typical choice for most reviews you will see on the Simply Stogies website. Though I did drink water for the first two cigars in this review, I decided to mix it up with a neat bourbon of my liking. I chose Wild Turkey Longbranch to pair with the third and fourth cigar. Longbranch is a very smooth bourbon with hints of Caramel, Toffee, Nutmeg, and Oak. It’s very reasonably priced and very easy to get in my location. It’s typically the first bourbon I will attempt to pair with a cigar with.
SMOKE
Smoke output varies between the thirds. Initially, upon first light the smoke rising from the cigar is nice and thick with darkish hue. It quickly clams down producing no more smoke than necessary. As you move through the thirds, the smoke picks up, but never gets out of hand. Of course this is while sitting in your ashtray or hanging out between your fingers. The amount, and quality of smoke that dances off your pallet with each puff is consistent throughout and never disappoints.
FIRST THIRD
>> Tobacco, Nuts, Spices
Each time heat was applied to the foot of the cigar by my lighter the Forrader took to light with precision. It commanded an easy light with even heat distribution. Once lit, the Forrader billowed plenty of smoke. The first third is a pleasant medium bodied experience with hints of tobacco, nuts, and a spice. The spice in this third reminded me of clove. It was very subtle, yet interesting and enjoyable.
The burn is consistent and the ash looks good. I noticed some darker spots almost black mixed in with the gray. Each cigar would drop its ash shortly before entering the second third. The ash did fall from the cigar quite easily but stayed together wherever it landed. This is not a bad thing unless you have entered into a long ash competition with the hopes of winning.
SECOND THIRD
>> Coffee, Wood, Pepper
The Forrader makes an interesting transition into the second third. There is still a spice, but it is no longer providing the “clove” vibe. It turns into a very familiar basic pepper. A wood note comes into play. It’s not quite cedar, but it’s close. Finally that undertone of a delicious medium roast coffee plays with your pallet. I begin to think this would be a wonderful breakfast cigar early in the morning. Then I remember that the body itself is beginning to ramp up.
FINAL THIRD
>> Chocolate, Caramel, African Fire Spice
This is the part of the Forrader that I look forward to the most. The first two thirds are the journey, but the final third is the destination. The coffee notes remain but add in some chocolate flavors, and the spice becomes none other than African Fire Spice. If you’ve never had African Fire Spice, you are missing out! It’s the perfect mixture of flavor and heat. You can put it on anything.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The progression of flavors really hit the mark. The Casdagli Forrader gives you a note or three and plays a game of “fuck around and found out” on you pallet as you progress through the cigar.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Almost Perfect. Of the four Casdagli Forrader Roubustos smoked for this review I never had to grab my lighter and touch it up. There was a time or two that the burn started to get a little out of shape, but quickly rectified itself. The Forrader proved to be a cigar that I could just sit back and enjoy.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80 / 0.70 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.70 / 7.25 … Smoking Experience
0.50 / 0.46 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Consistent burn with zero touch ups
- Flavor progressions that keep you interested
- Higher Priced cigar could keep it out of every day rotation
- Loose ash can make a mess if your not paying attention
When a Story and a Cigar Come Together.
The Forrader line honors Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher of Prussia. Renowned for his fiery personality and aggressive approach in battle he was nicknamed Marschall Vorwärts (“Marshal Forward”) by his soldiers.
The “Brothers of the Sabre”, Forrader Robusto proves to be both fiery and aggressive in a good way. The connection between the cigar and the story makes perfect sense.
