In late 2024, Powstanie announced a new limited production cigar called the Catastrophic Failure. Co-founder of Powstanie, Mike Szczepankiewicz, said in a press release that the Catastrophic Failure, “exemplifies everything Powstanie Cigars stands for.” I had the pleasure of meeting Mike for the first time at the trade show in 2024. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who say something out of hand. I was intrigued by the name but now I’m downright interested from that statement. Especially when we look at the blend.The blend features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, over Mexican and Pennsylvanian binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. I had heard, early last year, that 2024 was going to be the “year of the sumatra.” That turned out to be a pretty fair assessment. Powstanie ends 2024 by following suit. It’s interesting to note that the Catastrophic Failure is a one and done release, according to halfwheel.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Box-Pressed Robusto Extra
SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 52
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaraguan
FACTORY:  Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.
WRAPPER:Â Â Ecuadorian Sumatra
BINDER:Â Â Mexico & USA
FILLER:Â Â Dominican & Nicaraguan
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium+
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
December 22 @3pm
DRINKS:Â Â
Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
NA
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Limited Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATEÂ Â December ’24
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Bundles of 10
Production Totals:Â 5,000 total cigars
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Box-Pressed Robusto Extra (5″ x 52)
BAND DESIGN
The band is a metallic silver and features the CF logo for “Catastrophic Failure” in metallic red. The back of the band feature the Powstanie logo in black. There is a black ribbon at the foot of the cigar that then makes the color scheme match the bundled product (black/metallic silver/metallic red). The color scheme makes the metallic red pop; however, there is something about the simplicity of the design that makes the Catastrophic Failure’s band feel more elegant and subdued. Like a bit of color added to a tuxedo during a black tie event.Â
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Catastrophic Failure is a beautiful looking cigar. It appears to be expertly double capped. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is maybe a shade or two darker than milk chocolate. It isn’t quite smooth or rough to the touch…it’s somewhere in the middle…like a fine sandpaper. There is a bit of tooth to the wrapper. Veins are visible and it has a nice oily sheen. The Catastrophic Failure looks anything but a failure.
AROMA
The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper smells of hay and caramel. There’s a light cedar note that I can detect, too. The foot gives off notes of barnyard, chocolate, raisins, and sweet tobacco.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw is interesting. I get notes of graham cracker, cocoa powder, herbs, hay, and saltines. This may be the first cigar where I get saltines. What I mean by that is there is this dry, salty flavor. Perhaps there is a bit of spice there, too? Like I said, it’s a very interesting cold draw. The draw itself was a bit on the tight side for one of the cigars smoked for this review.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector’s ICON IIIÂ
The first thing I notice from the initial light is the spice and pepper. Neither are overwhelming, but they do make themselves known on the retrohale. There is a nice sweetness that cuts through those spicy notes. Chocolate, baking spice, black pepper, a herbaceousness, and a touch of citrus are all noticeable.Â
SMOKE
The smoke is thick, satisfying, and plentiful. Each draw fills my palate. Even at rest the Catastrophic Failure produces a satisfying amount of smoke. My only complaint with the smoke is that it’s a bit on the dry side.Â
FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Earth, Baking Spices
Once the initial light calms down there is some wonderful nuanced flavors. I pick up notes of avocado oil, baking spices, herbal tea, and salted nuts. Black pepper rules the retrohale. There is a sweetness that lingers on my palate. Chocolate flows underneath the other flavors. The smoke is getting creamier and the draw is near perfect. For its part, the ash is compact and grey with black streaks. The burn line is a little bit less than straight. The first third does not strike me like a typical sumatra. The flavors are bolder; and while there is the spice that comes with a sumatra, it seems to be playing back-up singer to more bolder flavors. Notes of earth, spice, and coffee now. Chocolate gives way to caramel macchiato.Â
SECOND THIRD
>> Espresso, Roasted Nuts, Baking Spices
The middle third begins with notes of espresso, baking spices, charred wood, lemon zest, and white pepper on the retrohale. It does seem to begin a bit less nuanced than the first third. A bit of red pepper claws at the back of my throat. The ash remains compact. It looks like a stack of box-pressed nickels. One cigar smoked for this review saw the ash look a shade of grey lighter in the middle third, noticeably so. The burn line has self-corrected and is sharp. There’s almost a meaty note coming through now. This is not what I was expecting, but I’m not complaining. Herbal tea returns, and is accompanied by roasted nuts that are lightly salted. Graham cracker sweetness begins to break through. The halfway point sees the Catastrophic Failure show some complexity.Â
FINAL THIRD
>> Baking Spices, Herbaceous, Sweet Cream
The final third starts off with a creamy note of rum ice cream. It is divine. It’s followed by baking spices, wood, black coffee, leather, earth, and a herbaceous note. Black pepper returns to the retrohale. Where the middle third felt like the flavors slowed down, the final third of the Catastrophic Failure see them ramp up. The ash is still compact and flakes only slightly when deposited in the tray. The burn line is straight and the smoke is still thick and satisfying. Baking spices and that herbaceous note linger on my palate. The earthy notes ebb and flow, replaced by sweet cream and caramel. Chocolate returns, as the Catastrophic Failure comes to a close, surrounded by cream, a touch of honey, earth, and baking spices.Â
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Catastrophic Failure’s flavor progression was hard to nail down. It started with big notes of spice and pepper that, honestly, overwhelmed everything else. Once things calmed down, notes of chocolate, baking spices, and herbal tea came alive. Flanked by creamy avocado oil, citrus, and nuts the Catastrophic Failure found a groove. The middle third seemed a bit out of place with notes of meat, espresso, and charred wood taking center stage over the baking spices. The final third was more like a traditional sumatra but seemed like it was missing something
BURN EXPERIENCE
A fantastic burn experience. No cigars smoked for this review needed touch ups or relights. The burn on all of them was sharp or just a bit lopsided, but always corrected itself. In short, it burned like a dream.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.78Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
6.90Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.35Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Great construction that led to an even burn with each cigar.
- Prominent flavors that were complex.
- The flavor progression felt like it never really had an identity.
A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF IDENTITY!
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the Catastrophic Failure. It just isn’t your typical sumatra. In an industry that can sometimes be stagnant, that’s not a bad thing. The Catastrophic Failure would have scored much closer to the 9.0 mark, or even broken through, had the flavors come together for me. In my unlearned opinion, the Catastrophic Failure never found its rhythm. The full flavors and bold start give way to thirds that just didn’t seem to mesh. Notes of wood, coffee, and earth seemed to take away from the baking spices, chocolate, and cream I typically love in a sumatra. That said, there is definitely an audience for this. Is it a failure? Far from it. It’s just not your run-of-the-mill sumatra.
