Recently, I was having a conversation with someone in the industry about how much flavor the wrapper gives a cigar. He pointed out that Warped has made a business out of taking blends and just changing the wrapper. Obviously, that is an oversimplification of what Warped does; however, the Warped Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco does exactly that. Kyle Gellis took the original Isla Del Cocodrilo blend and replaced the Ecuadorian habano wrapper with an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper. I was unable to get a review done on the original Isla del Cocodrilo, so when the Blanco was announced I put it on my schedule.

OVERVIEW

VITOLA: Perfecto
SIZE: 6-1/2″ x 55

ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
FACTORY: TABACALERA LA iSLA

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed
BINDER: Brazilian Arapiraca & Ecuadorian Habano 2000
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium

SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar

ENVIRONMENT

WHERE:
Studio/Lounge

WHEN:
May 27 @3pm

DRINKS:
Bottled Water

WEATHER:
Indoors

HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3

PRODUCTION

RELEASE TYPE Limited Edition

ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE March ’26

TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 15
Production Totals: 22,500 total cigars

VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Perfecto (6-1/2″ x 55)

BAND DESIGN

The band on the Cocodrilo Blanco is the same one that is on the original Isla del Cocodrilo release. The band is gold and black with white accents. It has “Warped Cocodrilo” in white all around the black band, and features “Isla del Cocodrilo” on the front. The gold has two crocodles that make up the thickest part of the band. It really is a beautiful presentation. The color scheme feels elevated and almost luxurious.

PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

The Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper continues that elegance. It is soft and smooth to the touch. Each cigar has a few veins that are visible, but it is far from “rustic.” None of them had any discoloration or noticeable imperfections. The cigars were firm, with no soft spots, but had some give when gently squeezed between my thumb and index finger.

AROMA

The wrapper of the Cocodrilo Blanco straight barnyard. There are hints of bread/yeast, wood, and earth, but barnyard is overwhelming. The foot gives off more balanced notes of sweet tobacco, barnyard, yeast/bread, and earth.

COLD DRAW

The draw is a little tight on each one, but I chalk it up to the perfecto shape. Each Cocodrilo Blanco’s cold draw had tasting notes of malted milk balls, baking spices, cereal, wood, and earth.

SMOKING EXPERIENCE

LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: S.T. Dupont x Fender Cutter/Stand
Fire: S.T. Dupont x Fender Ligne 2 Lacquered Lighter

The initial light seems very mild and subdued. Notes of honey, cream, bread, and wood come through. Big notes of black pepper and baking spices on the retrohale. There is a smoothness to the initial light. Now grain and nuts come through, with just a hint of vegetal and red pepper flake.

SMOKE

The smoke is creamy and thick. It has a great mouthfeel to it. It coats my palate completely. The volume of smoke is more than satisfying.

FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Honey Roasted Nuts, Cream, Black Pepper

The Isla del Cocodrilo begins with notes of chocolate, wood, baking spices, honey roasted nuts, sweet cream, grain, and earth. Black pepper rules the retrohale. The finish is long and wood, cream, and earth linger on my palate. I’m struck by how the first third seems to have ramped up compared to the initial light. I would say the profile is medium and maybe even medium full at times. The burn is razor sharp and the ash resembles a stack of nickels. My lone complaint with each one smoked is that the ash is a bit flakey in the first third. Butter, nuts, coffee, and baking spices now. The smoke continues to be creamy. Nuts, coffee, earth, butter, herbaceousness, and pepper. The first third is extremely nuanced and complex. Grain, butter, and wood linger on my palate.

SECOND THIRD
>> Salted Nuts, Wood, Butter, White Pepper

Salted nuts, wood, toasted bread, avocado oil, sweet cream, and baking spices begin the middle third. There is a hint of sweetness that comes through and lingers on my palate. The second Isla del Cocodrilo I smoked seemed to have a more pronounced butter note in the middle third than the other two. White pepper on the retrohale. The ash gets more compact. Interestingly, the Cocodrilo Blanco I took the photos with had the flakiest ash. Regardless, the ash did hold on for each one smoked for this review. Chocolate, honey, wood, and nuts. Butter and cayenne pepper linger on my palate. The smoke continues to be creamy and satisfying. The burn is razor sharp. The first Cocodrilo Blanco smoked sees the wrapper crack, but it did not really affect how it smoked. The profile is more medium than the first third, but the flavors are still complex, nuanced, and easily picked out. Herbaceousness returns with a hint of floral, as the pepper begins to ramp up. Baking spices, wood, and earth compliment the nuttiness and sweetness. Buttered toast joins the chat. I am thoroughly enjoying the Cocodrilo Blanco, thus far. As the middle third winds down, there is a shift back to medium-full as notes of coffee, earth, pepper, and spices begin to ramp up.

FINAL THIRD
>> Mocha, Baking Spices, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper

The Isla del Cocodrilo’s final third begins with big notes of mocha, charred wood, butter, toasted bread, nuts, and earth. Black pepper and baking spices rule the retrohale. Nuts, wood, earth, and hint of butter linger on my palate. The finish is still long. The final third is a symphony of flavors that meld together into sweet, savory, and spicy profile. There is nothing harsh about the pepper and spices as notes of cream, butter, and damp earth round out any rough edges. The burn line is still sharp. The ash is not as compact as I would like, but far from being a real problem. The red pepper and herbaceousness really come through in this final third. The third Cocodrilo Blanco smoked for this review sees the wrapper crack near the end of the smoking experience. The butter note is front and center with each draw and it lingers on my palate. Black tea, butter, dark chocolate, charred wood, and roasted peanuts compliment the baking spices and black pepper. The Cocodrilo Blanco ends firmly in the medium-full spectrum.

RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS

FLAVOR PROGRESSION

The Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco’s flavor progression goes from mild to medium to medium-plus to medium to medium-full. It is complex and nuanced, and it allows the smoker to really settle in and enjoy each flavor. It is not difficult to pick them out. Each flavor note compliments the other.

BURN EXPERIENCE

The burn was razor sharp throughout. The only real complaints I have concerning the Cocodrilo Blanco were the flakey ash and the delicate Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper. While both were mildly annoying, neither affected how it smoked. Where it really mattered, the Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco was well constructed.

RATING BREAKDOWN
0.78 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.47 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.10 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.50 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment

COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES

THIS CONNECTICUT-SEED HAS TEETH.

The Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco really allows the smoker to enjoy each of the flavors found in it. It doesn’t overpower or continuously assault the palate with bold flavors. There is nuance with notes of herbaceousness, butter, and honey, while still being complex and full of flavor. Notes of chocolate, coffee, earth, wood, nuts, pepper, and spices are all easily found from light to nub. The finish of the Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco is long but allows you to enjoy the flavors without constantly going back to the cigar. If you can find the Isla del Cocodrilo out in the wild, it is definitely worth your time and attention.

SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 9.35 / 10.0

Cigar Review: Isla del Cocodrilo Blanco from Warped