In 1942 a Syrian brown bear cub, named Wojtek (pronounced VOY-tehk) was gifted to Polish soldiers, eventually drafted into the Polish Army, helped carry ammunition in battle, and was given the rank of Corporal. Powstanie has an almost annual release named after this famous Polish soldier/mascot, and last year’s release was the Wojtek War Bear 2025, also known as the W.B.M.D. or War Bear of Mass Destruction.

The Powstanie War Bear 2025 is 5-7/8″ x 60 in a perfecto vitola. It features a barber pole wrapper comprised of Ecuadorian Habano and Mexican San Andrés, over an Indonesian binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Produced at Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. in Nicaragua, the Powstanie War Bear has an MSRP of $25 and comes in boxes of 8.

OVERVIEW

VITOLA: Perfecto
SIZE: 5-7/8″ x 60

ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A

WRAPPER: [Ecuadorian Habano/Mexican San Andrés
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: Dominican & Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium – Full

SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar

ENVIRONMENT

WHERE:
Studio/Lounge

WHEN:
February 8 @3pm

DRINKS:
Bottled Water

WEATHER:
Indoors

HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3

PRODUCTION

RELEASE TYPE Limited Release

ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE November 2025

TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 8
Production Totals: 8,000 total cigars

VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Perfecto 5-7/8″ x 60

BAND DESIGN

The WBMD is a double banded beauty. It features an image of Wojtek in a stunning and elegant silver on black color scheme. The second band sports the Powstanie logo. The box of the War Bear comes in a metal sleeve sporting a black and silver camo design. it is meant to be mounted to a wall for those who wish to display it. Honestly, it’s one of the cooler ideas I’ve seen from the cigar industry in the last few years. I know there are some cigar smokers who enjoy collecting rare and cool boxes; giving consumers a metal sleeve that can be mounted and displayed is a great idea.

PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

The dark San Andrés wrapper stands in contrast to the milk chocolate color of the Habano wrapper. Interestingly, the San Andrés barber pole ends before the foot. Or does it. There appears to be a piece of Habano wrapper leaf wrapped around the foot. Regardless, the wrapper(s) are slightly rough to the touch. There is some tooth to each cigar. Each WBMD has several veins running through them. The cigars are firm and have almost no give when pressed between my fingers.

AROMA

The wrapper(s) have notes of Cedar, dry grass, and barnyard. There is a subtle sweetness that come from the wrapper(s), as well. The foot gives off heavy notes of cereal, earth, and sweet tobacco. A hint of fruit comes through.

COLD DRAW

The cold draw echoes what my nose picked up: cereal, fruit, earth, sweet cream, and wood. The draw is almost perfect.

SMOKING EXPERIENCE

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

There is nothing subtle about the initial light as has bold notes of nuts, wood, red pepper flake, cereal, and honey roasted nuts. Black pepper on the retrohale. It’s bold and pepper forward; savory, creamy, and smooth. A subtle sweetness and Cedar linger on my palate.

SMOKE

The smoke output is phenomenal! The WBMD gives off copious amounts of creamy smoke. It is thick and untuous. It coats my palate in a very pleasing way. Even at rest there us a good amount of smoke.

FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Cereal, Black Pepper

The first third begins with notes of caramel, chocolate, avocado oil, and nuts. Spicy Cedar comes through at a constant pace. Salted nuts, grains, and cayenne pepper all flow underneath. Black pepper in the retrohale. The 2025 War Bear settles down from its raucous start. Cayenne pepper gently claws at the back of my throat. The ash is gray and black, compact, resembling nickels stacked on a few dimes. The burn is straight and gave me no issues in each cigar. Wood, caramel, and salted nuts jockey for supremacy. There is nuance to this year’s Wojtek release. An herbal note that reminds me of iced tea begins to come through. Chocolate comes and goes. Baking spices appear and disappear in the Cedar. The first third is firmly medium bodied.

SECOND THIRD
>> Wood, Earth, Baking Spices

The middle third begins with a spicy kick. Red pepper emerges from its hibernation, as notes of wood, nuts, and chocolate begin their dance. The WBMD continues to be creamy and delicious. Black pepper and baking spices rule the retrohale. The ash continues to hold its form. It’s beautiful and points to how well cinstructed the cigar is. The burn is razor sharp. The flavors continue the steady march of wood, nuts, and chocolate. There is a saltiness that ebbs and flows. The finish is creamy with hints of spice. Midway through the middle third, the War Bear roars to life as the spice level jumps. It’s a sudden shift from the steady march the 2025 War Bear has been on. It adds depth to the profile. Medium-full bodied and with a spicy kick. Notes of red pepper, wood, earth, are all flanked by peanuts, sweet cream, and a hint of chocolate. The smoke is almost chewy. Chocolate, coffee, baking spices now move into the dominant role while nuts, cream, and pepper surround and support them. Wood and earth linger on the finish. Maybe a hint of butter, too.

FINAL THIRD
>> Coffee, Red Pepper Flake, Black Pepper

The final third begins with big notes of coffee, baking spices, earth, wood, red pepper flake, and black pepper on the retrohale. It is full bodied now. Wojtek went from a steady march to a full on sprint to the finish line. The burn line has become a bit wavy and slightly uneven in this final third, but it is of no concern. The ash is still compact and the only loose flakes are from where it fell in the tray. Salted nuts and pepper linger on my palate. Coffee, caramel, wood, nuts, and earth weave in and out. Black pepper, baking spices, and salted butter on the finish. It’s the best of both halves of this cigar. This final third has a bit more nuance and depth than the first third. Since the middle of the WBMD the profile has been building to this. Damp earth, charred wood, espresso, caramel, and a nutty note dominate now. Spice and pepper on the finish with a hint of sweet cream.

RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS

FLAVOR PROGRESSION

The 2025 War Bear started as a medium bodied and almost refined experience. At the halfway point of the cigar, Wojtek came alive and became an almost feral fighting machine before finding its stride. Caramel, chocolate, cream, and wood started the experience; happy to be a medium bodied tasty treat. Coffee, red pepper, baking spices, earth, wood and black pepper came alive in a full-bodied masterpiece. It wasn’t a subtle shift, either. It was sudden, deliberate, and delicious.

BURN EXPERIENCE

The burn was flawless in the first half of the WBMD. The second half mirrored the sudden change in flavors. It became more eratic and unstable. It never required a touch-up or relight, but it was noticeable in each cigar. The ash became a bit more flakey in the final third, where it was compact in the first two. The smoke output was glorious from start to finish. It was always thick and creamy.

RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.00 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.30 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment

COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES

A TALE OF TWO HALVES.

The War Bear 2025 is a tale of two halves. It begins as a medium bodied and elegant experience. Nothing overpowers you and everything is in balance. It’s complex and nuanced but it is a departure from the initial light. Halway through the cigar something changes. It shifts to a full-bodied, almost frenzied, experience. It becomes much more bold like the initial light. Notes of chocolate, caramel, wood, and earth are found throughout, but become much more pronounced in the middle. From there, the WBMD takes off and hits you with spicy notes of red and black pepper, cream, wood, earth, and coffee. I found it enjoyable. Some may find it jarring. The final third showcases the best notes found in the first two thirds, while continuing its output of copious amounts of creamy smoke. This is a release of the Wojtek that should not be missed.

SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 9.10 / 10.0

Cigar Review: Powstanie War Bear 2025