Barber polls have always somehow catch my attention and make me wonder if its truly going to be give me that unique smoking experience and complexity that I am craving in looking for that maybe a singular wrapped cigar cant give me. The Dissident Heretic is uniquely subtle with this barber pole approach because the wrapper on both Ecuadorian but just only slightly different in shades as one is a Maduro, and the other is a Rojiso which has a slightly more reddish hugh to it. The Heretic is a limited midwest exclusive that honors Cynn Coburns roots. “Paying homage to my roots, having a Midwest exclusive cigar is important to me. From Detroit to Flint, Michigan and small town, Iowa, these places all play a vital role in who I am today. Resilience, perseverance, strength and personal sovereignty run deep in my blood as they do in these cities and states. I go against the grain and choose to see with my own eyes. My past and my stomping grounds helped pave the way for that mindset and taught me how to be a strong, true, undeniable HERETIC.” Says Owner/blender of Dissident Cigars Cynn Coburn. The cigar will also be offered as an event only cigar nationally.

Under the Lid

I did not have any samples of the boxes so I can only go by pictures ive seen, so the box has Dissident written in the top left corner and then Heretic in big bold red letters through the middle, the background is black with shiny black lightning bolts. The band is very similar to the box with big bold red “heretic” as the main header and a sub header as “Dissident” and black lightning bolts as the background. I found the thinner ring gauge made the longer name slightly hard to read on the band and almost gets cut off in the back. The wrapper as mentioned is a barberpole with the maduro being the outside wrapper and taking up the majority of the cigar while the rojiso shade is only a thin strip that you can see and is only a few shades lighter. There is a slight sheen to the wrapper and very minimal veins. The wrapper seams are tight and the cap is well placed.

• Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro and Ecuador Rojiso
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Vitola: 6.5 x 46 Corona Larga Box Pressed
• Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra
• Release Date: January 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Limited Undisclosed
• MSRP: $12.50 ($250 for a box of 20)

The cold draw offers notes of mild fig sweetness and mint, the wrapper is giving off aromas of barnyard hay, while the foot gives off aromas of a combination of barnyard hay, manure, and fig.

Performance Notes

First Third: The Dissident Heretic opens up with notes of black pepper spice, oak, leather, earth, and a mild coca note in the background. The first few puffs are a bit harsh on the palate but after that the profile really starts to settle in. Up front there is mainly oak, black pepper, and earthiness, with that leather sitting in the background, and only occasionally am I getting a hint of cocoa. Every so often I get a tiny bit of sweetness but it is taking a lot for me to find it consistently. The rest of the first third stays relatively consistent with that Oak, pepper, and earth dominant profile. The finish is medium in length with lingering oak and leather. The retrohale adds more pepper and oak but isn’t as dynamic. The palate stimulation is middle and tip of the tongue with a bit on the roof of my mouth

Second Third: The second third continues with an oak, black pepper, and earth forward profile with a slight rise in strength. There is a faint bread like note coming in and out of the profile in the background, alongside the occasional cocoa as well. As this third continues the oak and pepper start to take on some strength and taste a bit toasted or even charred at times. There is a citrus note leaving a bit of sourness on the finish as well. The increase in toasted oak and pepper is really hiding the background notes and is making it difficult to pull anything much more from the profile except the occasional leather. The finish is still medium in length with toasted oak and leather. The retrohale offers pepper and oak as well. The palate stimulation is still mainly mid palate and bit on the tip of the tongue.

Final Third: As the final third comes in the toasted oak note ramps up even more into a charred oak and harsh black pepper, with a drying leather note. There isn’t much nuance or complexity being offered during these last few inches. I find myself reaching for water a bit more due to the drying of the palate from the charred oak and leather notes. It continues this way until the end of the cigar. The retrohale stays consistent and doesn’t take on the charred note at all with just simple oak and pepper. The finish is a bit longer now with lingering oak and leather. And the palate stimulation stays mid palate.

Core Flavors: Oak, Black Pepper, Leather, Earth, mild cocoa

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium

Complexity: Medium

Smokin Experience: The Dissident Heretic Corona Larga Box Pressed started off with a slightly above average profile of oak, earth, and black pepper that worked well together with the occasional nuance of cocoa and mild bread that would show up into the profile, but unfortunately close the halfway point the profile couldnt keep up wht complexity and took on some more harsh notes that distracted me from the experience. I also found there to be no major transitions in flavors going from maduro to rojiso wrappers. I think this cigar could be approachable for someone wanting to try a funky vitola in something stronger than shade wrapped cigar, but doesn’t want to have too much nicotine strength. Construction wise the cigar performed quite well with no touch ups or relights needed and only a slightly wavy burn, which is quite normal for box pressed cigars. The draw was a tiny bit on the open side, but again to be expected with a box pressed cigar usually. The cigar really lost most of its points on the lack of complexity and the fact that the profile dropped off at around the halfway point taking on too much char bitterness, and lingering leather and oak.

Purchase Recommendation: Not recommended

Smokin Facts:

• Fabrica Oveja Negra is probably the most prolific and well known factory for making limited barber pole cigars
• Cynn and Josh Coburn have owned Dissident Cigars since Dec 2021 and have been growing the brand with a strong social media and tradeshow presence
• Dissident landed on the #10 spot of Smokin Tabaccos top 25 list of 2022 with the Molotov

Smokin Wrap:

Cigars Smoked: 2

Average Smoking Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

SCORE: 85

Mitchell Santaga – Product Reviews

Mitchell Santaga started his journey into tobacco in 2011 by trying different flavored and machine-made cigars while enjoying a handle of Jack Daniels whisky. Shortly after that he yearned for a more premium experience and dove headfirst into pipe tobacco that his local tobacconist blended, and soon after started indulging in premium cigars.