Statesman Cigar Co. The Nightcap

By Tony Casas | February 26, 2024

HELLLOOOOOO SPRING! Finally, we are in the 80s already and ready to enjoy some great backyard times with great cigars. Today I am taking a look at the New Statesman Cigar Co. The Nightcap.

The Good Stuff:

Statesman Cigar Co. is a new manufacturer founded in 2023 by Tommy Allen, Joel Murphy and Jaycee Estrada. The Statesmen motto is “The Cigar Company For The Modern Era” as they are focusing more on a lifestyle of memorable cigar-smoking experiences, life-enhancing community, and sophisticated elegance. Their portfolio launched with 4 separate blends however today we are only focusing on The Nightcap. Offered in a single 5 3/8 x 52 figurado format. While there isn’t too many specifics their media kid did mention that the cigars are rolled in Esteli, Nicaragua and the tobaccos are sourced from the surrounding area. Based on that we can assume this is a Nicaragua puro featuring a Maduro wrapper. Each stick runs $11 per, and you can purchase them in bundles of 5, 10, and 20 from their website. Big thanks to Tommy and his team for sending a few samples our way for review. You can find more about the company at their website.

• Size: 5 3/8 x 52
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Mild/Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $11

Prelight:

The Statesman Cigar Co. Nightcap starts with a very, very dark brown and consistent wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy and extremely oily. The wrapper feels thing and dense to the touch while the cigar itself is extremely hard, tight, and heavy. The cigar starts off with a snubby foot that quickly bells out before slowly tapering down to the cigar’s pointy, double-wrapped cap. The cigar is finished off with a dark green band with white and gold accents which include the Statesman’s crest and “Handmade in Nicaragua”.

The wrapper on the Statesman Cigar Co. Nightcap gives off an incredibly floral and spicy mixture of aromas while the foot of the cigar is mostly floral with some really light tobacco undertones. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some light floral flavors over soft wood and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Statesman Nightcap starts out with a very subtle burst of black pepper which only lasts the first few puffs before fading away allowing the cigar to showcase some great dark chocolate flavors over natural tobacco and wood. It doesn’t start off very complex, nor is that really needed. It’s a straight-forward cigar from the get go. The draw is great despite being so tightly packed. Each puff kicks out the desired amount of thick, white smoke which dissipates very quickly while the cigar releases a ton of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is a bit wild, but thats to be expected with a figurado format wile it leaves behind a trail of tightly compacted medium-gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The Statesman Nightcap and the flavor profile remained much of the same. Very straightforward and easy smoking with notes of dark chocolate, cedar, and soft spice over natural tobacco. The retrohale does bring out a bit more of the spice, however it doesn’t alter the experience too much. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Note: In all three samples I smoked the wrapper around the cap separated a bit from the binder while I was smoking it. I thought the cigar was dry at first so I let them rest more, however it was still an issue.

Finish:

Not much has changed from the start to the finish in the Statesman Nightcap. The flavor profile was consistent all the way through leading with dark chocolate backed by woodsy flavors, natural tobacco, and a touch of a floral aftertaste with some slight spice. The cigar started in the mild/medium bodied arena and finished the same. I feel like a touch of sweetness would have gone a long way in this profile. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke the cigar down to the nub. There was no harshness, nor any extended heat. The cigar burned perfectly from start to finish. The only issue was the cap unraveling a bit. While it didn’t affect the performance of the cigar, it did make it a bit uncomfortable at times as the wrapper would tickle my lips on draws.

Overview:

The Statesman Nightcap can really be described in the same way I have said it multiple times throughout the review, straightforward. The profile is easy on the palate and very mild. There isn’t anything too crazy or different about the cigar, nor was there anything too off-putting. The cap issue was a bit of a nuisance. Usually I’d let it slide as it could very well be changes in humidity or my storage, but the fact that it happened on all three samples was worth mentioning. This is a good cigar for someone who wants to just sit back and enjoy a solid smoke, however I did wish there as a bit more complexity and body here, however that’s mostly subjective to my own personal palate.