I begun to see the 13th Floor reviews pop up on review sites all over the place and I said I had to get some. Well UBI Cigars answered the call and gifted me one, then a friend of my cousin hit me up with 2 more. I now had what I needed for a review, you see I try to smoke at least 3 cigars of a brand in a particular size before I write the review. I’ve said this before, but I am a firm believer in a box of 20 or 25 there is at least one bad cigar in the box. If you buy cigars by the box I am sure you have run into this. Either it burns slightly off, or the draw is a little too tight. By reviewing three I can get a good idea of the cigar and share that idea with you. I should also add that I’ve been without a camera for a few days so a big thanks to Toasted Foot for allowing me to use his photos.

According to the Thirteenth Floor Website who will give away a 3 pack to a random comment,

In 2009 the idea and concept for 13th Floor Cigars was born. Driven by an unrelenting passion to create and deliver a unique and satisfying smoking experience to cigar lovers, we sought out the best factory, most experience rollers, and one of the most talented up and coming Master Blenders in the industry. All of our cigars are hand crafted in the USA on the famed “Calle Ocho” in Little Havana, Miami by “Level 9″ rollers all of whom have worked for world-renowned factories such as Romeo y JulietaR, CoronaR, and PartagasR. Each cigar is made in the traditional Cuban style of tubing the filler (entubado) and then finished off with a beautiful triple cap. Each “tarea” (days work) is then inspected by another Master Roller/Blender, boxed and dated to ensure the cigar is of the highest standard for the aficionado. Due to the high standards placed upon our rollers our cigars are made in small quantities to ensure quality and consistency that only a boutique manufacturer can produce.

So does the 13th floor deserve to be stopped on, or do we wish the floor was skipped… only one way to find out..

Cigar: 13th Floor Foundation Series
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Twitter: @smokinonthe13th
Facebook: 13th Floor

Photo Courtesy of toastedfoot.com

Appearance and Construction: At first glance to me the 13th floor looked a little bit rustic. There wasn’t an over abundance of oils despite being kept in optimal conditions. There were also a fair amount of veins present on this cigar that had a decent weight to it with no soft spots. The triple cap was a nice touch and perfectly centered. The band to me screamed out bling and for some odd reason I felt the band and logo would make a nice album cover for 50 cent. Does this effect the cigar, no, but I did have fun with it.

Flavor & Notes: The foot of the 13th Floor offered up cedar and caramel to the nose while the cold draw was very nutty with the taste being a very defined peanut. As I sat by the beach with my cigar on a day that reached 99 degrees I people watched and got lost in my cigar. The first third of the smoke offered up a slight spice, some wood and a slight sweetness which reminded me of caramel. As the second third was breached the wood notes remained  but were joined by a nice nutty taste. The sweetness was just about gone, and in due time nuts took over in terms of taste. The final third continued to be nutty with wood in the background and a subtle cocoa/mocha finish.

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar served up a nice light color ash that held for half the cigar with no flake. In fact when I ashed the cigar it was still strong, and gave me a little bit of a hard time on the tap. I could of gone longer but I was worried about putting a hole in my shirt which I am famous for. The draw was perfect, and the stick produced a nice amount of smoke with a good aroma. When I first started smoking it I was worried I would have a canoe on my last sample, but around an inch into it the stick corrected itself and burned even throughout. One item of note is the cigar had a pretty big carbon line which is usually a sign of the tobacco not being aged long so I wonder how they will get if you let the age. I could imagine only better.

Conclusion: I am glad the elevator stopped on the 13th floor as these were an enjoyable cigar. Thankfully Byan White from 13th Floor is giving you a chance to get a 3 pack to try. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and the 12th of July. Enter as often as you like, just never leave back to back comments. We will randomly select a winner on the 13th and Mr. White will send you a 3pack.

Rating: 90
Price: $8.25 MSRP

[Contest Over waiting for response from winner]