Nordlicht Short Torpedo Maduro: Get ready for lift-off!

When I am offered the chance to try a new cigar, especially one from a boutique brand, I jump at the opportunity. Nordlicht Cigars have been creating quite the buzz in the cigar community and when I was invited to do a cigar review on Instagram with a brother of the leaf and the man behind Nordlicht Cigars, Sascha Prieser, I couldn’t say no.

My favourite vitolas are the lancero, torpedo and perfecto. When I realised the Nordlicht had a short torpedo in their portfolio, that was the obvious choice of cigar to smoke live on Instagram. My first impression of the cigar was that it was a perfectly crafted miniature torpedo cigar. The maduro wrapper curled beautifully around the cigar leading to a beautiful head. The foot looked evenly packed and there was a consistent squeeze for the entire short length.

Aromas of dry cocoa, hay and sweet farmyard tickled my nose and the wrapper left a dry oil on my fingers. I chose an angled straight cut, as is my preference with a torpedo cigar. The cold draw was very easy, smooth and creamy – I couldn’t wait to light up and get started.

The first flavours to hit my palate were dark chocolate coated hazelnuts and latte coffee. Savouring the first draws I asked Sascha Prieser about how he got into the cigar business and end up creating his own cigars. It all started when his father-in-law offered him a cigar whilst they were watching a film together. Fast forward to 2017 and his passion was growing and Sascha got into the cigar business as an importer. Through this he got to know the people involved in making cigars and built up a flavour profile of the cigars that German cigar smokers enjoyed. It wasn’t long before he persuaded a blender to create what would become the first cigar in Nordlicht Cigars portfolio.

Having finished my chocolate-infused espresso coffee, which had worked beautifully with the short torpedo maduro’s opening salvo, I moved on to my cocktail. This time I had chosen a Caipirinha. The crushed lime cut through the gentle sweetness that the wrapper had left on my lips and also refreshed my mouth after each sip, whilst the cachaça enhanced the gentle flavours of the cigar.

Heading into the middle third of the Nordlicht Short Torpedo Maduro I was met with the mouth-watering flavour of butter pastry. A few draws later, I noticed a hint of cloves join the mix. By this time I had a beautiful stack of creamy white ash forming. It was perfectly straight and there wasn’t a fleck of ash either in my ashtray or on the table in front of me. The smoke was light and smooth with fresh oak notes on the retrohale. Gentle tendrils drifted languidly into the air before dissolving.

Towards the end of the middle third, I was so impressed by the construction of the cigar and just how well the ash was holding that I decided to do an ash stand. The Nordlicht Short Torpedo Maduro stood perfectly still and I was even able to do an ash hold before dropping the ash onto the table. Even then, it didn’t shatter and I was able to pick it up and place it in my ashtray.

As I reached the final third of the cigar, I saw that there was absolutely no darkening on the tobacco at the head where I had cut it. The flavour was still very smooth, and what had started out as a medium bodied cigar had segued into a more light bodied cigar. Roasted toffee with hints of peppermint, pine and a scrunch of black pepper were the defining flavours towards the end of the cigar. Right to the nub, I was still able to retrohale and at no point was there any harshness to the flavour.

I would not only happily smoke this cigar again, but also offer it to newer cigar smokers as an introduction to both maduro cigars and the torpedo vitola. This is a cigar that has been crafted with care and attention to detail and has made me excited to try the other cigars in the Nordlicht portfolio.

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Nordlicht Short Torpedo Maduro Cigar Details