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Born over the span of a few years and countless sessions in Connecticut diners, Foyle cigars are the brainchild of Dave Topper, regional sales rep for Alec Bradley cigars and Tom Sullivan, president of cigar distributor Alliance Cigar. The idea behind the Foyle brand came about when the two industry veterans decided to throw down with the “new breed” of cigar blenders, and in the process, create a “boutique-style”cigar that they themselves would like to smoke. The goal was to create a smooth-smoking cigar with bold -yet-nuanced flavors, totally different from any cigar on the market.
Foyle is handmade in small batches at the Raices Cubanas factory in Danli, Honduras, home to Alec Bradley blends, Illusione, and Torano Single Region, among others. The name “Foyle” is an alternate spelling to “foil” in reference to the traditional fencing sword, and each of the line’s unique frontmarks are named for ancient fighting swords and knives from various cultures.
To achieve their intended blend they experimented with dozens of iterations before deciding on one that they never expected would be the winner- a Honduran blend, like only Raices Cubanas can produce. According to Sullivan, the key to the smoothness and character of the blend is Raices Cubanas’ special growing, curing, and fermentation process which produces a superior leaf, one unlike any other Honduran tobacco on the planet. This all sounded very good coming from two guys who have probably smoked more cigars than I’ve ever seen, so I decided to test out the “Meteor Hammer” perfecto vitola (6 1/2 x52) in today’s review.
The cigar looked to be solidly rolled with its Colorado Criollo wrapper giving off a nice, oily sheen. I really liked the simple, tan and gold band on the cigar bearing only the Foyle logo. Pre-light draws gave off a crisp taste of fresh cedar.
The Meteor Hammer opened up to a rich and silky taste of baking spice and cedar with a bit of an applewood tinge to it. As I burned past the one inch mark, what had started off as a bit of a rocky burn line had evened itself out and a bit of burnt caramel sweetness began to sneak into the profile.
Moving into the 2nd third flavors of cedar, roasted almond, coffee, and cream swirled around before a light, peppery finish. The burn remained well-behaved and a solid two-inch ash was hanging tough at the end of the cigar. As I neared the last third flavors became a bit fuller and the caramel sweetness had now trickled down to the finish.
The final portion introduced a “meaty” tobacco flavor combined with a nutmeggy spice and an ever-present cream component. Here the finish was more spicy than sweet, leaving me with a throat-tingling bit of black pepper after each puff. With roughly two inches to spare I finally laid the Meteor Hammer down.
The Foyle Meteor Hammer held nicely layered and consistent flavors and was cool-smoking with an even burn for the duration of the smoke. Admittedly, this particular cigar was larger than what I would typically smoke, but a few weeks back I had sampled the Epee size (41/2×40), and that one was perfect for my tastes. This is one of the few cigars out there that I could see pairing well with either a good cup of coffee, or your preferred adult beverage, depending on the situation. If you’re looking to add something new and interesting to your humidor I recommend checking these out. We’ve got boxes and samplers available here.