Reviewed: Berger & Argenti Entubar Torpedo

By: Doug Wilgar

In the world of premium cigars, very few things “surprise” me anymore. There are many new blends and blenders, but generally they are shaped in the traditional methods. Robustos, Torpedos, Belecosos, etc. are generally the norm, and all that truly distinguishes a cigar is by the blend and the flavors. Enter the Berger & Argenti Entubar line. This cigar’s shape is very unique, and quite surprising. You will immediately notice the “nipple” on the foot of the cigar, which at first glance is very catching. The reason for this shape is the style in which this cigar line is rolled. The name “Entubar” is derived from the rolling style, which is an old-world method in which the filler leaf is actually rolled into itself, and then the Nicaraguan Ligero filler is bunched independently and then re-bunched directly in the middle of the other entubar filler blend. This creates a spear of ligero that runs all the way through the cigar and comes out the top, creating what I term as the “nipple”.

The cigar line is blended with Nicaraguan Ligero filler and binder, and an Ecuadorian Desflorado Connecticut sun-grown wrapper. The line sizes consist of a Corona Macho (4 5/8 x 48), Robusto (5 3/8 x 54), Double Corona (7 5/8 x 54), Torpedo (6 7/8 x 56) and Gran Toro (6 5/8 x 64). As you can see, these are not small ring gauge cigars. For this review, I smoked the torpedo.

At the light (in which it is recommended and labeled to light the entire foot, including the nipple) the cigar gives off nice leather and earthy notes. I also noticed a bit of spice on the back of the smoke. The draw is surprisingly hard, and seemed to stay that way throughout the first two-thirds of the cigar. This was very disappointing, as one of the claims to fame for this cigar rolling technique is to provide a much better draw. This is not unique to this particular cigar, as I have smoked a few of these same shape and found them all to be the same.

As I smoked the cigar, I noted some very concerning construction issues (as you can see from the photos). The cigar was stored properly in my humidor at 71% humidity, which for my climate is perfect for all of my sticks. I would also like to think that I got a bad few from a bad box, but these cigars were purchased at different times from different shops. For some reason, this cigar just seems to like to bloom. I never noted any canoeing issues (which is where a cigar burns unevenly, giving the look of a canoe) but the wrapper itself began cracking not an inch into the smoke of the cigar and continued to audibly crack as I continued to smoke. The flavors of the cigar continued with leather, light spice and earthy notes all the way through the cigar, although at the end of the smoke I did pick up a bit more spice and a hint of coffee.

I would love to recommend this cigar as the shape alone is very unique, but due to the nature of the draw, construction and lack of flavor development and complexity, this is a medium-bodied cigar that I would avoid.

Tags: Argenti, Berger, Entubar, Review