Knuckle Sandwich 56

By now, you’ve likely heard of Knuckle Sandwich Cigars, the brand that is the result of a partnership between celebrity chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri and Espinosa Premium Cigars. The brand was announced in January 2022 and began shipping to stores the following month.

While there is a trio of core lines, the company has added a number of limited editions over the two-plus years it has been on the market, including a cigar that celebrates Fieri’s birthday on Jan. 22. Named simply for the age that Fieri turns that year, it debuted in 2023 with the Knuckle Sandwich 55 and returned this year with the Knuckle Sandwich 56.

The blend features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler. After debuting in a 5 1/2 x 55 robusto oval vitola, the Knuckle Sandwich 56 is a 6 x 56 toro oval priced at $16 and limited to 1,500 boxes of 10 cigars. Once again, the cigar is made at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua, which produces the other Knuckle Sandwich lines.

“Last year, we wanted to do something special for Guy’s birthday, so we produced this blend and made only 555 boxes as a token for Guy,” said Erik Espinosa in a press release. “We had no idea the impact this cigar was going to have. It immediately sold out, becoming one of our most coveted unicorn cigars ever, with customers still asking for it to this day. We always want to keep our customers happy, so we decided to continue the tradition.“

This year, the cigars shipped to stores on Jan. 26, just after Fieri’s birthday.

• Cigar Reviewed: Knuckle Sandwich 56
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: San Lotano Factory
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Vitola: Toro Oval
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: Jan. 26, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The oval press that the Knuckle Sandwich 56 still fools me sometimes, as while I know it’s an intentional look and there’s a process behind it, I can’t help but think the cigars got smushed somewhere along the way. Clearly, they haven’t been, and the oval press on all three cigars looks good. The wrapper is a rather dark shade of brown and is fairly dry to the touch. The seam lines are visible, and while I don’t see much in the way of veins or tooth, a brighter light and closer inspection reveals more of those small bumps than I initially thought the leaves had. The roll looks good, but the heads of the three cigars have some issues. On the first and third cigars, the final piece of tobacco used to create the cap on the first cigar doesn’t sit flush against the cylinder. On the second, there’s a noticeable vein near the shoulder of the cigar, while the cap seems to sit flush but has a bit of a ridge to it. The prelight aroma is woody and rather fragrant, though it’s not reminiscent of a forest or a lumberyard. I can’t quite place it, but the first thought is of a shipment of specialty varietals arriving at a furniture manufacturer. Even though it’s woody, it’s a soft and cool aroma in the nostrils, with a bit of creaminess and a very subtle hint of peppermint. The cold draw is smooth and slightly sweet, though subtle enough to have me trying to figure out what I’m tasting. My first thought is a light cream soda, but then I get hints of milk chocolate as well.

The Knuckle Sandwich 56 can be a little chalky and rough in the first puffs, with the flavor hitting my taste buds with a powdery texture, but behind that is a very enjoyable and rich woodiness, and it doesn’t take too long for the better flavor to replace the inferior one. There’s a good, building pepper through the nose, as well as a bit of black coffee in the aroma, a sensation I notice more when the cigar isn’t being actively smoked. The body of the smoke fills out as well in the early goings, providing a more complete experience than the first puffs offered. A soft creaminess fills out the back half of this section, a change that keeps the cigar’s profile progressing. Flavor starts out medium-plus and backs down to medium, whereas body starts medium and fills out to medium-plus. Strength stays mild throughout this section. Construction is essentially perfect for the first third, with no notes or faults.

The second third starts with an impressive balance between woodiness and pepper; both are crisp but not sharp, while a subtle touch of earthiness sets the base flavor but doesn’t weigh the profile down. There are some spots where the profile takes on a touch of paper, an interesting taste that I wouldn’t peg as being enjoyable but which doesn’t completely distract from the profile. The aroma has a touch of burnt butter, which immediately snaps my attention back to the cigar. There are some really pleasant retrohales at the end of this section, leading with pepper before a subtle wood note finishes off the sensation. Flavor is medium, body is back to medium and strength is mild. Construction remains fantastic and problem-free.

The final third of the Knuckle Sandwich 56 starts out a bit smokier and more char developing on the profile, while the wood has turned into a shorter sensation on the taste buds but one that is no less flavorful. There’s still a good amount of creaminess to be found, and soon that smoother, slightly sweeter profile pushes its way into the forefront, creating an interesting swing of the pendulum between fairly different profiles. A little bit more character from the smoke develops in this section; not necessarily rough or irritating, but there’s definitely been a change. After swinging back and forth, the flavors begin to meld together, carrying each of the three cigars to their conclusion, with flavor at medium, body at medium-plus, and strength around the mild mark. Construction is still fantastic, if not downright close to perfect.

Final Notes

• The Art Deco font used for the 56 on the secondary band is unmistakable and creates an interesting complement to the primary band’s fonts and graphics.
• I’m fascinated to see if the ring gauge corresponding to Fieri’s age continues, mainly because there aren’t many odd-numbered ring gauges, and I’d have to assume not a lot of cigar molds in those sizes.
• I have to admit liking the oval press, though for some reason it seems to flatten out the shoulders and cap of the cigar a bit, which makes it harder to get the kind of cut I’m looking for with my cigar scissors.
• Production of the Knuckle Sandwich 55 was just 555 boxes, which was described as being made “as a token for Guy,” according to Espinosa. Clearly there was enough demand to nearly triple production for the follow-up.
• None of the three cigars hit me with much in the way of nicotine strength.

• The cigar is listed at 6 x 56. As you can tell, there was some pretty decent variation in the weights of the three cigars. I can’t say I noticed that it resulted in a noticeable difference in the smoking experiences, but I’m sure a quality control supervisor would prefer to see those numbers closer to one another. As a reminder, the order above does not correspond to the order in which the cigars were smoked, and there was no attempt to figure out which cigar was which prior to them being smoked.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 25 minutes on average.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Site sponsors Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co. and Smoking Pipes carry the Knuckle Sandwich 56.