While it’s not uncommon for stores to commission special cigars made for anniversaries, it’s less common that the stores request and come up with a theme for the release. The Humidor (West) in Wichita, Kan. did just that when it asked six companies to make them cigars, naming each one after a character in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. In addition to the cigars being sold separately, the store also put together a sampler with all six cigars that it’s calling “The Heist,” in reference to the plot of the movie. We posted a little bit more of the background in our news story about these releases:

“We are kinda sorta movie freaks,” said Gorden Crippen of The Westside Humidor, “so much so that one night we were watching Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and were struck with the idea that we should do an entire set of cigars based on the movie.” The idea gained traction among the group and they proceeded to build cigars around the main characters, and the fact that there were five main characters corresponded with the store’s anniversary. But as fans of the movie know a sixth character is killed off right after the credits, so Crippen and his crew decided that a sixth cigar would be “one to grown on.”

The Humidor  West The Heist Sampler 1

The Humidor  West The Heist Sampler 2

The Humidor  West The Heist Sampler 3

The Humidor  West The Heist Sampler 4

All six cigars were offered in 100 The Heist samplers containing each cigar and modeled after a jewelry bag.

The Humidor  West The Heist Sampler 5

  • Viaje Platino Five Fifty Eight (Mr. White) — (5 x 58) — 50 Bundles of 25 Cigars (1,250 Total Cigars)
  • Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition (Mr. Blue) — (6 x 38) — 15 Boxes of 10 Cigars (150 Total Cigars)
  • 262 Cigars Mr. Pink — (6 1/2 x 42) — 100 Boxes of 10 Cigars (1,000 Total Cigars)
  • Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun Lancero (Mr. Brown) — (7 x 38) — 40 Boxes of 25 Cigars (1,000 Total Cigars)
  • La Flor Dominicana Mr. Blonde — (6 x 54) — 40 Boxes of 20 Cigars (800 Total Cigars)
  • Alec Bradley Tempus Maduro Torpedo (Mr. Orange) — (5 1/2 x 52) — 100 Boxes of 10 Cigars (1,000 Total Cigars)

In addition, the cigars were offered for sale in boxes separate. The 262 boxes normal black print was changed for the release as well, with a pink print on a white background, so the box complimented the name of the cigar nicely.

262 Mr Pink 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: 262 Cigars Mr. Pink
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacalera Carreras
  • Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Columbia, Nicaragua
  • Size: 6 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 42
  • Vitola: Lonsdale
  • MSRP: $9.55 (Boxes of 10, $95.50)
  • Date Released: Nov. 1, 2014
  • Number of Cigars Released: 100 Boxes of 10 Cigars (1,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

The dark brown wrapper is very well-applied and only has one noticeable vein running about half the length of the cigar. The Brazilian wrapper is smooth to the touch with a nice oiliness to it as well. Overall the cigar has only a slight give to it, though there are a couple of softer spots. A unique aroma comes off the cigar, made up of notes of barnyard, earth, a slight mustiness like decomposing fall leaves on the ground. The cold draw is completely different with cinnamon, spice, some chocolate and a touch of peppers.

The first third of the 262 starts out with black pepper up front, some delightful spice, creamy chocolate and a bit of earth I picked up off the wrapper earlier. The ash is compact and has a nice ring pattern to it, and while the burn isn’t perfect, it’s fairly even for the most part. Despite the minor soft spots, the draw good and pretty well in the middle of the ideal range. Smoke production is nice as well, giving me ample opportunity to enjoy the profile. The black pepper has grown taking the lead, followed by the great spice, chocolate, earth and a nice espresso note that has developed.

262 Mr Pink 2Moving into the second third the profile continues as it was. There was the need for a couple of minor touch-ups in the first third, but it looks like the burn line has evened out very nicely, now almost completely straight all around. The compact ash continues on as before, holding to well over an inch, which impresses me for the ring gauge. The profile hasn’t changed much with the black pepper still at the forefront and is quite punishing on a retrohale. The spice has a nice sweetness to it and the chocolate is still creamy, so despite the strong black pepper up front the profile is actually quite smooth.

262 Mr Pink 3

 

The final third doesn’t see much change in the profile, still featuring the same flavors, though the black pepper has died down slightly, melding in with the rest of the profile. The ash isn’t nearly as compact as it was earlier in the cigar, flaking off a little and only holding to about half an inch. The burn continues to be great however, staying quite even and not needing any touch-ups. The last inch of the cigar starts to see the flavors get a little muddled, and while not unpleasant or harsh, it’s not as enjoyable as the rest of the cigar was.

 

Final Notes

  • One sample had a little bit of a construction issue in the first couple inches due to some underfilling, causing the ash to be quite flakey and not hold on past a quarter of an inch. The other one might have had some similar issues in the final third, though not nearly as pronounced.
  • Despite the construction differences, the profiles of each cigar were the same.
  • While this size is currently an exclusive for The Humidor, the shop did say that if Clint Aaron wanted to use this size for a future release in the Paradigm line that they didn’t mind.
  • After calling The Humidor for some information about the cigar, I inquired about the remaining stock and they said they had plenty of these left.
  • Speaking of the shop, it’s commonly known as “Westside Humidor.” There are actually two stores known as “The Humidor Cigars & Lounge” in Wichita, one on the east and another on the west side of Wichita. While the stores were once related, they are now two independent shops.
  • The cigars for this review were provided to halfwheel by The Westside Humidor.
  • Final smoking time averaged right around two hours.
89 Overall Score

I enjoy 262’s Paradigm line, so I was looking forward to trying this new size, a lonsdale size that I love. Though there were some odd construction issues with each sample, the profile made sure those issues weren’t what I focused on. With flavors that melded nicely together throughout the majority of the cigar, it’s certainly something that I would like to get more of. Luckily these are still available, so if the cigar sounds like something you would enjoy, I wouldn’t hesitate in picking them up before The Humidor sells out.

Avatar photo

Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.