El Pulpo The Fry

In early 2023, Artesano del Tobacco released a new line called El Pulpo, getting the name from the Spanish word for octopus. While the name may seem interesting, the explanation is quite fitting.

“We wanted a blend that fits people’s palates the way an octopus fits in different shapes, spaces and becomes that shape, we wanted a blend that becomes hard for any smoker to put down once they light up like an octopus that doesn’t let go of its prey,” said Billy and Gus Fakih, owners of Artesano Del Tobacco. “Once again, AJ Fernandez has done an amazing job creating El Pulpo Cigars. We couldn’t be more satisfied with the finished product and cannot wait for everyone to try it. As they say, ‘good things come to those who wait,’ and this statement continues to ring true with the El Pulpo Cigars.”

A little more than a year after the line’s debut, the Fakih brothers decided to add a new size to the lineup, one that was notably smaller and skinnier than the three in which the line debuted.

 

 

 

The El Pulpo The Fry measures 4 x 48 and uses the same blend as the original El Pulpo—a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers that come from AJ Fernandez’s farms. Compared to the regular blend, Artesano del Tobacco says that a different fermentation process was used for the wrapper. It is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A., which produces the other sizes in the El Pulpo line and other lines from Artesano del Tabaco.

“Celebrating the success of the El Pulpo blend with its high ratings, we wanted to create a size that the market is looking for, which can work with the EL Pulpo blend,” the company said in a press release. “The Gorditas idea came from our friend Brad Seiderer of AJ Fernandez, sales rep for the Northeast, who suggested the size and the name. By doing that, we were able to celebrate and highlight this very well-aged San Andreas Maduro wrapper.”

Pricing is set at $12.40 per cigar, with The Fry offered in a unique five-count cardboard box.

 

The box has a lid that closes via magnets, while inside the boxes, there is a small cutout for matches and a match striker, though the boxes do not come with matches.

The Fry became the fourth vitola in the El Pulpo lineup, which was released in early 2023:

• El Pulpo Robusto Grande (5 x 56)
• El Pulpo Toro Grande (6 x 56)
• El Pulpo Belicoso Grande (5 3/4 x 58)
• El Pulpo The Fry (4 x 48)

It is also the first size in the line to be round, as the other three are box-pressed. The El Pulpo The Fry began shipping to stores in June 2024.

• Cigar Reviewed: El Pulpo The Fry
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Maduro)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $12.40 (Box of 5, $62)
• Release Date: June 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

It looks like there is about as much of the cigar visible above the primary band as there is below the secondary band, providing a kind of visual symmetry not often seen on cigars, though the coil of tobacco atop the head of each cigar does throw that balance off a bit. All three cigars look good visually, with fairly dark, evenly-colored wrappers that have a dry texture, a handful of veins, a matte finish that reflects that they don’t have much oiliness. All three cigars are rolled firmly, with just a touch of give at the foot. Speaking of the foot, it has some mixed berry sweetness, dry tobacco, plain potato chips and some pepper on the finish. Air moves well on the cold draw, close to ideal, but with each cigar, a tick or two on either side of perfect. The cold draw has some flavors that remind me of paper and cardboard, though I wouldn’t call the profile a reflection of those two flavors. There’s also some light espresso and earth, while a bit of black pepper finishes things off.

Given that the El Pulpo line has a secondary band that indicates it uses a San Andrés Maduro wrapper, it’s hard not to look for some of those typical flavors in the first puffs, with The Fry delivering a light earth and pepper combination, but also more creaminess than I would have expected. Retrohales, meanwhile, have a sharp, enjoyable pepper that really lights up my nostrils. That same pepper comes alive in the flavor and can occasionally be too much, hitting with what I would classify as raw ligero strength. The body of the smoke fills out a little as the first third progresses, and while the creaminess starts each puff, there’s more earth and pepper as the first clump of ash drops off, intensifying the flavor into medium-full territory and delivering the earthiness and pepper I would expect from a blend like this. Body is medium-plus and strength is medium-minus but with the kind of profile that suggests more strength is coming. Construction is very good thus far, with plenty of smoke generated by each puff.

The second third of the El Pulpo The Fry starts with a lingering finish at the top of my throat and a long-lasting tickle from the black pepper. I mention it because the cigar is at the point where it’s more than just a flavor but also a physical sensation, and for some people—myself included—being on the wrong side of that line for too long or with too much intensity is a turn-off. Thankfully, only one of the three cigars goes over the line. After reducing the prominence of the creaminess as this section gets underway,  the smoke turns creamier around the midpoint, almost doing a 180 and quickly putting the other flavors in the background. Retrohales still have lots of vibrant black pepper with just a touch of creaminess in the background. Flavor has backed down to medium for most of this section, body is medium-plus and strength is medium. Construction remains very good, and I find myself impressed by how well the ash has held on thus far.

The first and most notable change for the final third happens to the texture of the smoke, shifting from a very smooth creaminess to a more textured cake sensation. That texture change also mirrors some flavor changes, as the earthiness diminishes and gives me an oat bran muffin flavor for a bit, while the pepper is also reduced but hangs around on the finish for quite some time. It’s also still very present on the retrohales, which offer a very clean, vibrant sensation, though one that it so lively it forces me to space them out a bit more than I would like. The earth and pepper return with vigor in the final inch or so, spurred on by some heat joining in the profile. The changes bring about some sharpness that makes the profile a bit tougher to enjoy, but it doesn’t prevent the cigar from being smoked down to a tiny nub. The flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium to medium-full, leaving me with a bit of a physical sensation. Construction is solid and problem-free as long as the cigar gets a regular puff, and it continues to maintain an even burn line while putting off plentiful amounts of smoke.

Final Notes

• The 4 x 48 dimension makes this feel more like a steak fry than the longer, more slender fries that I tend to think of as the most common cut.
• For my money, steak fries and waffle fries are my preferred cuts, though I’m not one to turn down a good order of fries.
• The comedian John Mulaney has this bit on ordering fries that I find both hilarious and relatable.
• I do find it somewhat interesting that the packaging for the El Pulpo The Fry comes with a space for matches and a match striking strip, but no matches.
• The El Pulpo The Fry packs a decent nicotine punch; while the first cigar didn’t leave me with much of a sensation, the second one had me heading to the kitchen to find some white sugar.
• AJ Fernandez also distributes Artesano del Tobacco’s cigars.

• The company lists these as a 4 x 48 corona extra. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Artesano Del Tobacco advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 20 minutes on average. I have no doubt that most people will smoke this cigar faster than I did, and the second cigar showed that it could be done without much effect on the profile. In fact, were this not for a review, I’d have probably smoked each one a bit quicker.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co. and Famous Smoke Shop carries the El Pulpo The Fry.