When it comes to cigar-related sayings, there are two that come to mind pretty readily: “close, but no cigar,” and “sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.” The latter of those is attributed to Dr. Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method of identifying and treating pathologies in the psyche. It has been taken to mean that not everything has a secondary meaning or significance, let alone a symbol for something else.

Dr. Freud was also an avid cigar smoker, often photographed with one in hand, defending his smoking of them by saying that “cigars have served me for precisely fifty years as protection and a weapon in the combat of life.”

While Freud did not own his own cigar brand, you might be led to think that he did based on a new line from Agape Lifestyle Inc., a luxury goods company founded by David Stadnyk, a venture capitalist. Stadnyk partnered with Luis Torres, formerly the ceo of Casa de Montecristo and the head of retail for Davidoff of Geneva, to create Freud Cigar Co.

The company announced its debut in April 2022, and that its first line, SuperEgo, would be arriving on store shelves the following month. The line gets its name from one of the three agents in Freud’s model for psychoanalytic theory, namely, the moral standards by which the ego operates.

The SuperEgo blend was developed in part by Wiber Ventura of Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic, where the line is produced. It consists of an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, Sumatran binder, and a filler that includes Jalapa-grown seco from Nicaragua and Dominican-grown criollo 98 visos, corojo ligero and piloto seco.

The Freud SuperEgo is offered in four vitolas:

 

  • Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra (5 x 54) — $17 (Box of 10, $170)
  • Freud SuperEgo Toro (6 x 52) — $17 (Box of 10, $170)
  • Freud SuperEgo Magnum (6 x 60) — $18 (Box of 10, $180)
  • Freud SuperEgo Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 42) — $16 (Box of 10, $160)
  • Freud Super Ego Belicoso (6 x 52) — $19.50 (Box of 10, $195)*

*Not pictured

89 Overall Score

Given how it seems many people scroll through reviews and focus on the number as opposed to reading the details, I find myself worrying about this a bit more than most other reviews, since I have a feeling the score won't tell the whole story. FIrst things first, I enjoyed smoking all three of these cigars, and can say that after the first one, I looked forward to smoking the other two, as that first cigar was a remarkably easy cigar to light up, enjoy, and smoke without issue. But I think it did that by offering what I might consider a pretty restrained and uneventful profile. Only one of the three cigars that I smoked for this review had what I would refer to as a dynamic profile and even then, it was largely in the second half of that cigar. Yet I can’t say that I found much if anything not to like about what the cigars had to offer, including pretty solid construction and combustion. As we often mention, the reviewer doesn’t know what the final score will be, and as I get ready to submit this, I can't shake my feeling that whatever it is, it’s going to fall short of describing what the Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra has to offer. It is by no means the most complex cigar I have smoked, but it delivers very good balance and offers a perfectly enjoyable profile, and one that I would gladly smoke again and recommend without reservation.

  • Cigar Reviewed: Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura
  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Corojo)
  • Binder: Sumatra
  • Filler: Dominican Republic (Criollo 98 Visos, Corojo Ligero and Piloto Seco) & Nicaragua (Jalapa Seco)
  • Length: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 54
  • Vitola: Robusto Extra
  • MSRP: $17 (Box of 10, $170)
  • Release Date: May 2022
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

What I can see out of the wrapper reveals a lot of reddish brown and visual texture to the leaf. I mention that because the cigars wear three bands, each quite elaborately decorated and very well done, particularly the graphic of Dr. Freud. Once the foot band is removed, I find a bit of mottling on the wrapper leaf, as well as a pronounced vein structure. I also find a good bit of oiliness to the wrapper; it’s evident by some sheen but finally touching the leaf really shows how much juice it has. The cigar is firm and rolled very cleanly, though I don’t quite know what to make of the gathered twist of tobacco on the cap, as it’s not quite as well-executed as I have seen on other cigars. There’s variance among the three cigars; one shows that it can be executed well, one isn’t twisted as tightly and looks a bit sloppy and the other is somewhere in the middle. The aroma of the foot is soft and reminds me a bit of an applesauce donut. It’s not overtly sweet and there’s little pepper present, making for an enjoyable scent with a bit of depth to it. The cold draw is smooth and easy, with very some very mellow wood, a bit of pepper, and an occasional gloss of butter for some oiliness or creaminess for a bit of soft sweetness. Like the aroma, it is simple, straightforward and enjoyable.

The Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra opens with a fairly familiar profile as there is a bit of creaminess, some pepper, varying contributions of cereal, wood and wheat, and then a fairly consistent flavor around the edges that I can’t place but am not enjoying. It’s not harsh, sour, metallic, chalky or any of the other more commonly used words, but whatever it is, it’s not the best start to a cigar. Retrohales are quite good to start, with a clean, pleasant white pepper that tingles the nostrils with just the right amount of stimulation. There’s a touch of creaminess here as well that helps to soften but not mute the experience. The cigar seems hesitant to show off much in the way of a diversity of flavors; there’s a bit of a shift in the creaminess that has me thinking of melted vanilla ice cream. Otherwise the flavor is pretty linear and not terribly complex, yet still easily enjoyable as once that funkiness from the start departs, there is little disagreeable in the profile. Where the cigar tends to shine is when combining puffs and retrohales throughout this section, as there is a fullness to the smoke that I find quite satisfying, so much so that I almost overlook the flavors that the cigar is trying to offer. Flavor and body are predominantly in the medium range in this section, while strength is mild. Construction and combustion are both very good thus far.

The second third continues to be fairly tame with the flavors, as evidenced by the fact that I don’t have a ton of notes written down, yet at the same time the enjoyment level is still quite high. The melted vanilla ice cream flavor carries on here, though the smoke has picked up a bit of warmth to it. There are instances when I get nuttiness, and others when I get a warm waffle cone, the latter I find to be quite enjoyable and a better flavor than the former. To get some pepper into the mix, I have to turn to retrohales as it has largely left the main flavor. What was in the main flavor seems to have gone to the retrohales, as they are a tick or two stronger than they were in the first third, merging black and white pepper and toning down the creaminess a bit. The mouth flavor begins to make some changes around the midway point, which also happens to be when the burn line goes a bit awry. For lack of a better word, the flavor gets smokier, taking on the remnants of a campfire before a rocky, robust earthiness reveals itself. It also brings with it some black pepper, as well as a peanut shell flavor as an accent, making the overall profile more dynamic than it was earlier, if also a bit gruffer. The change nudges the flavor to medium-plus, body is still medium and strength is still mild. Other than an uneven burn line that warrants a touch-up, combustion and construction are very good.

The final third sees the robustness dial back a bit and the profile at the start of the final third tastes like a midpoint in between the previous two thirds. The Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra has some of its creaminess back, there is now some dryness that harkens back to the peanut shell flavor, and black pepper is present as an accent. One of the most notable changes is that the flavor now lingers on my tongue after each puff, something I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to earlier. Retrohales remain one of my favorite aspects as the cigar gets into its final third, as they are quite refined with just the right amount of tingle, making for a solid combination with a traditional puff. The white pepper that tingles the nose is really dialed into intensity and refinement that I like, where the smoke fills and tingles the nose but doesn’t even think about being too aggressive. As the final third progresses, the cigar’s flavor begins to get just a bit more aggressive on puffs, leaving a bit of irritation towards the back of my throat, while it dries out just a touch on the tongue thanks to some toast joining the profile.

Final Notes

  • While this vitola is referred to as a robusto extra by the company, I find it interesting that it chose to put Robusto X on the secondary band. Now, while I think Robusto X sounds kind of cool, but I have to imagine that it would be met with quick opposition by the Arturo Fuente companies for using the letter on cigars.
  • If anything, I’m not crazy about giving a cigar two names; pick one and stick with it, especially since there was seemingly plenty of room on the foot band to print Robusto Extra.
  • I haven’t had the chance to smoke the other vitolas in the SuperEgo line, though I am not quite intrigued by the Lonsdale given my experience with the Robusto Extra.
  • I covered Freud Cigar Co.’s booth at the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show.
  • The company also has a limited edition in the works, the Agape. That cigar is produced by Eladio Diaz, formerly the supervisor of production for Davidoff’s factory in the Dominican Republic. The cigar is a Dominican puro, and while the specifics aren’t being disclosed, Diaz said it contains an autochthonous Dominican leaf binder, meaning it is an indigenous varietal.
  • I did not pick up any nicotine strength from the Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra.
  • Freud Cigar Co. has a product fulfillment agreement with Illusione.
  • The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time was two hours and five minutes on average.
  • Site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. carries the Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra.
89 Overall Score

Given how it seems many people scroll through reviews and focus on the number as opposed to reading the details, I find myself worrying about this a bit more than most other reviews, since I have a feeling the score won't tell the whole story. FIrst things first, I enjoyed smoking all three of these cigars, and can say that after the first one, I looked forward to smoking the other two, as that first cigar was a remarkably easy cigar to light up, enjoy, and smoke without issue. But I think it did that by offering what I might consider a pretty restrained and uneventful profile. Only one of the three cigars that I smoked for this review had what I would refer to as a dynamic profile and even then, it was largely in the second half of that cigar. Yet I can’t say that I found much if anything not to like about what the cigars had to offer, including pretty solid construction and combustion. As we often mention, the reviewer doesn’t know what the final score will be, and as I get ready to submit this, I can't shake my feeling that whatever it is, it’s going to fall short of describing what the Freud SuperEgo Robusto Extra has to offer. It is by no means the most complex cigar I have smoked, but it delivers very good balance and offers a perfectly enjoyable profile, and one that I would gladly smoke again and recommend without reservation.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.