Highclere Castle Senetjer

I sometimes muse about what would happen if cigar manufacturers were not allowed to create cigars commemorating anniversaries. Would the number of total releases shipped to retailers during any given year be cut drastically? After all, there have been cigars to honor a veritable mountain of dates, including company anniversaries, specific store anniversaries and celebrating the date that specific cigar brands debuted.

However, Foundation Cigar Co.’s Highclere Castle Senetjer is quite a bit different than the examples mentioned above. It was created to honor the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhman’s tomb in November 1922 by archaeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert, who funded the operation.

Herbert was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and his home was Highclere Castle, which quickly became filled with Egyptian artifacts from the searches he funded. In more recent times, Highclere Castle has gained fame as the home of the popular television show “Downtown Abbey.” Foundation Cigar Co. and George Herbert, the 8th Earth of Caravorn and the great-grandson of the aforementioned George Herbert, have an agreement that includes the production of Highclere Castle cigars, of which this is the latest.

The Senetjer line takes its name from the ancient Egyptian word for incense, which has been translated as “of the gods” and “that which makes holy.

“I have been in love with the culture and history of Egypt since I was a little boy,” said Nicholas Melillo of Foundation Cigar Co. in a press release. “It is a great honor to work on this project with Lord Carnarvon and Adam von Gootkin. This product is truly something unique and special.”

The unique packaging for the Senetjer was designed in collaboration with archaeologists Colleen and John Darnell, who created a cigar box that is a replica of a storage box found in the tomb, other than the addition of Highclere Castle being translated in ancient hieroglyphics and inscribed on the facing of the box. Inside the box are a dozen 6 3/4 x 52 perfectos made up of a 7th priming Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering a Brazilian mata fina binder and a filler blend of undisclosed origin, though the company notes it is three-year-old tobacco. The Highclere Castle Senetjer is priced at $33 per cigar and $396 for each 12-count box.

The cigars are produced at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. factory.

• Cigar Reviewed: Highclere Castle Senetjer
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Brazil (Mata Fina)
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Length: 6 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Perfecto
• MSRP: $33 (Box of 12, $396)
• Release Date: November 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 2,800 Boxes of 12 Cigars (33,600 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The combination of an interesting vitola, unique band and gorgeous milk chocolate wrapper immediately sets the Highclere Castle Senetjer apart from most other cigars visually. That silky smooth wrapper also has a reddish tint to it and features an abundance of oil as well as multiple veins and bumps that are noticeable but not overly distracting. A physical inspection reveals that one cigar has a large soft spot located just above the foot, but the other two cigars are fine in that regard, and all three cigars are nicely firm when squeezed. Aromas from the wrapper are fairly restrained and include sweet cedar, espresso beans, earth, barnyard and generic nuts. Because of the nipple foot, there are not many differences in the scents emanating from the end of the cigar and the wrapper in general, although I do pick up a new aroma of dark chocolate. After a Dickman cut, the cold draw reveals flavors of strong dark chocolate, freshly brewed black coffee, sweet cedar, nutmeg and toast as well as some black pepper and bready sweetness.

It takes a bit of time to get a decent draw from the nipple foot of the Senetjer—not unusual at all for cigars rolled in this type of vitola—but as the draw opens up the flavors start emerging. Creamy cedar and rich roasted coffee beans lead the way, followed by dark chocolate, peanuts, nutmeg, dry oatmeal, leather tack, and anise. There is a small amount of black pepper on the retrohale, but the main note is a honeycomb sweetness that really combines nicely with the creaminess of the profile as a whole. Flavor ends the first third at a solid medium but rising, while both the body and strength hang back at a point just under the medium mark. In terms of construction, the draws and smoke production are excellent on all three cigars, and while the burn line is wonky at times, none of the cigars need any sort of corrections so far.

The main flavors in the profile of the cigar shift to a combination of salted peanuts and raspberry sweetness during the second third, with secondary notes of creamy cedar, powdery cocoa nibs, earth, dry hay and nutmeg showing up at various points. There is also a bit more black pepper present on retrohale, but the amount of honeycomb sweetness stays the same. Flavor increases to medium-plus while the body stays put at solid medium, but the strength manages to break past the medium mark by the time the second third comes to an end. Construction-wise, the draw and smoke production continue along their excellent paths for all three cigars, and while two of the three have no issues with their burns, one cigar runs into enough of a problem that it needs to be corrected with my lighter, albeit just once.

Flavors of salted peanuts and raspberry sweetness easily retain the top spots in the profile of the Senetjer for the entirety of the final third, although additional notes of cedar, dark chocolate, sourdough bread, nutmeg and hay are never far behind. There is a change on the retrohale, where the amount of black pepper has increased slightly, although it is still not enough to have much of an impact on the honeycomb sweetness that is still very much present. Flavor ends the cigar at medium-full, while the body joins the strength—which has not changed since the second third—to end at a point just over the medium mark. Finally, all aspects of the construction are back on track for all three cigars during the final third, as the burn, smoke production and draws work in harmony until I put the nubs down with about an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• I absolutely love the purple and gold color scheme of the bands—which are nicely designed and extremely well-made—and the scarab represents the Egyptian god, Khepri, the symbol of rebirth.
• Speaking of the logo on the band, the first time I saw it, I was immediately reminded of this gold bracelet gold worn by a background character in the 1999 Brendon Fraser movie The Mummy, which I have obviously seen far too many times.
• The box for the Highclere Castle Senetjer is absolutely spectacular, so it is no surprise that it took fifth place in halfwheel’s 2022 Top Ten Packaging Awards. 
• While the construction overall was very good—only one cigar needed a correction of any sort—the burn line was rarely all that straight. In addition, the wrapper on one of the cigars split a bit in the middle as I was smoking it, causing the issue in the above photograph, but to its credit, I was able to smoke through it without using my lighter and it corrected itself.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• All three cigars burned at different rates—one was very quick considering the combination of size and ring gauge—but the average smoking time came at one hour and 52 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Highclere Castle Senetjer cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co. and Cigar Hustler have them in stock now on their respective websites.