Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead Prerelease

Before you read any further, you should know this: the review you are about to read is probably not the one you are looking for.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t read this review—I worked hard to write all 2,000 of these words—but for reasons that are explained below: if you are smoking an Intemperance Volstead VO 1920, you probably aren’t smoking the one that is reviewed here.

The Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 is the fourth Intemperance blend and the first new blend from RoMa Craft Tobac in a few years. As with the other Intemperance blends, the branding is tied to America’s efforts to ban alcohol. The name references the Volstead Act, the law created to enforce prohibition. While the law was passed in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the law, which delayed its implementation. The Volstead Act went into effect on Jan. 17, 1920.

Also, keeping with the other Intemperance lines, this is designed to be milder than the company’s CroMagnon, Aquitaine and Neanderthal lines. Blend-wise, the line uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra hybrid wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder. Fillers include corojo grown in La Canela, Dominican Republic and tobacco from the Condega, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo regions of Nicaragua. Finally, like the other Intemperance cigars, there’s a small brushed foot at the bottom of each cigar, i.e. a part of the cigar that doesn’t have a wrapper.

It will be offered in 11 sizes, five of which are regular production and six of which are limited production.

The regular production vitolas are:

• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Izzy Einstein (4 x 46) — $6.75 (Box of 30, $202.50)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Belle Livingstone (4 1/2 x 52) — $7.75 (box of 24, $186)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Bill McCoy (5 x 50) — $7.95 (Box of 24, $190.80)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 George Remus (5 x 56) — $9 (Box of 24, $216)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Roy Olmstead (5 1/2 x 54) — $9.25 (Box of 24, $220)

While not one-and-done limited editions, the six limited production sizes are likely to be available for retailers to purchase just once per year. Previously, RoMa Craft Tobac has also made limited production sizes available at select events. The six limited sizes are:

• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Blind Pig (4 1/2 x 60) — $8.25 (Box of 24, $198)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead (5 x 50) — $8.50 (Box of 12, $102)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Noble Experiment (5 x 56) — $9.75 (Box of 12, $117)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Revenuer (5 3/4 x 46) — $8.50 (Box of 24, $204)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Gran Perfecto (5 5/8 x 60) — $13 (Box of 12, $156)
• Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Judas Hole (6 1/2 x 44) — $8.75 (Box of 12, $105)

The Noble Experiment size is pressed.

Unlike the release of Baka—RoMa Craft Tobac trickled out the various sizes over the course of a few years—all 11 sizes of Volstead are expected to be offered for sale in 2023.

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This review is of a cigar that is a version of the Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead size, though not the same as the regular production version. Instead of carrying the orange and white bands, this one has a simple white band with black text that reads: INTEMPERANCE VO 1920 SENATOR VOLSTEAD (PRE-RELEASE).

These cigars were released at an event at Two Guys Smoke Shop on April 21—and have since gone to some other stores—ahead of the release of the Volstead line, which should happen next month. Beyond the difference in packaging, these cigars are a different blend.

Skip Martin, co-founder of RoMa Craft Tobac, told halfwheel that the blend was initially finalized with a different wrapper. The company put the cigar into product and Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A., the company’s factory in Nicaragua, began making the cigars. About a week in, Martin found a different wrapper that he thought would work better and he opted to switch the wrapper.

Both wrappers are hybridized versions of a Sumatra seed that are grown in Ecuador. The one that is used for the production versions, i.e. not the one in this review, is sometimes referred to as “Cameroon-seed grown in Ecuador,” though RoMa Craft Tobac isn’t calling it that.

Martin explained why:

It’s an Ecuador grown hybrid wrapper derived from oriental or Besuki tobacco in Indonesia.

It is closer related to Cameroon than Sumatra, the more popular of the two varietals grown there.

It is marketed as Ecuador Cameroon, but it is hybridized with the original Sumatra seed popularized in Ecuador.

In reality, most tobacco in Ecuador has been hybridized intentionally, or unintentionally. The most common being Habano hybrids.

That said, I am not an expert or an agronomist. What I can say is that of all of the Asian/orientalist varietal tobaccos I’ve tried or worked with over the last few decades, this is my favorite and it works very well in this blend.

• Cigar Reviewed: Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead Prerelease
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra Hybrid)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Jalapa & Pueblo Nuevo)
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto
• MSRP: $8.50
• Release Date: April 21, 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 3,000-5,000 Total Cigars
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While the wrappers have great dark colors, these aren’t the prettiest-looking cigars. There are rather prominent veins, mottling and black spots prevalent on two cigars. As far as the craftsmanship, the cigars appear to be rolled well. Aromas from the wrapper are pretty generic though I find some toasty hickory and floral aromas on two cigars. One cigar has much more ammonia than the other two, and intensities range from medium to medium-full. The foot is medium-plus or medium-full with cocoa leading hickory, some berry flavors, leather, generic muffin batter and, on one cigar, something that reminds me a bit of chlorine. Cold draws are all over the place. The first cigar is led by woodiness and floral flavors over sweet vanilla and a touch of earthiness. The second cigar reminds me a lot of cinnamon candy with peppermint and Cap’n Crunch cereal flavors. And the third cigar has a balanced mixture of nuttiness, Cap’n Crunch cereal and graham crackers over orange peel and caramel. Intensities range from medium-plus to nearly full, though all three are fairly smooth.

That smoothness extends to the first puff of the Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead. Bright woods—sometimes sweet cedar—and nuttiness lead pepper, fruitiness and black pepper. The finish is super interesting, with pine and damp woods. The three cigars are generally on two paths: one cigar has a lot of sweet cinnamon, whereas the other two do not. That one change makes a big difference. While the flavors beyond cinnamon are pretty consistent in each cigar, the addition of sweet cinnamon completely changes the experience. Nuttiness, hay and some of that Cap’n Crunch cereal sensation are the strongest flavors, though the one cigar with sweet cinnamon sees that play an even larger role. Secondary flavors include sweet cherries, minerals, meatiness, mild black pepper and earthiness. Nuttiness, a meaty gravy flavor and acorns lead the finish, which retains quite a bit of sweetness. Again, one cigar sees all of that overshadowed by a flavor that reminds me of Red Hots, the candy, not the hot dogs. Retrohales have muted acorn flavors, meatiness, nuttiness, earthiness and some vegetal accents. An underlying sweetness makes a big difference, and despite the individual flavors, I find the retrohale to be pretty sweet. The finish has a sweet pita bread flavor accented by some vegetal flavors and cinnamon. While some puffs can be full, flavor is generally medium-plus to medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium. The second cigar—the one with the big cinnamon notes—struggles with combustion and needs two touch-ups.

For most of the second third, sweet cedar edges out earthiness and some black tea flavors. Towards the end of the second third, I notice that the cedar is more of an oak, losing some of its sweetness as well. Secondary notes include peanut butter, toastiness, leather, spice and a bit more black pepper than the first third. I continue to find the second third to be an outlier and a pretty unique one at that. The cinnamon seems more alive than it was in the first third, though not as sweet. At one point during that cigar, I find a very distinct grape soda sweetness for about five minutes’ worth of puffs. Retrohales have nuttiness and sawdust over dry herbs, sweetness, bitterness and some umami. Again, the second cigar is an outlier with the retrohales led by nuttiness accented by cinnamon, poultry and green pepper. While the three cigars aren’t the most consistent, the flavors in the second thirds of each are crisper than the first third. Flavor is medium-full, body is full and strength is medium. Touch-ups are needed on two of the three cigars to correct uneven burns and help with combustion.

Earthiness, oak, spiced rum and some creaminess lead the profile of the prerelease version of the Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Senator Volstead in the second third. Secondary flavors include melon sweetness, apple, dryness, cedar and toastiness. At most points—though not every puff—I find the profile to have gotten a lot grittier. As it has done throughout, the cigar is generally pointed in one direction for 20 minutes, but every 10 or so puffs, there’s always one puff that seems almost like the cigar has changed its mind. Once that happens, the next few puffs prove that one puff was an outlier, but it certainly keeps things interesting. Again, one cigar has a unique sweet cinnamon flavor that is not present in the other two. The finish has more toastiness, accented by black pepper, green pepper, earthiness and creaminess. Retrohales are different than the early parts of the cigar. There’s peanut oil, sesame seed and some unique dryness I’m never able to clearly identify. Dry peanut shells and meatiness round out the flavors. One thing that never seems to show itself during the final third’s retrohales is pepper. The finish does have spices—one cigar predictably has cinnamon—and herbal flavors. Eventually, creaminess emerges and is easily the strongest flavor during the rertrohale’s finish, though it takes about 10 seconds to emerge. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. One cigar ends up burning great from start to finish though the other two cigars continue to have various combustion issues that necessitate assistance from my lighter every 15-20 minutes.

Final Notes

• RoMa Craft Tobac has done this act where it released a blend with “Prerelease” bands and then released the production cigar with different bands and a different wrapper. Wunder|Lust was the cigar. I get the sense there were a lot more of those prerelease cigars than what has taken place with Intemperance Volstead VO 1920.
• Martin credited Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. of E.P. Carrillo for helping him understand Sumatra wrappers enough to release a blend using one. Martin went to Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. to make Quinquagenario, a cigar that celebrates Martin’s 50th anniversary. That cigar, which was announced in 2021, is slated to be released this year, potentially this summer.
• The other Intemperance brands have historical tie-ins, the EC VIII refers to the 18th Amendment, which enacted prohibition; the BA XXI refers to the 21st Amendment, which revoked prohibition; and Whiskey Rebellion refers to an 18th-century tax protest against a whiskey tax.
• Each Volstead vitola is named after a Prohibition Era figure. McCoy, Olmstead and Remus were all bootleggers in different parts of the country; Livingstone operated famous speakeasies in Manhattan; and Einstein and his partner, Moe Smith, were credited with making nearly 5,000 arrests during prohibition, the most of the U.S. Prohibition Unit.

• I love this artwork. This drawing will be used in a couple of places on the box.
• This is a cigar that has very noticeable differences in the stages of the cigar. The first third is defined by sweetness, the flavors got crisper in the middle part, and things were drier and grittier in the final section. Those transitions didn’t happen at exactly the mathematical first, second and final third marks, but there were three obvious stages.
• If you happened to purchase these cigars, save one. This is a rare opportunity to smoke two cigars side-by-side and taste the differences of one component.
• That said, please understand that the differences are more than just one variable. From my own experience smoking three of these cigars and making detailed notes, one of the three cigars seemed like it wasn’t the same as the other two.
• In early 2021, we made the decision to stop reviewing cigars that were sent to us before they went on sale. That quickly led to us stopping the practice of reviewing cigars that were sent to us for free. That said, reviewing cigars before they came out was once a staple of this website.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• If you are interested in buying this particular cigar, you can. As of June 25, 2023, there appears to be at least a handful of retailers that got the sampler packs that contained 12 cigars: six of these and six other Intemperance cigars.