Earlier this year, Fred Rewey, owner of Nomad Cigar Co., handed me an unbanded cigar. I took a few cold draws, another glance at the dark wrapper and one warm puff and it was apparent, Rewey’s next line was coming from Tabacalera Fernandez S.A.

Rewey’s original plan was to have that cigar out a month before the 2014 IPCPR convention and trade show earlier this month, but as it so often does, the Nomad C-276 will ship later this week. It uses a dark Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and five different Nicaraguan fillers including ligero from Condega and Estelí.

The C-276 is offered in five box-pressed sizes.

  • Nomad C-276 Robusto (5 x 50) — $8.75 (Boxes of 21, $183.75)
  • Nomad C-276 Toro (6 x 60) — $9.25 (Boxes of 21, $194.25)
  • Nomad C-276 Torpedo (6 x 52) — $8.75 (Boxes of 21, $183.75)
  • Nomad C-276 Toro Grande (6 x 58) — $9.50 (Boxes of 21, $199.50)
  • Nomad C-276 Corona (5 1/2 x 44) — $8.50 (Boxes of 21, $178.50)

Nomad C 276 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: Nomad C-276 Robusto
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacalera Fernandez S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $8.75 (Boxes of 21, $183.75)
  • Release Date: August 2014
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

There’s a fairly sharp rectangular box-press, which paired with the dark wrapper leads to an appearance that makes the C-276 look like a double-wide Kit Kat bar. As for the Ecuadorian wrapper, it’s incredibly soft to the touch and smells distinctly of cocoa and pepper at a medium level. From the foot I get a lot of woodiness including cedar veneer and sweet cherry woods, there’s an aged leather and spice in the background of what is a rather full and aggressive aroma. The cold draw of the Nomad is slightly open with very sweet cocoa—think Cocoa Puffs—and a bit of grass.

Unfortunately, the draw begins rather open with flavors of toastiness, a large cocoa note, burt cedar and sunflower seed. A fruity finish cuts through the saltiness of the sunflower seed note quite well, which adds a decent depth to the Nomad. Two of the three samples I smoke suffer an uneven burn, while another burns like a champ. Flavor-wise, it’s a hearty cocoa on top of cedar, roasted notes and a bit of pepper I oftentimes pick up from Condega tobaccos. Strength-wise the C-276 is medium-full, although it appears to be fading.

Nomad C 276 2

The cocoa recedes quite a bit as the second third gets going. In place is a heartiness cedar, green grapes and a bit of soy sauces through the nose. For those wondering, the cocoa is still a large part, although some of that definitely comes from the residual effect it i has on the palate. Gone is the fruitiness on the finish, replaced by a floral note that seems slightly out of place, albeit, fully enjoyable. A tightening draw brings that part of the draw closer to a center point, although it’s still slightly open. Elsewhere, the C-276 is burning hot, although it seems to have little effect on the profile and I definitely think a quicker pace suits the Nomad. Strength is down to medium, while the flavor is full.

Nomad C 276 3

Cedar continues to grow as the final inches of the Nomad begin. There’s a salty earth, a bitter, yet not dark, ccoa note that surrounds it. Every once in a while I’m able to pick up some dried vanilla, which adds to the depth. Construction finishes much where the C-276 Robusto left it in the second third: slightly open draw, decent ash and solid smoke production.

Nomad C 276 4

Final Notes

  • Rewey told me that he was going to have the cigars out in June, to which I responded “so, the (IPCPR trade) show?” He then told me he actually told the factory to have them out in May. As so often happens in the cigar business, things got delayed.
  • There’s no question the draw of the C-276 is open. Even as someone who likes there to be a bit more resistance, I don’t think it’s a problem, but it’s definitely a trait.
  • Nomad’s naming scheme is not my favorite in the world. Trying to remember it in a retail setting would be a bit much.
  • Strength is medium-plus to medium-full.
  • Nomad is distributed by House of Emilio.
  • Fred Rewey claims to be the first cigar manufacturer to put a Twitter account on a band. I do not have any evidence to oppose that claim and the trend is definitely growing. Whether or not its effective is a different story, but it’s probably worth the ink.
  • In many ways, this cigar reminds me of some of the older blends from José “Don Pepín” García’s operations. It does not have some of the complexity and depth, but the brightness is definitely from that era.
  • Cigars for this review were sent to halfwheel by Nomad Cigar Co.
  • Final smoking time was a quick one hour and five minutes. For me, the cigar excelled when it was pushed as far as smoking quickly.
89 Overall Score

This is not the most complex cigar that Fred Rewey has introduced to the market, but it’s my favorite. The C-276 is a cigar that knows what it wants to be—elementary, yet rich. There are no tricks to the medium-full profile, just a straight forward base of sweet cocoa complimented by an array of other flavors. It’s a smart addition to the Nomad profile and one of the better client cigars I’ve smoked from A.J. Fernandez in the last year.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.