Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda

One of the announcements that I have found particularly interesting for cigar companies to make is that a vitola is being added to all or nearly all of a company’s lines. I’ve long held that some blends simply perform better in certain sizes, so to think that it would make sense to add the same vitola to multiple lines struck me as slightly odd.

Regardless, it happens, and in early 2023 it’s what Powstanie, announced that it would be doing for its Habano and Broadleaf lines. The new size was to be a 5 1/2 x 46 corona gorda, with the cigars getting their launch on May 19, 2023 at Hogshead Cigar Lounge in Fredericksburg, Va. ahead of their national release during the week of May 22.

“We’re thrilled to finally bring the Powstanie Corona Gorda Habano and Broadleaf to our loyal customers,” said Mike Szczepankiewicz, co-founder of Powstanie, in a press release. “We’ve been blown away by the response from the cigar community, and we’re excited to share this release with everyone at Hogshead Cigar Lounge. We believe that our commitment to working closely with our retail partners has paid off, and we’re confident that cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of these cigars.”

The Corona Gorda becomes the fifth size in the Powstanie Broadleaf line:

• Powstanie Broadleaf Belicoso (5 1/2 x 54)
• Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 46)
• Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto (5 x 50)
• Powstanie Broadleaf Robusto (5 x 50)
• Powstanie Broadleaf Toro (6 x 52)

As the name suggests, the Powstanie Broadleaf uses a broadleaf maduro wrapper, while the binder comes from Indonesia and the fillers come from Nicaragua, specifically ligero from Estelí along with leaves grown in Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo. The new size is priced at $12 per cigar and comes in boxes of 21.

It’s a bit more expensive than the Powstanie Habano, which uses an Ecaudorian habano-seed wrapper, an Indonesian binder and a filler made up of Dominican criollo, Estelí ligero and tobaccos from Nicaragua’s Condega and Jalapa regions. That cigar is priced at $11.90 and also comes in boxes of 21 cigars.

• Cigar Reviewed: Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.
• Wrapper: Undisclosed (Broadleaf Maduro)
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí Ligero, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo)
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $12 (Box of 21, $252)
• Release Date: May 19, 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

As expected for a cigar with broadleaf in its name, the Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda sports a dark, rich brown wrapper that has some subtle mottling that requires a closer look to reveal.  In terms of oiliness, it is spotty, with some spots showing and offering some oiliness, while other spots are drier to the touch and less shiny to the eyes. The cigar is rolled firmly but with just enough give to avoid being called hard and a bit softer than what I have come to expect from the Nica Sueño factory. Visually, each of the three cigars looks very good, rolled with smooth seam lines and capped very cleanly, leaving any visual notes to come from the wrappers. The foot has an aroma that varies from sample to sample, with the complete list of things I pick up, including beef jerky, touches of a sweet citrus glaze at times, a bit of black pepper and dry earth. The cold draw is quite smooth, neither loose nor tight, just very smooth. Flavors are a bit less defined here, with some dry wood that reminds me of the wood used for chopsticks and then some very light and thin creaminess before whatever flavor sensation quickly falls off my taste buds.

While the first couple of puffs of the Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda are pretty mellow with some earthy terroir, fence wood and some pepper through the nose, it’s the second batch where the broadleaf flavors start to emerge, with a bit of dry, chalky earth, and a mix of white and black pepper helping give the profile some vibrance. On retrohales, there is an earthy, hearty pepper that packs a bit of punch and a distinctive component of the experience, and definitely one I look to incorporate as much as possible. Creaminess comes into the flavor in the first inch to add another component, yet doing so seems to pull the flavor in a different direction than the flavor. That strain is most noticeable in cigars where the earth and pepper have an expression that reminds me of hearty roasted foods along with just a touch of heat. The smoke is plentiful in the early going, though in two of the cigars, it has a thin body that seems at odds with the quantity. The final puffs of the first section deliver a bit more terroir and black pepper, nudging the flavor toward being medium-plus, while body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction is very good, particularly in terms of smoke volume and the smoothness of the draw. The ash can be delicate, and the burn lines aren’t always even, but neither are concerning.

The second third of the Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda shows more of the terroir in the blend, and in one cigar has me thinking of volcanic soil, even though I don’t see anything in the blend details from Nicaragua’s Ometepe island. The other two cigars show more of what I think of broadleaf flavors, slightly metallic and chalky with a decently heavy earthy base. Pepper continues to drive the retrohales, while creaminess has steadily faded away from the profile, further revealing more of whatever the base flavors are, creating a more textured, slightly rougher texture in the mouth. Some touches of creaminess begin to re-emerge around the midpoint, though it’s much like a decently creamed coffee as there’s still a good bit of earthiness in the profile, while a dry black pepper marks the finish. One cigar goes really off the rails in this middle section, starting with a bit of chalky earth and then giving me a taste I can’t quite place, other than that it has a lot of off-putting minerality. Combustion becomes an issue in the second third, as two of the cigars show a propensity to go out shortly after a puff. When burning, the other aspects are still good, but frustration mounts quickly amidst relights. Flavor sits north of medium and touches full at times, while body is medium and strength stays around medium-minus.

The black pepper on the retrohales gets more vibrant at the start of the final third, and the rest of the profile responds by shedding just enough of the heavier earth note that has been grounding it thus far. Depending on where the cigar has been flavor-wise to this point, the final third doesn’t do much to change it. The third cigar, which has by far been the best of the three, stays rooted in its terroir and black pepper, drying out a bit but remaining palatable while leaving a lingering finish. The second cigar, the one that went off the rails in the second third, improves only slightly, but between the flavor and combustion issues, leaves little positive in its wake. The first cigar, closer to the second in terms of flavor but not quite as off-putting, struggles with combustion to the point where it detracts from the flavor. The cumulative experience leads me to characterize it as simply more of what has been offered without much in the way of change, hitting the taste buds with varied expressions of earthiness, terroir and black pepper. Flavor is medium-full to full, body is medium-full, and strength is still medium-minus. Combustion struggles in all three cigars, two to the degree where I would have given up on the cigar had it not been for this review.

Final Notes

• On all three of the cigars smoked for this review, the B in Broadleaf on the secondary band was covered:

• It appears that the bands are just a bit too long for this vitola. Once I undid them, I tried swapping which end went on top, and it resulted in covering the F in Broadleaf. Doing it that way also shows the Cigar Rings logo that is on the band. From everything I can tell, these just needed to either be trimmed before being applied or ordered in a smaller ring gauge.
• The same issue affects the main band, as a bit of overlap covers some of the silver design, due to the same problem: the band is just a bit too big for this ring gauge.
• This got me thinking about some Cuban cigar bands, which print the sizes that the band will fit on the band.
• This image on CubanCigarWebsite.com illustrates what I’m referencing, as on the left side is printed 46/52, meaning it will fit cigars with ring gauges between 46 and 52. Here’s another example using a Cohiba band.
• Another band note, the background of the primary band gets its design from the Polish flag, not surprising given the Polish heritage of Mike and Greg Szczepankewicz, as well as that the brand name, pronounced poh-shan-yah is the Polish word for “uprising.”
• Powstanie used Pennsylvania Broadleaf as one of the wrappers on its SBC 16 limited edition release, with the other wrapper an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed leaf.
• In mid-August 2023, the company shipped the Powstanie Connecticut, its first new regular production line since the company launched in 2015.
• The company is also scheduled to release the Wojtek War Bear and the SBC 22, both of which it showed off at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show.
• Strength topped out at medium for me, just enough to register but not strong enough to leave me feeling uneasy.
• Cigar Hustler, which is owned by the Szczepankiewicz along with the Powstanie brand, advertises on halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 20 minutes on average, a rather long amount time for a cigar of this size, even if it does have some heavier tobacco to it. The number of relights in the first two cigars definitely contributed to this, but even the third cigar, which burned much better, didn’t improve the time much.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Site sponsors Cigar Hustler and Famous Smoke Shop carry the Powstanie Broadleaf Corona Gorda.