Powstanie Wojtek 2023

In all my years of reviewing cigars—for those who care, 2024 will be my 15th year doing so, albeit only about eight years full-time—the inspiration of the Powstanie Wojtek’s name is one of the most interesting stories I have come across.

Wojtek was a famous Syrian brown bear that was purchased as a young cub by Polish soldiers who were evacuating from the Soviet Union during World War II. The bear grew to weigh around 490 pounds and, after being enlisted with the rank of private, was eventually promoted to corporal due to his actions helping move ammunition during the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the war, he was donated to the Edinburgh Zoo, where he lived until his death in 1963 at the age of 21.

Powstanie originally released the Wojtek in a singular 5 x 50 perfecto vitola in 2019 but changed the size and shape to a 6 x 52 toro for the subsequent releases in both 2020 and 2021. However, it should be noted that the former of those toros was round while the latter was box-pressed.

In late September, the latest incarnation of the Wojtek line debuted during an event held at Lake Country Cigars in Delafield, Wis. The 2023 version is a 5 1/2 x 46 box-pressed corona gorda, priced at $13.40 and packaged in 21-count boxes, with only 500 boxes produced at the Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A. factory in Nicaragua.

As has been the case with the three previous Wojtek releases, the newest addition to the line is rolled with two separate wrappers in a modified barber pole design—more on that below in the Final Notes section—the first is a habano leaf grown in Ecuador, while the second is Mexican San Andrés. The rest of the blend is made up of an Indonesian binder and filler tobaccos sourced from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

• Cigar Reviewed: Powstanie Wojtek 2023
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano) & Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $13.40 (Box of 21, $281.40)
• Release Date: September 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 21 Cigars (10,500 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Covered in an oily wrapper that alternates from medium brown to a noticeably darker brown, the Powstanie Wojtek 2023’s lighter weight makes it feel a bit diminutive when held in my hand. Despite the obvious oil that is present, the wrappers have some tooth to them when I run my fingers along them, and a physical inspection reveals a small soft spot on one cigar, halfway between the foot and secondary band. Aromas from all three wrappers feature sweet hay, barnyard, earthiness, generic nuts and nutmeg, while two of them also have a faint floral note. Almond is easily the strongest note emanating from the feet, followed by nutmeg, leather, dark chocolate, earth, yeast and brown sugar sweetness. Finally, after a straight cut, the cold draws include a strong cocoa nibs flare that combines well with additional notes of sweet raisins, creamy cedar, earth and leather.

A blast of marshmallow sweetness and spice greets me after I light the feet of the Powstanie Wojteks, and both notes stick around as the profile progresses. Flavors of anise and almonds easily reign supreme over secondary notes that include toasted bread, gritty earth, roasted coffee beans, leather, and slight cloves, while a combination that includes the aforementioned marshmallow sweetness and black pepper dominates the retrohale. Flavor starts off strong by hitting medium-full, while both the body and strength lag behind at a point just under the medium mark. Other than one minor burn correction on one cigar, all aspects of the construction are trouble-free during the first third.

Interestingly, during the finish of two cigars, a light vegetal note becomes noticeable, though it doesn’t stick around long enough to make a significant impact on the profiles. Anise and almond flavors still easily top the profile—the latter note is a bit creamier than in the first third—followed by earth, citrus peel, white rice, leather and cocoa nibs. In addition, while there is even more marshmallow sweetness on the retrohale, the amount of black pepper remains the same, leading to a sweeter profile overall. Flavor hits the full mark by the halfway point, and while the strength increases to a solid medium, the body remains put at a point just under medium. Unfortunately, there are even more problems with the burn—this time, two different cigars need corrections with my lighter—but the smoke production and draws continue along their excellent paths.

While the almond flavor continues to be one of the main notes during the final third of the Wojtek 2023, a distinct earthiness has overtaken the anise flavor, the latter of which moves to the background. Secondary flavors of bitter espresso, dark chocolate, sourdough bread, hay, and leather all make appearances at various points, while one cigar features an uptick in the amount of spice on my tongue. The marshmallow sweetness on the retrohale slightly recedes compared to the second third, but it is still distinct enough to remain a big part of the profile, especially when combined with the black pepper that remains at about the same level. The flavor remains at full, the strength increases slightly to a point just over the medium mark and the body increases to a solid medium. Finally, while the burn line on one cigar again gives me enough of an issue to need correcting, the other two are fine in that regard, and all three cigars feature plenty of smoke production and excellent draws until I put the nubs down.

Final Notes

• The cigars weighed 10.03g, 11.2g and 12.12g. After weighing more than 400 cigars throughout 2023, this would be on the lighter side but not an outlier. In our experience, there are very few cigars larger than a petite corona that have weighed less than 10g. On the flipside, outside of larger 7-inch perfectos or cigars bigger than 6 x 60, we’ve rarely weighed a cigar at more than 20g.
• As Charlie mentioned in his news story about this cigar, the barber pole design that the company has chosen to use is unbalanced. Unlike most other companies who try to mimic the look of the colors in a classic barber pole—where the two different wrappers occupy roughly the same amount of surface area—the lighter habano wrapper on the Wojtek takes up most of the real estate of the cigar, while the darker San Andrés leaf is only visible in thin stripes.
• Powstanie is Polish for rise or uprising, and it is pronounced poh-shan-yah. In addition, one of the company’s limited editions is named SBC, which the company says is short for surrounded by champions.

• The bands on these cigars are extremely well done; in fact, they are printed with a pebbly texture that is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.
• Speaking of the bands, two of the three cigars I smoked for this review featured a main band that was noticeably off-center, with the worst example shown in the smoking photographs above.
• This is one of those blends that will punish you severely if you puff too fast or too hard—specifically, the profile turns noticeably more bitter, and the wonderful marshmallow sweetness all but disappears—so my advice is to go nice and slow.
• Cigar Hustler, a retailer that advertises on halfwheel, and Powstanie are owned by the same family.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time averaged one hour and 49 minutes for all three samples.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Powstanie Wojtek 2023, site sponsors Cigar Hustler, Famous Smoke Shop and JR Cigar all have them for sale on their respective websites.