Protocol Themis Corona Gorda

Fans and followers of Cubariqueño Cigar Company’s releases likely know that the company’s releases have names that are tie-ins to law enforcement. It stems from the fact that the company’s founders come from law enforcement backgrounds, and has manifested with cigars that have names like Probable Cause, John Doe, Official Misconduct, and a series that celebrates notable figures in the history of law enforcement.

In 2017, the company launched a line called Themis, a cigar that had both a unique name and a somewhat unique profile given the rest of the company’s cigars, which tended to skew towards the fuller and stronger end of the spectrum.

The line gets its name from Themis, an ancient Greek Titaness that is often referred to as “the Lady of good counsel.” She is recognizable for being portrayed in imagery as blindfolded and holding a set of scales, a look that symbolizes order and law.

As for the cigar, it has a blend that uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper atop a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The blend was created by William Agathis, one of the partners in Cubariqueño, and as such his last name appears on the back of the Themis’ band. Agathis developed the Themis blend with Hector Alfonso Sr., director of operations for Espinosa Premium Cigars, and the cigar is produced at the La Zona Cigar Factory.

It would make its debut in robusto and toro vitolas, adding a lancero in July 2018 and a corona gorda in September 2018 as an exclusive for Famous Cigar Shop, in Easton, Pa.

• Protocol Themis Robusto (5 x 52)
• Protocol Themis Toro (6 x 52)
• Protocol Themis Lancero (7 1/2 x 38)
• Protocol Themis Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46)

“I believe this blend shines the best in this vitola,” said Bill Ives of Cubariqueño at the time of the corona gorda’s announcement. He added that he believed “this might be our best cigar yet.”

The Protocol Themis Corona Gorda would go on to become a regular production vitola, with the company making it available to all of its retailers as of the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.

 

Here’s what I said about the Protocol Themis Corona Gorda when I reviewed it in March 2020:

I think it’s safe to say that there are a lot of cigars on the market that are in the same space as the Protocol Themis Corona Gorda, that is an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Nicaragua core that attempt to create what has been referred to as “not your father’s Connecticut,” or simply a more robust cigar that doesn’t completely shy away from the mellower end of the flavor and strength spectrum. For its first third, the Protocol Themis Corona Gorda does that about as well as any cigar, balancing creaminess, pepper and a bit of sweetness with very good results. From there, the performance tapers off just a bit, mainly due to the more robust core flavors seeming to overshadow everything else. It’s not a bad profile by any means, as I can’t say I didn’t enjoy each of the three samples from start to finish. That means that it becomes a matter of how much what is offered is enjoyed, which can sometimes become an exercise in finding smaller details to latch onto. My one request is that I just wanted more complexity from the cigar after that first third. It got my attention early, but never seemed to push beyond that. Much like an artist or athlete needs to be pushed to find that next level performance, that’s what I wanted from the cigar. That said, I’d have no problem reaching for this without hesitation, and think that it could be a cigar that could work for a lot of palates and smoking situations, making it an easy recommendation to pick up if you see it.

• Cigar Reviewed: Protocol Themis Corona Gorda
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: La Zona Cigar Factory
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 5/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $9.95 (Box of 10, $99.50)
• Release Date: Sept. 8, 2018
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

I can’t recall how many times I passed over the Protocol Themis Corona Gorda when looking through my redux humidor, nor can I remember every reason that I didn’t pick it, but I can say that I’ve always liked the gold color of the bands. They give a golden hue to the wrapper, which is a fairly familiar shade for an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf, but gets a bit more from those bands. The wrapper doesn’t have a lot of sheen but judging by how it feels to my fingers, it has held onto some of its oiliness, which is impressive given that it doesn’t come in cellophane. The cigar is firm and dense and looks well rolled, while the wrapper has a pretty standard number of veins and visible seam lines. The foot offers a very mild aroma of non-descript bread that doesn’t trigger any specific memories or details. The cold draw is thick but not obstructed and has a bread-forward taste but is much richer, softer, thicker and chewier. There’s almost a bit of creaminess as well, but it’s more textural than flavorful. Neither the aroma nor cold draw has much sweetness or pepper, and both are pretty tame and singular.

While the Protocol Themis Corona Gorda was mild with some bread notes before being lit, after the cigar burns, there’s a decent amount of pepper, particularly through the nose. In contrast, the surrounding bread is much livelier. There’s plenty of smoke, seemingly helped by the slightly firm, milkshake-like draw. While I put the cigar in the ashtray for a few moments to write down some thoughts and have a sip of water, I notice it has gone out as I pick it back up to take a draw. As I relight it, the first clump of ash drops off. The profile isn’t quite toasty in the early going, but the pepper on the finish—especially through the nose—does suggest that the cigar’s not too far away from it. The cigar struggles with combustion at times, which I find odd given the cigar’s age and the fact that I rarely have a combustion issue with cigars in my redux humidor. Other than that, the cigar smokes well. Flavor is medium for most of the first half, though it is starting to build with more pepper and a bit of rocky earth as the midway point approaches.

The profile picks up some rocky earth and black pepper as the burn line crosses the midway point, a now medium-full profile that ramps up the intensity and hits the palate with a reasonably full-bodied smoke and a lingering finish. There’s still a bit of a creamy aspect to the smoke, but it is getting harder to pick it up, let alone focus on it, with these other changes happening. The flavor feels like it is thickening on my palate, and while that would seem to impede any changes, it doesn’t. Instead, the cigar swings back to a toasty profile, then back to creaminess, and then swapping out the black pepper for a bit of char in the final third. Flavor varies from medium to medium-full, while the body of the smoke tends to be thick and medium-full and strength doesn’t get much beyond medium. For some reason, the cigar continues to struggle with combustion. However, there is no obvious sign that it’s over-humidified and I can’t say that many cigars coming out of my redux humidor exhibit this kind of struggle. Otherwise, the cigar smokes well with an even burn line and plenty of smoke, with smoking time finishing around an hour and a half.