Foundry Chillin' Moose

Okay, the name is weird and the band and box are hokey, but when you look at the whole package, Foundry's Chillin' Moose cigars are a winner.

In recent years, more Cuban-seed varieties have been grown in the Connecticut River Valley, and a silky Habano Rosado wrapper from that region graces the Moose. Under that is an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, a leaf known for its sweetness. The filler consists of tobaccos from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, the US and Mexico. Though it sounds from the content that this Foundry Chillin' would be a rather raucous stick, it's actually quite smooth with notes of nuts, cedar, leather and sweet spice. A hint of coffee and cocoa round it out with a pleasant finish.

Surprisingly, this is one of the most reasonably-priced boutique cigar releases in recent memory. The Moose is loose, and that should make you happy.