mark twain riverboat cigar rating

• Cigar Reviews

Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill Cigar Review

Maria morales.

• April 1, 2023
• Mark Twain , medium strength , Nicaraguan

The market is filled with a wide variety of cigars, each of which has a distinctive flavor character. One such choice, which is renowned for its smooth flavor transition, is the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar. This cigar is certainly worth trying, whether you are an experienced cigar smoker or are just getting started.

With tastes of floral, coffee, sweet spice, cedar, and leather, it has a medium body and produces a pleasant, smooth smoke. This cigar has a wonderfully nice finish that lingers for a while.

Appearance of Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill

The Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar features a barber pole wrapper, meaning it uses two wrappers. The first wrapper is a Connecticut shade, and the other one is a Maduro wrapper.

As for this cigar’s band, it uses a huge band that features a very rustic design. The colors of the band are brown, dark brown, white, and what seemed to be an old gold color. There’s an English man portrait in the middle and above him is the phrase “Mark Twain,” written using a white font and multiple gold circle details in the middle of each letter. Below the man is the word “Riverboat,” written in cursive in white font.

Smoking Experience

Upon lighting the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar, the flavors that kicked off immediately were sweetness and coffee. I also tasted a hint of floral, but not too much, but it was during the first third that the floral notes started to become a predominant flavor. The coffee flavor is at the very front of the flavor palette, accompanied by floral, and the sweetness of this cigar is just right. So far, the flavors are perfectly balanced, and they’re light. The construction of this one is good, but it burns unevenly. The good thing is that despite its bad burn, it didn’t make the draw tight.

For the second third of smoking the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar, it still burns unevenly, which makes my smoking experience unpleasant. There’s actually one part where the burn canoe down. The ash also didn’t hold quite well as bits of it started to fall off then next was the chunk. As for the smoke output, it gives an ample amount of smoke, and the draw is still good. For the flavor profile of this cigar, the dominant flavor became the floral notes, accompanied by coffee. The sweetness mellows down a little bit, but I could still taste it at the back. The retro-hale has a hint of sweet spice, and the wrapper of the cigar makes my mouth a little bit creamy. Basically, the flavors continued to be light, but the strength is definitely medium.

During my final third of smoking the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar, there’s a subtle hint of cedar that emerges at the back of the flavor palette and an earthy flavor. Both new flavors are not strong, but it was there, which makes them a great flavor ending note. The floral and coffee are still at the front, but both of them kind of mellow down. The sweetness at this point is already gone, but I think it’s because it transitioned to being a sweet spice and became present on the retro-hale. For the flavor transition, it definitely gained points. As for the construction of this cigar, up until the very end, it gave me a terrible burn, and the ash didn’t even hold on for an inch anymore. The smoke output is not as many too, but the draw remains good.

Overall, I enjoy smoking the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar if we only talk about its flavor. I really liked how the flavors transitioned from the first third up until the final third. Not much actually happened during the first and second third as the notes of floral and coffee only changed positions, but it was during the final third that it changed the whole game.

I was about to complain about how boring this cigar was because the flavors didn’t even reach their peak and had already mellowed down, but good thing I tasted cedar and earth flavors. Even if they’re not that rich, I still appreciate how they started to emerge at the last minute.

Now, for the construction of this cigar, this is where it lost a lot of points to me. While I didn’t struggle when it came to its draw, I had a hard time trying to even out the burn of this cigar since one part really canoe down. The ash is also not holding on very well, making it a messy experience to smoke this cigar. I almost had to relight it just to make an effort to even the burn, but it’s really bad, and there’s nothing I can do about it. The smoke output is okay, though I don’t understand why I didn’t produce much during my final third.

To simply put, I enjoy smoking the Mark Twain Riverboat Churchill cigar if we’re only talking about its flavors but for the construction, it’s a no for me. But still, this cigar is something I would smoke again in the future since I really loved how the flavors transitioned as well as the actual flavors I got which are floral, coffee, cedar, earth, and sweet spice. I considered the flavors light, but the strength of this one is indeed medium.

If you’re a cigar aficionado who enjoys smoking a cigar that has an excellent flavor transition, then I will definitely recommend this to you. I also find this good cigar perfect to smoke during great weather or whether you just feel like it. But you need to store it properly since it really did me badly on the construction of this one.

Other Cigars Reviews

Other j.c. newman cigar reviews, brick house fumas robusto.

The Brick House brand is celebrated for its high-quality cigars known for their exceptional flavor profiles, making them an ideal choice for enthusiasts. The Brick House Fumas Robusto, particularly noted for its affordable pricing, features a medium-bodied blend wrapped in a smooth Sumatran leaf, filled with Nicaraguan tobacco, and hints of coffee and nuts. However, despite its consistent flavor and reasonable price, the cigar’s overall experience is marred by a tight draw and uneven burn, resulting in a monotonous smoking experience. While it is a decent option for those on a budget, this review of Brick House Fumas Robusto  might not be a repeat purchase for those seeking a more flavorful and seamless experience.

Other Nicaraguan Cigar Reviews

Cao l’anniversaire cameroon robusto.

After a long day or during a significant event, lighting up a CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon Robusto can offer a deeply relaxing experience for a cigar enthusiast. This medium-bodied cigar boasts an African Cameroon wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler, delivering a flavor profile rich with notes of nuts, coffee, and earth, accented with citrus and spice. The robusto shape provides a satisfying size, and its construction promises a firm ash and a smooth smoke. The dual bands add a visually appealing touch to the cigar’s overall presentation. As the smoking experience progresses from the initial third to the last, the flavors intensify, retaining a pleasant nuttiness throughout, while the strength edges from medium to a more substantial medium-plus body. Overall, this cigar is a superb selection for aficionados seeking a balanced, medium-bodied smoke, particularly those with a palate for premium Cameroon-wrapped cigars, as reflected in this review of the CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon Robusto.

AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro Geniales

The AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro Geniales is a full-bodied cigar with a dark and oily Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, a departure from the typical Broadleaf. The cigar presents a consistent flavor profile, offering a balance of sweetness, leather, toasted nuts, and a hint of coffee, though some notes subside by the final third. Its construction is praised for even burning and a solid ash hold, with no need for retouching, and its strength remains steady throughout the smoke. Despite the high-quality tobacco and craftsmanship, the cigar’s presentation is marred slightly by a band design that lacks the complexity expected from the AJ Fernandez brand. In summary, while the band’s aesthetic might not appeal to everyone, the smoking experience of the AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro Geniales is largely satisfying for those who appreciate a consistent, coffee-forward flavor in their cigars, leading to a positive review of AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro Geniales .

For more information about the best cigars and other ways to relax make sure to come back to Scotch & Cigars here .

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Mark Twain Cigars Review | Gotham Cigars

The Mark Twain Brand

The Mark Twain brand has become well-known for offering high-quality cigars at an affordable price. It is named after the author Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. He was famous for his cigar habit, which saw him consume as many as 40 cigars a day. While this number seems far-fetched, he certainly consumed at least 22 cigars on an average day. The brands that Twain preferred are lost to history, but he now has a brand named after him. Mark Twain Cigars is a small, independent brand that it not owned by any major cigar company. Despite the lack of support that could come with being part of a major brand,  Mark Twain cigars are quite popular and can be found in smoke shops across the country. Read on to learn more about where and how the Mark Twain cigars are made.

Where & How Mark Twain Cigars Are Made

Mark Twain Cigars produces three cigars: their standard stick, simply called the Mark Twain, the Mark Twain Steamboat, and  the Mark Twain memoir . For this article, we will be focusing on t he original blend Mark Twain cigar .  The Mark Twain original is made in Nicaragua, as are most high-quality cigars currently sold in America.

The Types of Tobacco Used in the Mark Twain Cigar

The Mark Twain cigar uses several varieties of premium tobacco. Perhaps the most unique type of tobacco used in the Mark Twain is its wrapper. The wrapper of the standard Mark Twain is a silky Connecticut shade. The binder and filler are both made out of high-quality Nicaraguan tobacco. The binder and filler are also aged to ensure a mature taste. It should be noted that all of the available sizes of the Mark Twain cigar are very large "Churchhill" sizes that ensure a long-lasting smoking experience.

Mark Twain Cigar Tasting Notes Pre-Light

The cigar looks fairly unremarkable at first glance. Its Connecticut shade wrapper is a silky medium brown with just the slightest hint of an oily sheen. The cigar is extremely thick and long. It is a bit squishy, showing that it has not been packed as tightly as possible. There is some minimal veining, but it is hardly noticeable unless you look closely.

The pre-light aroma of the  Mark Twain is a rich, nutty scent with a hint of leather. A cold draw reveals a strong taste of nuts and leather, with an appealing hint of vanilla.

First Third

The first few draws of the Mark Twain offer little to no resistance, which is often a sign of a cigar that has not been packed as tightly as possible. However, these draws do produce a bountiful amount of resinous smoke, which is thick but not overly so. The finish is quite short, but that is to be expected with a more affordable cigar.

The flavors of nuts and leather dominate in the first third of the cigar, though there is a noticeable taste of wood. The woody taste is a little bitter, but still quite pleasant. Overall, the first third of the cigar is tasty, though it does smoke down very quickly. The woody flavors continue into the mid-third of the cigar.

The woody flavors from the first third of the cigar continue into the beginning of the middle portion of the  Mark Twain. The cigar's flavors develop nicely throughout the first third, and the short finish lengthens pleasantly. The woody flavor gets less bitter as you make your way through the middle part of the cigar. Also, the nutty flavor continues throughout the middle portion of the cigar.

The body gets a but smaller in the middle part of the cigar, but it was still on the larger side. The nutty and woody flavors continued through the final portion of the middle of the cigar as it transitions to the final third of the stick.

Final Third

The final third of the cigar is similar to the mid-third. The dominant woody and nutty flavors that ran through the first third are also the main flavors of the cigar's last third. The woody and nutty flavors continue to mellow out and get smoother. The final third does begin to get squishy with roughly an inch still left of the stick. 

This is hardly surprising, considering the other hints that the cigar is not packed as tightly as it could be. It is also worth noting that the cigar's smoke became quite hot with about an inch left of the stick, at roughly the same time that the cigar became a bit squishy. It's probably best to simply throw the cigar away when there is only an inch left instead of smoking it all the way down to the nub.

The Mark Twain Cigar is Worth a Try

In conclusion, the Mark Twain cigar is a solid but imperfect smoke. It has nice mellow flavors of wood and nut with a hint of vanilla sweetness thrown in. It does have a slight bitterness in the mid-third, though this fades away. The cigar's main problems all stem from it not being packed as tightly as possible with its tobacco. This leads to a bit of a squishy stick before you start smoking. It also leads to the large cigar smoking quite quickly. Finally, loose packing also causes the smoke to get hot and the last part of the cigar to get squishy. However, the low price of the Mark Twain cigar means that it is still worth a try.

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Mark Twain Riverboat

Mark Twain Riverboat takes the cigar game to the next level. This cigar features an incredibly unique barber-pole style wrapper, using both a Connecticut and Maduro leaf. Beneath the wrapper, you'll find a delightful blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers which are encased in a Nicaraguan binder. The result of these elite tobaccos is a delicious medium-bodied profile with hints of pepper, oak, and toasted almonds. If you're looking for a Faithful Favorite cigar at a wallet-friendly price, look no further!

• Customer Reviews (3)

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