I first heard about Warped Cigars from a friend at one of the Atlanta area cigar shops. One way or the other he got his hands on some or their sticks, really enjoyed them and encouraged me give them a shot. I think he also gave me a few to try, but you know how that goes. Cigars have a way of disappearing when they get into my humidor.
It’s not every day you hear about cigars named for Egyptian gods. (Anubis is the jackal-headed god, and their other line, dubbed “Osiris” is the name of the Egyptian god of the afterlife.) So when Kyle Gellis, the owner of the brand, contacted me for a review, I had an “oh yeah” moment. I already owed my friend an opinion on the smokes, this would be a great way to annoy two birds with one stone.
I really don’t have any confirmed background on these cigars. Interesting rumors, yes. But reportable facts, no. So it’s probably time to toast the foot of the Anubis.
Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: MSRP $5.00
The Pre-Smoke
With a name like Anubus, you might expect the band to have a badass image of a Jackal head with Egyptian regalia, a la Age of Mythology (apologies for geeky video game reference). What you have instead is a blue, gold and red band featuring a black “Rampant Lion” similar to what you’d see on the Scottish lion flag. It makes for an unique fusion of cultures: Spanish, Egyptian and Scottish. OK, I know your eyelids are getting a little droopy at this point, so we’ll move on. (Hey, I’m only trying to land that dream job as a director of lifestyle marketing!)
The cigars smoked for this review were wrapped in a mottled darker leaf that was nice and oily. Looking over the sticks, I did find a flaw on one of them. It was a tough call as to whether it was a large patch, or a piece of wrapper that ripped an folded over in the rolling process. It wasn’t anything that looked dangerous to the smoking experience.
I also noted that while the sticks were mostly very firm, they had a few softer spots near the foot. The scent of the wrapper was a sweeter, almost honey compost, and I got some sweet cocoa in the cold taste. I also noticed a little bit of spiciness on the lips with one cigar.
The Burn
The flaws noted in the pre-smoke turned out to be purely superficial. The softness noted didn’t translate to significant draw issues, and the odd wrapper formation didn’t lead to any cracking. But the cigar wasn’t completely free of burn quirks. One cigar had a slightly firmer draw than I prefer. I also had to relight each cigar once (at different locations) and correct the occasionally crooked burn.
However, the ash was attractive, solid, and grew to impressive lengths before falling off. The cigar that drew a bit tightly loosened up as it progressed as well. Overall, a decent burn without significant problems.
The Flavor
Before I get into breaking it down into thirds, I have to note that there was a little bit of inconsistency in the flavors from stick to stick. One cigar seemed to be fuller bodied and more peppery than the others. The rest were a little creamier overall.
The cigars started the show with a great roasted nut flavor with a ample amount of natural sweetness. I also noted chocolate, coffee and some pepper in this third.
As I started into the second third, I started to notice a certain texture to the mouth feel. It was somewhere between chalky and malty (think milkshake, not beer). It didn’t strike me as either a good or a bad thing, just something worthy of mention. In this third the nut flavor started to recede and a combination of creamier and darker chocolates picked up the slack. The pepper in the fuller stick started to become more prominent and I also picked up some coffee and some occasional rich sweetness.
In the final leg of the smoke the chocolate flavors became darker, and were occasionally slightly bitter and was often joined by a good black coffee flavor. The pepper I picked up in the previous thirds wasn’t as much of a factor toward the end.
The Price
Five bucks a stick is a great price. And even better, you don’t have to commit to a box to try them out. The Warped Cigars website sells them by the five pack.
The Verdict
As I settled down at the computer to write up this review, I lit up the last cigar and poured a cup of coffee. I found that if anything, I enjoyed the cigar even more than I did in the more structured water-only review environment. That isn’t to say smoking the other cigars was anything but an enjoyable experience. The Anubis Maduro Corona Gorda simply is a great tasting stick at a very comfortable price. I’d definitely recommend giving them a shot!
Win a Five Pack!
Knowing how popular Jerry’s giveaways have been in the past, I mentioned to Kyle possibility of giving one lucky commenter the chance to win some cigars. He liked the idea. So if you’d like to try the Anubis on for size, leave me a little comment love! I’ll select one by Wednesday of next week and you’ll get a free fiver compliments of Warped Cigars! (You must be of legal age, of course, and reside in the U.S. Sorry international readers, you know we love ya.)
Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes
Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.
Another great review Brian and it sounds like an interesting cigar. I think the fuller peppery one when lucky would be fantastic. That is one dark Ecuador wrapper. I’m assuming it’s an Ecuadorian Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro? Is that correct?
Hey great review Brian, very informative. Will have to try em out.
Thanks for the nice review. I always enjoy the one’s I’ve never heard of, so I guess thanks for making me spend more $$$$.
great review! wouldn’t mind tryiing some my self (for free)
Nice review Brian. I have never heard of this brand before. It’s amazing how many smaller brands pop up out of nowhere, whether they have actually been around a while or not.
Hahaha! “annoy two birds with one stone”. Good stuff Brian, your reviews are always interesting.
Sounds like a good smoke, and I have been really into smaller ring cigars lately. I might have to try a fiver…..I will wait to see if win first!
The wrapper looks lighter on the Warped web site compared to the one you have, maybe just the lighting….
I have begun to use your reviews to help me find cigars I need to try. I even created a folder called Cigars I need to try. I then place reviews of cigars you recomend into said folder. Keep up the good work and thanks for all the help.
*** WINNER! ***
Nice review. Love the reviews of stuff I’ve never heard of. Just add it to the list of things to try.
I just ordered a five pack. I hope the manufacturers appreciate the SR website. I have a feeling many purchase sticks that the “Big Three” have recommended. (Tom and Ed too)
Thanks for the great analytical reviews – they have been very helpful for a noob!
Great review as usual! I have never heard of this brand at all and am headed over to their website after i type this 🙂 Dave said he would like the peppery one as I would probably prefer the creamier one myself. i am just not a big fan of spice. I dont even use salt and pepper when I cook.
Might be something interesting to give a try whenever the wife loosens the purse strings and lets me purchase again 🙂
Mike
Oh – All your base are belong to us – :p
Dont you apologize for those geeky video game references!!!
Mike
I really need to lay off the SR for a while. My list of cigars that I need to try is growing faster than I can purchase them. Damn you Stogie Review.
Great review as always Brian. The tower of burn is always a welcome sight.
Interesting stick, great review! As a fan of Egyptology the only disappointing fact revealed in your review was that Warped Cigars didn’t run with the COMPLETE Egypt theme with a more appropriate band and maybe wrap them in cotton gauze! Oh well. LOVE THE TOWER OF BURN!
Brian, thanks for the review!
Nice review Brian. I love finding gems like these. Great stick at a great price. How can you go wrong. I love that the Warped website sells them in fivers. I’ll definitely head over and grab some. Thanks again.
I am pretty sure I have had these cigars but they had a different band at the time. Do you know if the band is new ? The one I had was a very simple, plain band.
WOW! nothin but good reviews on this stick, has been compared to some of the best like P.J.’s brands. Will have to get me a five pack.
Great job Brian as always, and looking for the next episode of the “Brian and Jerry Show”
Have a Great week.
You can leave comments for reviews other than Jerry’s? Is this a new thing?
Great review Brian….
Let me see if I can find a picture of the old band I had. I am wondering if it is the same cigar.
Great review Brian! This seems like a pretty interesting and new cigar that I look forward to trying. The flavor profile sounds pretty tasty!
Thanks for the review! These sound interesting. I’ll have to check out the Warped website.
I love these smokes. This is probably my favorite out of Kyle’s line and once they get some nap time in the humidor they only get better. Great review Brian.
these look interesting, id love to try them. nice review
Fantastic review! Kyle is a very informative and nice guy. Can’t wait to try some of his stuff. I wanted to try one for my birthday (yesterday) but didn’t have the cash. Can’t wait, his sticks sound soooo good. Everybody should check out the sampler on his website.
Brian – I always enjoy the site and it was nice to find a little contest at the end of this review. The name of the cigar alone draws me to it. I am a history nerd, so anything from the dawn of time up to the 20th century gets my attention. The use of the Egyptian Gods is just plain cool! Much like your review of the Hoyo De Tradicion Toro, which turned me onto what has become one of my favorite cigars, I expect this to do the same. I am headed over to the site to buy a fiver. So thanks for the review on what to me was an unknown brand and if you want to slip me that free fiver, that would be all the better!
RT: @brianhewitt Comment whorin’ is so bad, but it feels so good. LOL.
It feels good for for the winner also, not just you, you whore!
Ryan suggested these to me so I bought a sampler from Kyle a while back. I enjoyed every one of them.
Great review, Brian! The Warped cigars are on my list to try very soon. Kyle is also a very helpful BOTL and when I contacted him with my likes/dislikes in a cigar he was very helpful in recommending which of his lines I might like and describing what each had to offer. Tim D.
nice review, never have seen that cigar before. Would love to try em.
COMMENT! Lol, nice review. Never even heard of these.
Great review. This sounds like an interesting smoke. Hope I’ll be able to find them locally or online.
@JimScar….
http://www.warpedcigars.com
you won’t find these in stores yet.
Working on getting them into stores sometime this summer and fall. But for now as Ryan said, they can only be purchased via the website. http://www.warpedcigars.com
Great review Walt,looking foreward to seeing these sticks in some local shops
Great review Brian,looking foreward to seeing these sticks in some local shops
I remember when Kyle first came out with these but haven’t tried them yet. Glad to see you reviewing the smaller lines. Great review.
I remember buying these from his first production. They are GREAT smokes!
Nice review! I’ve never heard of this company before, I assume they are new but how many lines do they have? I’d love a free 5er 🙂
Great review…never heard of the Warped line until now. Sounds interesting, I’d love to get warped by one of these greek gods of stogies.
Great review!Your reviews help me wipe away the noob-ness.
Nice review. Like the price too.
Great review Jerry! I recently reviewed their Private Blend. If you haven’t had one, be sure to go out and get it, its full body and full flavor!!
Brian:
Love the review, as always. I would definitely be interested in trying these out. Wish you had more vids.
I just received via USPS priority mail my 5 pack of Anubis Maduro. It is just like your profile: sweet, coffee and choclate. It is like smoking a “yoo hoo”. The flavores intensified as I got into the final third, almost like burned coffee (something that I found pleasant). This cigar is a “BARGAIN” at $5 plus shipping. Thanks for the recommendation.
Gene, glad they got to you that quickly! And I am glad you enjoyed them!
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Gary Fritz, on May 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm Said:
Great review Walt,looking foreward to seeing these sticks in some local shops
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M.J., on May 13th, 2009 at 9:01 pm Said:
Great review Jerry! I recently reviewed their Private Blend. If you haven’t had one, be sure to go out and get it, its full body and full flavor!!
Nice review as usual “BRIAN”, sounds like a stick I need to try! You need to do more vids to get more “face time”, so people will know who you are!! (Really I’d just like to see you do more vids).
Nice review as always. I really like the thick texture. I got the same thing from a Tat Black. I’ll probably go ahead and snatch up a sampler, just to hit all of the blends.
Great review…great cigars. I have enjoyed all of the offerings that Kyle has served up!
great review as always!
Matt M.
nice review. I would like to try those sometime.
Sounds tasty!
Congratulations John Moccaldi, you won! I’ll be emailing you shortly for address information.
Got that 5 pack out for you today, John!