Hamlet 2020

Hamlet 2020

Strength: 3 / 5
Size:  Toro (6 x 52)
Origin: Nicaragua
Price (local): $15.30
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Flavor Text:

A quarter century later, they're still great..

Working from the Rocky facility in Naples, Florida, expert blender and master cigar roller Hamlet Paredes has been churning out classics for a quarter of a century. To mark that momentous anniversary, Hamlet has cooked up a true masterpiece.The Rocky Patel Hamlet 25th Year is a truly celebratory cigar, marking a career in tobacco that's ready to go down in the history books. 

With a mellow to medium body, the Rocky Patel Hamlet 25th Year utilizes a deep, rich Ecuadorian Habano wrapper to encase hearty Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. Hamlet Paredes operates with Cuban quality in mind, so each stick in these boxes is a certified masterpiece. With hints of cedar, coffee, and a little bit of spice on every puff, the answer to the question of “to buy, or not to buy?” should be most obvious. 

Let me make one thing clear: I strongly disliked the original Rocky Hamlet. Like, big time. It tasted horrible to me, and I could not, for the life of me, understand why I would continuously hear people endorse it as a smoke I had to try. I always heard people describe it as strong, and I never really agreed with that assessment. It always had a tough draw, tasted just very tobacco-y, and never gave me any semblance of an "experience" as an every day smoker. I was very tentative to try this Hamlet 2020, but I figured it would at least be a new, scathing review for the blog on this day.

This cigar blows the standard Hamlet away. Like, big time. It's a tremendous upgrade on what I thought was a very 'meh' cigar. 

This cigar is a perfect, wonderful medium and features another Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that is sleek, oily, and a delicious brown shade. There is delicious coffee to this cigar almost immediately and through the first half of this one. I wouldn't call it a dark coffee, but just your standard medium roast with some sugar and cream. It's a delicious introduction to the new and improved 2020 version of Hamlet, and luckily, this flavor remains throughout. This cigar is not going to blow you away with evolving, intense flavors as it goes on, but it doesn't have to. The Hamlet 2020 took the route of doing one thing right, and to that end, it has definitely done it's job fantastically well. 

This cigar has minimal punch to it, and maybe just a hint of spice on the back end of the smoke. Just enough to interest you, and nothing more, is how I'd describe what this cigar offers. The coffee is backed up by some light woodiness as you get into the second half of the cigar, but for the most part, the initial flavor remains. Construction for this cigar is a big bright spot, in my opinion. It was a perfectly built Toro with a phenomenal draw, no cracking and never a question if things would break down or require maintenance. It was a masterpiece through and through, and it now maintains a peak spot in my mind about what I think when I envision a perfect medium cigar.

This is one smoke that everyone can enjoy. It provides very minimal power, a consistent flavor, and an easiness to smoke that I have not encountered often. The barriers to trying this cigar exist for no smoker, whether it is the mild fan looking to take the next step up, or the strong smoke guy like me who, frankly, needs a break. I think most everyone will enjoy this cigar, and there is nothing about it to dislike. It might be a little boring for those who enjoy some complexity to their sticks, but overall, I loved this one much like I loved the LB1. This cigar dominates it's predecessor in a major way, and is worth a try if you want a flavorful, smooth and mellow medium body cigar. Try it.

Happy smoking! CB