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The tax stamp on these fivers tells a story of a cigar made in or before 1932 by the Bobrow Brothers factory at 220 South 5th St, Philadelphia. With the Great Depression in full stride, these were still 25¢ a pack, so they were not scrimping on quality

As the name of the cigar implies, it was manufactured (very likely from Cuban filler, almost certainly with a Sumatra wrapper) to be a stronger cigar than was the norm in those times, when most cigars were advertised as "mild." Even 80 years later, it delivers.

The construction is solid and the cigar holds together remarkably well. Clipping just a quarter-inch from the non-punched head reveals a pre-light draw of sweetness and dried fruit. The narrow foot takes little flame to light.

Right off, the distinct background of dried fruit asserts itself; currant, apricot. The real surprise with these is always the strength; 80 years and this stick still delivers a full, bold, almost peppery flavor. Little nicotine, naturally. But what flavor!

Around the middle and to the end, the flavor of dark berries weaves in and out; the flavor and strength intensifies but the mild pepper mellows and you're left with a little flavor bomb to nub enthusiastically.

A beautiful way to start 2012; I wish I had a thousand or so of these.

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Awesome review! Thanks for sharing!
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Love your vintage reviews, Joe! Thank you for sharing. :-)
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Nice review! Looks delicious!
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Joe, I know you said you had some aged cigars. I had no idea now old. Very nice review!!
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Your recent reviews inspired me to fire up a 1940's La Prosa last night, Joe....it held up pretty darn well for a 70 year old smoke.
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Sweet! Smoking something like that connects you in a small way to a time that most of us can only imagine.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm glad to be able to share these ancient sticks with all of you.

Tom, you might recall the 2001 (or so) Añejos I scored in December of '06; despite the presence of some water damage to the bands, I've smoked several of them in the six years since and found them to be marvelous. The next time we get a substantial group together for a local herf I'm going to bring one for a PPP. I'd love to get a group review of an 10-year-old Añejo.
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Hi there - I just found this site while looking for images of Bobrow Brothers Cigars. I can't tell you how excited I was to read, not only that you had some of these cigars, but that you enjoyed smoking them so much. You see, the Bobrow brothers were my great-grandfather and great-uncles. I grew up in a cloud of Sunday evening cigar smoke, my grandfather a master smoke-ring blower. What a delight to learn that people are still smoking and enjoying my family's legacy all these years later!

If you aren't using those cigar bands for anything else, I would dearly love to have one of my own. Please let me know if that's possible! Thanks for your wonderful review; I'm going to share it with my mother and I know she will love the memories it will evoke for her.

Cheers,
Amy
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How freakin' cool is this! It makes me very happy that you have that connection to these wonderful smokes, and that you found this thread. When I smoke these or any of the other really old cigars, I always like to imagine being in the store at the time, smoking them fresh. I envy your connection through your family.

PM sent.
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Wow! That's awesome!:-)
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this is freaking awesome
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