At the Las Vegas IPCPR 2014 I had the pleasure of being at the Crux booth to see their Bull & Bear,  along with the Passport and Classic make their debut.   Previous entries of the Crux Passport Half Corona and the Crux Ninfamaniac Natural were among the highest scoring cigars ever on Cigar Federation.

The Bull & Bear is available in the Robusto Extra at 5-1/2” x 55 RG and the Gordo at 6” x 60 RG.

Crux Bull & Bear

Vitola: Robusto Extra

Size: 5-1/2” x 55 ring gauge

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Cigars Smoked for this Review: One per Reviewer

Price Point: $8

Cigar Purchased: Manufacturers samples IPCPR 2014

Quick Note: For this review we used Logan’s rating system. You can view it in detail here.

"The Crux Bull & Bear was an enjoyable cigar, and I particularly thought the first third was a blockbuster"

John’s Review – 87 AKA “5-Pack”

This is my first experience with any of the Crux Cigars release.

The nose on the Bull & Bear is almost entirely comprised of cedar with just hints of white pepper.

Wow! The first third opens with overwhelming toasted marshmallow. After a few puffs I’m able to taste past the marshmallow and pick up some damp cedar at the end of the draw. The mild pepper from the nose is present only on the retrohale. The toasted marshmallow falls off as the first establishes itself, and the cedar replaces it. At the 25 minute mark the marshmallow comes back and the two profiles end up combining along with the pepper all at medium intensity.

The second third sees the flavors more in the mild category with a light-medium cedar/peppery finish. The great toasted marshmallow from the first third is completely absent here. I would definitely rate the tobacco strength in the medium-full category by this point. A rich smoky peat flavor comes through as the middle winds down.

The last third is predominantly cedar and pepper with the tobacco strength pushing more towards the full end.

Total smoking time was 1 hour and 54 minutes.

The Crux Bull & Bear was an enjoyable cigar, and I particularly thought the first third was a blockbuster . It has all the ingredients for something amazing, and I think if the first third had carried through I would have rated it well into the 90s. The price on the robust extra is affordable for almost everyone, and I wouldn’t hesitate to grab a 5-pack.