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Staff Review: Buffalo Trace Special F

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Introduction:

Today we will be taking a look at Buffalo Trace Special F - a limited-edition release that features a binder aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels. The Buffalo Trace distillery has been long-renowned in the spirits industry, and with their crossover into the world of cigars, their legacy will continue to grow in a new and exciting way.

Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Buffalo Trace Special F. Let’s do this!

The Quick Hits:

  • Released as a follow-up to the core Buffalo Trace cigar line
  • Binder aged for six months in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels
  • Main tasting notes of leather, oak, and earth
  • Recommended for: fans of Rocky Patel Sun Grown, Macanudo Inspirado Red, CAO Brazilia  

The Story:

For more than 200 years, Buffalo Trace Distillery has been identified as the leader in the world of spirits because of their ability to embrace change while still honoring the traditions that put them on the map. Buffalo Trace is the oldest continually operated distillery in the country and over the course of their storied history, has produced some of the most highly sought-after bourbons that the world has ever tasted.

From Blanton’s to Pappy Van Winkle, and E.H. Taylor to Weller, all the distillery’s offerings are deeply rooted in a timeless dedication to quality and innovation, which is evident in their extensive list of industry awards. The popularity of their flagship brand, Buffalo Trace, led to the full-time launch of Buffalo Trace cigars back in 2021, and immediately made a big splash in the cigar industry.

The pairing of bourbon and cigars is seemingly becoming more and more popular (despite its long history) and is one of those coveted duos that is on par with the likes of peanut butter and jelly, and Hall & Oates - I’m sure this is one of the reasons why the Buffalo Trace Distillery decided to partner up with General Cigar Company to create Buffalo Trace branded cigars. This launch in 2021 provided yet another “win” for the distillery as the cigars sold out in a matter of weeks; something that they have become accustomed to over the years.

Following the success of this initial launch, the next, and newest iteration of Buffalo Trace cigars comes in the form of Buffalo Trace Special F - a limited-edition release that was created with the intention of being the perfect pairing to go with a few fingers of Buffalo Trace bourbon (or any bourbon for that matter).

The Build:

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Buffalo Trace Special F shares the same blend as the original cigar that was released in 2021, but with a couple of key differences regarding the actual cigar. Let’s start with the blend though - an oily Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper sits atop a Brazilian Arapiraca binder and is finished with a mix of Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan fillers.

The first thing that separates Buffalo Trace Special F from its predecessor is the new 6” x 60 figurado size – a size that wasn’t a part of the core release. The second, and most important thing that sets Special F apart, is it’s barrel aged binder. Now you may be thinking, “big deal, a lot of cigars use barrel aged tobaccos”, but with Special F, the binder was aged in authentic Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels that were shipped to the Dominican Republic from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky. Not only that, but the binder was aged for six months in these barrels – a lot longer than the six weeks that a lot of other tobaccos spend barrel aging.

The Look:

Let me preface this section by saying that I was a fan of the design of the first Buffalo Trace release. It was right in line with the understated but classic feel of the bourbon bottles and did a really good job of staying true to the brand.

With that said, I like Special F’s design even more. Let’s start with the box; there is a stark difference in the approach with Special F when compared to the core release. Special F comes packaged in a 10-count box that shows off the deep, glossy green that the Buffalo Trace brand is known for – the color of the box really pops, without being overdone (if that makes sense?). The contrast of the Buffalo Trace “tear” on the top of the box contrasts nicely with the rich green and adds a clever touch as it doubles as the box seal. Inside the box, the screen printed “Buffalo Trace Special F” on the bottom of the lid adds a bit of welcome contrast as well.

Overall, the new box design feels sleek and modern all the while maintaining the classic and simplistic branding that Buffalo Trace is known for.

Moving on, Special F’s primary band doesn’t change from the original Buffalo Trace release (there really wasn’t anything that needed to be changed here), but there is an addition of a new, secondary band. This secondary band, emblazoned with “Buffalo Trace Special F” sits nicely on top of a green ribbon, which is something that I don’t see very often (if at all) on cigars. This definitely adds a bit of some much-needed flare as it sits alongside the rather plain primary band. This secondary band/ribbon layout, although a relatively small addition, really elevates the presentation of Special F in my opinion.

If there is one thing I would change, I would personally like to see just a bit more pop of color – maybe in the form of a copper ribbon instead of a green one. But what do I know?

The Experience:

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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Special F before I started smoking it, and I was most curious about what six months of aging in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels was going to do to the binder. The answer to this, at least from my experience, was a relatively significant amount of sweetness and more prominent notes of oak.

The first third was dominated by a lot of earth and leather with the sweet and oaky notes from the binder being evident from the first puff on. There was a small amount of black pepper on the retrohale that dissipated rather quickly, and a bit of dark chocolate that was almost unnoticeable. At this point, Special F is sitting just above the medium mark in terms of body, and medium to full in strength.

As I moved into the second third, I noticed that there wasn’t much change going on – the dominant flavors stayed dominant, and the background notes stayed there. There was though, the addition of some really faint coffee notes that reminded me of watered-down diner coffee (which I absolutely love), that I thought paired really nicely with the rich notes of leather and earth. The biggest difference in the second third was the very apparent shift from medium to full strength, to full strength (luckily, I had just eaten lunch, so I was in good shape).

Moving into the final third, there was absolutely no change from the second third. Leather and earth were the main flavors, followed by the rich sweetness and oak from the barrel aged binder, and finished with faint notes of dark chocolate and coffee. As Aristotle once said (I think?), “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, and I think this is the case with Buffalo Trace Special F. None of these flavors on their own were necessarily anything to write home about, but the marriage of all of them provided a flavor profile that I thought was intriguing and worth experiencing again and again.

Buffalo Trace Special F was pretty far from “dynamic” in my eyes, but I don’t perceive this as a negative – sometimes I just want a good cigar without worrying about a rollercoaster ride of an experience. Special F was consistent, flavorful, and constructed beautifully, and is absolutely a blend that I will smoke again. I especially encourage anyone who has smoked the core Buffalo Trace release to give Special F a go; in my eyes Special F is a more mature and refined version of the original release.

The Value:

The final ruling is in: Buffalo Trace Special F is a consistent and quality cigar that can go toe to toe with almost any cigar that utilizes barrel-aged tobaccos. I was honestly a little surprised to see how low these cigars are priced considering how big the brand is, how unique the tobaccos are, and the fact that this is a limited-edition release. I can’t complain though, Buffalo Trace Special F is more than worth the $11.00 price tag that comes along with it, and I think most of you will agree when you smoke it.

Final Thoughts:

I was excited when I saw the announcement of the first Buffalo Trace release and was actually surprised that it was a good cigar. I am usually a little hesitant when I see these kinds of collaborations come about – more times than not it is a just a branding and marketing ploy, but Buffalo Trace was far from that.

I was even more excited when I saw the Buffalo Trace Special F announcement and after smoking it for the first time, I wasn’t disappointed. Special F is bold, consistent, cleverly designed, and overall, just a strong release from the brand. I would highly recommend that every Buffalo Trace or bourbon enthusiast pick up a box of these before they are gone because I can’t see them lasting too much longer.

Buffalo Trace: Used under license