Crux Bull & Bear

Crux Cigars was founded in 2014 by Minnesota retailers Jeff Haugen and Joel Rogers. Bull & Bear was one of the company’s first five blends and has stayed in the lineup since that debut. It’s a Nicaraguan puro, made at Plasencia Cigars S.A. Current sizes include Toro, Robusto Extra, Double Corona, and the Gordo Marblehead, which uses Crux’s 109-style cap. Packaging was redone in 2019, when the Toro also moved into full national distribution. A Double Corona was added in 2021.

Stogie At A Glance

Review

First Third

Strong coffee note on the light, good amount of pepper on the retro. Classic aroma. Chocolate notes on the palate and finish. Slight peanut note with pepper and coffee. Lots of bold flavors. Some cedar is making its way in, along with the continuation of the salted peanuts and walnuts. Corrected a slightly wavy burn. Slight tanginess to the cedar and on the finish. Some more coffee notes come thru with some pepper on the finish. Cedar and coffee continue with some pepper as well, slight sweetness but very very slight. Lots of coffee, and salted peanuts and walnuts, with slight pepper on the finish.

Second Third

Lots of nuts in the second third, a slight coffee sweetness comes thru as well. The chocolate note has some earth being added to it now adding for a great transition. Earthy note is coming out stronger now. Salted chocolate with coffee and earth coming thru now. Black coffee and chocolate coming thru with a cedar and spice. Strong black coffee notes coming thru with an earthy pepper. Slight cinnamon and other spices coming thru with the chocolate as well. Cedar starting to come thru more now. Strength has stayed medium.

Final Third

Pepper is starting to pick up in the final third. Spicy chocolate note on the finish. A slight bitterness is coming thru every now and then, not much, but enough to notice. Strength is moved towards full. More earthy notes come thru, with some dark chocolate, and pepper on the finish. More earth, some cedar coming thru, along with some other spices. Pepper is continuing on the finish. Strength is full body by the end of the cigar. Earth and slight dark chocolate with lots of pepper on the finish.

Score

90/100