Cataclysm - by HDA Cigars

The Leaf

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Toro (6 x 52)

Body: Medium to Full

Strength: Medium-to-Full

Purchased At: Provided by HDA Cigars for review.

Personal Rating: 8.5 / 10 — A Tale Worthy Smoke

If you like this, you might also like: Crowned Heads Jericho Hill, Caldwell Eastern Standard Maduro, Illusione Rothchildes.

What We Do Here

The beauty of cigars isn’t just in the smoke... it’s in the ritual, the memory, the lore. Each review starts with the basics: how it smokes, how it tastes, whether it’s worth lighting up again or buying a box. Then, for those chasing the full story, we peel back the layers, deeper notes, subtleties, and the craft behind the leaf. At the end, we leave you with a little folklore to match the mood. Because around here, the smoke always carries a story.

Casual Take

The Cataclysm lights up with milk chocolate, oak, and a roasted coffee backbone. A fig like sweetness sneaks in, keeping things interesting, while a touch of pepper on the retrohale adds just the right amount of energy. Medium to full in body, it’s bold without being overwhelming and smooth enough for an easy, slow burn. A no fuss cigar that feels rich but approachable and well done.

Deep Burn

The first third sets the stage. Sweet cocoa and roasted espresso, supported by a woody oak character. The pepper on the retrohale is firm but never harsh, adding a plesant dimension to the sweeter notes. Overall, approchable and building towards something special.

By the second third, the flavor starts to expand. That cocoa deepens into bittersweet chocolate, balanced by that fig sweetness that keeps the palate engaged. The oak stand as the structure, while the roasted coffee grows darker and richer, like a fresh dark roast pulled straight from the pot.

The final third becomes heavier, drawing on that espresso bitterness. The Oak is charred now, and comes with a mineral edge that ands a touch of variety to the profile. The sweetness remains faint but present, tying it all together. Construction holds flawlessly throughout, with an even burn and smooth draw that lets the flavors do the talking.

The Heart of the Leaf

HDA’s Cataclysm is the final cigar we smoked from their current core line. It delivers a bold smoking experience that doesn’t chase complexity for complexity’s sake. Instead, it offers balance: chocolate and coffee against oak and spice, with just enough sweetness to keep you coming back for puff after puff. It pairs naturally with a high proof bourbon or a dark roast coffee, but it also stands well on its own. For those who like medium-to-full smokes that walk the line between earthy and sweet, this is a cigar worth tracking down.

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The Lore

The flight line never sleeps. Helicopters thunder into the sky, their rotors kicking up walls of dust that cling to every surface, every breath. Generators hum, radios play their static song, boots grind across the sand and gravel. War doesn’t pause here, not for a moment.

But on the edge of the tarmac, a small circle of folding chairs offers something different. One soldier flicks a lighter, the flame brief against the dark. A cigar comes to life. The ember glows steady, defiant against the chaos. Each draw brings milk chocolate and fig, oak rising beneath it like the ground itself, roasted coffee cutting through the fatigue. Pepper stings sharp on the retrohale, like the adrenaline that never quite fades in this place.

The burn holds true. The ash stays firm. Around them, the war grinds on, engines screaming into the night. Yet for the length of that cigar, there is calm. A moment carved from the storm. Smoke drifts upward, carrying with it the weight of silence in a world that knows none.

The cigar in this review was provided for review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

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