The Smoking Syndicate: Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special 2023

The newest iteration of the Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special by Espinosa Cigars and Guy Fieri made it’s debut at the 2023 PCA trade show in Las Vegas.  This is a follow up on the 2022 release which was a huge hit with the cigar community.  This new version features and Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper versus the Ecuadorian Habano from last year and a new blend of filler tobaccos all from Nicaragua with a Nicaraguan binder.

From Espinosa Cigars:

The Chef Special is a yearly release made available to retailers at the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show. This 10-count box was first made in 2022. Future Chef Special’s will be made with the blend and size change from year to year.

For this review, we are going to check it out and let you know how it stacked up to last year’s version.

From the release article on our site:

The Chef Special features a different blend than its 2022 predecessor. This includes an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over all-Nicaraguan binders and fillers. Like last year, the Chef Special comes in a 6 1/2 x 52 Box Pressed Figurado. The cigars will be in ten-count boxes with pricing of $15.00 MSRP per cigar and $150.00 MSRP per box. The cigars are made at the San Lotano Factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.

“This is the first LE we did for Knuckle Sandwich Cigars, the size and the blend really hit. So, we are back this year with a new blend in that same great size, it’s an exceptional smoke,” commented Erik Espinosa in a press release.

Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special 2023

• Vitola:  Figurado
• Size:  6 1/2 x 52 (Box Pressed)
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: San Lotano
• MSRP: $15.00

Final Score:  89