Hiram & Solomon Mystic Tie

One of my many memories from the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show was Patrick Lagreid talking about the new developments at Hiram & Solomon.

The company was founded by Fouad Kashouty and George Dakrat, who are both Freemasons. Their masonry has long served as the inspiration for the brand’s releases, but Patrick had some insight into a new development. The company had seemingly found a new lane, producing cigars that were made for specific masons or lodges. However, what seemed to surprise Patrick, was that Kashouty said there was already interest for around two dozen of these projects.

Based on what Patrick shared, some of these cigars might never see the shelves of a humidor, with masons buying the whole production as a private label. Others, like the new Mystic Tie, are being made for a mason but sold nationally.

Mystic Tie is a 6 x 52 toro that is noted for having a barber pole design, meaning the cigar has two wrappers that combine to create a contrasting look that looks somewhat reminiscent of a barber’s pole. Those leaves include a lighter Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed and a darker Mexican San Andrés. Underneath is an Indonesian binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Paraguay.

The inside of the box includes this message:

The barber pole design represents life’s duality and the diversity of every meaningful connection we make. Each carefully selected leaf embodies the principles of fellowship and mutual respect that have guided generations. The Mystic Tie represents more than the tobacco; it symbolizes the individual bond that connects hearts in common purpose, the shared wisdom passed from one generation to the next, and the strength found in genuine companionship.

The cigar was made for Most Worshipful Omar S. Morris, Grand Master of Masons of the state of New Jersey.

• Cigar Reviewed: Hiram & Solomon Mystic Tie
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: PDR Cigars
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut-seed) & Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Paraguay
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: April 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

For many years after I started smoking cigars, I thought that barber pole cigars were created by splitting the contrasting wrappers and applying them separately. Thinking back on it, that makes no sense. The way the wrappers are applied is that two full-size leaves are laid out, slightly offset. The offset creates the contrasting appearance, but also means that one wrapper is atop the other one. Because the veins on the lower wrapper oftentimes show through the wrapper on top, many barber poles end up with rougher-looking appearances. That’s the case here. In addition, the seams of the darker wrapper aren’t all that flat. The aroma from the wrappers is generally sweet but with scents of barnyard and cocoa powder, full for the second cigar but medium-full for the other two. Given the covered foot—more on that in the Final Notes—the foot smells like the wrappers, just a bit milder. Cold draws are medium-full with a bit of spice initially, though the main flavor is a mixture of sweet grains and red apple with secondary notes of wood, milk chocolate and some plain dough.

The Hiram & Solomon Mystic Ties start quite similarly: earthy and woody with subtle secondary notes of creaminess and toastiness. All three cigars are medium-full and smooth, though the third cigar is a tad saltier. I very much wish that I could tell you about more flavors, but even 45 minutes into the first third, it’s difficult to find much of a difference. There are regular adjustments to the underlying sweetness as well as crispness, but the main flavors are the exact same. At times, there’s a random bit of a different flavor—leather, chili pepper, salt, cured meats—but none of them stick around for long and they are rarely all that strong in comparison to the wood and earth flavors. The finish doesn’t provide much change either. Fortunately, the retrohales introduce some differences. First, there’s a lot more spiciness—dried spices in the first cigar, while more of a defined cracked pepper flavor in the other two—as well as details to some other aspects. For example, the apple flavor returns to the sweetness and the cured meat flavor is more consistent. However, if this were an ice cream flavor, I’d want some toppings. Flavor is full, while body and strength are medium-full. Two cigars require some minor touch-ups to help with uneven burns, but the most notable part about the cigar is that it is able to burn epically slow. For each cigar, it takes well over an hour for me to get through the first third. Each cigar’s draw is a tad tight, though the first cigar’s is noticeably tighter than the other two.

Around the transition between sections, the woodiness quickly disappears, leaving an earthy flavor as the sole leading flavor. It’s not dominant, but it’s consistently the strongest thing I taste. Fortunately, there are other changes as the flavors add some detail while also getting sharper. At times, the sweetness can bring a dose of a unique flavor like coconut milk, graham cracker or peanut butter, but those more detailed flavors rarely last for consecutive puffs. The finish is decidedly grittier, adding some toastiness and more black pepper, but if I were smoking this cigar without making notes, it would likely be very difficult for me to tell you what flavors have changed. On the retrohale, there’s some added creaminess, pencil lead and tartness, but also an increasing amount of a thick toastiness that seems to be masking other flavors. Flavor and body are both full. Despite not many flavor changes, there are two dramatic changes. First, the strength has bumped up to full. Second, the combustion rate has gone from being an outlier for being slow to ending the second third at a rate that is quicker than average. Minor touch-ups continue to correct small sections of the burn line that stall out. Fortunately, the first cigar’s draw has loosened up to be in the normal range.

I suppose that in many ways, the final third is just a continuation of the second third. Like before, the earthiness is still the leading flavor, though it’s not static. I find it to be more all-encompassing, both offering tastes that remind me of the smells of different earth complexions—barnyard, wet soil, etc.—while also expanding the places where it lingers on my taste buds. The larger change is that the overall profile is getting muddied, not necessarily tasting like mud—though that happens—but an increasing harshness is cutting off some parts of individual flavors. Like before, there are signs of other flavors, a list that includes peanuts, dark chocolate, leather, creaminess and coconut. And I’m happy to report that they are showing up more frequently, though still not consistently present. The finish gets sharper and drier with lingering black pepper and dry herbs. At times, it gets too sharp, but underneath everything, I can find some hints of fruitiness. Retrohaling provides more creaminess and toastiness, a change, though one that only seems to more emphasize the core sharp earthy flavors. Flavor, body and strength are all quite full. As before, every once in a while, a small part of the wrapper will need correction, but it’s a relatively minor issue. The largest construction change is that the combustion rate continues to increase. For the third cigar, I’m unsure if it took me a half-hour to get through the final section, quite surprising given how the first third of the Mystic Tie went.

Final Notes

• I know almost nothing about Freemasonry.
• This was one of three new products that Hiram & Solomon had on display at PCA 2026. I believe all of them have shipped to stores.
• Because the two wrappers of a barber pole are simply placed on top of one another, that means there’s no transition from one wrapper to the other. Both wrappers are being burnt at the same time.

• I can’t recall ever seeing a closed foot on a barber pole that includes both wrappers. I’m sure it’s happened before, so let me know in the comments what cigars I’m forgetting about.
• While I wasn’t overly impressed by the flavor, it was more monotonous than problematic. However, this cigar was leaking points in the construction category. While the touch-ups were minor, each third required at least one, which adds up.
• I tried smoking the cigar at a much quicker pace to see if it would bring out more flavors. Predictably, it made the flavors sharper and the temperature of the smoke warmer. I don’t think either of those things were improvements.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• Hiram & Solomon lists the Mystic Tie as 6 x 52. Above are the dimensions I found for the three cigars I smoked for this review.
• To illustrate just how slow-burning the cigars were, on the first cigar, I didn’t remove the massive band until more than an hour and a half into the cigar. Final smoking time was at least three hours and 15 minutes.
• Site sponsor Small Batch Cigar carries the Hiram & Solomon Mystic Tie.

Dominican Republic
Hiram & Solomon Cigars
Hiram & Solomon Mystic Tie
Omar S. Morris
PDR Cigars
Toro