José Martí American Porter - Cigar City Brewing

Avagadro

New Jersey

4.85/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Jose Marti is nearly black, with garnet highlights penetrating only when the brew is held to the light. Head is a touch weak, but overall this brew looks pretty enticing.

S: Deep black chocolate, and touch of espresso, and a hint of walnut create a rich bouquet.

T: Slightly sweet malt is balanced by bitter dark chocolate and coffee, topped off by a touch of Pacific Northwest hops. this brew is incredibly enjoyable.

M: Full bodied and chewy. The texture perfectly complements the richness in flavor.

D: A fantastic brew from the South's greatest asset, Cigar City. This is definitely worth a try if you can get your hands on it, as it is one of the better American Porters out there.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 21:45:45 | More by Avagadro

scott2269

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured a 12oz bottle, dated 8/2011, into my DFH sniffer. Appearance is very pretty, dark with a big head. Smell is similar to a chocolate cake. After a few big sips, I declare this is one of the best porters I have had to date. Very complex, tons of chocolate, smokey malts, and a hint of coffee. Glass is coated with tons of sticky lacing. This tastes like a stout, but drinkablity is amazing with ABV at 8%. I wish I had better access to Cigar City beers, as this would be a staple in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 01:10:30 | More by scott2269

sendsilk

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bought a 12 oz. single for $2.99. Poured into my "Crab House" Pint glass.

A 2" thick frothy head on it takes several minutes to abate and leaves streaks all over the glass. The foam is still sitting on the glass 15 minutes after I poured.

A- Dark, dark, dark brown, almost black. No light getting though here. Looks great, more like a stout than a porter.

S- Nice roasted malts and coffee.

T- Absolutely the best porter I have ever had. I love stouts and that's usually my choice. Every once in a while I venture into a porter just to see. Usually a disappointment but not this time. Nice roasted nutty flavor and coffee present but not overwhelming. There's more hop taste in this than any other porter that I've ever had.

M- Great! Almost like a stout. Alcohol is well hidden but a rugged roasted flavor grabs your mouth by the balls and sticks around for quite some time.

D- Yeah, it's there. I could drink a bunch of these. Started the review after the pour and the glass will be gone by the time I'm done here.

Try one. I did and I'm not a huge porter guy but it was well worth it.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 04:08:56 | More by sendsilk

Jefe73

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cigar City José Martí - On tap at the Tasting Room poured into a pint glass. 8% abv.

A: Pours a midnight brown with an active, frothy cap of tan foam. Leaves behind a good amount of spotty lacing.

S: Roasted malt, a mixture of herbal hops and semi-sweet chocolate.

T: Dry, overly roasted malt,dark chocolate, spicy herbal hops and ash. Finishes with lingering roast and bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with lively moderate carbonation.

Dl: An exceptional porter. Roasty, chocolaty, hoppy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 15:08:58 | More by Jefe73

CampusCrew

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

appearance: Pitch black low head but nice streaking lace down the glass.

smell: heavy coffee

taste: Wow, another gem. nice big porter, lots of coffee flavor backed up by a heavy bitter hop dosage. Might be better than black butte

mouthfeel: heavy body

drinkability: Probably the best porter Ive had and one of the best CC's too.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 01:34:29 | More by CampusCrew

rmolledo

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Solid Dark Brown with a small 1 inch tan head. Nice tan lacing.

S: Amazing Caramels, Roasted Malts, Chocolate. Toasted Malts. Pleasant Citrusy Hop Aroma.

T: Amazing Depth of flavor. Bitter Chocolate. Burnt Cookies. Cocoa Powder. Very Hoppy. Chocolate Covered Orange Peels.

MF: Slick with a moderately heavy body. Moderate Carbonation.

D: Another amazing beer from Cigar City. This beer in many ways is similar to Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale but with more of a malty body and thicker mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 22:30:43 | More by rmolledo

IcarusComplex

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Oh wow. I have to run, so I'll return to this soon and edit it with all the particulars, but to just summarize my notes, this tastes like some masterbrewer's private homebrew. From three centuries back in time.
Detectable yeast with complex and balanced esters, earthy and assertive hops, spot-on chocolate, coffee and roasted barley notes that are far and away from the blunt and deragotory shouting of flavours (sadly) in most American-brewed porters. Hazed opaque, deep, deeeep brown colour with reddish tints towards the glass's edges, rather than a flat black all the way through. Instant classic in my book, tastes REAL in a way that's hard to pin, just nothing is off, or excessive or blunt. The beer is a whole being, ingredients playing together really well. I loved this last year, but never reviewed it, and I think I may have fallen for it even harder this release. A must-try for Porter fans, and one of CCB's best brews, in my opinion (FL native here, too)!

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 21:34:59 | More by IcarusComplex

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

thrilled to be able to try another gem from ccb, my man todes sent me this one to knock off my list of ccb greats. poured cool and into a pint glass, this one was enjoyed on 10/01/2010.

what a big pour on this one. rich ark brown in color with a nice two finger head of creamy tan that stays on top for what seems like forever and leaves a ton of lacing on the sides of the glass.

aroma is to die for. rich roasted malts, warm cocoa and coffee, mixes with a deep resinous hop note and capped with a smooth dose of vanilla, wth is this thing? i am getting a bit confused now as i sip on it and pick up flavors that should not be blended together, but are and it works. rich dark chocolate and roasted coffee are mere accents to a wonderful citrus bouguet and warming roasted notes. really just sublime. hints of tobacco and leather come through as it hits room temp, and the long, smooth, rich and sweet finish defies any expectation of what was coming next.

overall i am unsure of what to make of this one, but for some damn reason i am in love with it. a wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 01:41:58 | More by mikesgroove

suspect

New York

4.6/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A: A wonderful dark brown color comes put of this bottle. A mildly aggressive pour leads to three fingers of thick, creamy tan head that lingers throughout the session. Lacing sticks and stays the whole time too.

S: chocolate malt hits the nose first and really is present throughout the nose. Really wonderful smell here.

T: very nice chocolate malt flavor followed the smell exactly as expected. Booze here is extremely well hidden.

M: Creamy goodness here as well with the booze hidden here too.

O: quite frankly this is my favorite porter. It's really too bad it's not available around these here parts.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 01:58:32 | More by suspect

shand

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Dark brown bordering on black. You know, just like ...

Smell: Coffee! I smell coffee! There's some roasted malts and chocolate in here, but coffee dominates.

Taste: Coffee! I taste coffee! This is like alcoholic coffee, but better, because it's beer. The rich roasted malts come in, and then it finishes with a hop blast that reminds me that I'm not drinking cold coffee, but beer! This is just a blast to taste.

Mouthfeel: It's heavy and dense for sure, but not quite too dense. Great for the style, and it's not too carbonated which could be a major turn-off with the coffee flavor.

Drinakbility: Dangerously drinkable for 8%. A wonderful beer for after dinner, perhaps to enjoy with some biscotti.

This was my first Cigar City experience, and I'm looking forward to many more!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 05:31:42 | More by shand

polisanl

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft during CCB takeover at Coffee District. Watered down coffee in color with with 2 fingers worth of white foam. I was simply amazed by this brew, as I have never had or heard of the style. Tastes of hops at first, then the usual suspects of a porter emerge afterward. Smell is similar to taste, hoppiness and roasted malts. The name is so fitting. Thin bodied, carbonation throughout and very drinkable. Could be had all day like a session beer, but be aware of the creeping 8% ABV. Wonderful balance of both styles.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2011 18:20:28 | More by polisanl

marcdalke

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another bottle from my haul that I brought back home over Xmas vacation.
First impressions: wow! Beautiful blackish color. Nice dark tan head that starts quite thick, then dissipates leaving a nice lacing on my glass.
The smell is hops up front, followed quickly by a somewhat earthy malt and maybe even some coffee.
The taste just confirms what my nose already knows. It's smooth, hoppy, malty, roasty...yeah, this one is a keeper.
I would believe you if you told me it was a black IPA.
Call it what you want...this is a beer that I am stocking up on next time I am in Florida.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 21:27:30 | More by marcdalke

jsanford

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Just got this filled at the brewery on 9/1/10. Poured into my Stone IRS tulip.

A - Pours a dark-as-possible-without-being-black brown with a 1-finger, creamy ivory head that never fully dissipates. Nice lacing left on the glass.

S - Everything about this screams "porter", but in a really well-done way. Dark roasted malt, sweet coffee, milk chocolate and a slight hint of dark berries, perhaps blackberries.

T - Oh man. Super "roasty", right on course with the nose. Chocolate is really jumping out at me. Very well-balanced.

M - Medium bodied, extremely creamy. Carbonation is nice and prickly.

D - Like all CC brews, this one is incredibly drinkable and potentially dangerous at 8% ABV.

Easily one of the best Porters I've ever had, but given Cigar City's track record this comes as no surprise. They're doing some great thing down there in Tampa!

Serving type: growler

09-05-2010 05:34:53 | More by jsanford

cbak999

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a dark brown, almost black and almost opaque. A nice 2-finger tan head sits atop the beer, and hangs around until the end of the session.

S - coffee and hops. This beer smells wonderful! I also smell a bit of molasses and brown sugar.

T - Yummy! A nice balance of alcohol, coffee, malts, and hops. The high ABV is very nicely hidden. This could be one of the best strong porter's I've had...hands down!

D - well, it's almost perfect for the style. I don't give many 5s, but this one is close! Very drinkable....

You definitely want to give this beer a try if you are into the dark, strong beers. You won't be let down!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 13:59:06 | More by cbak999

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. Creamy light tan head with excellent retention and plentiful soapy lacing. Mahogany highlights are visible along the edges of the glass.

Heckuva nose on this, a smooth and rich blend of roasted and chocolate malts, mocha, dark fruits and muddled cider. Occasional notions of blackberry and molasses.

Tastes just as good as it smells. The instense dark fruits combined with leather and tobacco actually remind me a bit of HOTD Adam at times, which is high praise indeed. Roasty to the point of being charred occasionally, but the steady warming booziness and chocolate sweetness work well to smooth things out. Thickish body with moderate carbonation. Very lengthy and satisfying finish that starts out sweet, switches to a molasses tanginess and finally a parting dose of burnt malts.

Overall impression: Incredible beer, well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 19:46:12 | More by PDXHops

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Troy for this one....

Pours a very respectable dark reddish brown with a bit of off-white head. Not a whole lot to the appearance but the hue is phenomenal. Smells sweet and malty. Tons of caramel coupled with a nice light roast. Some hops present on the nose as well. Tastes sweet and bitter at the same time. A perfect balance of roast and caramel on the tongue. The hops balance the sweetness and roastiness out not a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 21:16:08 | More by Urbancaver

burnheartsMKE

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This poured absolutely beautifully dark and frothy into a tulip glass. One of the most beautiful beers I’ve seen in awhile as it’s big old head stayed strong and laced my glass like a lady in waiting.

Loads of roasted coffee and hoppy fruitiness engulfed my eager nostrils.

Taste was pitch perfect for what they are calling American Black Ales (or IBAs, or Black IPAs). I love when the style dives deep into dark-side of ales and calling this anything but a hopped-up porter would do it an injustice. Chocolate, coffee and all manner of roasted flavors balanced well with a modest, but ideally hopped spirit. Thick, delicious and an absolutely perfect end to my weekend.

My first (of many) Cigar City beers did not disappoint and I can’t wait to crack into some more!

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 15:17:46 | More by burnheartsMKE

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip Style Glass. Beer comes out a little darker than I expected. Very dark brown, reasonably close to black. Lighter brown highlights on the sides of the glass and you can see it as the liquid gets a little thinner at each sip. Reasonably good lacing on this one. A hard pour produces a thick foamy tan head with many sized bubbles.

Smell is really good. A complex, but very good balance of aromas working together here. Chocolate, black coffee, then followed up by the hops. Earthy, floral, pine, and some very slight citrus zest.

Taste is outstanding, much like the smell, but more layered. This beer is big all around, starting with the malts. Decadent chocolate followed by strong black coffee. I'm not really a big fan of chocolate, but this was like having a nice chocolate dessert with some coffee. The malt profile alone are big and help counteract the sweetness and bitterness. Hops make themselves perfectly known here too, mostly earthy, very well blended.

Mouthfeel is great. Silky smooth with a good carbonation level. Alcohol provides a warming feel, but well hidden in the flavor profile, wouldn't have quite though as high as 8%. Sweet with a bitter pinch at the end from the hops. An extremely well rounded beer. I'm seeing why Cigar City is getting all the hype now. These are some tasty brews!

Thanks miamichael2 for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 02:10:20 | More by AndyAvalanche

sirdrinkwell

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Advance note: This brew is mislabeled here at Beeradvocate. The word India doesn't appear anywhere on the bottle, labeling, or carrier. It is labeled as Jose Marti Robustly Hopped American Porter, as can be seen in the image on BA's own page. Anyway...on to the review:

A-Pours a deep, dark Coca Cola shade of brown/mahogany. Fair amount of bone colored head, receding to leave a subtle bit of lacing around edge of my CCB snifter.

S-Very pleasant roasted coffee and rich malt, and a light undertone of hops fights to for some play as well. The aroma grows in intensity and pleasantness as the glass pour warms.

T-Nice bite of roasted coffee and dry chocolate, with a mildly hoppy finish. As with the aroma, the hop character grows in intensity as the glass warms.

M-Well balanced and medium carbonation, overall a dry but refreshing mouthful.

O-Cigar City did it right once again with this one. This is a nice brew, and a nice blend. Recommended!

Salud!

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 22:54:34 | More by sirdrinkwell

Beerenauslese

California

4.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly transparent but very dark brown, with a foamy tan head that dissipates to a ring leaving some tan lacing on the glass.

Smells of roasted malt, brown sugar, vanilla, and west coast hops.

Nice roast malt, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla flavors, balanced by spicy hops, with a bit of orange/citrus in the finish. Really roasty with a little tartness and not a lot of bitterness.

Body is light and carbonation a bit fizzy. Develops a slightly creamy mouthfeel if held a bit before swallowing.

This is a really flavorful roasty porter with notes of dark chocolate and citrus in a light body. The many layers of flavor remind me of a Belgian praline. 8% ABV comes at you toward the end, but is otherwise well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 02:08:45 | More by Beerenauslese

cjgator3

Florida

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle

A- Poured into a Cigar City snifter. Pours a dark blackish color with a light tan head.

S- The aroma is dark roasted malts with some fresh citrusy hops as well. I love the aroma, there is plenty of roastiness from the malts and a good dose of hops as well. I think I am going to like this beer.

T- The taste like the aroma starts out with sweet roasted malts that make way for a good amount of bitterness in the finish from the hops. Wow, delicious!

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a perfect amOunt of carbonation. Spot on.

D- Overall, Cigar City knocked this one out of the ballpark. This beer is immediately right up there among my favorite Porters. Must try beer, highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 04:06:54 | More by cjgator3

timtim

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

black with ruby highlights. modest little head that never completely disappears and leaves some splotches of lace. nose is cocoa on top of a nice roast, vanilla and some fruity undertones. taste reveals a fairly roasty profile that is also generously hoppy, with flavors of citrus, earth and pine really shining through all the way to the pleasantly bitter finish. on the heavy side of medium body, or the light side of full... it's a rich and creamy beer that starts silky and ends fairly dry. goes down way too easy for an 8%abv beer. another winner from cigar city. really glad i decided to try a few of their more accessible offerings.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 00:18:44 | More by timtim

Stoutfan23DJ

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle – 8.0ABV – Bottle Date: Oct. 06, 2012
Poured into an Imperial pint glass at 50 degrees or so.

Appearance: Dark Brown color body with a light tan head. Very mild carbonation throughout and the head resides to a ringed lacing. There is also some sediment floating and collecting around the bottom.

Aroma: Dark cocoa, brownie batter, bittersweet chocolate, mildly roasted malts, roasted coffee, lingering bitter and sweet hops, cherry, and other subtle dark fruits. The fruit characters and roast in the aroma really reminds me of a Baltic porter.

Taste: This is delicious; the aroma really reflects the taste. Rich dark and sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, smooth as silk caramel and molasses, roasted coffee and malts, dark fruit, and bitter hops that compliment. The chocolate, roast qualities and the hops are the front runners here and all are quite balanced. The dark fruits that are nicely present make me think of a English-style porter. The alcohol literally doesn’t exist and the finish is semi-dry.

Mouth feel: Medium to full bodied, medium viscosity, somewhat sessional.

Overall: This is an excellent American/English-style porter that had everything I like and I enjoyed this thoroughly. Overall, this was pretty straight forward porter that was very well-balanced and truly easy to enjoy. If you’re a fan of porters, definitely give this a shot!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 22:34:30 | More by Stoutfan23DJ

tpd975

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Consumed this one numerous times both on draft and from the bottle.

A: Pours a nice rich deep black. Nice tall espresso like head that lasts and lasts. Nice thick lace all the way down the glass.

S: Wonderful roasted malt aromas with loads of chocolate and light coffee. The hops are there in a big way as well.

T: Wonderful rich roasted flavors. Wonderful chocolate balanced by equal amounts of bitter coffee. The roast is bold just shy of what I would call smokey. The hops are very earthy and green with a light citric undertone.

M: Medium in body, smooth, drinkable, with a bit of hoppy bite in the finish.

D: Great, I love this beer. Will miss it when it's gone.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2010 23:05:34 | More by tpd975

saintwarrick

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Light brown, almost dark red stout has a rich, barely tan head. Aroma has dark chocolate, light caramel and cocoa with a hint of whiskey. Taste is light and smooth for the strength. Alcohol hides well, but the malty body is still very thick. Lots of chocolate and burnt coffee notes. Overall the best brew I have had from Cigar City. A perfect brew in cool weather. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 05:19:33 | More by saintwarrick