Cavalier Project Broadleaf Wayfinders A — Review

Project Broadleaf Wayfinders Review: 25 Grams of Tobacco and 91 Points

I recently smoked the 2026 Cavalier Geneve Project Broadleaf Wayfinders "A" 9 x 48, and the first thing that surprised me wasn't the flavor. It was the weight. At Mardo we try to teach about cigars, not just sell them, so let me start with the number that made me stop and pay attention.

Twenty-Five Grams. Let That Sink In.

I weighed this cigar myself. It came in at 25 grams. Here's why that number is worth talking about.

Your average Toro lands somewhere around 18 to 19 grams. A 6 x 60 Gordo, the kind of cigar people buy specifically because it's thick, usually sits at 23 to 24 grams. So this Wayfinders "A" outweighs a Gordo while carrying a ring gauge of only 48.

That tells you something a spec sheet can't. There is a serious amount of tobacco packed into a fairly slender cigar, and you can genuinely feel it between your fingers while you smoke. If ring gauge is how you usually judge how much cigar you're getting, our guide on whether ring gauge matters is worth a read, because this one is a great argument that it isn't the whole story.

Weight, in perspective

The Draw: Tight at First, Then It Opened Up

I'm not going to skip past this part. At first light, the draw was tighter than I would have preferred. That's an honest mark against the cigar and you deserve to know it before you buy one.

But context matters. This is a nine-inch cigar. That's a long column of tobacco to pull air through, and I decided to give it some patience rather than write it off early. Well into the second third, the draw began to open up nicely and stayed that way. If you pick one up, plan for that. Don't fight it in the first third.

Flavor: Coffee Bean, and Plenty of It

Coffee bean is the star here, and there is no shortage of it. That's the headline of my notes on the Project Broadleaf Wayfinders and I'm not going to dress it up into something more complicated.

What I noticed just as much is what wasn't there: very little pepper. That absence matters, because it let the natural character of the five-year-aged Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper come through instead of getting buried under spice. You get that familiar toothy, slightly vegetal quality that Broadleaf delivers, and then a pleasant sweet aftertaste that does an excellent job of smoothing everything out.

Those are my notes from my cigar. I'm not listing transitions I didn't experience or flavors I didn't find. If you want to understand the wrapper doing most of the talking here, our maduro cigar guide covers the dark wrapper family this leaf belongs to.

What This Blend Is Actually Trying to Do

Here's what I appreciate about it. The Project Broadleaf Wayfinders doesn't try to overwhelm you with unnecessary complexity. It isn't chasing a dozen flavor changes to prove it's sophisticated.

Instead it delivers an excellent representation of what I believe a true Connecticut Broadleaf purist is searching for. If you're someone who buys Broadleaf because you want to taste Broadleaf, this cigar is built for you. That's a narrower target than most releases aim at, and hitting it cleanly is harder than it sounds.

What I smoked

The 2026 Release, and Both Sizes

Wayfinders is the third installment in Cavalier Geneve's Project Broadleaf series, blended by founder Sebastien Decoppet and handcrafted in Honduras at the company's own Fabrica Centroamericana de Tabaco. Each cigar carries Cavalier's signature edible 24-karat gold leaf diamond, and both sizes come in boxes of 10.

This is a limited 2026 release, and right now both sizes are available for pre-order at Mardo. The "A" I smoked is $28, and the Robusto Extra, 5 7/8 x 52, is $17.

Cavalier GeneveCavalier Project Broadleaf Wayfinders “A” 9 x 48Pre-order the "A"

My Final Verdict

At $28 per cigar, this is a unique smoking experience, and I'm weighing that word carefully. The unusual nine-inch format, the dense construction and the distinctive blend with Indian tobacco in the filler add up to something you won't find elsewhere on the shelf.

The tight opening draw is real and I'm counting it. Everything after it was worth the patience: rich coffee bean, minimal pepper, honest Broadleaf character and a balanced sweet finish. That's why the Project Broadleaf Wayfinders earns 91 points from me. That's my personal rating from my own smoke, not an industry score or a publication's number.

Sebastien Decoppet and Cavalier Geneve did a great job with this release. If you're a Connecticut Broadleaf enthusiast, I highly recommend you give this one a try. Job well done, Cavalier!

Mardo Cigars sells premium tobacco products intended for adults 21 and older. Please enjoy responsibly.