Cigar Coop

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural

2012-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural

If you take a step back and look at the brand portfolio for Tatuaje Cigars, it is quite extensive. With such a large portfolio, it is only natural for some of the lines to become more popular than others. In the past few years, one set of Tatuaje lines that has gotten overlooked have been the Cabaiguan lines. This all changed in January 2012 when Cigar Aficionado named the of the blends - the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural as its #7 Cigar of the Year. When Cigar Aficionado gives you a top ten ranking, there usually is a spike in interest in the line. I recently sampled the Cabaiguan Guapo Natural - and this has proven to be one of the hidden gems in the Tatuaje portfolio.

The original Cabaiguan line was introduced as as a milder offering in 2006 by Tatuaje. That particular blend featured an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. The Cabaiguan Guapo is a variation of that blend featuring different wrappers, but the same binder and filler. One was done in a Connecticut Ecuadorian Sol (Ecuadorian Sun Grown) and another was done in Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. The idea behind these different wrappers were to "amp up the blend" a bit. In this assessment, we will explore the Connecticut Ecuadorian Sol offering - the Tatuaje Guapo Natural.

Our assessment will focus on the 46 ring gauge offering of the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapos - this differs from the one rated by Cigar Aficionado which was a 54 ring gauge.

Blend Profile

For completeness, here is the blend:

Wrapper: Connecticut Ecuadorian Sol (Ecuadorian Sun Grown)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua”

Vitolas Available

As mentioned, the 54 ring gauge "the Guapos vitola" was the one that achieved the #7 rating. It also was the original offering of the Guapos. Since that initial offering, three additional vitolas were added. The same vitolas are available for the Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf)

Guapos: 5 5/8 x 54
Guapos Rx: 5 1/4 x 50
Guapos 46: 5 5/8 x 46
Guapos Junior: 4 5/8 x 42

Appearance

As mentioned above, we will focus on the Guapos 46 (the 46 ring gauge offering) for this assessment. The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural can be a little difficult to distinguish from the original Cabaiguan. There are two differences with the Guapo Natural: 1) It has a pig-tail on the cap; 2) There is silver on the band.

Pig-tail cap of the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural

The Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper of the Cabaiguan is natural in color and silky.   While there are some visible veins, it is mostly a smooth wrapper.   The cap is highlighted by a pig-tail on it. Parts of the cigar had packing that felt a little loose with the tobacco, but overall it didn't really affect any of the smoking attributes

The band is a simple one - one par for the course with the Tatuaje line. It is yellow, white, and silver in color. All of the fonts are black. On a yellow background, there is a calligraphy-style C in the middle of the band with the text "Cabaiguan" under it. To the left and right of the "C" are the words "Hand" and "Made" to the left and right respectively.   The top and bottom of the band feature the silver striping unique to the Cabaiguan. There is also a row of white circles between the silver stripes and the yellow background.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my smoke, I opted to place a straight cut into the cap of my Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo. A lot of times, people will pull the pig-tail cap, but I still prefer a straight cut. I commenced with the pre-light draw and was treated to an interesting combination wood and pepper to start. The dry draw notes followed up with some floral and mint notes.   I was intrigued by the Cabaiguan Guapo's pre-light draw flavors, so it was time to fire up my cigar and see what the smoking experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profiles

One thing I have discovered is that a complex flavor profile can take on one of two forms - it can undergo a large amount of flavor transitions and/or it can have a lot of flavor nuances. The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural is the type of complex cigar that is going to subscribe to the latter form.

The start to the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural was similar to the pre-light draw. It started out with some wood and pepper notes in the forefront with the mint and floral flavors as secondary. About five percent into the smoking experience, some cream notes entered the equation. It was around this point where the flavors started to mesh together nicely. The pepper spice faded into the background, but the wood, mint, floral, and cream notes were left to battle for which was the primary note.

The flavor profile would hold for a good part of the smoking experience.   As the smoke crossed the midway point, the spice made a comeback and joined the other notes. At this point the spice had more of a cedar feel to it. The spice now entered the equation with all of the other notes mentioned above.   Toward the end, the flavors got a little harsh. The finish though did have an ideal nub - cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural scored high in the construction attributes of burn and draw. At the same time, this proved to be a low maintenance cigar to smoke - in other words, it's a true joy to smoke. The burn to the Guapo Natural was straight throughout the smoking experience. It required very little in the way of touch-ups to keep it burning straight. The burn rate and temperature were ideal (I was a little worried about this based on the fact there was some loose packing on the pre-smoke inspection of the cigar) The draw was flawless and could not scored better.

Strength and Body

The Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper was intended to amp this cigar a little more from the Connecticut Shade version. Still this isn't going to be a cigar that is going to overwhelm you with nicotine.   I assessed the strength of the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Natural to be mild to medium. As for the flavors, these are going to your classic medium-bodied flavor notes. In the end, there still is enough depth on the flavors to shine - and this balances very nicely against mild to medium strength of this cigar.

Final Thoughts

This cigar proved not only to be a hidden gem in the Tatuaje line, but was a true home run of a cigar. This is one of the best cigars I have had from Tatuaje. It proves that Tatuaje can build a cigar in the mild to medium spectrum.   The mild to medium strength of this cigar makes this a perfect cigar to introduce the novice enthusiast to the Tatuaje line. At the same time, the experienced cigar enthusiast will appreciate the nuances in the flavor profile. Overall, this is the type of cigar that I would purchase again - or consider this for a box purchase.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: The cigar(s) for this assessment were purchased from Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cigar Preview: 2012 Punch Rare Corojo Release

2012-02-14T17:28:00.003-08:00

Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary (2011)

General Cigars will once again release it's limited run Punch Rare Corojo line this March according to a report on Cigar Aficionado.com.

The 2012 release will feature two blends. First up, the special Punch Rare Corojo10th Anniversary blend, that was released last year will once again make a limited run appearance. The 10th Anniversary blend was different than previous Rare Corojo annual releases in that it utilized a special Connecticut Corojo wrapper and was only available in a 5 x 50 robusto.

Joining the Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary Blend will be seven sizes of the traditional Punch Rare Corojo. This particular blend was highlighted a special Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.

According to the report, the releases will be run from March 1st to May 31st. No specifics on quantities were reported.

Blend Profile

Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary
Wrapper: Connecticut Corojo
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican (Piloto Cubano)

Punch Rare Corojo
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican (Piloto Cubano)

Vitolas Available

Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary
Robusto: 5 x 50

Punch Rare Corojo
Champion: 4 1/2 x 60
Double Corona: 6 3/4 x 48
El Doble: 6 x 60
Elite: 5 1/4 x 45
Magnum: 5 1/4 x 54
Pita: 6 1/8 x 50
Rothschild: 4 1/2 x 50

Cigar Preview: Viaje White Label Project (WLP) Candela 2012

2012-02-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

Viaje WLP Candela 2012 - linked to Andre Farkas Facebook

Andre Farkas, founder of Viaje Cigars posted a picture today of the 2012 Viaje White Label Project (WLP) Candela. The timetable for this release has not been announced, but since the 2011 release was targeted for St. Patrick's Day, it might be a safe assumption that this release will probably be targeted around the same time.

Farkas noted that the 2012 WLP Candela will be a 5 x 52 robusto. This is a change from the 2011 WLP Candela which was a 5 x 50 robusto. No information on whether the blend was tweaked or not. The 2011 version used Nicaraguan binder and fillers wrapped with a candela wrapper. Most likely these will also be available in small batches to authorized Viaje retailers.

The White Label Project (WLP)is a series of cigars that are deemed somewhat experimental by Viaje. The 2011 WLP was Viaje's first foray into candela wrapper.

In 2011, we were very big fans of the 2011 WLP Candela and had this ranked as our #28 cigar for 2011.

We will have more information as this is made available.

2011 Viaje WLP Candela (left and right), Viaje Exclusivo Short (Middle)

Cigar Review: Perdomo Exhibición Exhibit Sun Grown

2012-02-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown

In July, we previewed a new line of cigars launched by Tabacalera Perdomo at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show. This line of cigars is called the Perdomo Exhibición. The Perdomo Exhibición line is built similar to many of the other Perdomo lines - namely providing three different wrapper options over a common binder and filler blend. This has proven to be a successful approach for Perdomo cigars because not only creates variations in the flavor profile, but allows Perdomo to reach a wide range of cigar enthusiasts. In this assessment, we take a look at the Perdomo Exhibición Exhibit Sun Grown. Overall, this was a nice smoke and delivered a solid smoking experience.

For the Perdomo Exhibición line, there are three wrappers that have been utilized:

Perdomo Exhibición Exhibit Connecticut (Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade)
Perdomo Exhibición Exhibit Sun Grown (Nicaraguan Sun Grown)
Perdomo Exhibición Exhibit Maduro (Nicaraguan Maduro)

With the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown, this is intended to the "medium" offering in the series.   Let's break down this cigar in more detail.

Blend Profile

The Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown utilizes a Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobacco. All of the Perdomo Exhibición cigars use Perdomo's bourbon barrel aging process. The Sun Grown wrapper is then aged an additional 10 months.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban Seed Nicaraguan (4 Year Condega Seco, 5 Year Jalapa Viso, 6 Year Ligero)

Vitolas Available

Each blend of the Perdomo Exhibición comes in four sizes. They are also sold in boxes of 20. The interesting thing is that all of the cigars have the 54 ring gauge.

Robusto: 5 x 54
Toro: 6 x 54
Churchill: 7 x 54
Torpedo: 7 x 54

Appearance

For this cigar assessment, I opted to sample the Toro vitola of the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown. From inspecting the wrapper, it seemed to be lighter than many other sun grown wrappers I've seen. The best way to put it is that the wrapper is a few degrees darker than an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. The wrapper itself was quite bumpy.   It was toothy, had visible wrapper seams, and some blemishes. The wrapper had a true "hand rolled" theme to it.   The aroma on the foot was a combination of farm and cedar notes.

I found the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown band to be one of the nicer designs on a Perdomo band. The band features a burgundy background on the front with the traditional gold Tabacalera Perdomo sunburst logo. There is a "P" in white font in the middle surrounded by a circle and flanked by "Tabacalera Perdomo" also in white font. The top of the band features "Perdomo" and the bottom features " Exhibicion". The back of the band has a black background in the middle with gold pinstriping on a white background on the top and bottom. On the left side of the back, "Exhibit" Sun Grown is in script in gold font on a burgundy panel. On the right side of the back, "Factory Aged" is in scrpt in gold font on a burgundy panel.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my cigar experience Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown Toro, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with a pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a nice mix of butter and cedar. There was a little bit of a bitter aftertaste on the pre-light draw, but for the most part the pre-light draw was satisfactory. At this point, I was prepared to light my Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown cigar and see what the experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown started with some pepper.   The pepper than transitioned to more of a cedar spice.   This was quickly followed by a blast of orange citrus flavors. The orange citrus blended with the cedar spice to create a classic cigar "sweet spice".   Around five percent into the cigar experience, the citrus diminished and some wood notes emerged.

Most of the first half of the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown had the citrus notes alternating with the wood notes as to which was the primary flavor note. Throughout the first half, the cedar spice remained in the background. As the cigar moved into the second half, the cedar and wood notes moved to the forefront and the citrus notes were secondary.   As the cigar moved to a close, the finish was a little on the harsh side. The resulting nub was soft and on the warm side.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown scored very well. While the ash was a little flaky from time to time, it did burn straight and required few touch-ups. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.   The draw did not score as well. While I usually like a little resistance on the draw, this was a tight draw. I seemed to have to fight this cigar from start to finish and the draw never opened up.

Strength and Body

This cigar was billed as a "medium" in the Perdomo Exhibición line.   From a strength perspective, this cigar had a little more power than I was expecting.   I feel it had enough strength to be considered medium to full strength. As for the body, the flavors did have some depth to them. Again, there was probably more depth to these notes than I originally anticipated. I also assessed this as medium to full when it came to body. The strength and body complemented each other nicely.

Final Thoughts

As with other cigars in the Perdomo family, Perdomo is absorbing the SCHIP tax - and the company must be given credit for that.   The Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown was the first cigar of the Exhibición blend that I smoked. Normally, I don't gravitate toward sun grown wrappers, but this wasn't a bad smoke. If the draw was better and the cigar had a better finish, this cigar would have scored better. While this might be a little stronger than a novice enthusiast may be used to, I think this is a good smoke for them to gravitate to. Experienced cigar enthusiasts who like a citrus-spin to a cigar should enjoy this as well. As I said up-front, this was a solid cigar, and I would smoke it again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Fair
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish Fair
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Union Cigar Company in Monroe NC.

Assessment Updates: Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial and El Triunfador (Original Blend)

2012-02-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

Assessment Updates will be posted on this web-site to: 1) Assess "pre-review" cigars that were not given a rating or score (typically pre-release cigars); 2) Provide numeric ratings to cigars previously assessed prior to the implementation of the numeric scoring system. Today, we assign numeric ratings to two previously assessed cigars from Tatuaje Cigars - the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial and the El Triunfador Original Blend.

Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial

Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial

The Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial was the third cigar released by Tatuaje cigars in the "7th vitola". The "7th" is actually a 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda vitola. There were two releases in this vitola: - the Seleccion de Cazador 7th features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, while the Tatuaje Reserva 7th features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial adds another wrapper to the collection- this time an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The binder and filler are Nicaraguan Garcia family tobaccos.

The 7th Capa Especial as a highly complex flavor profile. It starts out with flavors of coffee and espresso and transitions midway to notes of citrus, nut and tea. Also present are notes of pepper and leather. This is well-balanced medium to full strength, medium to full-bodied cigar On this scoring of the cigar, this had a much better draw than originally assessed.

Here is the original assessment of the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial

Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

El Triunfador (Original Blend) by Tatuaje

El Triunfador Original Blend by Tatuaje

El Triunfador was the name of an old Cuban line of cigars. The brand name was resurrected and turned into a line of cigars by Tatuaje head Pete Johnson. Most of the cigars in this line utilize an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, but the first cigar to be branded with El Triunfador by Johnson actually uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.

The El Triunfador Original Blend utilizes Nicaraguan binder and filler. It is only available in one vitola - a 7 1/2 x 38 lancero (there also is an Ecuadorian Habano lancero called the El Triunfador No. 6)

The flavor profile consists of notes of coffee, espresso, pepper/cedar spice, cherry sweetness, and hazelnut. This is a medium strength cigar that starts out medium to full-bodied and graduates to full-bodied. This cigar also has had a consistently solid burn and draw.

Here is the original assessment of the El Triunfador Original Blend.

Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89

Cigar Pre-Review: E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012

2012-02-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012

In 2010, E.P. Carrillo launched their first "Short Run" blend.   The Short Run series is meant to be exactly what the name implies - a limited run cigar. The first cigar was the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 (our #15 cigar for 2010) followed by the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011. Following the release of the 2011, there were some questions on whether E.P. Carrillo would produce a Short Run 2012. E.P. Carrillo fans can rejoice because indeed a Short Run 2012 is about to be released. This one is called the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012. This cigar was an experimental effort by EPC and it proves to be a successful one. I've recently had an opportunity to smoke a pre-release sample and this cigar is nothing short of a home run.

The NWC in the NWC Short Run 2012 plays a key part in the experiment. The NWC stands for "New Wave Connecticut".   The NWC Short run 2012 uses the same Ecuadorian Connecticut as the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Cigar. The core of the experiment is that it utilizes the binder and filler from the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro.   This is different than the Short Run 2010 and Short Run 2011 which were blends built from the ground up. One interesting point is that NWC Short Run 2012 takes tobaccos from our top two E.P. Carrillo cigars we ranked for 2011 (the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro was #8 while the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut was #30).

I can tell you that I exchanged an email message with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo III and he is fired up about this cigar hitting the market. He has good reason to be excited. Let's take a closer look at the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012. As with all pre-release cigars, we will do a "pre-review" to describe the experience with the cigar, but will hold off on a final assessment rating and score until this is released.

Blend Profile

Here are the official components that make up the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut (wrapper from the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut)
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf (wrapper from the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro)
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican (filler from the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro)

Vitolas Available

There will be three offerings. There will be 1000 boxes of 24 per vitola are being produced. (For a total of 72,000 cigars). These sizes are consistent with the Short Run 2010 and Short Run 2011 offerings.

Exquisitos: 4 7/8 x 50
Invictos: 5 7/8 x 52
Reinados: 6 1/4 x 60

Appearance

For this cigar assessment, I sampled the Invictos (a toro size) vitola. Given that this uses the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut wrapper, the NWC Short Run 2012 does have a strong resemblance to that cigar.   The wrapper is a classic light brown Connecticut shade. It has a rougher feel to it. The wrapper itself is somewhat toothy. There are some dark spots on it, but I did not see any frog eyes (green spots).

The Short Run 2012 differs from its E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut by having a second band. The first band is the same red, yellow, beige, and gold wrapper found on the core E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut.   There is a second white band that says "Short Run" in gold font. To the left and right of that text is the year "2012" (also in gold font). This is the first Short Run release to put the year on the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012 Invictos, I went with my usual straight-cut into the cap. Once I started with the pre-light draw, I was treated to some notes of wood, cedar spice, and berry. The dry draw notes were outstanding. At this point, it was time to toast the foot of my Short Run 2012 and begin the cigar experience.

Flavor Profile

The start of the cigar experience to the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012 continued many of the notes I had on the pre-light draw. I still detected the notes of berry and wood. Early on, the spice took on more of a form of black pepper. The pepper did have a slight increase once the cigar experience started.

At the five percent mark, the pepper subsided a bit and some cream notes surfaced. The cream notes were bolder than most cream notes - they almost had a milk-like quality to it. Throughout this smoking experience, while the NWC Short Run 2012 did not undergo a lot of flavor transitions, it had plenty in the way of flavor nuances.   The flavors of berry, wood, cream, and spice all complemented each other quite a bit as this cigar burned.

The spice became more cedar-like toward the end of the first third, and became a little more prevalent on the after-draw. The berry sweetness would subside more in the last third. There was a little up-swing in the cedar spice toward the finish, but overall the NWC Short Run 2012 finished smoothly. The resulting nub was a little soft, but it burned cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The construction of the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012 was outstanding. This cigar scores very high in the attributes of burn and draw.   The burn remained razor sharp throughout the entire smoking experience. The cigar needed minimal touch-ups. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal. This was most impressive considering I smoked this within 24 hours of receiving this pre-release sample. The draw was effortless. I use this cliché a lot, but it applies here: this is the kind of draw that made this cigar a true joy to smoke.

Strength and Body

Historically, many Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper cigars have a reputation for being in the mild range for both strength and body. Over the past couple of years, this has changed as we are seeing more and more of these cigars cross into the medium range for strength and even medium to full for body. From a strength perspective, the original E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut was a mild strength cigar.   The NWC Short Run 2012 does have some more strength to it. It doesn't quite make it to medium strength and I still assess it as mild to medium.

The body is really the story with this cigar. I came very close to saying the flavors had enough depth to be considered full-bodied. Overall, I assessed this as one of the few Ecuadorian Connecticut cigars to be medium to full in body (last year, the Xen by Nish Patel also qualified for this range). There must be something magical in those Core Line Maduro binder and filler tobaccos that give this cigar a bold flavor. Overall, since this isn't a very strong cigar, it does allow the flavors to really shine well.

Final Thoughts

We had the original E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut as a Top 30 cigar. Many other people included the original New Wave cigar on their end of the year "best" lists. While the original was a great cigar, the NWC Short Run 2012 is even better. There is no doubt this cigar will be talked about on this web-site when we look at our 2012 countdown. As I said up front, this cigar is nothing short of a home run and may rank among the top E.P. Carrillo releases ever. It's a great cigar for a novice enthusiast who really wants to sample something flavorful. An experienced cigar enthusiast will love what this cigar brings to the table as well. This is something I'd consider purchasing a box of - a highly recommended cigar in my book.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good

Source: This cigars for this assessment were provided to myself from E.P. Carrillo. The request was initiated by E.P. Carrillo to myself (Cigar Coop) to provide an assessment.   Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this plays no role in a final assessment rating.

Cigar Preview: My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary Robusto Box Pressed

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Picture linked from Atlantic Cigars.com

Slowly but surely, My Father Cigars is becoming a power player in retail exclusive cigars. Atlantic Cigars has announced that a My Father cigar will be made available as a part of their 15th anniversary series. This one is called the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary Robusto Box Pressed.

The My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary is the second cigar released as a part of Atlantic Cigar's 15th anniversary series (the first was a Viaje Exclusivo Lancero). This cigar is a variation of the core My Father line blend - and has been made available in a box-press robusto.

The cigars are denoted by an exclusive second green colored band denoted this the Atlantic Cigars anniversary cigar. It is placed just under the core My Father cigars band.

Blend Profile

Atlantic Cigars has said the big difference in this blend from the core My Father line blend is that there have been some tweaks to the Nicaraguan fillers.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

This cigar will be only made available in a 5 1/2 x 52. The plan is that 400 boxes of 15 have been produced (6000 cigars).

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI (Tatuaje Red Label)

2012-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje Havana VI

As Tatuaje Cigars continues to grow its line of both core and limited edition cigars, there are many existing lines that sometimes get overlooked. One such line is the Tatuaje Havana VI line - or more commonly known as the "Tatuaje Red Label".   There is some reasoning behind the name Havana VI. First up, this cigar line is touted as being a cigar made in traditional Cuban "Havana" style. As for the "VI", this goes back to the fact that originally there were six vitolas made available (since then there have been more). There actually is a third twist to the name (I'll get to that later). As for the smoke itself, the Tatuaje Havana VI proves to be an outstanding core line in the Tatuaje portfolio and one that can appeal to a wide range of cigar enthusiasts.

Tatuaje Havana VI was introduced back in 2006, so the blend has been around for quite a while.   Tatuaje founder Pete Johnson once again teamed up with the Garcia family to produce the Havana VI. The Tatuaje web-site listed this cigar as being made at the My Father Cigars factory and blended by Jaime Garcia.

Let's break down the Tatuaje Havana VI and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

Overall, the blend is not a very complicated one, but it does get the job done:

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

Originally, the Tatuaje Havana VI was released in six vitolas. The core line of this blend has been extended to eight. There have been some variations in limited releases, but we will focus on the core vitolas here:

Original Core Line Vitolas
Hermosos - Corona Gorda: 5 5/8 x 46
Angeles -Petite Corona: 4 5/8 x 42
Victorias - Corona Especial: 6 x 38
Artistas - Torpedo: 6 1/8 x 52
Nobles - Robusto: 5 x 50
Almirantes - Churchill: 7 x 47

Added Core Line Vitolas
Gorditos - Toro Grande: 5 1/2 x 56
Verocu No. 5: 4 x 40

If you look at the first letter of each of the original six core line vitolas, it spells out "H-A-V-A-N-A", thus a play on the name Havana VI.

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I sampled the Nobles vitola - which is a classic robusto size. The Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles is highlighted by its Habano wrapper. The wrapper has a natural color that has a slight caramel look to it. It is also slightly oily in appearance, yet feels slightly rough to the touch. From inspecting the wrapper, it has some veins and a toothy appearance to it.   The cap is a classic Cuban-style triple cap

The band has "Tatuaje" in a white font on a red background - thus the name "red label" has become common.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles, I went with my normal straight cut into the Cuban-style cap. I commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes treated me to a healthy dose of black pepper followed by some caramel sweetness. Overall, I considered this to be a solid pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to fire up my Tatuaje Havana VI and begin the full cigar experience.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Tatuaje Havana VI continued the mix of black pepper and caramel sweetness. There was definitely a classic Garcia pepper blast to start.   The mix of pepper and caramel fuses to more of a unique sweet spice. This sweet spice holds for the duration of the smoking experience.

From time to time throughout the smoking experience, occasionally the caramel sweetness that was present early on does resurface for a quick spurt. As the Tatuaje VI enters the second third, there is more of a woody element that is present with the sweet spice. This flavor profile holds until the end of the smoking experience.   While I wouldn't categorize the finish to this smoke as "smooth", it certainly is not rough or harsh. The Nobles vitola finished with a nice firm and cool nub (Note: the Artisas torpedo vitolas did not have as good a finish). This is the way a cigar should finish.

Burn and Draw

This cigar lives up to Tatuaje's reputation for high quality - and this is reflected in the construction attributes of burn and draw.   The Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles burned relatively straight requiring very few touch-ups. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal. The draw was very good on this cigar. In the end the draw of the Havana VI made a very enjoyable smoking experience.

Strength and Body

When the Tatuaje Havana VI line was introduced, this was meant as more "medium" alternative to the Tatuaje Cazadores (Brown label line).   The Havana VI lives up to this reputation from a strength perspective. I'd categorize this as a classic medium-strength cigar. At the end of the cigar, the strength does cross over to medium to full. However, the flavors to the Havana VI should not be overlooked. I found many of the flavors to be bold throughout the smoking experience. I'd still classify the Tatuaje Havana VI as a full-bodied smoke.   The strength does not overshadow the body - allowing the flavors to shine on this cigar.

Final Thoughts

I started this assessment by saying I thought the Tatuaje Havana VI blend was one of the underrated lines from Tatuaje - and I stand by that statement. This cigar delivers very good flavor - without overpowering you. The one knock on this cigar I can think of is that it is not the most complex cigar in terms of flavor transitions.   I also mentioned this cigar can appeal to a wide range of enthusiasts. This is the perfect cigar to graduate the novice cigar enthusiast to something full-bodied without overwhelming them.   This is also a perfect "any time of the day" smoke for the experienced cigar enthusiast. Overall, I found this to be a very positive cigar experience - and one I look forward to experiencing again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium (Medium to Full at the end)
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 90

Source: This cigar was gifted to me in a cigar exchange.

Cigar Review: La Aurora 107

2012-02-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

La Aurora 107

Two years ago, La Aurora unveiled the La Aurora 107 cigar. This cigar was released to celebrate La Aurora's 107th anniversary, thus the cigar was appropriately named. This cigar received a high amount of fanfare from cigar enthusiasts nationwide and many had it as one of their top cigars for 2010.   I recently have had a chance to revisit this blend again. Overall, I was much more pleased with the La Aurora 107 than I was a couple of years ago.

The La Aurora 107 blend was worked on by both Guillermo Leon and Jose Blanco (while he still was with La Aurora). The cigar (as all La Aurora cigars) is exclusively distributed in the United States by Miami Cigar and Company.

Let's begin the assessment of the La Aurora 107 cigar:

Blend Profile

The blend of the La Aurora 107 features tobaccos from three countries:

Wrapper: Sun-grown Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

There are six core vitolas available in the 107 blend:

Belicoso: 6.25 x 52
Toro: 5.5 x 54
Robusto: 4.5 x 50
Lancero: 6 7/8 x 40
Gran 107: 7 x 58
Corona: 5 1/2 x 43

Appearance

For this cigar assessment, I sampled the La Aurora 107 Robusto. The wrapper of this cigar had a dark natural look to it. The wrapper has an oily complexion to it. The 107 is also a bit toothy and it definitely has visible veins. On the foot, the cigar has a feint farm-like aroma to it.

The band is red, orange, gold, and white. A lion is center stage on the middle of the band. In red font, "La Aurora" and "107" is positioned above and below the lion respectively.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my La Aurora 107 Robusto, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a very interesting mix of orange citrus, butter, and a little pepper. The pre-light draw was definitely more memorable than from I remembered from a couple of years ago. At this point, it was time to fire up my La Aurora 107 and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws of the La Aurora 107 continued the orange citrus notes I had picked up on the pre-light draw. The start to this cigar definitely yielded some sweet notes on the tongue. Around ten percent into the cigar experience, some notes of leather entered the equation. The leather melded nicely with the orange citrus and helped balance the sweetness nicely. I also picked up some notes of black pepper on the after draw.

By the mid-point of the cigar experience, some classic wood notes entered the equation. The sweetness diminished again. The leather and wood notes would take center stage as far as the flavor went while the citrus notes joined the pepper notes on the after draw.

In the last 25 percent, I detected some butter notes as secondary notes. It provided a nice smoothness to the finish of this cigar. The resulting nub was cool and firm - the way a cigar should finish.

Burn and Draw

As far as the burn goes, the La Aurora 107 scored some high grades here.   For the most part, the burn stayed straight and did not involve a lot of touch-ups. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.   The draw to this cigar could have been better.   In each of the three samples I had, the draw was extremely tight in the early stages, and I had to work this cigar harder than I would have liked. In the end, I don't think it impacted the burn or flavor profile, but it still was an inconvenience. I'm more inclined to chalk this up to the batch where these samples came from as a couple of years ago, I did not have an issue with the draw.

Strength and Body

The La Aurora 107 does a very good job at providing a balance between strength and body.   From a strength perspective, the La Aurora 107 did not overpower me with nicotine. I assessed this cigar as a classic medium-strength cigar. As for the body, the flavors of the La Aurora 107 were bolder than I remembered. In the end, I assessed the La Aurora 107 as a medium to full-bodied smoke.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought there was more in the way of complexity and bolder flavors than when I first sampled the La Aurora 107 two years ago. This is the perfect cigar for a novice enthusiast looking to graduate to a medium strength cigar that has bolder flavors. Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the complexity and boldness of the flavors.   This is the kind of cigar that can satisfy me any time of the day - and one that I would definitely smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Fair
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigar(s) for this assessment were provided by an authorized representative of Miami Cigars.

Cigar Preview: E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012

2012-02-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012

E.P. Carrillo is getting ready to launch their 2012 entry to the "Short Run" series. This cigar will be called the E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012. This is good news for E.P. Carrillo fans as there was some word last year that there would not be a Short Run 2012. For the 2012 offering, E.P. Carrillo switches gears a bit and borrows a couple of things from their core line offerings.

As implied by the name, "Short Run" implies limited edition - meaning the cigar is meant to be produced in a limited batch on a yearly basis. In 2010, E.P. Carrillo launched the inaugural "Short Run", the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 (our #15 cigar for 2010). This was followed up a year later by the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011. In both cases, these were blends built from the ground up.

Blend Profile

For those who are not aware, E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut is where the NWC comes from. This was a core line that was launched by E.P. Carrillo in 2011 and was very successful (this was our #30 cigar for 2011). With the success of the New Wave Connecticut, E.P. Carrillo decided to leverage the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper that was used on that cigar for the 2012 Short Run.

Another core line that was introduced was the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro. This cigar was also widely successful and placed #8 on our 2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown. Tobaccos from this blend were incorporated into the binder and filler of this cigar. The most interesting thing is the use of the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper from the Core Line Maduro as the binder on the NWC Short Run 2012.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut (wrapper from the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut)
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf (wrapper from the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro)
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican (filler from the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro)

Vitolas Available

There will be three offerings. The word is that only 1000 boxes of 24 per vitola are being produced. (For a total of 72,000 cigars)

Exquisitos: 4 7/8 x 50 (SRP $6.35)
Invictos 5 7/8 x 52 (SRP $7.10)
Reinados: 6 1/4 x 60 (SRP $8.60)

Online retailers CVM cigars and Famous Smoke Shops are listing this product at the time this article was written.

Updated (2/10/12): Photo of E.P. Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012

Updated (2/11/02): Click here for our assessment of the pre-release of this cigar.

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008

2012-02-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008

Over the past few weeks, we have sampled various releases from the Rocky Patel Seasonal Collection. This line by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars were a series of limited run cigars meant to coincide with each of the four seasons.   This series was discontinued in 2009, but with was brought back to life with the release of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012. As a result, there has been some renewed interest among cigar enthusiasts for this collection. Today we look at an older release from the series - the Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008.   Overall, while I am not convinced this was a cigar that fit in with the theme of "summer", I found this to be a solid cigar.

The Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 was the first release of the Seasonal Collection series. These cigars sold pretty fast once they hit the retailer shelves. The cigar was produced in A.J. Fernandez's Tafenic factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. For this particular blend, they happened to make a lancero vitola available - which was the only time a lancero was produced in the Seasonal Collection. In this assessment, we will focus around the lancero.

Let's take a closer look at the Rocky Patel Summer Collection.

Blend Profile

The Rocky Patel Summer Collection features tobaccos from three countries and two continents. Most notable in the blend is the use of a Cameroon binder.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 was produced in limited quantities.   The cigar was sold 20 to a box. As mentioned, this is the only blend of the Seasonal Collection series that was made in a lancero.

Lancero: 7 x 38
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
Toro Grande: 6 x 58

Appearance

The lighting in the picture gives the Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 a lighter colored appearance, but I would actually consider this to be a "dark natural" wrapper. It is not quite a regular natural wrapper, but it is not a chocolate colored wrapper either. This is a classic lancero in that it has toothy and veiny qualities to it. There also is a pigtail on the cap. The cigar has a farmhouse aroma to it on the foot.

The Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 contains two bands. The first band contains the "RP" Rocky Patel on a red circular background.   The RP logo is surrounded by a circle of small silver circles. Under the logo it says "2009" in black font.   There is a gold stripe at the top and a gold stripe at the bottom. There is also a gold stripe that is almost like a "ribbon" around the RP logo. On that stripe, it says "Summer" and "Collection" to the left and right respectively. As for the second band, it is a gold background with Rocky Patel in black Font. There is a red stripe at top and bottom.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 lancero, I opted to clip the cap of the cigar as opposed to remove the pig-tail. After the cut, I commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw flavors started woody, and then progressed to cedary and citrus notes. At this point, it was time to fire up my Summer Collection 2008 cigar and see what else would be in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws of the Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 started with some wood and pepper notes.   This quickly settles into a combination of coffee and citrus notes with some pepper through the nostrils. The early stages of the Summer Collection 2008 had the coffee notes as primary and citrus notes as secondary.   Around the 15 percent mark, I detected some cedar notes that were more tertiary.

As the cigar progressed toward the end of the first third, I noticed the coffee, citrus, and cedar notes began to swap positions and rotate between primary, secondary, and tertiary. This continued into the second half where the citrus and cedar notes finally took control and the coffee notes diminished to more of the background. As the cigar experience moved into the final stages, the cedar spice notes would take center stages. There was still some coffee and citrus, but spice would be the quality around the finish. While the finish was spicy, it was not harsh. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn and Draw

Overall, the Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 had a very good burn. For the most part it had a straight burn that required few touch-ups.   The burn temperature and burn rate were ideal. As for the draw, it was a little tight. Normally I don't mind a little resistance on a draw, but this one required more effort than I would have preferred.

Strength and Body

The Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2008 was not a cigar that overpowered me from a nicotine or flavor depth level. It does a good job at balancing the attributes of strength and body.   From a strength perspective, this cigar did not pack a major punch - but it still had enough to qualify it as a medium strength cigar. The flavor notes had some depth, but they were not the most deep - making this a medium-bodied cigar. The medium-bodied flavor notes made this a smooth smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

It should be noted that I happened to be lucky enough to find a retailer that had this on the shelf about three months ago. I put this in my humidor for a while, but I was curious to see what time/age had done to this blend. In this case, I'm wondering if the age dulled the flavors a little bit. It seemed like the Summer Collection 2008 always had a little more body to the flavors. I also never got a feel that this was a cigar I'd want to smoke on a warm summer day. Overall, I found this a cigar that could either go to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast.   As for myself, I still preferred (when they were out) the robusto and toro vitolas in this cigar - but the lancero also provided a nice change. This would be a cigar I'd smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Cigars, Etc. in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Toraño Family Cigar Co. Announces Winner of Grand Prize Trip to Arrington Vineyards

2012-02-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Miami,FL) February 6, 2012—Toraño FamilyCigar Co. is happy to announce Timothy Hudson as the grand prize winner ofthe month-long Toraño-Arrington wine fridge contest. This contest saw 25 luckywinners walk away with a Toraño branded stainless steel wine fridge and thegrand prize winner being awarded a weekend trip to Nashville, Tennessee tovisit Arrington Vineyards.

Timothy Hudson of Allentown, Michigan, who is an avid fan of Toraño brands, heard about the Toraño-Arrington contest and decided to make a trip with his brother to the nearest participating cigar store, Jenuwine Cigar Factory Outlet in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Hudson was originally introduced to smoking cigars while playing cards with friends. He quickly moved up to premium handmade cigars and notes that one of his favorites is the highly rated Toraño Exodus1959. While at Jenuwine and having a smoke and sampling the Arrington Vineyards-Toraño Antebellum Private Barrel Reserve wine, Timothy entered the contest by purchasing a box of Exodus. Timothy was later excited to hear that he won the raffle for the stainless steel wine fridge and was about to get a bigger surprise after he was automatically entered to win the grand prize.

A few weeks later at Toraño headquarters in Miami,Florida, Toraño Family Cigar Co. President, Charlie Toraño, reached his hand into a drawing box and pulled out thewinning entry awarding the grand prize trip to Timothy Hudson. Timothy saidthat he was floored when he received a call from Jack Toraño. After gatheringhis thoughts he could only laugh out loud as he remembered that he promised totake his brother on the trip if he were to win. Timothy stated with a grin thathe would envision taking his girlfriend to Arrington Vineyards for a romanticgetaway, and then jokingly said that he spoke too soon by inviting his brother.Jokes aside, he said that spending a weekend with his brother while smoking cigarsand drinking award winning wines is more than he could ask for.

The grand prize trip to Nashville, Tennessee willbe an all-expense paid weekend experience with the highlight being a VIP visitto Arrington Vineyards complete with a tasting of their exquisite wines. Kip Summers, the winemaker and one ofArrington Vineyards’ partners with KixBrooks (of Brooks and Dunn fame), will lead the tour and wine tasting. Alsoon the agenda will be a gourmet lunch on the outdoor bistro tables overlooking75 acres of sheer beauty. Timothy will enjoy some of Toraño’s finest cigars asthey are joined by Charlie Torañohimself. The experience of smoking some of the finest cigars, while sipping onaward winning wines, will surely be a treat for any true cigar & wine enthusiast.

Aleader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four generationcompany currently based in Miami, FL. It enjoys a rich heritage and history intobacco growing and manufacturing. For more information: www.Toraño.com. Pleasealso follow Toraño on Facebook: Toraño A family Cigar Company or on Twitter: @TORAÑOFAMCIGARS.

Also, for more information on Arrington Vineyards, please go to www.Arringtonvineyards.com

Source: This press release was sent by Toraño Family Cigar Company. Cigar Coop will post press releases as a service to all cigar companies that choose to send Cigar Coop press releases.

Cigar Review: Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4

2012-02-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4

The Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series was first introduced by La Flor Dominicana back in 2006. This was a limited release Dominican puro that used the concept of taking the best tobaccos from Litto Gomez's La Canela farm from a single crop year. At the end of 2011, the fourth Small Batch blend was released - appropriately titled - the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4.   This release marked a major change in that the Dominican Sumatra wrapper that was used on the first three Small Batch blends was replaced by a Dominican Pelo de Oro. Overall, I found the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 to be a very good cigar, but one that fell a little short of its predecessor, the Small Batch No. 3.

The idea of blending from a single farm's crop from a single year is something that is commonly done in the wine industry. It also is something that has had precedence in the cigar industry - namely harvesting the tobaccos from a single farm from a single year to produce a cigar blend. There are other cigar companies that have done this - most notably Tatuaje with the La Verite series and Toraño's Single Region cigar. La Flor Dominicana actually was one of the first companies to do this as they originated the concept in 1999 and released the first LG Diez Small Batch in 2006.

Let's break down the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 4:

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the Small Batch No. 4 with the other releases. As with all of LG Diez Small Batch releases, they are shipped in cabinets of 105 cigars. As mentioned above, the Small Batch No. 4 is the first of the series to use a Dominican Pelo de Oro wrapper (as opposed to the Dominican Sumatra wrapper)

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4
Wrapper: Dominican Pelo de Oro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2011
Production: Approximately 26,250 cigars (250 boxes)

For historical purposes, here are the other releases of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series:

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 1
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2006
Production: Approximately 20,000 cigars.

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 2
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 6.5 x 54
Release Year: 2007
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars.

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2010
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars

Appearance

While it is a different wrapper, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 , there are a lot of similarities to the Small Batch No. 3. Like the Small Batch No. 3, the Small Batch No. 4 has a rosado/colorado color to it. The Small Batch No. 4 contains some of the black marbling that has been a trademark of the Small Batch series. Another set of similarities is that both wrappers have an oily appearance and both feel rougher when you touch them. The big difference that I saw was that the wrapper to the Small Batch No. 4 was more toothy and veiny than the Small Batch No. 3.

Tha band is the classic "Litto Gomez Diez" red background with gold font band. It is highlighted with "LG" in the center - with "Diez" above the "LG" and "Litto Gomez on it". It is adorned with leaves on each side of the "LG".

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4, I placed a straight cut into the Pelo de Oro wrapped cap and went straight into the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a combination of black pepper spice and cinnamon sweetness. There was almost a bready taste that was present on the pre-light draw. Overall I was pleased with flavor of the pre-light draw, so it was on to fire up my Small Batch No. 4 and see what the full cigar experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 treated me to some primary notes of black pepper. I could also detect some of the cinnamon sweetness that was present on the pre-light draw. Both the pepper and cinnamon actually subsided early on as some earth notes emerged. The earth notes became the primary flavor with the pepper and cinnamon taking a secondary role. I also detected some cream notes enter the equation as a secondary note. The cream notes slowly creeped up to the primary level. At the five percent mark, the flavor profile seemed to settle down with earth and cream as the primary notes, cinnamon as a secondary note, and pepper on the after-draw.

For a good chunk of the first half of the Small Batch No. 4, I was questioning what would become of the pepper and cinnamon that had provided a nice start to this cigar. The earth and cream notes that were center stage for much of the first half did note excite me as much. Around the midway point, the pepper and cinnamon began to make a comeback.   It was just past the 60 percent mark where the pepper moved back into the forefront, and the cinnamon and earth would take a secondary role. The cream notes would slowly dissipate.

Toward the end of the Small Batch No. 4, the pepper spice was the primary flavor, but it was not overwhelming.   The finish was not harsh. The nub was lukewarm in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn and Draw

While La Flor Dominicana used some of their best tobaccos in the blend, they also brought their "A" game when it came to the construction. This was reflected in the attributes of burn and draw.   For the most part, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 had a sharp burn - requiring few touch-ups to keep it going straight. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal for the duration of the cigar experience. The ash remained white and tight for most of the smoke. The draw was outstanding as well and made the Small Batch No. 4 a low maintenance cigar to smoke.

Burn of the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 4

Strength and Body

For most of the smoking experience of the Small Batch No. 4, I thought the cigar delivered a healthy dose of strength from a nicotine standpoint. I assessed the strength as medium to full for most of the smoke. The strength of this cigar does creep up on you - and by the last third, the strength defiinitely crosses into full-strength territory. As for the body, at the start I thought this the notes were not nearly as deep as the Small Batch No. 3. I felt the depth of the flavors started out as medium-bodied to start, but slowly increased along the way. By the mid-point of the cigar, the flavors are in the medium to full-bodied range, and by the last third, the flavors cross into the full-bodied range. Overall the strength and body complemented each other well.

Final Thoughts

When looking at this cigar on its own, it is a very good cigar. When comparing this to the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 3, this cigar falls a little short. The big difference is I really didn't dig the earth notes that were present for a much of the first part of this cigar experience. While I don't factor price into a final assessment rating, it is still worth noting that this is pricey for a cigar - namely $18.00 to $20.00. Overall, I think this might be a little too much cigar for the novice, but an experienced cigar enthusiast will probably appreciate it. Those cigar enthusiasts that like a Dominican puro should really like what this cigar delivers. As for myself, I'd still smoke the Small Batch No. 4 again - but only if I cannot get a Small Batch No.3

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (Full toward finish)
Body: Medium (to start), gradually increases to Full (by Finish)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89

Source: The cigar for this assessment was purchased from Smoke Inn's online store.

Cigar Review: My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade

2012-02-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade

In 2011, it is well known that one of the big stories in the cigar industry has been the large amount of releases of Ecuadorian/ Connecticut Shade wrapper cigars. For the Garcia family, much of the activity has been more limited and experimental in the My Father Cigars' brand around the use of Connecticut Shade wrappers (although the Garcias were involved with 2011 core line Connecticut Shade releases for EO Brands and Ashton). Last year, a special bonus cigar was packaged in the boxes of the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011 that contained a Connecticut Shade wrapper. (This one finished as our #17 cigar for 2011) Now this year, another limited release has surfaced - this time a Connecticut Shade cigar around the Le Bijou blend.   This one was done as a retailer-exclusive cigar for Federal Cigars to commemorate their 91st Anniversary.   This one is called the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade. Once again, the Garcia family has done something special with a blend utilizing a Connecticut Shade wrapper. This cigar proves to be a real winner and shows that Connecticut Shade cigars can be more than mild and creamy.

Retailer exclusive cigars are nothing new for the folks at Federal Cigars in New Hampshire. In 2011, for Federal Cigars 90th Anniversary, several manufacturers provided exclusive cigars. These cigars included the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 109, the Arturo Fuente Federal Queen B, and the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No.4. Kicking off their 91st Anniversary in 2012, Federal Cigars has received special blends of the My Father Le Bijou cigar. These cigars contained different wrappers than the core Le Bijou cigar.   For the Federal Cigars' releases, My Father Cigars provided a Connecticut Broadleaf and a Connecticut Shade version.   In this assessment we will focus around the Connecticut Shade release.

Unlike the Connecticut Broadleaf version of the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes which has been made over the internet, the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade was only made available in Federal Cigars' retail stores.   Let's take a closer look at this cigar.

Blend Profile

The core My Father Le Bijou uses a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper.   The My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper. These cigars are produced at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua.

Wrapper Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

Like its Connecticut Broadleaf sibling, a single vitola has been made available - a 6 1/2 x 42 lonsdale. This is the first time a lonsdale has been made in the Le Bijou line. Only 50 boxes of 23 were produced of this cigar (for a total of 4600 cigars).

Appearance

The Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade has a classic silky Connecticut Shade wrapper. While there are a couple of bumps, for the most part the wrapper is very smooth. There are some wrapper seams that are visible. There are a couple of frog eyes (green spots) present on the wrapper - something common to Ecuadorian/Connecticut Shade cigars.

The bands are the same as the core Le Bijou line. The top band features the classic pink, green, gold, and white My Father Cigars band.   The second band features the same Le Bijou band on the core line - consisting of gold, green, red, and white. The difference with the Federal Cigars release is that the Le Bijou band is on the footer instead of under the My Father band. There is a cedar wrapper over about 2/3 of the cigar. The cedar wrapper features the My Father logo and says "Federal's 91st". The Le Bijou band sits over the cedar wrapper ont the foot.

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade cigar experience, I placed my usual straight cut into the cap. At this point, it was time to commence with a pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided an nice level of complexity on the pre-light experience. I definitely detected some pepper on the early part of the pre-light. This was followed by flavors of dried fruit, wood, and cream. I was very pleased with the pre-light draw, and was very excited to toast the foot of this cigar and begin the smoking experience.

Flavor Profile

The start to the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade was woody and cedary with a hint of toast. It did not take long for some classic Garcia black pepper spice to surface. The pepper slowly built up and peaked in the first couple of minutes of the smoke before diminishing, but not vanishing. The pepper spice also was prevalent through the nostrils for a good part of the smoking experience.

As the pepper diminished, notes of wood and sweet dried fruit began to take center stage. The flavors balanced each other nicely - and it did not get overly sweet or overly woody. Around the five percent of the smoking experience, the dried fruit transitioned to more of a citrus grapefruit flavor. The profile soon took its form - consisting of primary notes of grapefruit, secondary notes of wood, and pepper spice on the after draw. This profile held for a good portion of the cigar experience. There were also times that the dried fruit sweetness returned from time to time throughout the smoke.

In the last third of the smoke of the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade, the cigar lost some of the grapefruit notes and spice on the after-draw. For the most part, the flavor profile had a primary note of wood toward the end. The finish to the cigar was not harsh. The resulting nub was outstanding - firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The construction attributes of burn and draw get perfect scores for the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade. The cigar burned razor sharp throughout the whole cigar experience. True low maintenance around the burn as this one needed maybe one to two touch-ups maximum. The burn temperature and burn rate were ideal. The draw was low maintenance as well - making the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade a joy to smoke.

Burn of the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade

Strength and Body

For the majority of the smoke of the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade, this was not a strong cigar from a nicotine standpoint. Most of the smoke was on the mild to medium strength side. Toward the last quarter of the smoke, the strength did cross into the medium area of the strength spectrum. As for the body, the flavor notes had some real depth. I assessed the Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade as medium to full-bodied. There was good balance between the strength and body as neither component overshadowed the other

Final Thoughts

As I said earlier on, this was not your typical creamy Connecticut Shade smoking experience. Like the Xen by Nish Patel, this cigar successfully delivers flavors in the medium to full-bodied range. This cigar shows that the Garcia family really is on to doing some innovative things with Connecticut Shade wrappers. This is the kind of cigar that I think novice enthusiasts can really enjoy - without absorbing too much strength. Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the innovative qualities of this cigar. As for myself, if an opportunity would present itself to get more of these, I wouldn't pass on it. Overall, this was an outstanding cigar experience.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (Medium in last 1/4)
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: This cigar was gifted to me by a friend who was able to get a box of these from Federal Cigars.

Cigar Preview: Burn by Rocky Patel Cigar (Lounge Exclusive)

2012-02-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Rocky Patel Premium Cigars will be launching a new cigar that will be available exclusively in Rocky Patel sponsored lounges.   The cigar will be called "Burn by Rocky Patel".   This information was revealed on the Feburary 4th, Cigar Dave show.

Burn by Rocky Patel is also the name of the Rocky Patel sponsored lounge located in Naples, Florida.   The Burn by Rocky Patel cigar will only be made in that lounge as well as 25 Rocky Patel sponsored cigar lounges nationwide.   The launch date is being targeted for March 1st, 2012. A pre-release launch will take place the week before at Cigar Cave in Palm Harbor, Florida (which is a Rocky Patel lounge)

The cigar will be a "square press". It will feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and proprietary fillers from Nicaragua.   The SRP for this cigar will be approximately $8.00.   No information on vitola sizes has been made available at this time.

We will continue to monitor the launch of this cigar and have further updates as made available.

Assessment Updates: Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig, Liga Privada No. 9

2012-02-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Assessment Updates will be posted on this web-site to: 1) Assess "pre-review" cigars that were not given a rating or score (typically pre-release cigars); 2) Provide numeric ratings to cigars previously assessed prior to the implementation of the numeric scoring system. Today, we assign numeric ratings to two previously assessed cigars from Drew Estate's Liga Privada line - the Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig and the Liga Privada No. 9.

Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig

Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig

In December, 2011, Liga Privada launched their third "Flying Pig" cigars - the Liga Privada Serie Unico Feral Flying Pig. Unlike the first two pigs which were blend variations of existing Liga Privada lines (the Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig and Liga Privada T52 Flying Pig), the Feral Flying Pig is a new blend and has been incorporated into the Liga Privada's Unico Serie (one blend, one size).

From an appearance standpoint, the Feral Flying Pig is longer than the other Flying Pigs - it is a 5 3/8 x 60 sized perfecto. At the same time it incorporates the same trademark Flying Pig pig-tail cap.

As for the blend, while the Feral Flying Ping utilizes the same Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Brazilian Mata Fina as the Liga Privada No.9, it is the incorporation of Nicaraguan fillers that make this cigar a powerhouse of strength.While this is a strong cigar, the Feral Flying Pig is an equally flavorful one - making the Feral Flying Pig a classic full-strength, full-bodied cigar. The Feral Flying Pig delivers flavors of espresso, chocolate, pepper, chicory, and honey. This cigar will be a factor in the 2012 Cigar of the Year countdown at the end of the year.

Here is the original assessment of the Liga Privada Unico Serie Feral Flying Pig.

Assessment: Memorable
Score: 92

Liga Privada No. 9

Liga Privada No. 9

As far as the Liga Privada series goes, this is the one that started it all. Liga Privada means "private blend". This refers to the fact that Drew Estate President Steve Saka began experimenting and blending several personal blends. The "No 9" (aka number none) resulted when Saka selected the ninth blend as his favorite.

The blend features Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and a filler consisting of Honduran and Dominican tobaccos. The resulting smoke is a highly complex flavor profile. The flavors range from chocolate, cherry/raisin sweetness, roasted coffee, espresso, nut, cream, and a nice variety of spice. The flavors are full-bodied and balance nicely against some medium strength.

Here is the original assessment of the Liga Privada No. 9 Parejo.

Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Press Release: General Cigar Kicks off Super Bowl Weekend in Style

2012-02-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

General Cigar will be the toast of Indianapolis this weekend, with sampling events that are on par with the Big Game itself. In fact, two of the three events that General Cigar is participating in have been named to BleacherReport.com’s highly-publicized ranking of the “10 Best Parties of Super Bowl Week.”

According to Alan Willner, General Cigar’s vice president of marketing said, “General Cigar has long been known for associating our brands with high profile events that elevate the cigar smoking occasion. This year, we’ll once again be at the best parties leading up to the ‘Big Game’ to bring the ultimate cigar smoking experience to A-list athletes, celebrities and football enthusiasts.”

Last night’s Jaws Cigar Party was hosted by none other than Ron Jaworski at Nicky Blaine’s cigar bar in downtown Indy. This fundraiser benefitted Ron’s pet charities -- Jaws Youth Playbook Foundation and Gleaners Food Bank's BackSack program.

An array of General Cigar favorites, including La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale, CAO OSA Sol and Macanudo Cru Royale, as well as Macanudo Vintage 1997 Maduro were available for Ron’s guests which included his ESPN boothmates. We’ll provide more details on the event, including photos, next week.

Tonight (Friday, Feb. 3) is the SPP Sports Poker Tournament to be held at the Indianapolis Zoo. General Cigar will be on hand to sample Punch, Grand Puro and Grand Cru cigars to event hosts Devin Hester, LeSean McCoy. Other noteworthy names expected to attend are Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) and Quinton Aaron (The Blind Side) and a slew of NFL greats. Stay tuned for more info.

Saturday night is the big Rolling Stone party at the Crane Bay event center. To celebrate Bacardi’s 150th anniversary, General Cigar has teamed up with the premier rum brand and will serve La Gloria Cubana and CAO La Traviata to a roster of A-list guests. Jeff Gordon, Joe Jonas, Marc Anthony, Nikki Reed and Andy Roddick are all expected to attend.

Outside of Indy, General Cigar is once again participating in Franco Harris’ annual Immaculate Reception. This year’s event will be held in Sin City and will benefit Soldier’s Angels. Franco’s beloved Punch Grand Cru cigars will be on hand for guests to smoke and savor.

** Event recaps and photos will be available following the Big Game.

Source: This press release was sent by General Cigars. Cigar Coop will post press releases as a service to all cigar companies that choose to send Cigar Coop press releases.

Cigar Review: Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition

2012-02-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition

Recently, My Father Cigars released a special limited edition cigar of its Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial series for TAA retailers. Each year, the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) makes available to its member retailers an exclusive cigar from a leading manufacturer (this is not a large volume of retailers). The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition was the release that was done by My Father Cigars. It was made in a special box-press torpedo as a part of the Reserva Especial line. Overall, a very good cigar and the box-press torpedo is one that really works well for this line.

The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial was a cigar that was released in 2010. In fact, we had this as our #14 cigar for 2010. The TAA Edition represents the first time that this blend was made in a box-press.   I've been told the blend was "tweaked" from the original Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial blend.   Let's take a closer look at this cigar.

Blend Profile

While the blend was been tweaked, the origins of the tobaccos still remain true to the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition is made in a 6 1/8 x 52 box-press torpedo. This is the same shape as the My Father Le Bijou 1922 box-press torpedo that was introduced in 2011 (that also had a tweaked blend).   The cigar is sold in boxes of 20, and I've heard unofficial numbers of around 650 boxes made. We have included the vitolas that mke up the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line for completeness.

Box Press Torpedo (TAA): 6 1/8 x 52

Core Line Vitolas (Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial)
Belicoso: 5 1/2 x 52
Petit Robusto: 4 1/2 x 50
Robusto: 5 1/4 x 52
Super Gordo: 5 3/4 x 66
Toro: 6.0 x 54
Toro Gordo: 6.0 x 60

Appearance

The wrapper of the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition has the classic espresso colored Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. The wrapper itself is not very oily, but overall it is smooth - especially for a box-press torpedo.   There is a blue ribbon on the footer (similar to the Le Bijou box-press that had an orange ribbon).   The actual band is the one common to the whole Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line. It says Jaime Garcia in pale gold font with Reserva Especial in blue script. On the back of the band (going toward the right from the front) is the name "My Father Cigars".

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Jaime Garcia TAA Edition, I clipped the torpedo tip with a straight cutter and immediately commenced with the pre-light draw.   The dry draw notes were classic Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial - namely espresso syrup.   While it wasn't a complex pre-light draw, it still was a satisfactory one. At this point, it was time to fire up my Jaime Garcia TAA and see what else would be in store.

Flavor Profile

For the most part, the flavor profile to the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition evolved quickly and then held for the remainder of the smoke.   The start of the Jaime Garcia TAA Edition kicked off with a healthy dose of what I call the "Garcia pepper blast".   The pepper diminished quickly, but did not completely dissipate.   It would soon be joined by notes of wood.   In the early stages, the wood transitioned to more of a classic roasted coffee flavor. The roasted coffee notes were in the forefront with the wood and pepper in a secondary role. As the cigar expierence progressed into the first third, some black cherry notes emerged - providing some sweetness on the flavor palette.

For most of the first half, the black cherry and roasted coffee notes pretty much held in the forefront with the pepper spice and wood in the background. As the Jaime Garcia TAA moved into the second half, there was definitely an increase in the spice.   The spice moves into the forefront of the second half.   The finish is spicy and not harsh.   The resulting nub was a soft to the touch, but a little warm in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Jaime Garcia TAA did require several touch-ups.   For the most part, the touch-ups kept the burn straight, but it did require frequent touch-ups with the lighter. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

If you have read many of my other assessments, you might know I am not the biggest torpedo fan. Much of this feeling stems from the draw as usually I don't get a good one. With the case of the Jaime Garcia TAA, the draw was excellent. This is definitely one of the better torpedo draws I've had in the past 12 months.

Strength and Body

I've seen the strength vary when it comes to the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line. In general, I've found the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line to be full strength. The 66 ring gauge Super Toro was the strongest of the vitolas (it was one of the most powerful smokes I had in 2011). The Jaime Garcia TAA vitola didn't quite make it to full strength in my book.   I assessed this one to be medium to full in strength.   I can only infer that the blend "tweaking" made some sort of a difference.

As for the body, the flavors are robust and have depth. The Jaime Garcia TAA keeps true to its full-bodied flavors in the line.    The balance between strength and body is as good as I've seen in the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial line - definitely the components complement each other.

Final Thoughts

The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA does very well for this line. I particularly think the box-press torpedo and blend tweaking work well. The one knock I've had on this blend is that it falls short in complexity and flavor transitions once the cigar exits the early stages. Like the rest of the line, I recommend this to experienced cigar enthusiasts as this is fuller in strength and body. As for myslf, I'd want to get some more of these before the supplies are exhausted.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Elite Cigar Cafe in Addison, Texas.

Press Release: Macanudo Welcomes Two New Frontmarks

2012-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Macanudo Maduro Gigante

Macanudo, America’s best-selling premium cigar brand, is adding two new large-ring frontmarks to its lineup.

Making their retail debut this week are Macanudo Café Gigante and Macanudo Maduro Gigante.

Created in response to consumer demand for large-ring offerings, both the Macanudo Café and Macanudo Maduro Gigante cigars measure 6” x 60. Each will be packed in a 25 count box and sold for an SRP per cigar of $7.99, or $199.75, SRP per box.

“Macanudo fans have told us they get more bang for the buck out of large ring cigars, so we came out with the Gigante frontmark to round out the Café and Maduro lines. With so many cigar smokers reaching for large-rings these days, the new Gigantes are sure to become top-sellers,” said Bill Chilian, director of marketing for Macanudo.


Macanudo Café Gigante

Source: This press release was sent by General Cigars. Cigar Coop will post press releases as a service to all cigar companies that choose to send Cigar Coop press releases.

Press Release: CAO Debuts New La Traviata Frontmark

2012-02-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

CAO La Traviata will introduce the popular “Luminoso” frontmark in a new Maduro version, making its retail debut later this week.

Following in the footsteps of the highly successful Ecuadoran-wrapped CAO La Traviata Luminoso, the new Maduro version features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to lend a touch of sweetness to the critically-acclaimed blend.

At 4.5” x 50, the new Rothschild will be available for an SRP of $5.10 per cigar, or $153 for a 30-count box.

“CAO La Traviata ‘Luminoso’ is one of our top sellers, so it was only natural that we gave CAO fans a new take on one of their favorite cigars,” said Ed McKenna, CAO’s senior brand manager. “Rick Rodriguez and I are looking forward to receiving some great feedback about CAO La Traviata Maduro Luminoso on our website, caocigars.com.”

Source: This press release was sent by General Cigars. Cigar Coop will post press releases as a service to all cigar companies that choose to send Cigar Coop press releases.

Cigar Preview: My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes

2012-02-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

To commemorate the 91st anniversary of Federal Cigars in New Hampshire, two exclusive My Father Le Bijou 1922 cigars have been made available to the shop. These cigars have been dubbed "My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes". Each have modified blend and unique vitola from the original Le Bijou. The cigars officially went on-sale as of February 1st, 2012.

These follow other releases that were done for Federal Cigars 90th anniversary. These cigars included the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 109, the Arturo Fuente Federal Queen B, and the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No.4.

Blend Profile

The My Father 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes has two blend versions featuring different wrappers from the original Le Bijou. The original Le Bijou utilizes a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro (Pelo de Oro) wrapper. The Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes have both a Connecticut Broadleaf and a Connecticut Shade version. Par for the course with the My Father Cigars line, these are produced at the My Father Cigars' factory.

My Father Le Bijou Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes - Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Production: 200 boxes of 23 (for a total for 4600 cigars)

My Father Le Bijou Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes - Connecticut Shade
Wrapper Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Production: 50 boxes of 23 (for 1150 cigars)

Vitolas Available

There will be a single vitola available in each of the blends of the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes. Both are a 6 1/2 x 42 lonsdale vitola.

The Connecticut Shade version will only be available for sale at in the Federal Cigars store. The Connecticut Broadleaf is available for internet purchases. For additional details, visit the Federal Cigars' website.

Updated: Significant portions of the article have been rewritten to the Connecticut Shade version as well as the Connecticut Broadleaf.

Editor's Corner: Volume 1, Number 2: Putting away the Tuxedo

2012-02-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

This past month, we introduced several obvious changes and some less obvious changes to the content on Cigar Coop. We started out with the roll-out of our numerical scoring system and are keeping a quick reference page for these scores. This was a direct response to feedback we had from retailers and consumers. We also introduced an "Appearance" section, and added a "Finish" rating to each our our assessments. We appreciate the feedback on the changes and hope you have found them beneficial.

One change we quietly rolled out was a new header logo. The image of the editor in a tuxedo showcasing cigars has been removed. The goal here was to take the focus away from myself and more on the content. We have also retired the slogan " It's all about the Cigars; namely the Smoke, the Craft, and the People."   While this is a mantra we continue to subscribe to, we wanted a new slogan to be focused on our mission - "The Comprehensive Cigar Information Resource".   Additional changes will continue to be slowly rolled out will support this mission.

One less obvious change is the style to the content.   There has been a conscious effort to make our content have a more journalistic feel.   In the process, the content may seem less personal, but in the end it is our sincere hope that it will give our content more creditability and ultimately become more useful to our readers. We're not there yet, but hopefully it will continue to allow us to serve you better.

Some of the goals in the upcoming months will be to add a contributing writer or two. The goal would be to expand what this web-site can provide as a cigar information resource. Stay tuned for more information.

On the legislative front, battles against smoking bans are continuing to wage nationwide and the state and local levels. Meanwhile, momentum continues to grow for the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act (HR 1639/ S 1461). The clock is ticking to gain momentum. The first half of 2012 will be important to gain momentum - before Congress recesses for the summer and the election season starts.

Certainly on the industry end, things heated up the last week of the month.   This included the retirement of the legendary Jose Seijas from Altadis and Eddie Ortega leaving EO Brands to launch Ortega Cigars.

As February comes upon us, things start to get more exciting in the cigar world.   We are on the dawn of the spring releases for cigars.   In January, we previewed information on ten upcoming releases. We hope to continue to do so and have a lot of good content for the readers in this upcoming month.

Finally, we have put some FAQs below. These have been more questions we have gotten from word of mouth. We may formalize this and consider making it a regular feature, but if you do have a question, go to the About page and send an email.

Yours in smoke,
Will
Founder, Editior and Publisher.

FAQs (January 2012)

1-Have you considered running contests and giveaways on your blog?

On our web-site, we have decided that this is not going to be something we are going to do. We've documented this in our code of ethics. While we recognize this is a fun aspect to what a cigar web-site does, we feel by not doing this, we can maintain our manufacturer and retailer neutrality. There are plenty of web-sites that do run these promotions and they are listed on our "Trusted Web Site" links and certainly would encourage our readers to check these web-sites out.

2-What about more Cigar 101 stuff?

We did some stuff in the early days of this web-site.   Ultimately, we decided to discontinue this along with cigar events and shop reviews. This is strictly an issue of streamlining our content. Our mission is to focus around cigar assessments, cigar previews, and legislation.

3-You aren't very active on Twitter - why is that?

We certainly recognize Twitter as an important medium to get real-time information. We do feed all links to our new content on that. What we have noticed is that there is a nice community where cigar enthusiasts can communicate in real time - almost like a virtual cigar club. Ultimately, the day job demnds limit time to follow Twitter "tweets", but to be honest, the editor Cigar Coop has never got comfortable expressing thoughts in 140 characters or less. Email or facebook is a preferred medium to communicate with us.

4-Why don't you include Factory information on cigars assessments?

Fair point, and some good feedback. We are looking at ways to be more diligent on this.

Cigar Preview: VegaFina Sumum Edicion Especial 2010

2012-01-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

Atladis VegaFina Edicion Especial 2010

Atladis is getting ready to release to the United States market limited edition cigar.   This one is another blend into the VegaFina line.   This cigar is called the VegaFina Sumum Edicion Especial 2010.

The VegaFina Sumum 2010 is not a new cigar. This cigar had already been released to the European market by Altadis, but was sold in tubes. The U.S. release will not be sold in tubes at this time.

As for whether this will be one time or annual limited release, there are no details at this time. The VegaFina Sumum 2010. The anticipated availability for this cigar is mid-February, 2012.

Blend Profile

The VegaFina Sumum 2010 uses two year old aged tobacco.   The following are the characteristics of the blend:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Peruvian

Vitolas Available

No specifics at this time. I've been told it will be released in one size and it is a robusto size.   We will post more details as they are made available.

News: Eddie Ortega Leaves EO Brands

2012-01-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

In a move that was not totally unexpected, Eddie Ortega has stepped down as president of EO Brands and is also leaving the partnership he started with Erik Espinosa. This news comes according to a published report by Cigar Aficionado. EO Brands is most famous for lines of cigars such as 601 and Murcielago. A couple of years ago, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars acquired half of EO Brands as well as distribution rights for the cigars.

The launch of Ortega's new company, Ortega Cigars left a lot of speculation as to Ortega's future with EO Brands. Ortega Cigars recently launched a web-site that detailed some of the information about the cigars that are coming.

There was no word on what Espinosa's future would be with EO Brands. The article says that Ortega desired to do something on his own, and that was the reason for dissolving the partnership. There is no also no word from Rocky Patel Premium Cigars on the future direction of the EO Brands' cigars.

Ortega leaves behind a strong cigar portfolio. The 601 Blue is considered his greatest success to date and in 2011, EO released the 601 White and the 601 La Bomba.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje - The Face

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje - The Face

Tatuaje - The Face was third release in Tatuaje's limited edition Monster Series. This series was created by Tatuaje founder Pete Johnson as a tribute to monster and horror movies. The Face was released in 2010 and gets its name from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface. The Face took its place in the series along with 2008's Frank and 2009's Drac. It would be later followed by 2011's Wolfman. I recently had an opportunity to smoke the Tatuaje Face. Not only did I think this was a true piece of cigar art, but I found this to be a wonderful and complex cigar experience.

The Tatuaje Monster series is one of the most sought after cigar releases year after year. It almost has become the cigar industry's closest equivalent to when Apple Computers announces a new iPhone. It sets off a frenzy of cigar enthusiasts to pre-order or track down where to get a box. Much of the frenzy surrounds the packaging. The cigars are shipped in "dress" boxes and plain boxes. The dress box for the Face resembles a bloodied wooden crate. There were 666 of these dress boxes shipped to 13 "unlucky" retailers. In order to accommodate demand, 1300 plain boxes were made available to the top 130 Tatuaje authorized retailers. Plain boxes are used because of the difficulties in construction and materials to make the dress boxes. In each case, 10 cigars are packaged to a box.

Ultimately, while packaging is always a cool thing to look at, it usually comes down to the smoke itself. Let's take a further look at the Tatuaje Face.

Blend Profile

For the first time in the Monster Series, Johnson opted to use a Mexican wrapper.

Wrapper: Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

As with each Monster Series release, a single vitola was released. In this case, it was 6 3/8 x 56 Gran Toro. Johnson has recently announced a series of "Little Monsters" (smaller vitolas) that will be arriving later in 2012. One of the releases is a smaller version of the Face called Baby Face.

Appearance

The Tatuaje Face is a true piece of cigar art. The wrapper very much looks leathery keeping true to the them. There are a few veins showing, but overall I would not say this is a toothy cigar. The foot is covered and the cap appears to have something that resembles a covered pigtail (although it really isn't one).

Covered Foot of Tatuaje Face

Unique cap of the Tatuaje Face

The Tatuaje Face does not feature a paper band.   Instead, a piece of jagged natural tobacco wrapper is used to create a band affect (see picture at the start of this article). As for the aroma of the cigar, it has a combination of cocoa, cedar, and straw.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my smoke of the Tatuaje Face, I clipped the unique cap and commenced with a prelight draw. The pre-light draw didn't have me doing handstands, but I wouldn't say it was bad either (On this web-site, the pre-light draw does not factor into the overall score of a cigar ).   The dry draw notes provided me flavors of leather with some hints of mint. It was now time to fire up the Face and see what the smoking experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

From a flavor profile standpoint, the Tatuaje Face qualifies as a complex one. It took a little time for the flavor to evolve. The start to the Face was provided some more of the pre-light draw notes of leather and mint. These flavors slowly gave way to notes of cocoa and red pepper.   While the leather notes would still hang around, the mint flavors dissipated early on.

A pattern developed in the first third as the cocoa, leather, and red pepper alternated as to which note was up-front. The pattern was interesting because there were times the Face was more peppery than other times. Toward the end of the first third, the leather became more of a classic nut flavor. The nut flavors would join the cocoa and red pepper in the rotation as to which note was up-front.

In the second third, while the flavor rotation continues, it seems as though the nut becomes a little more prevalent than the red pepper and cocoa.   As the cigar entered the last third, the cocoa notes were replaced by some of the leather notes that were present earlier on. Toward the end of the cigar, there was one last blast of red pepper before settling back on the nut flavors.    The finish to the Tatuaje Face was outstanding - there was no harshness on the finish. The resulting nub was cool and firm.

Burn and Draw

The Tatuaje Face scores high marks in the construction attributes of burn and draw. The Tatuaje Face burned sharp and required minimal touch-ups throughout the smoking experience. The burn temperature and burn rate were ideal. The ash was pretty much white and tight from start to finish. As for the draw, it was effortless - and made the Tatuaje Face a joy to smoke.

Early burn and ash of the Tatuaje Face

Burn and Ash remains solid as smoke of Tatuaje Face continued

Strength and Body

While the flavor profile evolved in the early stages, I found the strength and body of this cigar develop later in the experience. From a nicotine standpoint, I assessed the Tatuaje Face as a classic medium-strength cigar. As the cigar experience reached the end, this strength crosses over into the area of medium to full. As for the depth of the flavor notes, I assessed them to be medium-bodied for the first two thirds. As the cigar reached it's final third, the flavors grow deeper and the Face transitions to a medium to full-bodied smoke. Throughout the smoke of the Tatuaje Face, the strength and body balance each other very well - and neither overpowers the other component.

Final Thoughts

While I only had one sample of the Tatuaje Face, this made an extremely favorable impression on me. I particularly was impressed with the way the flavor profile evolved - and how many flavor transitions this cigar made. I'd definitely recommend this to an experienced cigar enthusiast. Novice enthusiasts who want to sample something medium strength/medium body - and see how it graduates to medium to full might want to try this. As for myself, I'm not sure I would go the frenzy route to get some more, but I'd definitely smoke if they were easier to come by.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium (Medium to Full at end)
Body: Medium (Medium to Full at end)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: The cigar for this assessment was purchased from a friend.

Cigar Preview: Padrón 1964 Anniversary No. 4 (6 x 60)

2012-01-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, information has come out from Padrón Cigars on a line extension to the Padrón 1964 Anniversary series. A 6 x 60 vitola is being added to both the Padrón 1964 Natural and Maduro lines.   According to Cigar Aficionado, the vitola will be called the No. 4.

The name is a change in the past 48 hours. This past Saturday, Padrón Cigars president, Jorge Padrón was a guest on Kiss My Ash Radio, and discussed this new 6 x 60 vitola. At the time the cigar was being called the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Patriarch.   The Cigar Aficionado article, which was published this Monday acknowledged the Patriarch name, but also goes on to say that Jorge Padrón realized that Perdomo Cigars makes a cigar with that name, and therefore opted to change the name.

The No. 4 is named for the date - December 4th, that Padrón Cigars founder, Jose O. Padrón arrived in New York via boat following his process of emigrating from Cuba.

Padrón Cigars already makes a natural and a maduro 6 x 60 version of the 1964 Anniversary Series for Smoke Inn in South Florida.   Kiss My Ash Radio host, Abe Dababneh owns the Smoke Inn franchise interviewed Jorge Padrón, but there was no discussion on whether his retail exclusives were going to be the basis of the No. 4 vitolas. While the tobaccos will remain the same as in the 1964 Anniversary series, the Cigar Aficionado article reports the No. 4 will be a different blend and taste.

There were some reports over the weekend that a 6 x 60 line extension was also being planned for the Padrón 1926 Serie line.   While the Cigar Aficionado article says "there are no plans to add" to the 1926 Serie line, Jorge Padrón did say on the Kiss My Ash Radio spot, "and down the line we're going to do something in the 26 as well" (a direct reference to the 6 x 60). It sounds like that is some time away before we know about that.

The timetable for Padrón 1964 Anniversary No. 4 is "three to four months" as per Jorge Padrón in the Kiss My Ash interview.

Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro

2012-01-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro

At the 2011 IPCPR trade show, one of the highlights from La Flor Dominicana was the upcoming release of its new maduro version of its popular Air Bender cigar. While much of the buzz was around the innovative packaging of this cigar, I think ultimately people were genuinely interested in what the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro would bring to the table. The cigar was released after the trade show, and I recently had an opportunity to sample this cigar. In the end, the Air Bender Maduro was not a bad cigar, but did fall short of some of the high expectations I had for this blend.

The packaging of the Air Bender Maduro was a major highlight. La Flor Dominicana is selling the Air Bender Maduros to retailers in a humidor that is modeled after a Dominican tobacco curing barn. The unit is officially called "Casa de Tabaco". "Casa de Tabaco" ships with 24 LFD Air Bender Maduro cigars. It contains a tray that can be used to store a humidification device, and a second tray to store a lighter and cutter. Many retailers are selling the individual cigars and the humidor separately.

La Flor Dominicana "Casa de Tabaco" - packaging for LFD Air Bender Maduro

Ultimately, this is going to come down to how well the cigars smoke.   Let's break down the LFD Air Bender Maduro and see what it brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The blend for the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro is the same blend as the original core La Flor Dominicana Air Bender, but features a Brazilian maduro wrapper.

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Vitolas Available

At the time of this writing, the LFD Air Bender Maduro is only available in a single vitola. It is in a 6.5 x 54 Toro Grande. While this is speculation by me, this cigar is probably the perfect candidate for future vitolas to be released in the future.

Appearance

The LFD Air Bender Maduro has a coffee colored wrapper.   I noticed there was some black marbling in the wrapper, and the marbling effect reminded me of the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 3.   The wrapper itself has visible veins and is tooth

The band is similar to the core LFD Air Bender band. It features "LFD" in gold scripted font on a black background.   That logo sits on a rust colored background. There is gold and black adorning around the top and bottom. Below the LFD logo says "La Flor Dominicana" in white script. Below the white script, it says "Air Bender" in gold font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my LFD Air Bender Maduro, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided me with flavors of coffee and cedar. It wasn't the most exciting pre-light draw, but it was satisfying. At this point, it was time to light my LFD Air Bender Maduro and see what it would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The flavor profile to the LFD Air Bender Maduro starts out with some of the coffee notes that were present on the pre-light draw. These coffee notes were in play from start to finish. Around ten percent into the cigar experience, earth notes emerged and complemented the coffee notes. As the Air Bender Maduro reached the end of the first third, there were also notes of light pepper on the after draw.

The flavor profile of coffee, earth, and after draw spice was present for the majority of the smoking experience. This was not a cigar that was going to provide a lot in terms of flavor transitions. As the Air Bender Maduro reached the last stages of the smoke, the spice became present on the full draw. The spice took on a form of a baker's spice. While it wasn't the smoothest finish, it was not a harsh finish either.   The resulting nub was soft to the touch and warm in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn was good, but not great. The LFD Air Bender Maduro did require several touch-ups to keep it burning straight. While for the most part the cigar did not burn hot (although it was a little warm at the end), it did burn slow. I'm wondering if the slow burn contributed to the rougher finish. The draw was outstanding - no issues as far as that went.

Strength and Body

Before I smoked, the LFD Air Bender Maduro, I had heard this cigar was on the fuller end in terms of strength and body. My experience with the Air Bender Maduro did not reflect this. For the most part, I felt this cigar didn't deliver a heavy nicotine punch and I assessed it as medium in strength.   While the flavor notes did have some depth, they were not as robust as I had expected. Overall, this didn't make it into the medium to full-bodied range and I assessed it as medium-bodied. There was good balance between the strength and body as neither component overshadowed the other.

Final Thoughts

I had high expectations for this cigar, but this cigar fell short. It is a classic case as what I considered a good cigar and not a great one. I would have preferred more complexity as well as a better burn and finish. I will disclose this assessment was based on a single smoke, and I certainly will revisit this cigar again to see if it improves in some of the scoring areas. Right now, I can definitely this as a fit for experienced cigar enthusiasts. As for myself, I'll smoke some more and see if it does improve. From an intangibles standpoint, I'll still go "Nice to Have". This might be a good fit for an assessment update down the road.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Fair
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 86

Source: The cigar for this assessment was purchased from Havana Phil's in Greensboro, NC.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje L′Esprit de Vérité 2008

2012-01-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

L′Esprit de Vérité - 2008 Vintage

Tatuaje's La Vérité brand borrows a concept from the wine industry - namely the single vineyard/single farm concept. Wine enthusiasts have always been intrigued with the idea of making a wine taking a single year's crop from a single vineyard/farm. The equivalent in the cigar industry involves harvesting the tobaccos from a single farm from a single year to produce a cigar blend. In 2010, the first blend from the La Vérité line hit the retailer shelves - the La Vérité 2008 series. Recently, I've revisited the robusto size of this blend - the L′Esprit de Vérité 2008. Overall, this cigar was an example of one that got considerably better with age, and this resulted in a very good smoking experience.

The La Vérité 2008 series gets its name because it uses 2008 tobacco from Don Pepin Garcia's La Estrella farm. The tobacco was aged and the line was released in 2010. After the release, the feeling among many cigar enthusiasts was that the La Vérité series was a little green and needed some age.   When I started sampling the La Vérité 2009 series, I was hearing from several people that the La Vérité 2008 series had gotten better with some age. Therefore, I decided to revisit this blend again.

Blend Profile

Given all of the tobacco comes from the La Estrella farm, the La Vérité 2008 seies is 100% Nicaraguan puro. As par for the course with Tatuaje, these cigars are blended and produced in a collaboration with the Garcia family.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: La Estrella Habano Criollo
Filler: La Estrealla Habamo Criollo

Vitolas Available

There were only two sizes produced in the La Vérité 2008 series:

L′Esprit de Vérité 2008 (Robusto): 5 x 50 (20,000 cigars: 400 boxes of 25; 1000 boxes of 10)
La Vérité Churchill: 7 x 47 (30,000 cigars: 480 boxes of 25; 1000 boxes of 10; 100 boxes of 50; 30 boxes of 100)

Appearance

As mentioned this cigar assessment will cover the L'Esprit de Vérité robusto. The wrapper to the L'Esprit de Vérité is a natural color with a slight colorado tint to it. The wrapper is rough to the touch, but still has somewhat of an oily complexion when you look at it. There are some visible veins and some wrapper roll marks that are visible. The aroma by the foot has a feint hint of cinnamon.

The band features "2008" in burgundy font on a white circle. The white circle is adorned with burgundy and silver around the rest of the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Tatuaje L'Esprit de Vérité 2008, I placed a straight cut into the cap and proceeded with a pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a nice mix of flavors including wood, butter, baker's spice, and cinnamon. While I normally do not factor a pre-light score into an assessment, this one was very good.   This provided a nice appetizer, so it was now time to light up my L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 and see what it would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavors of the Tatuaje L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 provided me a dose of cinnamon and pepper. The cinnamon dissipates quickly and is replaced by more of a berry sweetness. The berry notes took center stage as the flavor in the forefront. Around 15 percent into the cigar experience, the berry sweetness diminished and the pepper notes became more cedar spice-like. The berry and cedar notes pretty much maintained an equilibrium as far as which flavor was in the forefront.

For the most part, the berry and cedar flavor profile would hold for the remainder of the smoke. Toward the end the spice picked up a little more. It did provide a spicy finish. The finish was a little rough, but not overly harsh. The nub was cool and slightly soft.

Burn and Draw

For the most part, the burn of the Tatuaje L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 was good. It did require several lighter touch-ups to keep it burning straight - and these touch-ups seemed to do the trip. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.   The ash started out tight, but got slightly flaky as the burn progressed. As for the draw, no issues with the L'Esprit de Vérité 2008. It was an excellent draw and made this cigar a very easy cigar to smoke.

Strength and Body

Prior to smoking my first L'Esprit de Vérité 2008, I had heard reports that this cigar would not overwhelm you in terms of strength and body. While there is some truth to this, I felt the L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 did have more to offer in both of these attributes than originally advertised.   For a nicotine standpoint, I felt the L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 had enough pop to qualify it as medium to full in strength. As for body, there was enough depth in the flavor notes to qualify this as medium to full-bodied. There was excellent balance between the strength and body of the L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 as neither component overshadowed the other.

Final Thoughts

The Tatuaje L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 is a classic case for a cigar that required some age. Time was very kind to this cigar. While some may disagree, the age made this a better smoke than the L'Esprit de Vérité 2009 and La Vérité 2009 Churchill. As for the single vintage/farm concept with cigars, I'm not sure I ever will understand it - and I'm not sure what it brings to the table over blending across the spectrum. I can tell you that in this case, the L'Esprit de Vérité 2008 was very good. While this is a cigar that an experienced cigar enthusiast would appreciate, I also think this cigar can appeal to novice enthusiasts looking for a fuller strength, fuller bodied cigar. Hopefully, I can come across some more of these - because I would love to smoke it again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 90

Source: This cigar was purchased at Barclay Rex in New York, NY

News: Emilio Grimalkin to be re-branded as La Musa

2012-01-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Shutting the cat eyes: Emilio Grimalkin to be re-branded La Musa

Gary Griffith, brand developer for Emilio Cigars announced on the Emilio Cigars' blog that that the Grimalkin cigar is going to be re-branded as the La Musa cigar.

This announcement is not a complete surprise as earlier this month, Griffith announced he was considering a name change for Grimalkin. While Grimalkin was one of the best received cigars in the industry for 2011 (we had it ranked at #9 for 2011), the banding at always been met with some criticism.

Griffith says on the Emilio Cigars' blog, that he had a challenge on what the subsequent line extensions to Grimalkin would be called. He recognized the band "drew criticism in the marketplace...and I listened".(*)

Griffith switches the theme from Scottish folklore to Ancient Greece with the name change to La Musa. To cigar enthusiasts and fans of Emilio, the best news is that the blend is going to stay exactly the same and it will continue to be made in the same factory. With the La Musa, the cigar will get a new band, and while the box shape will remain the same, Griffith will give the box more "eye appeal" (*). No timetable has been announced when the re-branding will be rolled out.

As part of an on-going theme, there will be three subsequent blends added to the series that will come from the same factory as La Musa. These will be called Melete, Aoide, and Mneme. For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, these are the names of three Greek Muses that were inspiring goddesses of song, poetry, and the arts. In Greek mythology, Metele, Aoide, and Mneme were all sisters and were the originally three. Plans are for the first of these follow-up releases to debut at the 2012 IPCPR trade show in Orlando, Florida.

he Muses, according to the earliest writers, were the inspiring goddesses of song, and, according to later noticus, divinities presiding over the different kinds of poetry, and over the arts and sciences.

(*) The full blog post on the Emilio Cigars' blog is here.

Cigar Preview: Ortega Cigars

2012-01-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

Ortega Cigars launched their web-site and it has provided a first glimpse into what the company is launching.   While there are still more details to come, it is clear that the company has plans for a busy 2012.

Ortega Cigars is named for its founder - Eddie Ortega. Ortega is most famous for being a founder of EO Brands and most notably, the 601 Series that was launched from that company.   It was from that venture where Ortega has become a popular figure in the cigar industry.

We do know that Ortega Cigars is planning three cigars for 2012.   Some preliminary information has been posted on the web-site.   Here is what we know at this time:

There are three cigars lines mentioned, but there are four wrappers also mentioned that will make up the cigars.. There is no information on what that means at this time. The four wrappers advertised are: San Andres Mexican Maduro, Ecuadorian Habano, Connecticut Broadleaf, and Connecticut Natural.

Information on the three lines of cigars are included below. According to Ortega Cigars, the plan is for the lines to begin rolling out in the first quarter of 2012.

Ortega Serie "D"

Before today, some people might have heard some buzz about this line. The web-site showcases a picture of this cigar, it list the blend and the sizes. This blend is being targeted for authorized brick and mortar retailers only. The cigar is made in Nicaragua at the My Father Cigar factory.

Blend Profile
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Esteli, Nicaraguan
Filler Esteli/Jalapa Nicaraguan (Viso and Ligero)

Vitolas
No. 6: 4 1/2 x 48
No. 7: 5 x 46
No. 12: 5 x 52
No. 8: 5 1/2 x 50
No. 10: 6 x 52

Ortega Brotherhood

No blend information has been disclosed on this cigar. It is mentioned that this cigar will be available on Ortega Cigars online store only with 50% of the profits going to charitable institutions that help the troops. The sizes to be made available are listed below.

Vitolas
M1: 5 x 50
M2: 6 1/2 x 50
M3: 7 x 52

Ortega Aftershock

No blend or size information has been posted at this time. This was listed on the web-site and there has been no further information made available at this time.

The web-site also appears to be a place where Ortega Cigars clothing and accessories can be purchased as well. There also appears plans for a rewards system to be implemented as well. Stay tuned for further updates.

For further information, visit www.ortegacigars.com

Cigar Review: Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011

2012-01-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011

The Oliva Serie V Maduro is an annual limited production release that is a maduro version of the popular Oliva Serie V (which uses a Nicaraguan Habano Sun-grown wrapper) . The Serie V Maduro is done in a single vitola, and the blend has varied from year to year. The 2011 edition marks the fourth year in a row that Oliva has released a Serie V Maduro. The first three editions leveraged different maduro wrappers, but all had a common bond in that they were torpedo-shaped vitolas. The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 marks a major change in the series in that this is the first toro in the Maduro series. Overall, this cigar was nothing short of a home-run and ranks up there as one of Oliva's best releases ever.

Typically, the Oliva Serie V Maduro releases are made available to the top Oliva retailers in the country. They are sold in boxes of 10. Let's take a closer look at this cigar and see what it brings to the table.

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 to some of the other releases. The Serie V Maduro 2011 uses a San Andres Mexican maduro wrapper as did the 2010 edition. As mentioned above, only one vitola is done per year - and this year is the first year a toro was selected. It also represents the thinnest ring gauge (50) that has been done in the series.

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 is as follows:

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 x 50 (Toro)

For historical purposes, here are the other cigars that have made up the Oliva Serie V Maduro. In general, there have been blend variations year to year.

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2008
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 52 (Torpedo)

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2009
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 52 (Torpedo)

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 54 (Torpedo)

Appearance

Being the both use San Andres wrapper, the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 has some similarities to the Serie V 2010. Both have a classic chocolate color to it as well as a sandy and rough feel when touched. They also have visible wrapper seams and are not toothy. Finally, both use the classic Oliva Serie V band - with no noticeable differences from the core Oliva Serie V band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I usually do when cutting a cigar, I placed a straight cut into the cap of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011. When I commenced with the pre-light draw, I was treated to a combination of cedar and cherry sweetness. I would not categorize the dry draw notes as complex, but they were still very satisfying. It was now on to toasting the foot of the Serie V Maduro 2011 and see what was in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavor notes of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 continued the cherry and cedar notes that were present on the pre-light draw. This was also joined by notes of coffee. The cedar notes had more spice than on the pre-light draw. The cherry notes moved out in front early on. There were a couple of bitter spots in the early stages, but for the most part the Serie V Maduro started smooth.

Around ten percent into the cigar experience, the cherry sweetness dissipated. The flavor profile switched to more of a coffee and espresso flavor. There were also some notes of wood and the cedar spice became more peppery. By the end of the first third, the coffee/espresso notes switched again into a classic chocolate flavor.

In the second half of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011, the chocolate took on more of a cocoa flavor. It was in the second half where I noticed the depth of the flavor notes decrease somewhat. The flavors got a little more muted, but did not completely dissipate. Some of the flavor profile became more woody toward the end. The finish to the cigar featured the cocoa and wood notes. The finish was not spicy (although I could detect pepper through the nostrils) and was rather smooth. The resulting nub was outstanding - cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 does very well scoring wise for burn and draw. The burn remained razor-sharp throughout the smoke - with minimal touch-ups. The burn temperature and burn rate were ideal. Throughout the smoke of this cigar, the ash remained tight and white. As for the draw, I found it better than the 2010 version. It didn't surprise me that the 2011 was better in draw because I think many times torpedo vitolas fall short in the area - so I think this being a toro vitola helped. The draw itself was flawless - one of the best in the Oliva Serie V Maduro line.

Tight white ash of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011

Strength and Body

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011 seemed to have less strength from a nicotine standpoint than the 2010 edition. While the 2010 was more at full strength, the 2011 was more in the medium strength range. On the other hand the 2011 edition had more body than the 2010 version for most of the cigar. I assessed the 2011 version to be medium to full in body - although toward the end, I thought the depth of the flavors fell back into the medium range.

In the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010, the strength seemed to have an edge over the body. With the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011, it does a better job at balancing strength and body.

Final Thoughts

This is another cigar that was not sampled in time for the 2011 Cigar of the Year countdown. If it was, it probably would have done very well in the Top 30. Overall - even with some of the muted flavors that occurred toward the end of this cigar, this was still one of the best of the Oliva Serie V Maduro line that I have had. I think the change to a toro worked for the better. While this is a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast, I would definitely encourage a novice enthusiast who wants a special smoke to give this a try. I personally would consider a box purchase of these.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full (Medium toward end)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: The cigar for this assessment was gifted to me.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva

2012-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva

The Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva was unveiled in 2010 to provide cigar enthusiasts with a quick smoking experience.   The Petite Cazadores Reserva looks like one of the "Seleccion de Cazador" (Brown Label) cigar and that's because it's an actual variation of that line. It uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper as opposed to Ecuadorian Habano that is used on the core Seleccion de Cazador.   This cigar has gained quite a solid reputation among Tatuaje fans.   While this does prove to be a short smoke, it most certainly proves to be a memorable one.

In general I've found the "Reserva" line to be a little confusing to follow with Tatuaje lines. I look at the "Reserva" line as special variations of existing blends. There are some actual "Reserva" cigars as well as the Gran Cojonu, Cojonu 2003/6/9, and RC Series that are considered "Reservas". These particular cigars also have an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.   There are also three cigars that are named "Reserva" that feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper: the Tatuaje 7th Reserva, Tatuaje Petite Reserva, and Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva. In this assessment, we will focus on that Petite Cazadores Reserva.

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the Tatuaje Cazadores Reserva is highlighted by its Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The remainder of the blend pretty much mirrors the Seleccion de Cazador line. As with all Tatuaje cigars, this is an effort worked on by the Garcia family.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf USA
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

Since there are a lot of variations in the Reserva line, we will just focus on the Petite Cazadores Reserva cigar.   As mentioned at the top of this assessment, this is a short smoke.   This cigar is a 4 x 40 vitola - one I'd classify small panatela. The Petite Cazadores Reserva is packaged in cabinet boxes of 50.

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Petite Cazadores Reserva has a classic chocolate color to it. It has some veins, some seams, and a slight oily feel to it.   It also features a covered foot.

Covered foot of the Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva

The band of the Petite Cazadores Reserva is the same "brown label" as the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador. It's a simple with Tatuaje in white script on a brown background. The band also has white pinstripes on the top and bottom (see start of article).

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For this assessment of the Petite Cazadores Reserva, I went with a straight cut. I proceeded to commence with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes yielded flavors of cocoa and cedar. While there was nothing revolutionary about this pre-light draw, it was still very satisfying. It was now on to light my Petite Cazadores Reserva and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

The Petite Cazadores Reserva is a short smoke, so it is not going to provide much in the way of flavor transitions. However the flavors it is going to provide are going to be outstanding.

The initial draw of the Petite Cazadores Reserva provided a quick blast of pepper - a-la Garcia family style. The pepper settles in and the flavor profile became s a combination of chocolate, espresso, and pepper. While the pepper diminished early, it never really went away. It eventually became the dominant flavor note by the end of the smoke. The finish was spicy, but not harsh. The resulting nub was soft and a little lukewarm.

Burn and Draw

The Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva scores high marks in area of burn and draw - showcasing that this is a very well-made cigar. The burn is outstanding from start to finish. It required virtually no touch-ups. The burn rate was ideal. While the finish was a little lukewarm, the burn temperature was satisfactory for most of the smoking experience.

As for the draw, it was outstanding. It made the Petite Cazadores Reserva a joy to smoke.

Strength and Body

For a small cigar, the Petite Cazadores Reserva is going to pack a nice punch. From a nicotine standpoint, I think it was still a tad below full strength and I assessed it at medium to full. As for the body, the flavor notes are bold. This is your classic full-bodied smoke.The nice dose of flavor combined with what I consider to be the right amount of power make the Petite Cazadores Reserva a well-balanced cigar.

Final Thoughts

While personally I am not a huge fan of the small panatelas, even I recognize that they do hold a purpose. The Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva shows that a great cigar experience can be delivered in a short time period. While it is a small cigar, I would advise not rushing through the smoking it. Take your time and you will get a really good cigar experience in the long run. While I wouldn't advise this for the novice cigar enthusiasts, this will satisfy many full-bodied cigar fans. Not only would I smoke this again, I'd even consider purchasing the cabinet of 50.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 92

Source: The cigar used for this assessment was gifted by a friend.

News: Jose Seijas Leaving Altadis USA

2012-01-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jose Seijas, a name long associated the famous Tabacalera de Garcia factory, and Altadis USA has announce is leaving Altadis effective immediately. This is according to a story recently published on Cigar Aficionado.com.

The report goes on to say that this is a retirement. Seijas served as Vice President and General Manager of Tabacalera de Garcia. He is being replaced in that role by Javier Elmudesi. This follows the retirement of Jim Collucci, executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing - which occurred last summer.

Seijas was known as "El Hefe" at Tabacalera de Garcia which is the world's largest individual cigar factory. The factory is located in La Romana, Dominican Republic. This factory has become the core of Altadis' production for the United States. Many credit Seijas with making Dominican-made cigars a staple in the American marketplace.

Famous brands that have come out of that factory include Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H.Upmann, Trinidad, and VegaFina. Seijas has been involved with putting his name on cigars including the Jose Seijas Signature Series, Mi Dominicana and most recently the VegaFina Jose Seijas 2011. Seijas has been associated with this factory since 1974.

For all practical purposes, this is the first major industry name to move on in 2012. No word if Seijas has any future plans. If there are any new developments, we will be sure to post.

Assessment Updates: Viaje Fifty Fifty Black; Viaje Fifty Fifty Red

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Prior to the implementation of the numeric scoring system, assessment updates were used to provide assessment ratings to cigars that were "Pre-Reviews" (typically pre-release reviews). Going forward, assessment updates will also be done to provide scoring updates to cigars that have been previously assessed. We will not go back to score every cigar reviewed, but from time to time will get an opportunity to smoke these cigars again and provide a numeric rating.

Viaje Fifty Fifty Black

Viaje Fifty Fifty Black No. 3

The Viaje Fifty Fifty line has become an annual limited production run by Viaje. The concept behind the Fifty Fifty is to bring two different flavor profiles together into one cigar. This is done by utilizing two separate fillers, brought together within double binders and covered by a single wrapper. The end goal was to produce a distinct smoking experience in each half There are two versions of this cigar - the Fifty Fifty Black and Fifty Fifty Red. The Fifty Fifty Black represents the blend with more strength.

The Fifty Fifty Black is a Nicaraguan puro. It is medium to full in terms of strength and body. It provides a flavor profile of leather, cocoa, and pepper. While it delives a good flavor profile, it fails to deliver on its promise of a distinct smoking experience in each half. It was more like a continuous smoking experience. As for burn and draw, this cigar was excellent.

Here is the original assessment done on the No 3 vitola (Churchill).

Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

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Viaje Fifty Fifty Red

Viaje Fifty Fifty Red No. 3

The Viaje Fifty Fifty Red is a similar blend to the Black. While it is also medium to full in body, the blend is tweaked to make this a cigar that falls into the medium area of the strength spectrum.

Like its Black label cousin, the Fifty Fifty Red is a Nicaraguan puro. Of all of the cigars released in the Fifty Fifty series, this one came closest to delivering a distinct smoking experience in each half. The first half had more of a flavor profile of mild pepper, chicory, and cocoa. The second half had more of a classic black pepper, cocoa, and nut.

Ultimately, the flavor profile, while a little more complex than the Black was less satisfying. The burn and draw of the Red has not been up to what the Black has delivered.

Here is the original assessment done on the No 3 vitola (Churchill).

Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 86

Cigar Preview: Room 101 LTD OSOK (Room 101 LTD One Shot One Kill)

2012-01-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

Room 101 LTD OSOK (from Room 101Cigars.com)

Room 101 Cigars is getting ready to ship it's fifth blend in the brand - the Room 101 OSOK (One Shot One Kill).

2011 was a breakthrough year for Room 101 Cigars. The brand realized a lot of the initial potential that was laid out with two top ten cigars for the year - the Room 101 Namakubi and the Room 101 Connecticut. As a part of the promotion for those two cigars, Room 101 founder, Matt Booth launched a Cigarmageddon tour. As a part of that tour, some pre-release samples of the OSOK began surfacing.

The OSOK gets its name from photographer Edgar Hoill, who was involved with Booth has worked with in the past. Hoill's nickname is "One Shot One Kill" for his precision accuracy around taking photographs.

The Room 101 LTD OSOK is now the fifth blend in the Room 101 line. It is intended to be a limited release - with 10,000 cigars (1,000 boxes) being made per vitola. The packaging is a natural satin box that does not use a clasp or hinges. Each cigar in the box is wrapper in a "paper bandana". There are QR Codes under each band link and the back of the box that link to Room 101 Cigars' Facebook page. The cigars itself is positioned medium to full in strength.

The timeframe for arrival to select retailers should be in the near future.

Blend Profile

Honduran tobacco plays a key role in this release. The blend consists of the following:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Corojo Seco
Filler: Corojo and Piloto Ligero (Honduran and Dominican)

Vitolas Available

Three diadema vitolas will be released. The dimensions are the following:

Filero: 52 x 42 x 4 1/2 (SRP $8.00)
Trucha: 30 x 50 x 19 x 6 1/2 (SRP $10.00)
Chingon: 60 x 44 x 8 (SRP $12.00)

The Room 101 Cigar web-site has additional photos of the OSOK line.

Here is a full information sheet from Room 101 Cigars web-site describing more detail about the OSOK.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004

2012-01-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004

The La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 is the second of the Puro Vintage limited release series from La Aurora cigars. This has been a long awaited follow-up release to the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003.   In addition to being a salomon vitola, the distinguishing factor with the Puro Vintage line is that the tobaccos are all harvested from the same year. At the time of this assessment, the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 series has just made it into many retailer shops. In general I find salomon vitolas to a bit of an enigma. They are stunning to look at and take a lot of effort to roll, however in the end many fail to deliver a great smoking experience. With the case of the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004, it has very good
flavor, but falls into several of the pitfalls that often plague the salomon vitola.

As mentioned, the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 is a limited release cigar.   There have only been about 8000 cigars rolled - 1000 boxes of eight cigars. This is a lower number than what was available for the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003 which had 12000 cigars rolled - or 1500 boxes of 8.

In fairness, my issues with salomon vitolas typically around around uneven burns and loose draws. As far as the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004, it does have these issues, but when compared to most salomons on the market, it isn't nearly as problematic as many I've seen on the market.

Let's take a closer look at the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004:

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 with the 2003. The big difference is not just in the wrapper, but that the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 is a smaller and thinner cigar than its 2003 predecessor. In the end, I think it helped minimize the burn and draw issues that typically plague the salomon.

As mentioned the tobaccos for the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 were harvested in 2004, and have had a chance to cedar age for five years prior to being rolled.

La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 6 1/4 x 52
Production: Approximately 8,000 cigars

For historical purposes, here is the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003

La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun-grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 1/2 x 58
Production: Approximately 12,000 cigars

Appearance

The La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004 is a work of cigar art. As I mentioned when it comes to a salomon, it is a beautiful vitola to look at, and in my opinion the Puro Vintage 2004 is as beautiful as they come.   The wrapper features a nice dark caramel color. It is somewhat oily and toothy in appearance.

The band features the La Aurora lion on over a bright yellow background adorned with gold coinage around it. The bright yellow component sits on top of a pale yellow component. In maroon font, the words "La Aurora" and "Puro Vintage" sit above and below the bright yellow component respectively. The remainder of the band has a maroon background with some gold highlights - most notably, "2004 Limited Edition" appears on the lower part of the front of the band.

For a salomon, the Puro Vintage 2004 had a decent pack. It was a little soft toward the cap/tip area. The cigar itself has an open foot.    It has a feint cocoa aroma to it from the foot.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

By default, I placed a straight cut into the tip of the salomon of the Puro Vintage 2004. When I started the pre-light draw, I started slowly and carefully as not to soften the tip to much. The pre-light draw was a little tough to make out in terms of a distinguishing flavor. It didn't have a lot of body to the flavors, but it seemed to me I got several flavors on the dry draw: wood, butter, cedar, and cocoa.   This had me intrigued and ready to fire up my Puro Vintage 2004.

Flavor Profile

On the initial draw of the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004, I got a quick shot of pepper. The pepper quickly dissipated and became a part of the after-draw. This spice on the after-draw would be a part of the smoking experience of the Puro Vintage for the duration of the smoking experience.

Shortly afterwards, I picked up some notes of cedar, bread, and a little raw caramel. These notes would hold throughout the first half. Around the midway point of the smoking experience, I picked up some notes of chicory. As the cigar progressed into the last third, some coffee flavors joined the chicory. The coffee and chicory notes became primary in the last third. The cigar actually got smoother and better as the smoke progressed. In fact, the finish to be pretty smooth.   The resulting nub was soft (I expected that from the cap being a little loosely packed), and a little lukewarm in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Lately, with salomon cigars, I've made a decision to clip the foot as well as the tip. Part of the reason why I do that is to help with some of the burn issues In the case of the Puro Vintage 2004, I did not clip the foot. The Puro Vintage 2004 did require many touch-ups to keep it burning straight. The touch-ups did the trick to keep the burn on-track, but my complaint was the amount of touch-ups required. The burn rate was ideal, but there were times (particularly) in the second half where the burn temperature was less than ideal.   I would categorize the burn temperature as lukewarm in the second half.   The resulting ash stayed pretty tight throughout the smoke.

Burn of La Aurora Puro Vintage

The draw was looser than I prefer. This could be traced to some of the looser packing in the cap. I had to make some adjustments to slow down on my draw at times, and I think that prevented this cigar from burning too hot.

Strength and Body

From a nicotine profile, I thought the strength of the Puro Vintage 2004 snuck up on me a bit. The strength comes in at the upper level of medium to full. As for the body, I felt the flavor notes had some depth and were robust. I assessed the Puro Vintage 2004 medium to full in body. There is good balance between the strength and body of this cigar.

Final Thoughts

As I was smoking the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2004, I kept thinking that I wish this blend would have been rolled in a classic parejo vitola as opposed to the salomon. In my book, I think it was this shape that ended up costing this cigar some points. In general, I usually do not recommend salomon vitolas to the novice cigar enthusiast. As for experienced cigar enthusiasts, I would encourage those who like this vitola to give it a try. On a side note, this was an assessment done right off the shelf of a new cigar. While I don't think this cigar required much more aging, I am curious to see what this cigar tastes like six months from now. Overall, given the limited availability, you still might want to give this a try.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 87

Source: The cigar for this assessment was purchased at Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cigar Review: Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3

The Litto Gomez Diez series is a line of cigars that was introduced by La Flor Dominicana several years ago. It is a line Dominican puros that take all of its tobacco's from Gomez's La Canela farm in the Dominican Republic from a single crop year.   In 2006, La Flor Dominicana introduced its first Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch cigar.   This was a limited release cigar that took the single vintage concept a step further by using some of the best tobaccos from the La Canela farm. Since then, there have been four releases of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series. In this assessment, we will explore the 2010 release - the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 3. At the time of this writing, this is a hard cigar to get your hands on, but if you are able to get your hands on it, this will prove to be one of the best Dominican puro cigars out there.

The idea of blending a wine taking a single year's crop from a single vineyard/farm has always intrigued wine enthusiasts. For cigar enthusiasts, this concept can also be easily applied - namely harvesting the tobaccos from a single farm from a single year to produce a cigar blend. There are other cigar companies that have done this - most notably Tatuaje with the La Verite series and Toraño's Single Region cigar. La Flor Dominicana had the jump on these folks - originated the concept in 1999 and releasing the first LG Diez Small Batch in 2006.

Let's break down the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 3 and see what this cigar delivers:

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the Small Batch No. 3 with the other releases. As with all of LG Diez Small Batch releases, they are shipped in cabinets of 105 cigars

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2010
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars

For historical purposes, here are the other releases of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series:

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 1
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2006
Production: Approximately 20,000 cigars.

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 2
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 6.5 x 54
Release Year: 2007
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars.

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4
Wrapper: Dominican Pelo de Oro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2011
Production: Approximately 26,250 cigars (250 boxes)

Appearance

The wrapper to the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3 has a rosado/colorado color to it, but it also has some black marbling - making for a very interesting look. The wrapper has a oily look to it, but it actually feels a little rough when you touch it. The wrapper itself is slightly toothy and has some veins to it.

Tha band is the classic "Litto Gomez Diez" red background with gold font band. It is highlighted with "LG" in the center - with "Diez" above the "LG" and "Litto Gomez on it". It is adorned with leaves on each side of the "LG".

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3, I placed a straight cut into the cap. I immediately commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a flavor profile of cedar with some pepper toward back of the tongue (note: bitter notes tend to be at the back of the tongue, but I still detected the pepper here). I never could put my finger on what type of pepper, but it was not your classic black pepper. Overall it was a decent pre-light experience. At this point, it was on to firing up the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3 and seeing what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

At the beginning of the smoke of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3, there were primarily notes of oak. At the same time, I was still detecting the pepper notes toward the back of the tongue. It was in the early stages of the smoke where I was detecting some sweet notes.   These sweet notes tended to go in and out with the oak notes early on - meaning there were times the flavors were sweeter than others. The pepper notes played more of a secondary role.

Around the 15 percent, the sweet notes were finally recognizable to me - namely, they took on a flavor of graham cracker and caramel. These sweet notes continued to go in and out with the oak notes. Toward the second half of the smoke, the pepper notes started to slowly emerge. They would eventually overtake the graham cracker/caramel notes and move to the forefront. Toward the end of the smoking experience of the Small Batch No. 3, it got more peppery. While the finish was spicy, it was not harsh. The nub was a bit soft, but it was cool.

Burn and Draw

While a lot has been made of the quality tobaccos that go into this cigar, it is worth noting that the Small Batch No. 3 scored high in the construction attributes of burn and draw. The burn of the Small Batch No. 3 required minimal touch-ups and for the most part burned sharp. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal. The ash was a little flaky at times, but this didn't prove to be much of an issue. As for the draw, it was flawless - making the Small Batch No. 3 a very enjoyable smoke.

Strength and Body

This cigar was advertised as a pretty strong cigar from a nicotine standpoint. From my point of view, this cigar has some pop, but it just fell a little short of being full-strength. I assessed the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3 to be on the upper end of medium to full in terms of strength. From a body standpoint, the flavors are deep and robust.   This definitely qualifies as a full-bodied smoke. The strength and body balance each other very well. The Small Batch No. 3 delivers a nice dose of strength without coming at the expense of the flavors.

Final Thoughts

There are only a hand full of Dominican puros that have really wowed me. The Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No.3 qualifies as one that falls into this classification. This is a well-made cigar with lots of flavor. It is a pricey cigar with a price point around $17.50. I don't factor price into a final assessment rating, but it is still worth noting. If you can still find one of these around, it is definitely worth the price. I'd probably advise this to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast to try as this does have some strength to it. As for myself, I'd pick up some of these at any chance I can find them.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: This cigar for this assessment was given to me as a gift.

Cigar Review: Xikar HC Habano Colorado

2012-01-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Xikar HC Habano Colorado

The name Xikar is synonymous with the cigar accessories market - most notably cutters and lighters. About four years ago, Xikar turned their attention to getting into the premium cigar market.   In 2007, this was first realized with launch of Defiance Cigars. In 2009 followed the Xikar HC Series.   For both cases Xikar collaborated with Jesus Fuego to blend the cigars. Jesus Fuego is becoming a rising star in the cigar industry - and I believe the best is yet to come.   With the Xikar HC Habano Colorado - one of the three HC blends launched in 2009, Fuego delivers a very solid smoking experience - one that was so good that it was awarded our #17 Cigar for 2009.

A little background on Jesus Fuego: Fuego was born and raised in Cuba. He comes from a Cuban tobacco growers and cigar makers. He earned a Master's Degree in Post-Harvest Agronomy . He also was a former instructor of post-harvest tobacco at the University of Pinar Del Rio. While living and working in Cuba, he worked beside some of Cuba's best known tobacco growers. Fuego left Cuba in the 1990s and took his talents are now being recognized on a more worldwide basis.

The Xikar HC Habano Colorado is a terrific example of Fuego's work.   Let's take a closer look at it.

Blend Profile

The Xikar HC Habano Colorado features tobaccos from three countries:

Wrapper: Habano Colorado - Jalapa Valley
Binder: Esteli, Nicaragua
Filler: Costa Rica, Jalapa (Nicaragua), Honduras

Vitolas Available

Robusto: 5 x 50
Belicoso: 6 x 54
Toro: 6.5 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 48
Grande: 6 x 60
Salomon: 7 x 58 (*)

(*) The Salomon was introduced at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show. This was intended to be a limited production release with only 1000 boxes produced.

Appearance

For this cigar assessment I went with the Churchill vitola. The HC Habano Colorado has a wrapper true to its name - namely one with that classic reddish colorado color.   The wrapper itself is somewhat oily in texture, but also toothy with some veins showing.   The HC Colorado features two bands. The first band is close to the cap and features "HC" in red font on a yellow background.   There is a mosaic that goes around the rest of the band.   The second band is around the foot of the cigar.   This also features a mosaic with "Habano Colorado" in white text on a black background.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I usually do, I put a straight cut into the cap of the HC Habano Colorado. On the pre-light draw, I was a bit disappointed as it was very woody. Since this web-site does not factor the pre-light experience into the final score, this did not play a role in the assessment.   At this point, it was on to fire up my Xikar HC Habano Colorado and to enjoy the smoking experience it would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The wood notes that were on the pre-light draw continued on the start of the Xikar HC Habano Colorado. There were also some secondary notes of pepper present on the tongue. The pepper could also be detected through the nostrils. The wood and pepper were the primary notes in these early stages. I also detected a very interesting sweetness up front. I could not put my finger on this sweetness, but it seemed to be in the cocoa profile. The sweetness did not have an overwhelming chocolatey taste. There also were some secondary notes of natural tobacco present.

Around five percent into the cigar experience, the pepper notes moved toward the background and became more noticeable on the after-draw. Around 15 percent point the wood notes dissipated and a combination of coffee and chicory flavors emerged. At this point the coffee/chicory/sweetness combination was in the forefront with the pepper spice and natural tobacco in the background.

Around the one third point of the Xikar HC Habano Colorado, the sweetness finally was recognizable to me as a raisin sweetness.   It was at this point where the sweetness began to diminish.   The coffee/chicory combination remained in the forefront. At the same time, the pepper spice, natural tobacco, and raisin flavors played a secondary role.

Around the midway point of the Xikar HC Habano Colorado, the sweetness has dissipated. The second half of this cigar definitely has less body than the first half. The wood notes return and with the natural tobacco notes they would form the dominant notes of the second half. The pepper spice remains and is present right until the end. The finish has some spice on it and is a little rough. The cigar consistently finishes with an outstanding nub - cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Xikar HC Habano Colorado does require multiple touch-ups. For the most part, my lighter did the trick in keeping the burn straight. No issues with the burn temperature or burn rate as these were ideal. As for the draw, while normally I have felt it was a solid draw - with the Churchills I have found the draw to be a little tighter. Overall, the draw is still good in my book.

Strength and Body

The Xikar HC Habano Colorado does provide a little pop to it as far as a nicotine profile goes. I definitely assess this cigar as medium to full in terms of strength.   As for the depth of the flavor notes, the flavors in the first half are going to have more depth than the second half. I assessed the Xikar HC Habano Colorado to be medium to full-bodied in the first half and medium-bodied in the second half. There is good balance between strength and body in the first half, but in the second half the strength is going to have a slight edge over the flavors in the second half of the cigar.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I found the Xikar HC Habano Colorado to be a very good cigar experience. While I ranked this as a Top 20 cigar for 2009, if the second half had some more body, this most likely would have been a Top 20 cigar. Still I don't want to paint a picture that the second half of this cigar was a dud - because it wasn't. It just had a more simplistic profile.   This is a cigar I'd probably recommend to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, I can see myself smoking this again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cigar Review: Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve (Part 56 of the 2011 IPCPR Series)

2012-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve

Note: With all IPCPR 2011 samples, these are being included with our IPCPR Series. That being said, there are still some samples that have not been assessed.

When it comes to pairing wines and spirits with cigars, I admit I am far from an expert on it. However, I do recognize this is a popular thing among cigar enthusiasts to do.   One boutique/indie company, Chinnock Cellars has decided to take this concept and integrate it with their vision. Chinnock Cellars is the brainchild of Brian Chinnock. Chinnock is a winemaker from California who recently launched his own line of cigars. The idea was to blend a cigar that could complement his line of wines. The first release from Chinnock Cellars is the Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve. In the end, since wine is not my field of expertise, I looked at how this cigar stood on its own.   I must say this was a great change of pace cigar and proved to be a very positive cigar experience.

When I look at indie cigar companies, I look for differentiators. The concept should be that if a retailer brings in a new cigar, it should be capable of knocking something else off the shelf.   The Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve has some pedigree behind it. The cigars are rolled at Miami's famous El Titan de Bronze factory. They were blended under the watchful eye of Willy Herrera (before he departed for Drew Estate). The cigars are rolled by grade 9 torcedors (the highest level of cigar roller).

With a vision and solid execution process in place, let's see how the Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve smokes:

Blend Profile

The Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve features tobacco from three different countries.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Habano
Binder: Nicaragua (two leaves)
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The core Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve is available in three vitolas:

Robusto: 5 x 52
Toro: 6 x 52
Torpedo: 6 x 52

Appearance

For this assessment, I sampled the Robusto vitola. The Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve wrapper has a very natural colored look to it. The wrapper itself has an oily texture. It is a little bit toothy and there are some veins protruding out.   The cigar itself has a classic farm and cedar aroma to it.

The band is simple. It has a black background with gold font saying "Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve". There is also a leaf and a letter C on the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I do in most cases, I opted to place a straight cut into my Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve. The pre-light draw was most interesting.   The dry draw notes provided me flavors of cedar, pepper, and a natural tobacco taste. A lot of times I get caught up in analogies to what the flavors of a cigar should be and sometimes I forget how good natural tobacco taste can be.   This was a satisfactory pre-light draw, so it was on to firing up the Private Reserve and seeing what it would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The natural tobacco taste that I got on the pre-light draw continued on the initial draw once the Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve was lit. Shortly after, this was accompanied by a unique sweetness that I could not put my finger on. In the first five percent of the smoke, I also detected some secondary notes of butter and pepper spice complementing the natural tobacco and sweet notes.

By the ten percent mark, the sweetness started to resemble caramel.   This complemented very nicely with the natural tobacco taste. For a good chunk of the cigar experience, this flavor profile would hold. As the cigar progressed through the second third, the sweetness seemed to have more of a honey flavored taste. In the last third, this sweetness moved into the forefront - ahead of the natural tobacco flavors. By the time the cigar got to a toward the nub, the sweet notes did seem muted. The finish provided a soft and warm nub.

Burn and Draw

The Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve burned at an ideal rate and ideal temperature (although it was a little warm toward the end). The burn did require several touch-ups and for the most part, the touch-ups kept the burn on track. The draw did provide a little more resistance than I normally like, but it still was a solid draw and one I really did not have to fight.

Strength and Body

The Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve is a good textbook study on how strength and body should balance each other. From a strength perspective, the Private Reserve is not going to overwhelm you. This is your classic medium strength cigar. As for the depth of the flavor notes, the flavors are robust with the Private Reserve. In the end, I assessed this cigar to be medium to full in body.   The Private Reserve provides just the right amount of strength combined with some nice body on the flavors.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I'm not going to be able to assess how this cigar pairs with a wine. I can say that the Chinnock Cellars Private Reserve does deliver some unique flavors. It definitely brought something different to the table. I admit, I did have high bar on the burn and draw given grade 9 torcedors were being used to roll the cigar. I would have liked to have seen perfect scores with burn and draw and while this didn't happen - this was still a good quality cigar. I'd easily recommend this to novice enthusiasts looking for something different and for someone wanting to graduate to a medium strength, medium to full-bodied cigar. Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the unique flavor profile here. I look forward to smoking this cigar again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: These samples were received at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show. These samples were initiated by Chinnock Cellars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review.

Note: All samples received from the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show are included in my "2011 IPCPR Series"

Cigar Review: Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010

2012-01-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010

In 2007, Oliva Cigars introduced the Oliva Serie V and it soon became a staple of many cigar enthusiasts. A year later, Oliva introduced their first maduro version of the Serie V. Unlike the core Habano Sun-grown Serie V, the Oliva Serie V Maduro is an annual limited production release - with some variations from year to year. Just this past year, Oliva introduced the 2011 version, but in this assessment we will take a look at the 2010 version. While there were a couple of shortcomings with the 2010 edition of this cigar, I still found this to be a positive smoking experience.

With the Oliva Serie V Maduro, it is produced in a single vitola - and the size and shape has varied from year to year. The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 was released as a torpedo. There were 50,000 cigars produced in this run, and for the most part, it was made available at the top Oliva retailers in the country.

Let's break down the Oliva Serie V Maduro in some more detail and see what this cigar delivers.

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 to some of the other releases. The 2010 blend was the first Oliva Serie V Maduro to use a San Andres wrapper. It was also produced in a 6 1/2 x 54 torpedo. This has been the largest ring gauge (54) of the Oliva Serie V Maduro series.

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 is as follows:

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 54 (Torpedo)

For historical purposes, here are the other cigars that have made up the Oliva Serie V Maduro.

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2008
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 52 (Torpedo)

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2009
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 52 (Torpedo)

Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 6 x 50 (Toro)

Appearance

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 has a classic chocolate look to it. It has a sandy and rough feel when you touch the wrapper. The cigar does not have a lot of veins, but the wrapper seams are visible. The cigar is packed very tightly and felt harder for a cigar stored under ideal humidity (68%) and temperature (70 degrees Fahrenheit). There is a feint cedar aroma to the cigar.

The band uses the classic Oliva Serie V band. There is no noticable differences from the core Oliva Serie V band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I always do with a torpedo vitola, I placed a straight cut into the tip.   When I started the pre-light draw, I noticed the end was still well-packed by the tip where the cut was placed. The actual dry notes did not excite me that much - I pretty much detected cedar and not much else.   While I didn't do handstands for the pre-light draw, I still was anxious to fire up the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 and see what would be in-store.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 provided bolder notes of cedar than I originally got on the pre-light draw. The cedar eventually turned to more of a classic black pepper spice - which was then accompanied by wood notes. On these early stages, I was very surprised to see this flavor profile from a San Andres Maduro wrapper.

In the first five percent of the smoking experience, the flavors opened up some more as a cherry sweetness emerged. As for the pepper notes, they lingered in the background and did not dominate. It was around this point where some citrus notes joined into the equation.   The cherry and citrus formed a very interesting combination early on.   By the time the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 reached the ten percent point, I also detected some secondary notes of nut. This would set the table for the flavor profile of this cigar going forward.

The cherry/citrus notes were in control for most of the first half with the nut notes remaining secondary. Around the midpoint of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 the pepper started to emerge - and took turns with the cherry/citrus notes in being in the forefront. While there was a peppery finish, there were no harsh notes. The resulting nub was perfect - cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 scored high marks. The cigar burned straight throughout the smoking experience - requiring minimal touch-ups. The burn rate was slow, yet did not produce any harshness (a positive). The burn temperature was also ideal from start to finish. As for the draw, this is where I normally have an issue with torpedoes as in many cases I cannot get a good one. For the case with the Oliva Serie V Maduro, the draw was tighter than I prefer (and I usually like a little resistance on the draw). In the end, while the draw was tighter, it still was better than most torpedoes.

Strength and Body

The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 has a little more strength than I originally anticipated. From a nicotine profile, it has just enough strength to qualify this as a full-strength cigar. As for the depth of the flavor notes, the Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 did not have the deepest ones. In the end, the depth of these flavors put this cigar in the upper end of medium-bodied.   When comparing strength and body, I still felt the strength had an edge over flavor for this cigar - but the strength did not smother out the flavors.

Final Thoughts

I've smoked many San Andres Maduro wrapper cigars. The Oliva Serie V Maduro 2010 one seemed to lack a lot of the classic coffee and chocolate notes that I normally get from a cigar with a San Andres Maduro. At the same time, I liked the fact that this cigar provided a different flavor profile from many other San Andres wrappers. I usually also prefer a little more equilibrium between strength and body in a cigar.   I'd probably steer this away from the novice enthusiast unless they are looking for something full strength. As for experienced cigar enthusiasts, I would encourage them to give this a try.   In the end, this was still a positive smoking experience, and this would be a cigar I would smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Full
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina early in 2011.

Cigar Preview: La Flor Dominicana Double Claro (LFD Candela)

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

La Flor Dominicana has announced that a new blend featuring a double claro wrapper will be hitting retailer shelves very soon.

Double Claro is the technical term for what is commonly known as a candela wrapper. Candela wrappers are distinguished by their green color. In 2011, candela releases by Viaje and Illusione certainly generated some buzz, so it will be interesting to see how this blend stacks up. This is the first time LFD has used a candela wrapper.

We will have more details in the future on this release. Here are the particulars that have been announced:

Blend Profile

Three countries make up the tobacco of the La Flor Dominicana Double Claro:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Double Claro (Candela)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican

Vitolas Available

The initial offering will be three vitolas:

No. 42 : 5 1/2 x 42 (SRP $6.76)
No. 48: 6 7/8 x 48 (SRP $7.26)
No. 50: 5 x 50 (SRP $6.86)

Cigar Review: NHC Surrogates

2012-01-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

NHC Surrogates - Skull Breaker

When it comes to online retailers, New Havana Cigars has built a reputation that separates them apart from many other online retailers. The focus on New Havana Cigars has been around some of the more popular indie/boutique cigars on the marketplace (e.g. Tatuaje, Illusione, Viaje).   They fill a niche by providing an avenue to get those hard to find limited edition cigars that often fly off the brick and mortar shelves - or never make it there. At the same time, they also built a reputation for getting retail exclusive cigars from the manufacturer (e.g. MUWAT Bait Fish).   One other avenue New Havana Cigars has explored has been around their own house blend - and that's the role filled by the NHC Surrogates cigar. These cigars have been getting some buzz from cigar enthusiasts. Overall, while I wouldn't call this a cigar of the year candidate, it does provide a nice smoke - especially if you like some power in your cigar.

The goal of the NHC Surrogates was to produce something as special (and with the quality) of a limited release/edition cigar, while making the cigar available to get on a consistent basis. Let's take a closer look and see some of the details around this cigar.

Blend Profile

The binder information for the NHC Surrogates was not published on the web-site.

Wrapper: Nicaragua (Broadleaf)
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The NHC Surrogates is currently available in two sizes:

Bone Crusher: 5 1/4 x 54
Skull Breaker (Belicoso): 5 1/4 x 52

Appearance

For this cigar assessment, I went with the Skull Breaker (Belicoso). The NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker has an oily feel to it. The wrapper is chocolate colored. It has some toothy veins on the wrapper. The aroma of the cigar has feint scents of coffee to it.

The Skull Breaker features two bands. There is a black background on each. The top band has a red skull flanked by the words "Skull Breaker" on each side of it in white font. The second band has "Surrogates" written in more of a classic font. (Note: The Bone Crusher top band features a white milk bone as opposed to a red skull and says "Bone Crusher").

The oily wrapper and the banding does have a close resemblance to the Viaje Skull and Bones series. The NHC Surrogates cigars are longer in length than the Skull and Bones.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker, I defaulted (as I do for all belicosos) for a straight cut into the tip. I commenced with a pre-light draw in which I detected notes of leather, coffee, and a touch of pepper. Overall, the dry draw flavors were satisfactory. It was now on to toast the fut of my NHC Surrogates and see what the smoking experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

After lighting my NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker, I was treated to notes of leather with that touch of black pepper in the background. Around five percent into the cigar experience, I started to detect some notes of chocolate. The chocolate did ncrease in intensity and was on par with the leather notes for a good part of the smoking experience.

This flavor profile holds for the majority of the smoking experience. Along the way the chocolate did get slightly sweeter, but did not get overly sweet. The pepper spice that existed did not get overwhelming - although along the way it does increase through the nostrils.

The finish to the cigar was a little harsher than I would have liked. The nub was also soft and warm - a little less than ideal for a finish.

Burn and Draw

The NHC Surrogates proved to be a well-constructed cigar. The only shortcoming in this area was that the burn did require a little more work than I would have liked to keep it straight.   The burn rate and temperature were ideal for a good duration of the smoking experience.   As for the draw, I was impressed. Normally, I don't gravitate toward torpedoes or belicosos because I don't often get a good draw. The NHC Surrogates Skull Breaker did very well in the area of draw for this type of vitola.

Strength and Body

There were two things the NHC Surrogates was advertised as: 1) a cigar with a lot of strength; 2) a cigar with a lot of flavor. As for the strength category, this is a strong cigar and definitely delivers a full-strength cigar experience from a nicotine standpoint.    As for the body, I did not find the depth of the flavors that I would have liked. The flavors did not have the depth I would expect - and in the end, I assess the NHC Surrogates to be medium-bodied. As for balance, the strength seems to get the best of the flavor depth.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was not a bad smoking experience.   There are some cases where I don't mind a cigar that has an edge in strength over body. However, if the flavors had some more depth - and if there was more in the way of complexity, this has the potential to be a very good smoking experience.   This is a cigar I'd probably only recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast who can handle a full-strength smoke.   As for myself, I would not mind having a few of these in my humidor.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Full
Body: Medium
Finish: Fair
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 86

Source: While this cigar was obviously purchased from New Havana Cigars, this was gifted to me by a friend.

Cigar Preview: W.Curtis Draper Announces Limited Edition 125th Anniversary Series by Leading Manufacturers

2012-01-18T09:21:00.001-08:00

W.Curtis Draper, a retailer with two stores in the Washington DC/ Bethesda, Maryland area has announced a series of store exclusive, limited edition cigars from four leading cigar manufacturers. The series is being dome to commemorate Drapers 125th Anniversary.

The four cigar manufacturers selected to blend the anniversary cigars are:
Tatuaje Cigars
La Aurora Cigars
Padron Cigars
Arturo Fuente Cigars

The Tatuaje release will be launched February 3rd and 4th at Draper's DC and Bethesda respectively and will feature Tatuaje founder Pete Johnson. While no specific details have been released, Draper's posted this will be a special Cabaiguan similar to what has been done for their 120th Anniversary. The subsequent releases of the other manufacturer blends are scheduled for April, July, and October.

Draper's mentions the boxes will be limited to 250 boxes per release. We will have more information when made available.

Cigar Review: La Aurora 1495 Series

2012-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

La Aurora 1495 Series

The La Aurora 1495 Series is where there is a lot more to the cigar than just looking at the band and wrapper.   This is a cigar with some very interesting background behind it.   For starters, while it might look like an oily cigar with a lion on the band, this is a cigar that features six different tobaccos in it.   The name 1495 Series has a historical significance. It was in that year that the city of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic was founded when Christopher Columbus landed on the island. As a result, La Aurora Cigars created this cigar to pay homage to this city which is now the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. Ultimately, it will come down to how good the blend behind the cigar is. In the case of the La Aurora 1495 Series, this proved to be a very good cigar smoking experience.

Let's drill down into the La Aurora 1495 and see what this cigar is all about.

Blend Profile

While there are six tobacco leaves that go into this blend, it is also interesting that the tobaccos come from four different countries.

Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic (Corojo)
Filler: Dominican Republic (Corojo and Ligero) , Nicaragua, Peru

Vitolas Available

The La Aurora 1495 Series is available in four sizes:

Belicoso: 6 1/4 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 50
Corona: 5 1/4 x 43
Robusto: 5 x 50

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I selected the Robusto vitola. The wrapper for the La Aurora 1495 is milk chocolate in color and quite oiily. It has some veins on it, and for an oily wrapper it is somewhat toothy. The cigar features a band with brown, yellow, gold, and red colors. A lion in brown is on a yellow background. The name "La Aurora" is above it in red font.   Below the lion, "1495 Series" is in gold font on a brown background surrounded with red striping.

The aroma of the 1495 Series is a combination of earth and farm notes.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do for most of my cigars, I selected a straight cut. When I proceeded into the pre-light draw of my La Aurora 1495 Series, I was treated to an interesting combination of flavors. These dry draw notes included a combination of butter, leather, earth, and a hint of cedar. While I normally don't factor pre-light flavors into an assessment rating or score, this was a very good pre-light draw. It was now on to firing up this cigar and seeing what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

When I lit the La Aurora 1495 Series, the farm and earth note aroma that was present on the pre-light was replaced by a more peppery aroma. This aroma would be present for a good chunk of the smoking experience. The flavors on the tongue featured earth notes with pepper on the afterdraw.

In the early stages of the cigar experience, coffee notes joined the earth notes. The pepper remained present on the afterdraw. As the cigar experience crossed the one third point, the pepper notes increased on the afterdraw. Eventually these pepper notes made their way into the mainstream draw by the midpoint of the cigar experience. These flavors would hold for the remainder of the cigar experience. This wouldn't be the most complex flavor profile, but it would be a flavorful one. One of the most amazing things is that usually when I detect earth notes in a smoke, it tends to be a boring smoke in my book. This was not the case with the La Aurora 1495 as it surprised me with the resulting flavor.

The finish to the cigar had some spice, but no harsh notes. The resulting nub was cool and firm - the way a nub should be.

Burn and Draw

For the most part, the La Aurora 1495 scored well in the construction attributes of burn and draw. The burn was relatively straight and did not require a large number of touch-ups. I did notice the cigar was burning a little hot in the middle. As I eased up on the draw, it seemed to stabilize the burn temperature and it actually finished cooler toward the end.   The burn rate was ideal. As for the draw itself, it was a little loose and this is probably why it affected the burn rate to begin with.

Strength and Body

The La Aurora 1495 Series provided a good balance between nicotine and depth of flavors. The cigar is not going to overwhelm you with nicotine - and from a strength perspective its going to deliver just enough power. I assessed this cigar as medium to full strength. As for the body, the depth of the flavors were robust.   I also assessed this cigar as medium to full in terms of body.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a solid cigar experience. If I had one "wish list" for what this cigar would have delivered, it would have been a little more complexity in the flavor profile - especially since this did have a blend of six tobaccos from four countries. In the end, I believe a less complex can still be a good cigar - and that is the case with the La Aurora 1495 Series. Novice cigar enthusiasts looking to graduate to a fuller strength, fuller-bodied cigar might give this one a try. For experienced cigar enthusiasts, I would also encourage them to give this a try as it does deliver excellent flavor. From a personal standpoint, this is a cigar that I most certainly look forward to smoking again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Good
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89

Source: The cigars for this assessment were gifted to me by a friend about six months ago.

Cigar Preview: Viaje Super Shot (Viaje Shotgun Shells)

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Viaje has announced a new limited edition release called the Viaje Super Shot.   Some initial details of the release were reported on a January 13, 2012 post by Cigar Aficionado.

According to the article, the impetus behind the Viaje Super Shot (which has also been referred to as Viaje Shotgun Shells) goes back to Viaje founder Andre Farkas. Farkas recently developed an interest in clay shooting and was looking to enjoy a short smoke while taking breaks.

There are no official details of a release date as of yet.   The plan, consistent with the Viaje brand strategy is for the Super Shot to be a limited release run.   Most likely this will translate for 1 to 2 boxes for most Viaje authorized retailers.

Blend Profile

While nothing was officially released in article above, the packaging indicates this is 100% Nicaraguan - which is also consistent with Viaje cigars. No specifics on the tobacco leaves are known at this time.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

As indicated from the name and background of the cigar, these are going to be short smokes.   This is also consistent with a lot of what Viaje is doing as the Skull and Bones series focused quite a bit on short smokes. The Super Shot definitely ranks among the shortest of all Viaje releases. The names and sizes of the vitolas are similar to what actual shotgun shells are.

12 Gauge: 3 1/4 x 52
10 Gauge: 3 1/2 x 54

Cigar Review: Macanudo 1968

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Macanudo 1968

Up until a few years ago, the Macanudo brand within the General Cigars' family has primarily been associated with cigars that are traditionally on the milder side in terms of strength and body.   In 2008, Macanudo was commemorating their 40th anniversary and decided to do a special cigar to mark the occasion, thus the Macanudo 1968 was born. For this cigar, a decision was made to move the cigar away from the milder side of the spectrum and appeal to a different group of cigar enthusiasts.   The cigar was originally priced in the $8.50 to $11.00 (SRP) range. In 2011, General Cigars implemented a price reduction that brought the SRP to the $6.49 to $7.99 range. This is a cigar that has now been out on the market for over three years. Overall, I found this to be a solid and enjoyable smoking experience.

While this cigar commemorates the year Cigar Master Ramon Cifuentes began development on Macanudo (which would be released in the U.S. in 1971), there is much more to the story about this cigar. Part of the goal of this cigar was to pay tribute to Macanudo's place in the modern cigar industry while at the same time delivering a whole new smoking experience The tobaccos are all proprietary to General Cigars.Cigar Master Daniel Núñez says, “We developed the seeds used in each of the cigar’s components and selected specific growing regions to enrich the blend and its aroma." (source Press Release Macanudo 1968)

Let's take a closer look at this cigar's structure and smoking experience.

Blend Profile

This cigar features tobaccos from several regions including the "big three" - Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. As mentioned above, these are proprietary tobaccos to General Cigars.

Wrapper: Honduran San Agustin
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Dominican, Nicaragua Esteli, Nicaraguan Ometepe

Ometepe is a volcanic island located in Lake Nicaragua. Recently tobacco from this region was used in the Toraño Vault cigar.

Vitolas Available

At this time the Macanudo 1968 is available in five sizes. The original launch featured four vitolas and the Trompeta was added in 2009.

Churchill: 7 x 49
Gigante: 6 x 60
Toro: 6 x 54
Robusto: 5 x 50
Trompeta: 5 x 60

Appearance

For this cigar, I opted to smoke the Robusto vitola. The Macanudo 1968 Robusto has a classic chocolate colored wrapper. The wrapper is slightly oily and bumpy with a few veins. The cigar itself is well-packed with no soft spots. The band is primarily black and gold colored. On the band, "1968" is what stands out. Also on the band is "Macanudo 1868". The 1868 is not a typo - it is another commemoration. That is the year the original Macanudo name was founded by several Cuban cigar makers who moved to Jamaica.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Macanudo 1968 Robusto, I placed a straight cut into the cap and went on to start the pre-light experience.   On the dry draw of the Macanudo 1968, I detected notes of leather and coffee with a hint of cedar. Overall, I considered the Macanudo 1968 to provide a satisfactory pre-light experience. At this point, it was on to toasting the foot to begin the smoking experience.

Flavor Profile

On the initial draws of the Macanudo 1968, the flavor notes of leather, cocoa, and a hint of spice continued from the pre-light draw but with more body. I also detected notes of coffee early on. I would not categorize the coffee/cocoa combination as "mocha" - namely because I was able to detect the cocoa and coffee flavors separately. Early on, I assessed the leather note to be in the forefront. The coffee notes would emerge secondary while the cocoa and spice notes were tertiary. I noticed the cocoa notes - along with the pepper spice. were a little more prevalent on the after draw.

Around the 20 percent point of the smoking experience, the cocoa notes started to increase. They would slowly work their way from a tertiary note to a primary note by the end of the first third of the Macanudo 1968. The cocoa continued to increase in body as the smoke entered the second half. I noticed a significant decrease in the coffee notes in the second half.   Meanwhile, the leather notes helped keep the cocoa in check - and prevented this cigar from being overly "chocolatey". The spice that was present never really kicked up as it remained more on the after-draw. The finish to the Macanudo 1968 was smooth. The nub was firm and cool - the way a nub should be.

While it wasn't the most complex cigar in terms of flavor variations, I still felt this was a solid cigar from a flavor perspective.

Burn and Draw

For the burn and draw, the Macanudo 1968 did outstanding. The burn pretty much held straight for the entire cigar experience. It required a few touch-ups, but these were nothing out of the ordinary - and did not need to be done frequently. The temperature and rate of the burn were also ideal. As for the draw - it was effortless. This made the Macanudo 1968 a very enjoyable to puff on.

Strength and Body

Originally, when I was told about the Macanudo 1968, I was told from several other people who had smoked this that it was a more "fuller" cigar experience.   From a body standpoint, this is definitely the case. It has bolder notes than previous Macanudo incarnations. I assessed the body to be medium to full for most of the cigar experience. Toward the end, the body crosses into full-bodied territory. As for the strength, this is not going to pack a lot of nicotine. It's got more strength than most of the Macanudo line, but it still very much falls into the medium strength range - and not any higher.

Final Thoughts

Overall I found the Macanudo 1968 to be an enjoyable smoking experience.   My only "area for what I would have liked to have seen" with this cigar is a little more complexity in the flavor profile. Overall, this is a cigar that is definitely worth checking out.   I would recommend this to novice cigar enthusiasts looking to try something in the medium strength range with deeper flavors. Some seasoned cigar enthusiasts might shy away from this given Macanudo's milder reputation, but I would encourage them to still check it out.   This is a cigar I certainly would smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full (Full toward end)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89

Source: The cigars for this assessment were provided by General Cigars. These samples were initiated by General Cigars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review.

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012

2012-01-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012

2011 might have been one of the strongest years for Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. On our Cigar of the Year list, Rocky Patel placed two cigars in the Top 15 as well as two honorable mentions. They also released an outstanding Honduran puro, the Edicion Unica (which was not sampled until after the deadline for our 2011 countdown). Therefore, the bar appears set high for 2012.   Late last year, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars' announced a return of its Seasonal Collection with the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012. Overall, this cigar proved to be a very unique smoking experience. If you are looking for a taste profile a little different, but still solid - this would be a cigar to certainly check out.

The Rocky Patel Seasonal Collection line was a series of limited run cigars that were meant to coincide with each of the four seasons. The blend was almost meant to coincide with the spirit of the season. The cigars are a limited production - meaning once they are shipped to retailers (which was usually close to the season they were named from), there are no more releases. After 2009 the series was discontinued. The Winter Collection releases of 2008 and 2009 are considered two of the strongest releases of the Seasonal Collection series. These cigars featured a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper (that would eventually be used on the Patel Brothers Cigar). While the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2008 and 2009 were similar blends, the Winter Collection 2012 makes a radical change in the blend.

Let's break down the Rocky Patel Winter Collection in some more detail:

Blend Profile

A very interesting blend profile.   This is complete different than previous editions. The use of Costa Rican and Panamanian tobaccos is very interesting. The wrapper is officially listed as "Habano", but not official details from the country of origin have been released.

Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Costa Rica, San Andreas
Filler: Nicaragua, Panama

Vitolas Available

The Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012 is available in three vitolas. The cigars are sold in boxes of 20. Each cigar is a box-press shape. There were 2000 boxes made of each vitola.

Robusto: 5 1/2 x 52
Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/8 x 52

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I opted to go with the Toro vitola. The Habano wrapper has a milk chocolate look.   There almost looks like there is a hint of colorado coloring in the wrapper as well.   The Winter Collection 2012 Toro appears mostly smooth but there are some veins that do look a little toothy.

The Winter Collection 2012 also features two bands. The top band features the RP symbol in white font on a black circular background. The symbol is also rounded by a circle of white circles.   Flanking the circular logo is "Rocky" and "Patel" to the left and right respectively. The font of "Rocky Patel" is in white on a ribbon of purple. The second band (located below the first band) is silver with "Winter Collection 2012" in purple. There are two thin black stripes on top and bottom of the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012 Toro, I opted to go with a straight cut into the cap. I commenced with the pre-light draw and picked up notes of bittersweet chocolate and leather. These weren't the deepest notes on a pre-light draw I have gotten.   While the dry draw didn't have me doing handstands, the good news is I don't count the pre-light draw in my assessment rating or numeric score. I figured it was on to light my Winter Collection 2012 and see what it would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

One thing that was a highlight of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012 is that this cigar had a lot of complexity from a flavor standpoint. The very early notes of the cigar featured flavors of oak, coffee, chicory, bittersweet chocolate, and pepper. These weren't flavors that were meshed together, but flavors that can be identified individually. Around five percent into the cigar experience, the pepper spice changes to more of a classic cedar spice. The chicory and bittersweet chocolate provided a slight bitter twist to the flavor. While I normally don't like this type of flavor component, it ended up balancing out the other flavors nicely - as well as providing something unique.

Around ten percent into the cigar experience, some of the flavors smooth out. The flavors that were more on the bittersweet side - namely the chicory and bittersweet chocolate dissipate. At this point, the flavor pattern has coffee/chocolate notes in the forefront, and the cedar spice as secondary. This pattern holds throughout much of the first half.

In the second half the cedar spice begins to kick up, and begins to morph into more of an exotic spice. It definitely was one of the more unique spices I have had. This spice eventually pushes into the forefront. The coffee/chocolate notes were secondary, but actually had a greater presence on the afterdraw.

The final third of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection provided some interesting twists. The coffee/chocolate notes morphed into more of a classic espresso and moved back to the forefront. This holds until the cigar experience reaches the nub point. At the point it approaches the nub, the spice made one more kick to bring the Winter Collection 2012 a spicy finish.   The resulting nub was soft, but cool.

Burn and Draw

For the most part, the burn was solid with the Winter Collection 2012. I did hit a point in the middle of the cigar where the ash got flaky and the burn required multiple touch-ups. However, the start and the finish to this cigar had a very straight burn with a tighter ash.   The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal throughout the smoking experience.   As for the draw, it was excellent throughout - about as good as a draw can get.

Burn of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012

Strength and Body

The Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012 provides a nice dose of power. From a nicotine standpoint, I would assess the strength of this cigar in the upper range of medium to full, but just short of full strength. The flavor notes have some depth. For the majority of the smoke, I assessed the depth of these notes to be medium to full-bodied. As the cigar moves into the last third, the flavors move safely into the full-bodied range.

Final Thoughts

This was a very interesting smoking experience. There is no doubt the inclusion of some less than traditional tobaccos in this blend contribute to this being a different smoke. Some of the flavors, such as the bittersweet notes early and the exotic spices later on were very interesting . One knock on the Winter Collection 2012 I did have is that when I smoked the other seasonal blends by Rocky Patel such as the Autumn Collection 2009, I felt the flavor profile fit in well with the season. This was not the case with the Winter Collection 2012. In this case, you don't lose points for this. Overall, while I liked this cigar and would certainly smoke it again, this flavor profile is not for everybody. Particularly if you like "old school" smokes and don't like to deviate, this is not for you. I'd probably recommend this to a more seasoned cigar smoker looking to get a little more adventurous.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full (Full in last third)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

Source: These cigars were purchased for me by a friend. I do not have the store origin at this time.

Cigar Preview: Tatuaje 2012: Tatuaje Cojonu 2012, Monster Series 2012 (Little Monsters Series, Mummy), My Father La Duena

2012-01-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje Cigars founder, Pete Johnson made a guest appearance on Kiss My Ash Radio and discussed some of the plans for his brand for 2012. Some of this information confirmed some information that had been floating around for some time. There was also some new information as well.

Tatuaje Cojonu 2012

Johnson confirmed three different wrapper cigars will be released under the Cojonu 2012 line. All three will feature Nicaraguan Binder and Filler and will be box-press. There will be The planned release date is March 2012 for two of them - the Connecticut Broadleaf and Ecuadorian Sumatra. There will also be a Habano wrapper version that will be unveiled at the 2012 IPCPR in August.

Monster Series (2012)

Johnson confirmed the next installment of the Mummy Series will be the "Mummy". He also announced a special series called the Little Monsters series with a June 2012 timeframe. The Little Monsters series will be 10 cigar sampler consisting of two smaller sizes cigars of each of the Monster Series blends. There will be 5000 samplers (boxes) produced. The plan is for these cigars to be approximately 4 to 6 ring gauges smaller, and about 2 inches shorter in length.

The five cigars of the Little Monster series will be:

Frank Jr. (Based on the Tatuaje Monster Series Frank)
Little Drac (Based on the Tatuaje Monster Series Drac)
Baby Face (Based on the Tatuaje Monster Series Face)
Wolfie (Based on on the Tatuaje Monster Series Wolfman)
Mini Mum (Based on the upcoming Tatuaje Monster Series Mummy)

Johnson gave an example for a feel for one of the sizes. He used the Baby Face as an example of being 4 3/8 x 50.

My Father La Duena

This is not a Tatuaje release. The La Duena is the long-rumored "Janny Garcia" cigar for My Father cigars. Johnson confirmed he has been involved in the blending and packaging artwork around the La Duena.

Stay tuned as information comes out on these releases. The interview can be heard on the following link.

Cigar Review: 262 Paradigm Lancero

2012-01-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

262 Paradigm Lancero

In 2010, when this web-site released its Honorable Mentions for the cigar year, one blend that might have surprised a lot of people at that time was the 262 Paradigm. For the past two years, 262 Cigars has been building a loyal following. It was the Paradigm blend that was the first release by 262 that started it all. Recently, 262 Cigars' founder Clint Aaron has been unveiling his latest addition to the Paradigm line - the 262 Paradigm Lancero.   While I've been very high on the Paradigm blend - being that I am not a big lancero fan, I was not sure how I would react to this particular vitola.   After sampling this particular lancero, the 262 Paradigm Lancero proved to be an outstanding addition to the 262 Paradigm line.

If you are not familiar with 262 Cigars, there is a story behind the company and the cigars. The name "262" is symbolic of February, 1962 - when Kennedy signed the embargo against Cuba. As for the cigar itself, there is a story as well. It fits in with 262's theme for all of its cigars - which deals with standing up for cigar rights. The following is some background information on the Paradigm taken from 262cigars.com:

A Paradigm Shift is about to take place. All you think you know about premium cigars is in for an overhaul. Introducing the 262 Paradigm, a medium-to-full bodied cigar that is sure to revolutionize your smoking experience. The 262 Paradigm is here, so don't sit down, there's work to be done. Stand up and let your voice be heard. The Revolution has already begun. What are you waiting for?

Let's take a closer look at the 262 Paradigm Lancero

Blend Profile

One thing that is consistent with 262 Cigars - they have some of the most interesting blends on the market. This is certainly the case with the Ideology and upcoming Manifesto - and it's certainly the case with the Paradigm. There is a good amount of South American tobacco that makes up the 262 Paradigm.

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Honduran
Filler: (3 Fillers): Colombian (Cubito Cuban Seed), Nicaraguan (Viso/Seco leaves from Jalapa and Esteli)

Vitolas Available

While we will focus on the lancero vitola for this assessment, there are also some interesting vitolas in this line.

Lancero: 7 x 38
Robusto: 4 x 52
4Sixty: 4 x 60
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 54
Box-Pressed Toro: 6 x 54

An interesting nugget - the 262 Paradigm Lancero is one of the few Brazilian Mata Fina wrapped cigars that is available in the lancero vitola on the marketplace.

Appearance

The 262 Paradigm Lancero is less toothy than your average lancero. There are some veins exposed, but it is a smoother lancero than most in terms of appearance. A pig-tail is featured on the cap of the 262 Paradigm Lancero. The Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper gives the 262 Paradigm a classic coffee color. The band to the cigar is on the footer. It uses a similar band to the other vitolas in the Paradigm line - black font on a white background with the 262 logo. The band differs from the other vitolas in that the font is smaller on this band, and the slogan "Smoke the Revolution" is not on there.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

While some folks choose to pull a the pig-tail off a cap, I opted to go with a straight cut (This is usually par for the course with me). I commenced with a pre-light draw.   The dry draw notes provided a mix of coffee and wood. While it wasn't the deepest pre-light draw, it still was satisfactory.   At this point, it was on to light my 262 Paradigm Lancero and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

After lighting the 262 Paradigm Lancero, I was treated to a quick shot of pepper on the initial draws. It did not take long before some coffee flavors surfaced. The pepper notes subsided, but did not dissipate. The pepper notes were still more prevalent through the nostrils. The coffee notes provided a smoothness to this cigar. At the same time, the pepper notes gave the 262 Pardigm Lancero a little kick to it - providing very good balance on the flavor spectrum.

Toward the end of the first third, some cream and honey notes emerged. These played more of a secondary role to the coffee flavors.   These notes provided a nice sweet component to the flavor profile.   At this point, I still categorized the pepper spice as a secondary note as well.   The flavor profile of the 262 Paradigm Lancero would hold throughout the second third. As the 262 Paradigm Lancero moved into the last third, the honey sweetness transitioned to more of a classic citrus sweetness. The pepper also increased in depth during the last third. The pepper eventually moved into the forefront and provided a spicy finish.   While spicy, the finish was not harsh. The resulting nub was soft, but on the cool side.

Burn and Draw

Very high scores for burn and draw. I've found the Paradigm line to be one of the best burning cigars out there - and the lancero vitola lives up to what has been set. The burn was razor-sharp throughout the cigar experience. It burned at an ideal rate and ideal temperature. The ash was tight and white. As for the draw, it was flawless - making the 262 Paradigm Lancero a joy to smoke.

Burn of the 262 Paradigm Lancero

Strength and Body

There was a terrific synergy between the strength and body of the 262 Paradigm Lancero. From a strength perspective, it is fair to the 262 Paradigm Lancero has some pop, but it is not going to overwhelm you with nicotine. It is your classic medium to full strength cigar.   Same with the flavor notes - there is some nice depth to them. I'd also assess the depth of these notes to be medium to full-bodied. Overall, this cigar is a perfect example of having a perfect amount of strength - and a perfect amount of body.

Final Thoughts

If you have followed my assessments, you know that the lancero is not a vitola of choice for me. In the case of the 262 Paradigm, this scored some very high marks.   This is a solid addition to the 262 Paradigm line and I put it right up there with the Illusione HL Maduro as one of the best lanceros I have smoked.   I would not hesitate to recommend this cigar to a novice cigar enthusiast who might want to try a lancero - or try something more medium to full in strength or body. This is also a good cigar for an experienced cigar enthusiast, and I'd even encourage a non-lancero fan to try. This is a cigar I would even consider a box purchase for.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Rating: 95

Source: The cigar for this assessment was provided by Clint Aaron of 262 Cigars. These samples were initiated by 262 Cigars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review. Some additional input was from the other vitola of the 262 Paradigm line that I have purchased.

Cigar Review: My Uzi Weighs a Ton (MUWAT) Bait Fish by Subculture Studios/Joya de Nicaragua

2012-01-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish

The joint-collaboration by Drew Estate Subculture Studios with Joya de Nicaragua called "My Uzi Weighs a Ton" (MUWAT) made an official debut at the 2011 IPCPR retail show. The MUWAT was a cigar geared a large ring gauge cigar enthusiasts available in three lengths with a 60 ring gauge. As retailers and consumers sampled the MUWAT, some of the initial feedback provided was they were looking for a more fuller cigar in terms of strength. The MUWAT was positioned as a medium/medium to full strength cigar. As a result a decision was made to modify the blend to bring it closer to full strength. One of the stronger blends that was developed was internally known at Drew Estate as known as the "EF" blend. A decision was then made to use this new blend in a new line extension to MUWAT. This became known as the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish. Essentially this new blend succeeds in meeting some of the initial feedback. In the end while MUWAT Bait Fish is a very good cigar, I'm still preferential to the big ring gauges.

The MUWAT Bait Fish (or officially known as the MUWAT "Infamous Bait Fish") goes the opposite from the three 60 ring gauge releases of the original MUWAT. The Bait Fish is a petit corona of size 4 x 44. A decision was then made to initially offer the Bait Fish as a retailer-exclusive to New Havana Cigars. This cigar went on sale on in early December, 2011.

Blend Profile

Like the original MUWAT, Tobaccos for the MUWAT Bait Fish come from both the Drew Estate side and the Joya de Nicaragua side.   Jonathan Drew himself blended the MUWAT and MUWAT Bait Fish It was rolled at the Joya de Nicaragua factories. Just to reiterate, the MUWAT Bait Fish blend differs from the MUWAT blend.

Wrapper: San Andreas (Mexico)
Binder: Connecticut shade
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina, Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The MUWAT Bait Fish is currently available in a single vitola - a 4 x 44 Petit Corona.

Appearance

The MUWAT Bait Fish has a chocolate colored wrapper. The wrapper is slightly toothy, but at the same time not very veiny (i.e. it has a bumpy feel to it). The band is the black background with the silver font that says "My Uzi Weighs a Ton by Subculture Studios & JDN. The font on the band is smaller than the original 60 ring gauge MUWAT. The foot of the cigar does not have a deep aroma, but I was still able to pick up cedar and barnyard scents.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

I placed a straight cut into the MUWAT Bait Fish and immediately followed up with the pre-light draw. Overall, the pre-light draw provided some basic notes of leather. It wasn't the most complex prelight draw, but it wasn't a bad one. I consider a pre-light draw more of an appetizer for a cigar experience and I do not factor it into assessment scoring. At this point, I was ready to fire up my MUWAT Bait Fish and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

Upon lighting the MUWAT Bait Fish, the leather notes from the pre-light draw continued. The MUWAT Bait Fish delivered a lot of smoke early on and this would continue throughout the smoking experience. Soon joining the leather notes, I picked up some cocoa notes. There was a slight sweetness to this cocoa. One thing I picked up when I smoked the original 6 x 60 MUWAT was some pepper spice on the afterdraw. With the MUWAT Bait Fish, I also picked up the same thing, but I would say this pepper spice was more subtle.

As the cigar progressed into the second third, the cocoa/leather/and pepper flavors held.   The pepper did come up a notch (and was no longer limited to the afterdraw) to join the cocoa as the primary note, but overall I would not say this was a pepper bomb.

The the MUWAT Bait Fish moved past the halfway point, notes of coffee would replace the cocoa.   The coffee would become the dominant flavor (but not overwhelming).   The pepper subsided a bit early in the final third, however made one last return during the final part of the smoke.   The pepper never got harsh and it made for a little bit of spice on the finish - making for a rather smooth finish. The resulting nub was cool, but slightly soft.   I was able to get a very small nub at the end.

Finishing Nub on the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish

Burn and Draw

For the most part, the burn of the MUWAT Bait Fish remained razor-sharp requiring very few touch-ups. While the cigar burned at an ideal rate, it actually burned a little slow. I found this surprising since the cigar did produce a large volume of smoke. The slow burn didn't contribute any negative, but probably was the reason why my nub was on the softer side.

The draw had a little resistance on it. I actually prefer a little resistance on the draw, so this was ideal for me. Overall it made for a very good smoke.

Strength and Body

As for how the MUWAT Bait Fish was positioned, this was advertised to have more strength than the core MUWAT. In the case of the MUWAT Bait Fish, this blend definitely has more strength. However, I would stop short at saying this is a full strength cigar. I still assessed the strength profile as being medium to full. As for the body, the notes of the MUWAT Bait Fish have a medium-bodied depth - actually a tad lower than the core MUWAT. In the case of the MUWAT Bait Fish, there is a slight advantage to strength over body here.

Final Thoughts

Normally I am not a fan of the petit corona. I will say that for a petit corona this was an enjoyable smoke. The MUWAT Bait Fish has enough complexity in terms of flavor to qualify as a "medium" on my complexity scale. This is the type of cigar that can be smoked any time of the day. I can see a novice cigar enthusiast trying the MUWAT Bait Fish if they want a stronger cigar. Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the strength and nice flavors from the cigar. If I were to be asked to choose between a 60 ring gauge MUWAT or a Bait Fish MUWAT, I'd still pick the 60 ring gauge versio - however this would be a cigar I'd smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Daw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 90

Source: This cigar was gifted to me by a friend.

News: Viaje Moves Oro and Platino to Small Batch, WLP Update

2012-01-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

Viaje Cigars posted some information on Facebook on 1/11 regarding the Oro and Platino lines. They also put an update on the White Label Project. While the information was high level, the Oro/Platino announcement might generate more questions than answers - especially for cigar enthusiasts who are not familiar with Viaje Cigars. Let's take a review of these statements - and what they mean.

Viaje Oro and Platino Lines
UPDATE - VIAJE is now 100% small batch. ORO and PLATINO will now be rolled in short runs to ensure quality and consistency. In addition, both will now feature a primary and secondary band. (Source Viaje Cigars, Facebook 1/11/12)

What does this mean?

If you are not familiar with Viaje Cigars, Viaje has built their reputation around small batch, limited production releases. Small batch means exactly what it says - there are not a lot of cigars rolled in a particular production batch. This usually results in a retailer getting one to two boxes of a cigar or blend that is released. The limited production can take on a variety of different dimensions: 1) Viaje can release a blend in a one time release (like many of the Viaje White Label Project releases); 2) Viaje can release a blend in small batches in a particular vitola(s) - and then change the vitola(s) from batch to batch (this was done with the Viaje Skull and Bones' release); 3) Viaje can annually produce a limited run on a particular blend (such as the Viaje Summerfest, Viaje 50/50, Viaje Satori, and now Viaje Late Harvest).   Up until this point, the exception to the small batch, limited production attributes has been the Oro and Platino lines. Now that has changed.

You might ask - the Oro and Platino lines do fall into a small batch, limited production model -namely with the Viaje Oro Reserva and Viaje Platino Reserva blends? The "Reserva" version of these cigars are actually variations of the Oro and Platino blends respectively.   The "core" Oro and Platino lines are different and up until this announcement have been part of regular production. I've heard a couple of retailers say they've had difficulty getting the core Oro and Platino, but I cannot comment how widespread this issue is.

While Viaje cigars are highly sought after because they are done in small batch, limited production models, the core Oro and Platino lines have probably been the least sought after.   This - along with a banding change makes these potentially more desirable. If there are issues with keeping up with production, this move could help alleviate those issues. With this announcement, Viaje operates all of their lines in the small batch, limited production model.

Blend Profile

The blend for the Oro and Platino is very similar.   The Oro blend is considered more fuller from both a strength and body perspective.

Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The Platino and Oro lines do have different sizes even though their are similarities to the blends. This is important to note because a small batch, limited production model could impact what when a consumer will see what vitolas. There is nothing official from Viaje, but this is still something to keep in mind.

Oro:
Fuerza: 5 x 52
Chico: 5 1/2 x 44
Gran Fuerza: 5 1/2 x 58
Torpedo: 6 x 52
Delicado: 6 x 50
El Padre: 7 x 52
Jefe: 7 x 50
Lancero: 7 1/2 x 38

Platino:
Chiva: 5 x 52
Fino: 5 3/4 x 44
Belicoso: 6 x 52
Sueno: 6 x 54
Jefe: 7 x 50
Lancero: 7 1/2 x 38

White Label Project

Thank you to all who participated in the White Label Project. Due to all of your feedback STUFFED TURKEY will now be added to the slate for Thanksgiving 2012. The first WLP of 2012 will be releasing soon. Stay tuned... (Source Viaje Cigars, Facebook 1/11/12)

What does this mean?

The White Label Project (WLP) is a line that has been released by Viaje last year. The cigars in this line are considered somewhat experimental to varying degrees. One such blend was the Viaje WLP Candela (our #28 Cigar for 2011) released earlier this year. Another White Label Project blend is the WLP 50/50 Red.   These fit the small batch, limited production model described above.

The Viaje White Label Project Stuffed Turkey was assessed last November on Cigar Coop.   It will be making a return in 2012.   Here were our thoughts on this blend.

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009

The Rocky Patel Seasonal Collection line was a series of limited run cigars that were meant to coincide with each of the four seasons. The blend was almost meant to coincide with the spirit of the season. After 2009 the series was discontinued, but the great news is that it recently has been resurrected with the release of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2012. That being said, today we will explore an older release from this series - the Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009. This is often one of the forgotten blends from this series, yet it is one that is actually is a pretty good smoke.

As mentioned these cigars are pretty difficult to come by these days.   You might get lucky and come across one as I recently did.   Let's take a closer look at the Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009.

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Colorado Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

The blend of the Autumn Collection 2009 is different from the Autumn Collection 2008. The 2008 version featured a Connecticut Shade wrapper.

Vitolas Available

The Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009 was available in three vitolas:

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/2 x 52

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I smoked the Autumn Collection 2009 Robusto. The Habano Colorado Maduro wrapper is striking. Being that it is Colorado Maduro, it actually is a cross between the reddish tint that Colorado wrappers usually have - and milk chocolate that maduro wrappers have. The Autumn Collection 2009 has a slightly toothy feel to it. It has two orange and silver bands. The first band has the Rocky Patel logo on it. The second band is under the first and says Autumn Collection 2009.   It is worth noting that Patel been on the record stating that orange is his favorite color.

The aroma on the foot definitely had what I have heard referred as a "barnyard" aroma.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009 Robusto, I placed a straight cut into the cap. I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a mix of cedar sweetness and spice. I was also able to detect some leather and chocolate on the pre-light draw. This was a very nice start to the Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009. I immediately proceeded to toast the foot of the cigar and commence the smoking experience.

Flavor Profile

I've always mentioned that the flavor of Rocky Patel's Seasonal collection fits in with the particular season - in this case Autumn. The initial notes of the Autumn Collection 2009 gave me notes of cedar sweetness and nut - definitely an autumn-like taste. There was also some spice on the after-draw.   I was soon able to distinguish the nuts as walnut flavored. As I the smoke progressed through the first half, the spice on the after-draw dissipated and the cedar sweetness faded.   This flavor profile would hold for the majority of the smoking experience.

As the smoke of the Rocky Patel Autumn Collection moved toward the last third, the cedar sweetness that was present early on re-emerged and joined the walnut and spice. I was also surprised to detect notes cinnamon and coffee toward the end. For a cigar that I did not consider complex early on, it actually picked up toward in the final third. These flavors held until the finish. The finish was very smooth. The nub was a little soft, but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of my Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009 did require multiple touch-ups. While the touch-ups did the trick, the amount of touch-ups I had to do prevented this from achieving an "excellent" on the burn scale. At the same time, the burn temperature and burn rate were ideal. There were no issues with the draw - the Autumn Collection 2009 was a very easy cigar to smoke.

Strength and Body

The Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009 is not going to overwhelm you with nicotine.   This is your classic cigar that falls into the medium strength zone. As for the flavor notes, they have some nice depth.   This allows for this smoke to be assessed as medium to full-bodied.   The amount of strength is perfect for the Autumn Collection 2009 in that it does not overwhelm the flavors - allowing for a nice balance between the strength and body.

Final Thoughts

There are a couple of intangible qualities with the Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009 that were appealing. First of all, the flavors really do fit in with the theme of the autumn season. Secondly, the complexity and smoothness on the finish of this cigar work in its favor. While there may be some technical things about the cigar (like the burn) where this cigar didn't score as high as it could of, it still does leave a memorable experience in my book. This is a great cigar for a novice cigar enthusiast to enjoy - especially if one is looking to gravitate to a medium strength/medium to full-bodied cigar. Experienced enthusiasts will appreciate some of the unique flavors and complexity toward the end of this cigar.   If I can find more of these, I will certainly pick them up.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 90

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Elite Cigar Cafe in Addison, Texas

Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4

2012-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 (Limited Release)

Earlier this year, E.P. Carrillo made a line extension to its Core Line cigar in a Corona size called the E.P. Carrillo Core Line No. 4. I felt the E.P. Carrillo Core Line blend worked perfectly in thiis type of vitola and it was ranked #4 for Best New Vitola in an Existing Blend for 2011.   After a positive experience with the E.P. Carrillo Core Line No. 4, I was very excited to learn that E.P. Carrillo was making a corona vitola for its Short Run 2010 blend. It turns out that this would be a retail exclusive cigar for Federal Cigar in New Hampshire and be produced in limited quantities. Still, I felt it was good to see a return of the Short Run 2010 blend - and this did not disappoint as this proved to be an outstanding edition to the Short Run 2010 family.

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run was an outstanding blend released last year. It was so good, it was ranked #15 in on the Cigar Coop 2010 Cigar of the Year list. In 2010, E.P. Carrillo launched the inaugural "Short Run", the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010. As implied by the name, "Short Run" implies limited edition - meaning the cigar is meant to be produced in a limited batch on a yearly basis. When E.P. Carrillo launched a totally blend called appropriately, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011, many thought this was the end of the line for the Short Run 2010 blend. It then caught some of us by surprise that the Short Run 2010 blend would be making a comeback - in this limited release for Federal Cigar.

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 joins other cigars to commemorate Federal Cigar's 90th anniversary. It joins other retail-exclusive anniversary cigars done for Federal Cigar such as the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109.

The cigar is currently intended to be a one time limited release. Let's take a closer look this cigar.

Blend Profile

No blend changes from the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010. Here is an overview:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Vitolas Available

As mentioned, the No. 4 Corona is a retail exclusive to Federal Cigar. For completeness, I've included the other vitolas that were released.

No. 4: 5 1/8 x 42
Populares: 4 7/8 x 50
Delirios: 5 7/8 x 52
Dominantes: 6 1/4 x 60

Appearance

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 features the same caramel colored Sumatra wrapper as original line did.   There are some veins throuigh the wrapper. I felt it was closer on the smooth side and not too toothy. The banding is identical to the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010. It contains the standard E.P. Carrillo red, yellow, black, white and gold first band bearing the E.P. Carrillo name and logo. There is an additional band under the standard band bearing the "Short Run" name in gold letters on black background. The aroma was on the feint side - mostly cedar in scent.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes were very similar, but not identical to what I found when I smoked the Populares vitola of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010. On the Short Run 2010 No. 4, I detected notes of nut, butter, and berry sweetness. At this point, it was on to fire up the Short Run 2010 No. 4 and see what this cigar would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavor notes provided a cedar spice on the tongue and some pepper through the nostrils. The cedar spice went into the background and notes of butter and nut emerged early on.   These notes were soon joined by the raisin sweetness that was present on the original vitolas of the Short Run 2010. The raisin, butter, nut, and cedar formed the flavor profile that was present in the first third. All of the flavorrs meshed very well together with no note sticking out as the dominant one.

In the second third, the raisin diminished. At the same time, the cedar spice started to increase in intensity and started to take on some of the pepper qualities I had detected on the nostrils. Eventually the spice wins out. The finish is spicy, but not harsh. The resulting nub is outstanding - cool and firm to the finish.

Burn and Draw

This is textbook E.P. Carrillo quality when it comes to the construction attributes of burn and draw. The burn was razor sharp requiring very little in the way of touch-ups. It produced a nice tight white ash throughout the smoking experience. The draw is flawless as well. As I usually say, when a draw is excellent it makes for a joyful smoking experience.

Burn of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011 No 4.

Strength and Body

When I sampled the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 Populares vitola, I aassessed it as medium strength and medium to full in body. For this No. 4 vitola, I actually think both attributes go up a notch. The Short Run No. 4 has a little more kick to it - and I assessed it as medium to full in strength. As for body, the flavors are a little deeper - and it helps the Short Run 2010 No. 4 move into the full body range. Good balance between the strength and body as the strength does not overpower the flavors.

Final Thoughts

If you have enjoyed the original vitolas of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010, I do encourage you to try the No. 4 (while they are still available). Even someone who tends to like a bigger ring gauge will probably appreciate what this cigar brings to the table. Experienced cigar enthusiasts will enjoy this cigar, and novice enthusiasts might also appreciate what this cigar brings to the table. This is a cigar I would definitely smoke again - and certainly one I'd consider getting a box of before they are gone.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 95

Source: The cigar used for this assessment was gifted to me by a friend.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje HCS

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Tatuaje HCS

When it comes to retailer exclusive cigars, Tatuaje has been well known to provide blends in this area. Some of these have been more accessible to cigar enthusiasts than others.   In 2011, the Tatuaje Anarchy, which finished as our #3 Cigar of the Year was made accessible online via Smoke Inn.   On the other hand, the Tatuaje Federal Cigars 90th Anniversary cigar (for Federal Cigars) was a much more difficult cigar to obtain. In the end, whether the cigar is easier to obtain or not, it is going to come down to the blend that will judge its place in the cigar landscape.   The Tatuaje HCS is a retail exclusive cigar that has been made available to Holt's Cigar Shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is a cigar that has been made accessible online from Holt's. In the end, this is a case where I don't think this is a bad cigar, but one that definitely has fallen short when compared to other Tatuaje projects.

Par for the course with Tatuaje blends, the Tatuaje HCS comes out of the Garcia family factory in Nicaragua. It was released in 2010. On an original post on Brothers of the Leaf (BOTL), Tatuaje founder Pete Johnson said 500 boxes of each size was made available. He mentioned the HCS can mean two things: Holts Cigar Selection or Havana Cellars Signature (the original name of Pete Johnson's company).   He also mentioned he regretted giving the blend as an exclusive.

As I mentioned, I did not think this was a bad cigar, but it wasn't my first choice of a Tatuaje. Let's take a closer look at the Tatuaje HCS.

Blend Profile

The profile of this cigar is a mix of Nicaraguan tobacco with an Ecuadorian wrapper.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

There are currently three vitolas available with the Tatuaje HCS. All of the cigars are in a box-press shape.

Robusto Larga: 5 1/4 x 50
Toro Grande: 5 5/8 x 54
Torpedo: 6 1/8 x 54

Appearance

The Tatuaje HCS is a visually impressive cigar in my book While I have heard this is a rosado wrapper, the wrapper still has a milk chocolate look to it. Overall, it has some veins, but the texture is pretty smooth. By Tatuaje standards, the band is a little more elaborate - it is gold with "HCS" embossed on it. As for the box-press, it was a well-made box-press vitola with no soft spots.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For this cigar experience, I selected the Toro Grande. I went through my usual procedure of putting a straight cut into the cap and going right into a pre-light draw.   The dry draw notes were not bad - a cross of pepper/cedar spice and some chocolate. Satisfied with this pre-light draw, it was on to light my Tatuaje HCS and get into the core of the smoking experience.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Tatuaje HCS was actually pretty good. It had a nice mix of leather, chocolate, and cream. I had expected a stronger dose of Garcia pepper earlier on. Instead, I was treated to more of a cedar spice in the background. Around five percent into the smoke, the flavor profile moves from leather/chocolate/cream to more a chocolate/wood tone. The cedar spice still remains in the background.

As the cigar progresses to the second third, the flavor profile got less interesting to me.   The chocolate notes actually dissipated and took on more of a leather, wood, and earth profile. The cedar spice did increase somewhat in body. By the last third, the spice has taken on more of a classic black pepper spice on top of a very woody/earthy flavor. The finish actually was a little harsh in my book. The resulting nub was soft and cool.

Burn and Draw

While the burn rate and burn temperature were satisfactory on the Tatuaje HCS, I did have to do multiple touch-ups. The touch-ups kept the burn on track, but I did more than I would have liked to. There were no issues on the draw - this was textbook Tatuaje/Garcia as this made for a very easy smoking experience on that end.

Strength and Body

The Tatuaje HCS definitely had a little more kick from a nicotine standpoint than I originally thought. I still think it still falls short of full-strength and falls into the medium to full area. As for the body, the notes are not the deepest - but still have enough flavor to qualify the Tatuaje HCS as a medium-bodied smoke. As the cigar got more generic in flavor, I thought the strength started to overshadow the body of the flavors.

Final Thoughts

There are a couple of conclusions I can make about this cigar each time I smoked it. The first is that the flavors were so promising early on, but seemed to get less interesting as the cigar smoked. The second is that I can see the woody/earthy profile that this cigar eventually takes on appealing to many cigar enthusiasts. In my book, it just didn't fit my flavor profile.   This is a well-made cigar, but there are ultimately more complex and bolder flavor Tatuajes that I would reach for first.   I'm probably more inclined to recommend this to a Tatuaje fan than anyone else. It is your classic "See What You Think" assessment.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full Body:
Medium Finish:Good
Assessment: See What You Think
Score: 86

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased in-person at Holt's Cigar Shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Cigar Review: Alec Bradley Prensado

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Alec Bradley Prensado

On January 6th, 2012, Alec Bradley Cigars achieved one of the highest honors that can be given to a cigar when their Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill was awarded 2011 Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado magazine. Given this cigar will be on a lot of people's minds over the next few weeks, I felt it would be appropriate and newsworthy to provide an assessment of the blend. For this particular assessment of the Alec Bradley Prensado, I've opted to discuss what I feel is the best vitola of the Prensado line - the Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto.

The Alec Bradley Prensado line is not a new cigar blend. It actually has been around for a couple of years.   This is one reason why you didn't see it as a 2011 Cigar of the Year on this web-site as we focus that list on new blends for the 2011 cigar year. The name Prensado is Spanish for "pressing" and this is indicative of the cigar's box-press shape.

In the end, it's all going to come down to how good the cigar is. While I will emphasize again that we are assessing a different vitola than the Churchill. All vitolas can impart different flavors, but in this case I felt there still were a lot of similarities.   In the end, i still felt the robusto was the best vitola of the lot.

Blend Profile

While it's fair to say the Prensado is not a new cigar blend for 2011, it does carry out a theme that emerged with cigars for 2011 - the renaissance of Honduran tobacco.   While I said Honduran tobacco was not dead in cigars, I had felt 2010 was a down year.   The Alec Bradley Prensado is made in the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras and utilizes a good proportion of Honduran tobacco from Trojes. The Trojes region is located in the Southern part of the Honduras.

Wrapper: Trojes, Honduras
Binder Nicaragua
Filler Trojes, Honduras, Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The line now consists of six vitolas. Each vitola is box-pressed. The Robusto and Churchill were part of the original release. The Double T was a line extension for 2011.

Corona Gorda: 5 5/8 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 50
Churchill: 7 x 48
Gran Toro: 6 x 54
Torpedo: 6 1/8 x52
Double T: 6 x 62

Appearance

Visually speaking the Alec Bradley Prensado is as good a piece of cigar art as there is. The wrapper has a coffee look to it.   The wrapper is somewhat oily and smooth with virtually no veins visible. It is a well-packed box-press with no soft spots. The old Alec Bradley logo is on the band. It has gold lettering on a black background.   There are also additional colors of white, gold, copper, and turquoise on the band. The aroma on the foot is combination of cedar and coffee.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto, I placed a straight cut into the cap. I went on to commence with the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided me notes of leather, coffee, and chocolate. Overall I considered the pre-light flavors to be satisfactory. It was now on to firing up the Alec Bradley Prensado and see what was in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws of Alec Bradley Prensado provided me with a quick shot of pepper. The pepper would settle quickly and join with notes of leather and coffee.   The leather and coffee would quickly surface as the primary flavors early on. By the end of the first third of the smoking experience, I detected some notes of nut in the background.

Early in the second third of the Prensado, I detected a sour citrus in the background for a little bit. Eventually that citrus note was replaced by some cedar spices. The cedar spices fused with the pepper notes. For the remainder of the cigar experience, the Prensado was highlighted by notes of leather, coffee, nut, and spice. There wasn't a point where I one of these notes would overshadow the other notes. The finish was smooth and there were not harsh notes.   The resulting nub was cool and soft. In the end, not the most complex flavor profile, but some good flavors.

Burn and Draw

One area where I have had an issue with the Prensados has been the burn. The burn has not been terrible, but it was not at a level I would expect. I've found the Prensado a cigar that needs many touch-ups.   This was true when I smoked the latest cigar from this blend that I am using for this assessment. At times, the ash would flake - providing a decent ash. As for the draw, it was outstanding - so no issues there.

Burn of the Alec Bradley Prensado

Strength and Body

From a nicotine standpoint, I thought the Alec Bradley Prensado provided a decent dose of it. Overall I would still say it falls short of being full-strength, but remains in the medium to full range of the spectrum. As for the depth of the flavor notes, the Prensado starts out as medium. As the cigar moves into the second half, the flavor graduates to medium to full. While I thought the strength had a slight advantage over flavor early on, I did not think it overwhelmed the flavor. For the most part, the Prensado had good balance between strength and body - especially in the second half when the body pick up.

Final Thoughts

2009 was the year of the first Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year list. That list was created before this web-site was founded. Even though it was eligible that year, the Alec Bradley Prensado did not make that list. Overall, I thought this was a good cigar. If it had a more consistent burn and some more complexity from a flavor standpoint, it would be better cigar. In the end this web site's criteria for assessing, scoring, and ranking a cigar is different than Cigar Aficionado's criteria. This is probably a cigar I'd recommend to a more seasoned enthusiast. I would smoke it again, but it probably wouldn't be in my regular rotation.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium (1st half); Medium to Full (2nd half)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 88

Source: The cigars for this assessment was purchased sometime ago from Outland Cigars.

Cigar Preview: 2012 Fuente: Opus X Angel Share; Don Arturo Aniversario; Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Aniversario; Casa Cuba

2012-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

2012 will mark the Centennial celebration of Arturo Fuente Cigars. As a result, one can expect an exciting year from the company. Despite having to deal with a serious tobacco fire last year, Fuente is moving forward with four new blends.

The January 7th, 2012 Cigar Dave Show unveiled some information about the four blends. Most of the information is high level, but it is for something for cigar enthusiasts and fans of Arturo Fuente to keep in mind. This is still early information and much is subject to change and correction, but still this can give folks an idea of what is planned.. The plan is for these four new blends to be available or unveiled by the 2012 IPCPR retail show in Orlando, Florida.

1.Opus X Angel Share - This is actually a variation of the existing Opus X blend. The difference is that Fuente is using a different priming in the blend taking it from a middle leaf as opposed to the higher priming that is normally used. The idea is to give this cigar a sweeter component.

2.Don Arturo Aniversario: This is going to be a new line of limited annual releases. The plan is for this cigar to be available in six vitolas. The distinguishing factor here is a new Dominican-grown Cuban Seed wrapper that has been perfected by the Fuentes.

3.Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Aniversario: This is being targeted as a larger ring gauge release than corona gorda ring gauge on the current Fuente 8-5-8s. It will also utilize the new Dominican-grown Cuban seed wrapper being used in the Don Arturo Aniversario.

4.Casa Cuba: This one has probably already been on the radar with Fuente fans as many were expecting it in 2011. A decision was made to age some the cigar some more. This cigar will be marketed without using the Fuente name on it. It is expected to be a cigar in the medium range.

Cigar Coop will follow these releases throughout 2012 and provide more information and hopefully have some in-depth blend previews when they are made available.

Source: 1/7/12 Cigar Dave Show. Click here for the podcast link.

Cigar Review: Oliva Serie V No. 4

2012-01-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

Oliva Serie V No. 4

The Oliva Serie V is a cigar line made its mark among cigar enthusiasts. It built its popularity started when it was released in 2007, and while there have been many flashier blends to hit the marketplace, the Oliva Serie V still hangs in there. In 2011, a petit corona vitola was introduced to this line. This petit corona was originally targeted to be a more limited release, but has managed to make its way across the marketplace.   This vitola -the Oliva Serie V No. 4 proved to be a very fine addition to the Oliva Serie V line.   As a result, Cigar Coop ranked this particular vitola as our #2 Best New Vitola for 2011.

The Oliva Serie V No. 4 was introduced in 2011. It was originally going to be a limited release cigar targeted at TAA (Tobacconist Association of America) shops and the European market. Given the European market usually targets smaller, thinner ring-gauge cigars, it made sense to target Europe. However by the second half of the year, this vitola has started to pop-up more mainstream in U.S. retailers.

In the end, while I am someone who prefers a much larger cigar, the Oliva Serie V No. 4 won me over. Let's take a closer look at this cigar.

Blend Profile

The Oliva Serie V blend is an all-Nicaraguan puro. It is highlighted by its high priming sun-grown wrapper.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Sun-grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (includes Jalapa Valley ligero)

Vitolas Available

While we are focusing on the No. 4 for this assessment, the other vitolas that make up the core Oliva Serie V line are included for reference purposes:

No.4: 5 x 43
Churchill Extra: 7 x 52
Lancero: 7 x38
Special V Figurado: 6 x60
Double Toro: 6 x 60
Torpedo: 6 x 56
Belicoso: 5 x 54
Double Robusto: 5 x 54

Appearance

As I mentioned, the sun-grown wrapper is a highlight on this cigar.   It has a chocolate colored wrapper with a some veins. The cigar I used for this assessment had already managed to have a tiny bit of plume on it. The classic Oliva Serie V band goes around the No. 4 vitola - it uses gold lettering on a brown background. There also is some red color in the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I usually do, I opted to place a straight cut into my Oliva Serie V No. 4. The prelight draw provided me notes of chocolate, floral, and herb notes.   These floral an herb notes had a very natural tobacco taste to them.   I was definitely satisfied with the dry note flavors I got from the No. 4, so it was time to light up this petit corona and see what was in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavors from the Oliva Serie V No. 4 continued to provide me a dose of chocolate and floral notes. Early on, I detected some pepper spice. While the chocolate and floral notes swere in the forefront early, the pepper notes slowly increased.   By the end of the first third, the chocolate, floral, and pepper notes were all balancing each other well.

The secoond half of the cigar experience saw the flavor profile of the chocolate, floral, and pepper notes alternate as to which flavor would be in the forefront.   Toward the close of the smoke of the Oliva Serie V No. 4, the pepper spice would win out.   While the fiinish was spicy, it was not harsh.    The resulting nub was soft and slightly warm.   Overall, while I'm not the biggest fan of floral notes, it somehow works well with this flavor profile - namely because they had a very natural tobacco taste to them.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Oliva V Serie No. 4 was textbook Oliva V - namely there were really no issues to mention. The cigar burned straight requiring minimal touch-ups. The burn rate was ideal, and while it was a little warm on the finish, this was nothing to really complain about as the cigar burned at an ideal temperature throughout the smoke.   The draw was outstanding - making the Oliva Serie V No. 4 an outstanding smoking experience.

Strength and Body

The Oliva Serie V line is known for its full, bold smokes.   The nice thing is the small vitola of the Oliva Serie V No. 4 continues with that tradition. While I'd stop short at saying the cliche "this little cigar packs a punch", this is still definitely a full-strength cigar from a nicotine profile standpoint. As for the body, the flavors are robust - definitely qualifying the No. 4 as a full-bodied cigar. The strength and body of this cigar balance each other perfectly which each attribute contributing equally.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I still think the larger ring gauge of the Oliva Serie V line delivers a lot more in terms of flavor, but I cannot take away from what this petit corona delivers. There is a reason why this was ranked as our #2 New Vitola for 2011. The flavors are good, and the heritage full strength and body are preserved in this line. I would not hesitate to recommend this to an experienced cigar enthusiast.   Large ring gauge enthusiasts are going to have a tough time with the small size - but in the way, this is a general problem with petit coronas and not specific to the Serie V No. 4.   If a novice enthusiast wants to gravitate to a full-strength, full-bodied cigar, this might be the perfect place to start. As for myself, while I'm not the biggest petit corona fan, this one was very good and I would smoke it again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

Source: This cigar was given to Cigar Coop as a gift by a friend.

Cigar Preview: 262 Manifesto

2012-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Last year, Clint Aaron, founder of 262 Cigars announced plans for a limited run cigar to coincide with the 50 year anniversary of JFK signing the Embargo.   That signing occurred on February 7, 1962. With that date approaching, the details of the cigar are now surfacing.   That cigar is going to be called the 262 Manifesto.

262 Cigars (formerly Revolution Cigars) was founded by Aaron out of Virginia.   At the time of this writing, he currently has two blends in his line - the 262 Paradigm (In 2010, a Cigar Coop Honorable Mention) and the 262 Ideology (Cigar Coop's #2 Aged Cigar for 2011).   The name "262" represents the embargo signing - February, 1962.

Both the Paradigm and Ideology have a basic theme about standing up for tobacco rights. The Manifesto also follows this theme. 262 Cigars describes this on their webpage as "is our official call to action for Brothers of the Leaf (BOTL) to band together as one and let our local, state and federal government know that we won’t sit back and take all of their excessive tobacco taxation and unconstitutional smoking ban."

The 262 Manifesto represents the third blend and first limited edition cigar for Aaron's company. The 262 Cigars website has been actively promoting this cigar. The current plan is that 262 boxes of 10 cigars will be produced - and these boxes will be distributed to ten authorized 262 retailers.

Blend Profile

One thing Aaron has impressed me with is how he has really come up with some unique blends. Both the Colombian filler in the Paradigm or the Mexican filler in the Ideology have been interesting twists. For the Manifesto, while the Indonesian binder intrigued me, the integration of Honduran tobacco into the blend continues a theme I've seen in the cigar industry over the past year.

Wrapper: Honduran Criollo 98
Binder: Honduran Criollo 98, Indonesian
Filler: : Nicaragua (Esteli and Jalapa), Honduras (Trojes Region)
Trojes Region Honduras

We will continue to follow the 262 Manifesto as it is released.

Cigar Review: Casa Fernandez Copacabana

2012-01-06T04:42:00.000-08:00

Casa Fernandez Copacabana

The Casa Fernandez Copacabana is a cigar that has really flew under the radar. This was a new release that came out in 2011 by Casa Fernandez cigars.   With the rebranding of the Casa Fernandez Miami and the release of the new Casa Fernandez Miami Reserva, somehow the Copacabana got lost in the shuffle. Upon talking to a tobacconist in a retail shop, he made a point of pointing this cigar out - and reminding me of this new release. In the end I ended up picking up a couple. This cigar was a real surprise to me and right now it stands at the top of the Casa Fernandez line in my book.

The Copacabana is listed as a "premium" cigar on the Casa Fernandez web-site. The Miami, Miami Reserva, and Aganorsa Leaf cigars are listed as "super premium". A lot of this has to do with the fact that those three "super premium" cigars leverage Agarnosa farm tobaccos - which are considered high end. However, this should not be a knock on the Copacabana - which still utilizes excellent tobaccos. Like any recipe, you can use expensive ingredients or inexpensive ingredients. In the end, it is the end result of that recipe that is judged. This is the analogy I draw with the Casa Fernandez Copacabana - it is one outstanding blend when the components are put together.

Let's take a closer look at the Copacabana and see what it brings to the table:

Blend Profile

The Copacabana is trademark Casa Fernandez - namely it is a Nicaraguan puro using Cuban seed tobacco. It is highlighted by its sun-grown Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Filler: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed

Vitolas Available

At the present time, the Casa Fernandez Copacabana is available in three vitolas:

Robusto: 5 x 52
Torpedo: 6 x 54
Toro Gordo: 6 x 56

Appearance

One thing that I do not factor in my score is appearance. The Casa Fernandez Copacabana is not the most exciting looking cigar. In the end I'm more concerned about the smoking experience.   The sungrown wrapper is not quite a chocolate colored wrapper, but it is darker than your generic natural wrapper. It has veins visible, but I would not categorize it as toothy. The band is pretty simplistic - it is black, white, and gold highlighted by the name "Copacabana" with "Casa Fernandez" in smaller font. The cigar does provide a feint chocolate aroma to it on the foot.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For this cigar experience with the Copacabana blend, I opted to go with the Robusto vitola. As I usually do, I took my cutter and placed a straight cut into the cap. I went on to commence with the pre-light draw. The dry notes provided me a nice shot of pepper up front on the early draws. I then proceeded to detect dry notes of wood and chocolate in addition to some lingering pepper. I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw experience, so it was time to fire up the Copacabana and see what was in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavor notes of the Copacabana provided an extension of the pre-light experience - namely pepper, wood, and chocolate. As the cigar moved through the first few minutes, I also detected some cream notes in the background.   In the first third, there was good fusion of the flavors, and no flavor really darted out over the other notes.

Around the one third point, a caramel sweetness emerged and joined the other notes. As the cigar experience moved through the first half, the notes of chocolate, coffee, pepper, cream, and caramel were all present. The caramel and pepper notes seemed to be the ones that were closest to the forefront, but I would not say they were overly dominant.

As the cigar moved into the second half, the caramel notes faded in sweetness, but still remained as more of a raw caramel flavor. The pepper spice was still present, and toward the end would become the note in the forefront. The finish highlighted the pepper spice notes. The nub on the close was slightly soft, but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Casa Fernandez Copacabana scored high in the area of construction attributes. This cigar had some of the best burn and draw of what I have seen from Casa Fernandez. The burn of the Copacabana required very few touch-ups and burned straight throughout the whole smoke. It also provided a nice tight white ash. The burn temperature and burn rate were ideal.   As for the draw, it was effortless - it made the Copacabana a joy to smoke.

Burn of the Casa Fernandez Copacabana

Strength and Body

Overall, I did not find the Casa Fernandez Copacabana to be one that delivers a large dose of nicotine. It is what I would consider your classic medium strength cigar. As for the body of the flavor notes, these aren't going to be the boldest flavor notes, but they are going to be just enough. I assessed the body to be medium as well. There is great equilibrium between the strength and body - making for good balance between these attributes.

Final Thoughts

As I said when I reviewed the appearance of the Casa Fernandez Copacabana, this isn't the flashiest cigar, but it does deliver a great cigar experience. This is your classic "don't judge a book by its cover" cigar. Right now, this stands at the top from the Casa Fernandez line in my book. A novice enthusiast looking for a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar will definitely appreciate the flavor and balance of this cigar. I also think this is a great cigar to appeal to the experienced enthusiast looking for the medium/medium profile. This is a cigar I would definitely seek out and smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Club Havana 134 in Anderson, South Carolina