The Good Stuff: I reviewed the broadleaf less-exclusive version of the cigar here and we actually named it as our cigar of the year for 2011.  This is the more exclusive version of the already incredibly exclusive cigar. Each of the 3,700 boxes came with 16 cigars, one of those 16 cigars is this shade wrapped blend. It’s basically the exact same blend only with a tweaked Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011 is very similar in blend to the standard Reserva Especial only with a higher priming. After the wrapper Jaime decided to showcase some of his choice Pelo De Oro leaf as well as two different types of Cuban Seed. These cigars were showcased at this year’s IPCPR convention, and started to hit shops in August. These cigars are probably sold out by now, but if you are lucky enough to stumble across them they will run you about $16 a cigar. Check out this review of the broadleaf version so that you can see just how absolutely beautiful the box these cigars come in are. I won’t go into details.

Size: 6.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade  -  Binder: Nicaraguan Pele de Oro  -  Filler: 2 Cuban Seed Nicaraguan  -  Price: ~$16

Prelight: The first thing I noticed about the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition Shade was that this cigar weighed a ton. The Standard Limited Edition was heavy as well, but in comparison to those that I have and this shade one, the shade was so much heavier. I’m sure this wasn’t done on purpose as this is supposed to be the same blend, only with a different wrapper. Anyways. The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper on this bad boy is a beautiful one. The wrapper is a very light, yellowish brown and like most shade wrappers, is incredibly consistent in color, smooth, and vein free. The body of the cigar is silky smooth, heavy, and firm while the delicate wrapper leads up to the round triple cap. The double band on this cigar matches the LTD Reserva Especial with the broadleaf wrapper identically.

Unlike the broadleaf, this wrapper is a lot more modest with its aroma only teasing with a subtle cedar and spice. The foot however expels a ton of spice, pepper, and tobacco. The sharp pepper actually irritated my nose a bit as I went in for a huge whiff. The cap was REALLY tough and took a little convincing from my double bladed Palio cutter. Once cut, the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition Shade let loose this crazy lacquer, paint flavor. I picked it up in the Broadleaf version too, but not as strong as I could in this one. It has to be from the filler tobacco. Anyways, outside of that I got a little salt off the wrapper, and some spicy earth and cedar tones from the filler.

First Smoke: Right away I am greeting with a ton of pepper on my lips and tongue followed by some really strong spice and cinnamon, some soft tobacco and cedar, and a little underlying sweetness and honey. Just like the broadleaf version, that paint I picked up in the cold draw wasn’t in the actual experience at all. The draw on this thing is crazy. I find myself only puffing the cigar once and getting plenty of thick white smoke. The burnline is pretty even with only some very subtle waves, and razor sharp. This cigar kicks out tons of smoke on the draw but almost nothing at all as it sits in my ashtray. The ash is a really nice white and light grey which held on for a little over an inch before giving way into my lap, again. So this picture is of the second ash. I really need to stop being lazy and get up more often to take these pictures before the ash falls.

Halfway There: Holy Cedar Explosion Batman! Seriously. The Broadleaf version was sweet while the Shade version of this Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial explodes in the second third with some crazy thick cedar and honey flavors. It tastes like I am smoking a graham cracker. There is still a ton of spice and a little pepper, but the cedar, cinnamon and honey have completely taken over. The retrohale is just awesome coating with this strong cedar with a hell of a lot of spice. I usually don’t feel much of a nicotine kick from shade wrapped cigars due to their mildness, but I swear I’m already feeling a little something from this one. The burnline is still a bit wavy but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight so I’m ok with that. Another note is that the ash fell into my lap yet again. This ash my look strong, but be careful, It’s not! Now let’s see if I can manage to get any ash in my ashtray at all.

Finish: It’s always nice when band on cigars come off with ease, and in the case of both massive bands on this Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition Shade that was the case. This cigar has started out flavor packed and although the body has really ramped up into the final third of the cigar (plus I have a nice buzz from this beer), the cigar has remained true producing a very smooth experience. The main flavor is still that cedar but the honey and spice has really toned down leading the way for the earth and tobacco flavors to really shine though. I am feeling a mean nicotine kick at this point. All in all it took slightly less then two hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness into the final inch. The cigar required no touch ups to relights at all.

Overview: Although the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011 Shade is a good cigar, in my opinion it doesn’t hold a candle to the broadleaf counterpart. You need to keep in mind that this cigar was originally blended for the broadleaf wrapper, not the shade and because of that, it isn’t nearly as balanced. The body is way to high for the wrapper and at times the filler and binder overpowered the hell out of the wrapper. It’s a good cigar and a nice departure and a nice touch for an already limited edition blend, but I am glad the box only came with one of these. If you are a fan of the Reserva Especial blend then by all means, check this cigar out, it’s fun. It’s neat to see just how much of each cigar smoking experience weighs in the wrapper. But if you are looking for a nice, full flavored Connecticut I think you are way better off saving your money and looking at something like Oliva’s Connecticut reserve or EP Carrillo’s New wave Connecticut.

Pairing: Pairing with another wonderful Belgian winter seasonal, this Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition Shade went down with some Scaldis Noel Premium (Also known as Bush de Noel). The only difference between the Scaldis Noel and the Premium is the ABV as the Premium sits at 13% while the standard Scaldis Noel sits comfortably at 12.5%. Both pack a hell of a punch. The extra .5% actually comes about as the beer is literally refermented in the bottle it comes in. This brilliant red Belgian strong ale is brewed at Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl in Belgium. The beer has a very fruity and sweet complex as it masks the strong alcohol complex. Smooth and rich this beer paired perfectly with the strength and body of the Jaime Garcia Limited Edition Shade without overpowering it. They actually went along perfectly hand in hand taking turns complimenting each other. This beer probably wouldn’t go well with any other shade cigar, but would pair perfectly with a nice Habano.

For those who don’t know, Gran Habano had recently formed a series called the S.T.K. series. The cigars in this special series are limited production, limited release cigars that were created for the sole consumption of George A. Rico and family. Needless to say these are extraordinary cigars and Rico felt the public deserved to try them out as well, thus creating the S.T.K. series. The S.T.K. series will initially only be available at 50 retailers across the U.S.  and limited to no more than 100. Luckily our friends over at Gran Habano Cigars (@ghcigars) where kind enough to send a few of them our way.

After numerous blends and prototypes, George A. Rico has finally came up with a cigar he deemed worthy of the Opium name. This cigar is composed of a Nicaraguan Habano Corojo hybrid wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and an unknown mix of fillers. These cigars come in just one size, 6×52, will run $9 a stick, and will only be available at S.T.K. authorized retailers.

Size: 6×52  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano/Corojo  -  Binder: Nicaraguan  -  Filler: Unknown

Prelight: First and foremost, the band on this G.A.R. Opium is impossible to ignore. The cigar sports a crazy elegant, attention calling double gold, red, and white band along with a third black and gold foot band that simply states that this cigar is part of the S.T.K. series and is a “Limited Edition” “by George A. Rico”. The first band is a huge red and gold crest with the G.A.R. branding followed by a smaller secondary band with a similar design that has the blend’s name “Opium”. The wrapper on this cigar is a beautify dark and medium brown with tons of oils coating the entire body. There are only one or two short, wider veins running through the body of this cigar leading up to the perfectly round triple cap. The cigar in general is extremely firm with no soft spots. The wrapper feels really durable as it didn’t tear or break when I squeezed it. It did however leave a really neat coating of oils on my finger tips. The wrapper on this cigar gives off a very interesting sweet pine aroma while the foot produces nothing more than a bold tobacco scent. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is interesting. Instead of getting the run of the mill tobacco flavor I was anticipating the G.A.R. Opium let loose this crazy spicy, sweet, cedar flavor with even a bit of pepper on just the cold draw alone.

First Smoke: Instead of this G.A.R. Opium greeting me with the pepper I was expecting due to the cold draw flavors, I was welcomed with a very sweet tobacco flavor with a bit of honey, cinnamon and some subtle cedar with a bit of pepper that only teased my lips and tongue. The draw on this cigar is dead on, filling my mouth with tons of thick smoke with every puff. The burnline is razor sharp and even for the most part with only some very small waves. The ash left behind is white and light grey and extremely tightly compacted. The ash held on for well over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The G.A.R. Opium is really starting to open up now. Along with the sweet tobacco, cedar, and honey I am not picking up some interesting floral and citrus notes. I had to double check my hands to make sure they didn’t have soap on them. This cigar is very smooth and has some really interesting flavors. The retrohale is a nice addition to the experience to coating my nasal passage with a very bold, sweet cedar. I’m not really feeling any nicotine at this point, and the cigar is still burning dead even with amazingly white, compact ash.

Finish: Despite the larger bands on this G.A.R. Opium, all three of them slid right off the cigar without a hitch. That always gets huge brownie points with me. The Opium really smoothed out into the final third while the body ramped up a bit. Most of the flavors have dampened with the exception of the sweet tobacco and cedar which are rocking pretty hard at this point. There was no harshness at all, even into the final inch where I felt only a slight nicotine buzz before a smooth, creamy finish.

Overview: Gran Habano is a company that sometimes gets passed by cigar smokers. Just because they are affordable doesn’t mean they aren’t supburb cigars and the Opium is a perfect example of that. Perfect construction, great flavors, complex yet smooth. It really doesn’t get better than that. This is a perfect cigar for any occasion. Light enough to smoke in the morning, flavorful enough for an after meal smoke, and affordable enough for an everyday smoke. Need I say more?

Pairing: Coming in with another Lips of Faith series brew form New Belgium brewing, I paired this G.A.R. Opium with the new “Prickly Passion Saison”. I’ve said it so many times, but Saisons are my poison. I could drink these all day long. This isn’t your standard Saison though, it’s actually a 8.5% ABV beer brewed with natural Prickly Pear Cactus and Passion fruit juices. Usually the fruit would be the focal point of the brew, but in this case it’s nothing more than a slight aftertaste that really helps make this beer one of the smoothest I can say I have ever had. Sweet and citrusy up front with a nice smooth, creamy, fruity finish. This was a PERFECT pairing. I can’t stress that enough. Now that the Opium’s will be easily obtained, I recommend trying this pairing out if you can find the beer. Usually this time of the season I’d be pairing with some nice winter seasonal porters or stouts, but after trying this beer I knew it would go perfect with this cigar. You know what else goes great with this cigar and the beer? The Bouncing Souls. I got some “True Believers” playing as I enjoy the weekend before the chaos on my back porch.

The Good Stuff: La Herencia is an exclusive brand brought to you by cigar.com/cigarsinternational blended by the one and only A.J. Fernandez. A.J. is a master, and has been on a roll kicking out some of the last few years best cigars. The Dos Capas is a limited edition run and sports the same mold as the standard La Herencia Cubana which is composed from an all Nicaraguan mashup of tobacco grown in the Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa regions. The Cigar is then wrapped in a beautiful Ecuadorian Sumatra (same as the Cubana), only with a twist (pun intended). A.J. decided to have a little bit of fun and barber pole the wrapper with the Ecuadorian Sumatra and a deep, dark, Pennsylvania Broadleaf. These cigars run for $6.50 a cigar.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra/Pennsylvania Broadleaf  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -   Body: Medium

Prelight: The La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas is a thick, rustic looking barber-pole style cigar. The wrapper is composed of two wrappers, a dark, brown oily maduro, and a medium brown, and orange oily wrapper twisted parallel around the body of thick cigar. There is only one larger vein running in both the maduro and lighter shade wrapper at around the same area. Despite being a barber pole cigar, its really durable and you can handle it pretty heavily without risking the delicate construction. The La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas is finished off with a huge, rounded, maduro double cap. The band is similar to most of the other bands in the La Herencia line. Red, brown, gold and white with a huge crest carrying the name “La Herencia Cubana” on the front, and a smoke red lion in the back.

The wrapper of the Dos Capas gives off a great, strong sweet tobacco scent while the foot gives off more of a timid chocolate and earthy aroma. The La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas cut clean and easy using my double bladed Colibri Cutter. The cold draw kicked out some nice chocolate and tobacco flavors along with a really neat earthy grain that I wasn’t really expecting.

First Smoke: The La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas starts out with just a ton of bittersweet chocolate, and sweet tobacco flavor. There is a bit underlying spice and pepper, but not a whole lot. This cigar tastes like it was dipped in melted Hershey bar. The Aroma from the stationary smoke compliments the chocolate, and tobaccos tastes perfectly. The draw is perfect, again filling my mouth with just enough thick, white smoke after only two puffs. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even leaving behind a trail of solid white and light grey ash. It will be interesting to see how well the burnline does as I get further into the cigar due to the crazy wrapper this cigar has. The ash held on for about an inch and a half before toppling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The chocolate is still by far the dominant flavor. There is a bit more spice starting to creep its way in as well as a little cedar, and even honey. This is a sweet cigar through and through. The retrohale even produces an excellent chocolate priming with a ton of cedar mixed in there. The burnline is still perfect despite me thinking that the burn would start to go haywire at some point. The cigar is so smooth, and mild that I am feeling absolutely no nicotine even after the second third.

Finish: Even though this La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas is giving out some neat favors, it’s starting to lose my attention into the final third. It’s got some awesome flavors, chocolate, cedar, and spice, but nothing that really stands out nor are there any considerable changeups from the second third into the last. It’s a smooth, mild cigar. There is no nicotine kick, and absolutely no harshness into the final inch. The cigar took about an hour and a half to take down, and burned flawlessly with no touch ups or relights required.

Overview: This La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas is a great cigar. Well balanced, smooth, and sweet. It was just a little too smooth for my liking. This would be an excellent cigar for someone who is just starting out, or even a perfect morning smoke. I’d just stay away from it if you want a more robust, and complex experience. It’s definitely worth having around, but I wouldn’t run out and buy a box or anything.

Pairing: Since we are due for some snow in out chilly El Paso desert, I decided to pair this La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas with a New Belgium Snow Day. Snow day is an experimental Winter Warmer style ale brewed at the New Belgium brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. A year or so ago, the brew masters at New Belgium became snowed into the brewery. They did exactly what any good brew master would do, brew some beer! They created an experiment. Basically they hopped the hell out of a winter warmer ale and created an interesting Pale Ale style winter brew. That’s right. Interesting enough the beer comes in at 6.2% ABV and carries a very hoppy taste similar to most pale ales, but threw in some awesome spice, cinnamon, malt, and orange to give it this special winter twang. It made for a great pairing, but the entire time I smoked the cigar I kept telling myself “Man, this thing would go perfect with some black coffee”. Try it for yourself.

The Good Stuff: I was one of the very many people intrigued as rumors began to fly about a possible Liga Privada in “A” format. Not that I am an “A” kinda guy, but that’s a huge departure from anything currently in the Liga Privada line. Not to mention that I am an open Liga Privada Fan Boy. That won’t make this review biased though, trust me. After about a years worth of rumors Jonathan Drew confirmed that they would in fact be making an “A” sized Liga Privada, and began to hype it up with some Jonathan Drew style tweets and Facebook posts.

I just had to put the "A" next to a Dirty Rat for size comparison. And for laughs.

As time went on, we discovered this wasn’t a real release, but instead a special type of product. What I mean by that is, Drew Estate actually created the Liga Privada “A” as a special promotional product.  The “A” is actually a tweaked T-52 blend. More than likely they needed to refine the blend and mellow it out a bit to fit the format. I’m glad too, I don’t think I could handle a straight up 9 inch T-52. These cigars will not be available to purchase, instead, they will be given out at certain Liga Privada events due in part to the limited amount of T52 leaf as well as Drew Estate wanting something special as a thanks to it’s customers. Plus, in my opinion, I don’t think the format is easy to sell. I was actually on Smoke Inn’s radio show “Kiss my Ash Radio” this passed weekend with Erik Espinosa from EO Brands and he made mention that he was actually present some time ago when he and Jonathan Drew opened the first box of Liga Privada Unicos “A”. That being said, I think it’s safe to say these will be readily available at Liga Privada Events.

I don’t smoke “A” sized cigars often at all. But there is a reason for it. “A” sized cigars were created to honor celebrations. This is a special treat sort of size, to be smoked to celebrate special occasions. With good reason too, they are normally 9” long and usually take around 3 hours to smoke.  That being said, lets get started!

Size: 9 ¼” x 47  -  Wrapper:  Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano  -  Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina  -  Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran/Dominican – keep in mind this is just an assumption, knowing that it’s a tweaked T-52 blend.

Prelight: This is a GIGANTIC cigar. It almost feels too heavy to hold and wants to fall from my hand when I hold it near the head of the cigar. That goes with all “A” sized cigars I guess. They aren’t the most practical cigar, but they aren’t trying to be. Once you get passed the size of this cigar you are greeted with the beautiful T52 style wrapper that we have all grown to love. The wrapper is incredibly oily with medium to dark browns and oranges mixed in. The construction is perfect with only a very few larger veins. Usually veins of that size would run the entire body of a robusto sized cigar. I just though it was funny that the Liga Privada Unicos “A” had 2 longer veins stacked one after another, and they still only ran about half the body of the cigar.  Anyways, the wrapper and the entire cigar in general is very solid and durable. There aren’t any soft spots on the entire cigar. The cap is very similar to the pig tailed, rounded cap that the Dirty Rat carries, only twice the size. And the band is identical to the  Unicos Series bands that all the Liga Privada carries, blue and gold with a gigantic “A” on them.

The body of the cigar gives off a nice, strong cedar and sweet tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar gives off nothing more than a very subtle spice. The cap clipped extremely easy and clean using my Liga Privada Double Bladed cutter. The cold draw was interesting, instead of greeting me with a nice pepper I was expecting, The “A” let loose this crazy strong cedar and sweetness which got me interested in just how “tweaked” this blend really is.

First Smoke: Right away the Liga Privada Unicos “A” kicked out the flavors I expect from the T-52. Cedar, spice, sweet tobacco, and cocoa. One thing was still missing, the pepper. In all honesty I’m glad too, a 9 inch pepper-bomb just doesn’t seem like it would sit too well with me. Despite the distance in which the smoke must travel, the draw was perfect and plentiful. It only took me my normal 2 puffs to get a mouthful of thick, white smoke. The burnline is a bit wavy and thick, but nothing too concerning, white the stationary smoke, as with most Liga Privada blends, is crazy. This cigar is spewing out tons and tons of thick, cedar scented smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The ash left behind is somewhat flaky, and really dark grey with spots of lighter grey. It only held on for about two thirds of an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The sweetness has really started to pick up into the second third of this Liga Privada Unicos “A”. By this point, I’d be finishing a robusto format cigar, but this cigar is still keeping my attention by adding a ton of spice and the sweetness I mentioned to the already sweet mashup of cocoa, and cedar. The burnline has completely corrected itself and is burning dead even now. The retrohale is BADASS coating with an absolute blast of cedar each time I do it. I am feeling a very slight nicotine kick after the second third, but no where near what I was expecting form a Liga Privada blend.

Finish: Switching it up again, I started to get this nice, subtle floral flavor during the last third of Drew Estate’s Liga Privada Unicos “A”.  The sweetness has mellowed out quite a bit, and I am left with a really smooth cedar, cocoa, coffee and floral mixture. Surprisingly for the size I’m really not picking up much more than a really slight nicotine kick. The burnline has been perfect since the second third, and I haven’t had to relight, or even touch up this cigar once. All in all it took a few minutes shy of 3 hours to take down this beast of a cigar. It’s crazy how the final picture looks similar to the length of a “First Smoke” robusto picture. This thing is huge.

Overview: I have a short attention span. Very. I blame the internet and technology for that. That being said, I never really got bored while smoking this Liga Privada Unicos “A”. It had just enough change ups to keep my attention, but at the same time was smooth and seamless enough not to overpower me with each jump. I think finding balance in a cigar as big as this, and keeping the cigar’s complexity has the be an incredibly difficult task for the blender, and Drew Estate did a hell of a job with it. The cigar wasn’t as powerful as the other blends in the Liga Privada Line, with good reason. I don’t think I could handle a 3 hour T-52 It would leave my crying on the floor. Although this isn’t a cigar I’d smoke often, I really enjoyed it a lot. And in terms of the format, it’s not made to be consumed often. As stated, it’s a celebratory cigar. And I really think it’s a great addition to my humidor when I want something special and have a few hours to burn, pun intended.

Pairing: I said it many times, and will say it again, Winter is the season for beer. With all the awesome porters, stouts, and Christmas ales it’s a wonder why I’m not trashed from morning to dawn. St. Bernardus isn’t a stranger to this blog. In fact, it’s one of my favorite breweries out there. This Christmas season Abbey Ale hits the mark on all accounts. It’s strong (10% ABV), sweet, flavorful, and well balanced with fruity, malty flavors and just a hit of spice. Needless to say it went perfectly with the Liga Privada Unicos “A”. At about $13 a bottle, it’s not something you can drink everyday, but when you find it, pick it up. It pairs great with any full bodied, full flavored cigar.

The Good Stuff: The Padilla Artemis was amongst the crazy amount of cigars released at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas. I’m openly a Padilla fan. Ernesto is one of the people in the cigar business who constantly hit it out of the park with just about every blend they make. The Artemis is handmade in Honduras at the Raices Cubana factory using Cuban-seed Nicaraguan fillers and binder, wrapped with Cuban seed, Nicaraguan grown, Criollo/Corojo I’ve read that these will be a limited release, but I haven’t really seen any official word on that.  The Artemis will be available in four sizes, all boxed pressed: Robusto – 5 x 54”, Toro – 6 x 54”, Torpedo – 6.2 x 54, and the Double Torpedo – 6.7 x 56 and range $10 – $13 a stick.

 Size: 6 x 54  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo/Corojo  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: The Padilla Artemis is a beautiful boxed pressed format cigar. I’ve always come to expect great construction from anything that carries the Padilla name. The wrapper is this silky smooth, and sports this crazy calico color palate. It goes from medium to dark brown, parts of incredibly dark brown, and even spots of orange before coming to a perfect, round, triple wrapped cap. The band carries a gold and brown Padilla lion crest, followed by a brownish orange “Padilla” Shield as well as a smaller, orange, secondary band with the words “Padilla Artemis” embossed on it. The cigar feels incredibly firm, and gives very little when I squeeze on it, but the wrapper feels really thin and delicate so I didn’t want to handle the cigar too recklessly. The only soft spots I found were right around the foot of cigar.

The wrapper of this cigar smells like old shoe and burned paper. It’s not very welcoming at all, but as I said before, some of the worst smelling cigars end up being the best tasting. The foot of the cigar gives off some nice sweet tobacco and spice aromas.  The Artemis cut clean using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw was really interesting. I got some of the sweet tobacco flavor as well as a little of the spice, but then there was this strange cardboard flavor. I took a few more draws just to make sure that was the flavor I was picking up before writing it down, and sure enough it was in there. Let’s hope it’s just a cold draw glitch.

First Smoke: The Artemis light up with ease using my single flame butane torch. I am glad to report, there was no cardboard flavor in the first few puffs. What did surprise me though was the amount of pepper this cigar started out with. The Artemis came out with both pepper guns blazing only to defuse the pepper completely a minute later. The pepper was replaced with some nice tobacco flavors, soft hints of spice, and some really ripe earthy/grassy flavors. The draw on this cigar is excellent pumping out tons of thin smoke while leaving behind a perfectly even and sharp burnline. The ash however, isn’t as pretty. It’s a very flaky medium grey with some darker areas. The ash held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of Padilla’s Artemis and the flavors really haven’t changed up much. There was the introduction of some very slight cedar, but that also came with a pairing of what tasted like some charred paper. Outside of that the tobacco and grassy/earthy flavors have remained the same. The Artemis does however give off some mean-cedar smelling stationary smoke as well as a hell of a sweet cedar priming on the retrohale. The burnline is still absolutely perfect and at this point I am not feeling anything in the nicotine department.

Finish: A little bit of clove sneaked into the flavor mix in the final third of this Artemis, but not much else. It’s still this grassy/tobacco/burned paper mixture and holding solid at that. The burnline has been awesome in this cigar though, perfect from start to finish with absolutely no touch-ups or relights. I am feeling just a very slighting bit of nicotine, even into the final third of the cigar. All in all it took about an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. I had to put it down a little earlier then usual though due to the fact that it burned extremely hot into the final inch.

Overview: Is it wrong to say that the only thing I really liked about this cigar was the size? Ok, that’s not entirely true. It’s not a terrible cigar, I guess I have just learned to expect a little more from premier companies such as Padilla. The cigar fell flat for me, it was quite bland, and really lacked complexity. Nothing really stood out. Minus the construction, which was absolutely perfect. That being said I think this cigar would be alright if it carried a price tag half, or even a quarter of what it does now. Needless to say I probably won’t be buying anymore of these in the near future. Don’t let that stop you though, keep in mind this is just one man’s opinion. Read my tasting notes, maybe it might appeal to you.

Pairing: The pairing I chose actually brought some life into the cigar. This week I decided on Samuel Adams’ Chocolate Bock. I haven’t seen these for sale by themselves yet this year, but I wouldn’t doubt it if they started appearing. This was part of the annual holiday pack which Sam Adams puts together (and I am sure to purchase) every single year. This beer weighs in at 5.8% ABV and is brewed, along with all the other Sam Adams beers, in the Boston Beer Companies brewery in Boston. The chocolate bock, as it says, is a nice double bock with a hint of chocolate. And when I say “hint” of chocolate I really mean a whole crapload of chocolate. It’s not overpowering though. The chocolate blends in perfectly with the nutty, caramel, malt flavors of the double bock. This beer tastes a whole lot like Mackeson Triple stout, which I absolutely love, but cannot find anymore. Needless to say, this beer gave a little bit, much needed dimension to the Padilla Artemis.

I know, I know, the site was down earlier this morning and I am sorry. I set the domain to auto-renew on a closed account. I’m an idiot. But hopefully today’s review of Camacho’s Room 101 Namakubi Roxxo makes up for it!

The Good Stuff: The Namakubi was released at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas, and the be honest, it was one of, if not the most talked about blend from the show. This limited edition release will only be available for a short amount of time. There is only going to be 100,000 cigars released. This may seem like a high number, but it’s considerably low once you factor in the volume Camacho sells at. The cigar will be available in six different sizes and will rand between $6 to $10. The names are just as interesting as Matt Booth himself. I know there was some sort of connection with the names and maybe a hip hop artist or something of the like, I just never fully made the connect. Maybe someone “in-the-know” can fill me in. The sizes are: “Papi Chullo” – 42 x 4, “Roxxo” – 48 x 4, “Tiburon” – 44 x 6, “Sucio” – 48 x 7, and the “Monstro” – 60 x 5. You can pick these up now at Bonita Smoke Shop before they are sold out!

In Room 101′s press release they define “Namakubi”:

Although in many ways long gone, Samurai culture is believed to live on in spirit within certain groups. In ancient times when two Samurai clans would gather for competition there was a great deal at stake. Normally, the losing party would die as a result of wounds sustained in battle or be executed upon defeat. The Namakubi, or freshly severed head of the losing party would be prepared on a wooden tray then tagged in a regimented manner and presented to the leader of the winning clan as a gift.

Size: “Roxxo” 48 x 4  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  -  Binder: Propietary “Generoso” Honduran Seed  -  Filler: Dominican/Honduran

Prelight: The Room 101 Namakubi Roxxo is a stout little cigar. The size is just awesome and I hope it turns out great. With winter quickly approaching Daniel and I (more so Daniel due to the great white north) are always looking for great, short smokes. The wrapper on the Namakubi is a nice medium brown which starts off much light, but then gradually gets darker as you approach the foot of the cigar. The construction is great and there are only on larger vein towards the top of the cigar leading up to the seamless triple wrapped cap. Outside of a little excess glue on the wrapper, this cigar looks great. The Namakubi is really first to the touch giving very little when compressed. The foot of the cigar is a bit mushy though, but nothing really concerning. The band on these are classic Matt Booth sorting a great Asian/Modern typeface with some nice flourishes containing the “Namakubi” logo as well as a smaller “Room 101 LTD” title underneath. The black and red bad also has a really small scripted “LTD” in the back of the band as well.

The wrapper gives off really, no scent at all. I was surprised to find the powerful cedar and spice aroma that actually burned my nose a bit as I took a huge whiff off of the foot of the cigar. The cold draw compliments the aroma by pumping out a nice sweet spice and cedar mix. The cap clipped really clean as easy using my double bladed cutter.

First Smoke: Be careful lighting up this cigar. Because of the small stature my dumb ass burned the hell out of my finger using my single flame butane touch. The first few draws of this Namakubi surprised me. I was expecting really smooth, sweet greeting, but was met with a much more bold experience. The strong tobacco flavor and pepper only lasted a few puffs in before leading to the sweet spice and cedar I was expecting. Outside of the cedar and spice there is this interesting flavor in there that I am having a hard time trying to explain, but the closest thing I can think of is black licorice. A stretch, I know, but there is something in there. The Namakubi gives off a nice amount of stationary smoke but wow does it smell good. It’s like burning bits of cedar in a fireplace. They need to make manly scented candles with this aroma. The draw on this cigar is remarkable kicking out a massive cloud of extremely thick smoke with each little puff I take. The burnline is dead even producing a nice zebra striped black and light grey, tightly compacted ash which held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Holy crap the retrohale on this cigar is amazing! I can’t stop doing it. The Namakubi coats my nasal passage with this crazy cedar/gingerbread prime. I love it. This little cigar is turning into a flavor bomb. The tobacco, cedar, and spice is still there but the cigar now introduced this gingerbread and pine medley. I know this is stretching it again but this cigar creates some awesome flavors that you normally can’t find in cigars. The burnline is still dead even on this cigar and I am not feeling any nicotine despite the fuller-body of the Namakubi.

Finish: Another shocked was the amount of pepper that reappeared during the final third of this little cigar. The flavors switched up a bit and now the experience is overall very smooth with some nice cedar, and sweet spices with a ton of pepper. This cigar really keeps you on your toes. I actually felt a little nicotine kick from this tiny little Room 101 Namakubi, but don’t let the size fool you. All in all it took almost an hour to smoke the entire stick with no harshness whatsoever all the way down to the nub.

Overview: Cigar manufacturers have constantly raised the bar, pushing the limits of blends, and Camacho did just that when they created the Room 101 Namakubi. It’s a hell of a cigar. One big characteristic was the flavor as it produced an experience unlike any cigars on the market today. Each year cigars like this one raise our expectations. This full bodied flavor bomb is sure to satisfy the most experience cigar smoker as well as introduce any novice to a world of great cigars. I would by again  and it’s box worthy for sure.

Pairing: As strange as this beer is, I couldn’t have picked a better pairing. Dogfish Head’s Midas touch isn’t for the faint of heart. This “beer”, and I use the term “beer” loosely, is more of a crazy halfbreed beer/mead wine. This 9.0% beast of a brew is actually made from ingredients found 2,700 year old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas. This “beer” taste’s nothing like a beer with sweet notes of jasmine, saffron, honey, and an overall floral experience. This beer is EXTREMELY hard to find, and pretty pricey when you do ($5 – $8 a bottle), but it’s well worth it. Even if you hate it, it’s worth trying once. The floral flavors paired wonderfully with the flavor bomb of a cigar the Namakubi was. You really need something to balance out the cigar or the cigar would overpower just about anything you are drinking. This cigar would go great with some really hoppy IPA or even a nice bitter beer.

The Good Stuff: The words “Daniel Marshall” spews elegance and quality. Known best for his first class humidors, Daniel Marshall has been making a different type of splash in the cigar community. Teamed up with Manuel Quesada, Daniel Marshall is releasing his second round of cigars, properly titled the “DM2”. Manuel oversees production of the DM2 Limited Edition with Nicaragua’s largest grower of cigar tobacco, Nestor Plasencia, and created this blend in Plasencia’s Segovia Cigar factory. The DM2 is a Nicaraguan puro with tobacco from both the Esteli and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. The DM2 Red Label will come in three different formats, the Robusto (5.5 x 52), Torpedo (6.25 x 54), and the Churchill (5 x 48) and will run you about $7 a stick and you can order them now from Bonita Smoke Shop.

 Size: 5.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Cuban seed (aged 5 years)  -  Binder: Nicaraguan (Esteli)  -  Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)

Prelight: Daniel Marshall’s DM2 red label is a very rustic looking stick. The wrapper is a dark brown with lots of lighter and darker spots throughout. Despite what most people may think, I really like getting sticks that look like they have had better days. Reason being is that you know, as a consumer, that this wrapper has not been tampered with or dyed in anyway. Back to the cigar. The construction on this stick is near perfect. The DM2’s tick body is extremely hard to the touch as it leads up to a seamless, round, double cap. The wrapper is very thick and durable. This cigar could really make a dent in something if you were to throw it. Not that many people throw their cigars at things, but I’m just saying. The band is an elegant maroon with a gold embossed plate design, much like his humidors, that carry the “DM” signature initials.

Daniel Marshall’s DM2 Red Label gives off almost not scent from the wrapper. In fact, I really had to inhale the heck out of this thing to get a faint tobacco aroma. The foot is completely opposite boasting with tobacco, sweetness, and spice. The DM2 Red Label cut very, very easy and clean using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced nothing more than a sweet tobacco flavor with just a tiny bit of pepper.

 First Smoke: The first few draws from this cigar produced this really rich chocolate flavor which faded way too quickly. After the Chocolate faded I was left with a very sweet, spicy, tobacco flavor. As dull as that may sound, it’s actually quite the opposite. The flavors are so strong in this little cigar. The draw is slightly tight, but nothing too bad. It takes just a few hits before the DM2 Red Label fills my mouth up with thick, white smoke. The cigar also gives off a ton of white, cedar scented stationary smoke. Just like the flavors, the aroma coming from this cigar is powerful as well. The burnline is very sharp and even leaving behind a really nice, thick, compact, white ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Into the second third of Daniel Marshall’s DM2 Red Label and the cigar remains to be a huge flavor bomb. Along with the spice, tobacco, and sweetness from the first third, the cigar has now introduced a nice woodsy flavor along with some much deeper sweetness that almost brings that chocolate back into the equation. The retrohale primes with a really rich and spicy cedar. The burnline is still really sharp but has developed some larger waves, but I haven’t had to touch it up any at all. I am feeling just a slight bit of nicotine at this point, but nothing that really concerns me.

Finish: The DM2 Red Label has finally started to lose a bit of it’s flavor. Not that I was looking forward to that or anything, but I kept wondering just how long it could keep it up. All the flavors have really began to smooth out and the only dominant one that remained with some really strong tobacco/earthy flavors. I did in fact get a little nicotine kick from this cigar, but nothing too substantial. The DM2 Red Label took about an hour and a half to smoke and finished very smooth with only a very slight bit of harshness coming into the final inch.

Overview: All in all this was a solid cigar. Classy from start to finish which is exactly what you think when you hear the words “Daniel Marshall”. Quesada has been on a roll lately and although this wasn’t a “WOW” cigar, it fell perfectly in their line of solid sticks. This cigar was a flavor-bomb and my only gripe as how flat it fell towards the end, which is something I can live with. I wonder how this cigar would translate over to a smaller vitola, possibly a corona? Either way this is a cigar I would definitely smoke again.

Pairing: I paired this Daniel Marshall DM2 Red Label with Guinness’s new creation, the black lager. Guinness is known for their thick, heavy stout, but really wanted to reach out to an audience that doesn’t neccesarily go for thicker, heavier beers while not giving up any of the rich flavor their stouts carry. That being said, the Black Lager was born. The Black lager is a much smoother, lighter beer with the same rich chocolate, caramel, malt flavors that Guinness stout lover’s long for. The really hit the nail on the head with this beer. It’s a brew that you can drink five or six back to back without feeling like you gained 100 lbs. This beer will pair perfectly with any flavorful, dark, or maduro cigar. The caramel and chocolate flavors really paired pefcect with this DM2. This cigar would also go perfect with some nice porter, barley wine, or coffee.

Daniel has also created a really badass Scarface Humidor along with Universal Studios to celebrate the 30th anniversary! How badass is that?! The following is more information on the awesome Humidor as well as a video that showcases Daniel’s work!

I am reaching out to you to tell you about an exciting project that I am working on with Universal Studios. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of SCARFACE. To commemorate the films anniversary and the Blu-ray release, Universal has tasked me to create for them 1000 limited edition -numbered humidors that will showcase the Blu-ray Disc inside each humidor. As a special bonus to the cigar lover, I will be including 10 specially made for this release- Daniel Marshall DM2 Cigars with each humidor we sell. Each DM2 will be enclosed in a special “SCARFACE on Blu-ray September 6, 2011 packaging.

Universal choose the DM humidor as the key component of the 30th Anniversary release which lends sex appeal to this iconic films, highly anticipated Blu- ray release. Universal is promoting the SCARFACE Humidor package as the  ”Ultimate Fan gift”.

In making the decision to use cigar furniture to anchor the Blu-ray release, Universal has made a bold statement about the character in the film, celebrating this cinematic classic and the studios heritage. It is notable that UNI chose to position SCARFACE, one of the jewels in their crown, with a cigar themed collection.  DM is proud to have been selected as the artisan to execute this special humidor.

“Inspired by the modern-day classic from acclaimed director Brian De Palma (Carlito’s Way) and Oscar-winning writer Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July), the Limited Edition Scarface Humidor is handcrafted by the world renowned Daniel Marshall for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast. A decadent collector’s item limited to only 1,000 pieces worldwide, it pays tribute to Academy Award winner Al Pacino’s (The Godfather) stunning portrayal of Tony “Scarface” Montana, one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film.” – from UNI’s press release.

Daniel Marshall Incorporated is the creator of some of the world’s most sought after luxury cigar furniture and smokers accessories. Since establishing his first workshop in 1982, Daniel Marshall has created and private labeled for prestigious luxury gift houses as Alfred Dunhill, Tiffany, S.T. Dupont, Cartier, Fred Joaillier, Harrod’s, Garrard’s of London to name a few – The White House Gift Unit at the US Department of State – Protocol Gift Unit 2001-2009,  as well as serving the gift and personal demands of private clients that include four royal families, film studios, entertainment executives, captains of industry, well-known performers and many special individuals who value his artistry in wood.

Universal discovered that DM humidors were the ideal expression to commemorate the theme of the film and to be the primary enhancement of a major campaign this fall and asked Daniel Marshall to provide a humidor that would validate and justify the highly anticipated Blu-ray release of one of the best remembered movies.    A limited number of the SCARFACE Humidors, I will be able to release to select tobacconist world-wide.   Plans are being made for a multi city tour later this year to showcase the Humidor, which will be accompanied by a limited edition Daniel Marshall Cigar, rolled and aged exclusively for these launch events.

TO RESERVE THE DANIEL MARSHALL SCARFACE HUMIDOR CALL (714) 973-8660 OR EMAIL DANIEL MARSHALL AT info@danielmarshall.com

The Good Stuff: Studio Tobac is a venture brought to you buy Oliva to provide experimental, and very unique cigars such as the Cain and the nUB lines. Back in march, the Studio Tobac board approved a request for a joint-collaboration product with Padilla Cigars. From the mouth of Studio Tobac’s John Gazzero:

“Even though we’ve existed for the last few years, Studio Tobac just became know to the public; so we’re very protective of the brand. This type of joint venture isn’t something we take lightly, and we’re not getting in the business of making private label cigars for anyone. Working with Ernie (Padilla) makes sense because he has been a friend of Studio Tobac for years. Ernie assured us that he will treat this project with integrity and respect. We’ve got some interesting ideas for the blend. I’m sure Padilla does, too. I’m excited to smoke the cigars. They should be pretty damn good.”

Produced with Oliva tobacco with direct input from Ernesto Padilla, a few others at Padilla Cigars, as well as the Studio Tobac Advisory board, the  exclusive “Padilla Studio Tobac” was born. These cigars are very limited, only 1,000 boxes of 10 will be made and will run $140 a box. These are now available, but won’t be around for very long. A special thanks to Smoking Stogie for the information. There wasn’t a whole lot online, but they always have the good stuff.

Size: 6 x 60  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Medium/Full

Prelight: The Padilla Studio Tobac is a very meaty, beefy Figurado format cigar. This isn’t a format that I smoke very often. I usually run into burn problems do to the bulbed foot of the cigar, plus it just doesn’t seem comfortable to hold. The foot of the cigar is so much heavier then the cap that it sets forth this strange balance in my hand. Let’s just hope the lack of comfort is something that the blend makes up for. Outside of the strange size the Padilla Studio Tobac is an exceptionally well constructed cigar. I can’t imagine how difficult this is to roll. The foot start off with this tiny little tip then explodes into a huge bulb which stretches and thins out across the body of the cigar until it meets the cap with a seamless, very pointy tip. The cigar boasts of oil. Each little ray of light that hits the silky wrapper shoots off a huge gleam of reflection. The wrapper feels really touch and durable carrying an extremely consistent light to medium brown with a bit of tooth, and only a few visible veins.

The band on this cigar is a monster starting with a huge silver, maroon, and black Padilla branded crest with the standard lion’s head we have all grown to love. Following the huge ass band is a tiny little black, white, red, and gold secondary band with the words “STUDIO TOBAC” and the small leaf branding on it. The wrapper of the cigar gives off an extremely sweet cedar aroma while the foot, because of it’s size, smells identical. The Padilla Studio Tobac cut very easily, and very clean using my Palio Double bladed cutter.  The cold draw surprised me with a huge kick of very strong pepper followed by some soft cedar, and very spicy notes.

First Smoke: The Padilla Studio Tobac surprised me once again when it started off with no pepper at all despite my cold draw conclusions. Instead it welcomed me with a really nice, subtle spice, strong cedar, and a soft leather with just a touch of citrus. The draw is remarkable despite being a pain in the ass to get going at first (most Figurados are).  Each little puff kicks out a huge mouthful of thick smoke.  The cigar gives off a ton of very smooth, sweet tobacco and cedar scented stationary smoke. The burnline, as expected is a bit wavy, but honestly not bad at all. At least, not as bad as I was expecting. This format is always hard to keep a solid burnline out of the gate.  The ash left behind is an interest dark grey, to light grey, then zebra striped mixture lasting about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: This Padilla Studio Tobac is one of the most flavorful cigars I have had recently. I am really enjoying every single little puff. The main flavor is still this dominant cedar with a very, very sweet tobacco. The underlying flavors are a very soft leather and the citrus has now turned into a really nice fruit flavor. If I really wanted to stretch it I could say it has hints of apple, but for the sake of being subjective I won’t go that far. The retrohale is really nice and smooth coating with the cedar and some nice sweet spice. I am not feeling any nicotine at all at this point despite the size of this cigar. The burnline is now rocking solid and even as well which is great considering the format and the fact that I haven’t touched it up an at all.

Finish: The spice has really started to ramp up in this Padilla Studio Tobac. It’s a very nice and smooth spice, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The cedar is still in there too but it’s taken a back-burner to the spice with backing flavors of the fruit and even some nice chocolate creeping in. Despite the size of the cigar and all the flavor this cigar has been smooth from start to finish, even approaching the final inch. No harshness, no relights, no touchups, just the way I like it! The body has ramped up a bit too, but I wouldn’t classify it above medium/full. This cigar took almost 2 hours to take down, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Overview: I really wanted this cigar to be bad. Not cause I don’t like Padilla, or Oliva, but for the simple fact that I have had a very long run of cigars that I really enjoyed and I didn’t want it to seem like I enjoy every cigar that I smoke. Too bad that wasn’t the case. This cigar is dynamite. From every aspect you look at it. Even the size. That’s right, I said it. I enjoyed the size. While uncomfortable I think it really added another dimension to the cigar and quite honestly I don’t know if the cigar would fair as well as it did in another format. I would love to try it though. The robust, and immense flavors the Padilla Studio Tobac kicked out kept me on my toes from start to finish. The smoother tones, and gentle body let me really sit back and enjoy the cigar without getting my ass kicked by body. While most people may think ~$15 is steep for a cigar, I think that price is perfect for a cigar of this caliber, and I would gladly pay it again. Too bad these damn things are so limited.

Pairing: I decided to pair this bad boy with a beer you tend to see a lot of in my reviews as the weather starts to cool down. Pawvel Kwak’s Special Belgian Ale. This amber colored 8.4% ABV ale is perfect for those chilly winter nights. It’s a very smooth, strong ale with notes of plum, sugar, caramel, and malt. This makes a perfect pairing for any cigar no matter how strong, dark, light, or mild.

Again, I am using a 1 day old camera, and I have no idea how to use this thing properly yet, so you will have to excuse the crappy pictures. This is a cigar that I have smoked the crap out of in the last few years, yet I never got around to reviewing it. In fact, one of our very own readers Jeff even sent me one cause he “noticed we didn’t have a review up”. Point taken sir, and here is your review.

The Good Stuff: Oliva’s Master Blend Series is the third installment in the Liga Maestra or “Master Blend” Limited Edition Series. I smoked the 2^nd cigar in the series, but wasn’t lucky enough to get my hands on the Master Blends 1, which I hear is an absolutely amazing stick. There isn’t a whole lot out there as to why this cigar was created, other than it was specifically blended to deliver the richest characteristics of Nicaraguan ligero fillers and broadleaf sun-grown wrappers. Clear and simply put, a showcase of what Oliva can do. These run about $9.50 a stick.

Size: 5 x50  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Sun Grown Broadleaf  -  Binder: Nicaraguan Habano  -  Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero

Prelight: Oliva has always carried with it a great value, without skimping out on quality and construction. The Master blends series is a perfect example of the paramount quality we have a grown to expect from the factory. Starting with the semi-box pressed, almost oval, wide body leading up through the dark chocolate, darker spotted body, up to the round, seamless double cap you can see exactly what I mean by the flawless construction. Ian Hummel from Regional Sales Manager for Oliva (@OlivaIan) actually noted “the “almost box press or oval” shape you are referring to on the MB3 is what we call “flat press” in the factory.” Flat press eh? I REALLY wish more lines carried this format. It has to be one of my favorite shapes of all time.  The wrapper is real tough and toothy giving off a hell of a lot of shine from the oils.  The composure of the cigar is really hard and barely has any give when I squeeze it. There are almost no visible veins throughout the entire body of the cigar. The band on the Master Bends series is remarkable in design. Tobacco Fields, golden “3” crest, “Oliva Family MB” logo, Portraits, more crests, and even a nice gold embossed back band, this cigar band has it all. The wrapper on the Oliva Master Blends 3 gives of a really sweet, strong cedar and nutmeg smell. You don’t even have to hold the cigar too close to your nose to pick it up. The foot has much of the same cedar and nutmeg along with a really strong spice that actually tingled my nose a bit as a took a big whiff.

Oliva’s Master Blends 3 cut clean and easy as hell using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces this absolutely awesome sugar cookie, cedar, spice mashup. If this is any tell as to the flavor of the cigar then I am in for a real treat.

First Smoke: I really love the format of this cigar. It feels so confortable in hand. The Master Blends 3 starts out with just a tiny, little pepper kick before fading right away and leaving behind a very powerful cedar, sweet tobacco, cinnamon, and even some of the sugar cookie I picked up in the cold draw. The draw on this Master Blends is right where I would want it to be. It takes a few puffs and then my mouth is full of this super thick, lingering smoke. The burnline on this cigar is razor sharp with some very small waves, leaving behind this awesome looking, tight, white and light grey zebra-striped ash. I was about to take a picture of just how awesome the first inch of ash looked when I realized that the flash on my new camera likes to pop open whenever it feels like, shooting the ash into my face. Alas, you guys will have to deal with whatever I give you. Sorry!

Halfway There: Ahh, that wasn’t too bad I hope. I am still playing around with this thing and trying to develop a new scheme for my photos. The ashtray pics just don’t do the cigar justice anymore. Anyways. We are now in the second third of this Oliva Master Blends 3 and what an nice experience this has turned out to be. The flavors are still this dominant cedar, sugar cookie with some nice cinnamon and even some creamed coffee coming in now complimenting the nutmeg. Maybe it’s the cigar, maybe it’s the change of weather, but this cigar is something that would go great with some nice pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. The retrohale is really smooth coating with a very strong cedar flavor. I am feeling very little nicotine from this cigar at this point, if any at all. The burnline is still solid, and so is the ash, which says a lot considering just how windy it is outside right now.

Finish: I don’t know what kind of magic Oliva used on these bands but that huge thing slide right off without a hitch! Now rounding the corner on the final third of this Master Blends 3 and the flavors have, for the most part remained the same. The cedar is still the main storyteller and has actually became much sharper as the coffee and nutmeg have completely faded away leaving behind some subtle sugar cookie and cinnamon. The cigar is the epitome of winter in my house while my wife is baking. I am still only feeling very little nicotine, but there was absolutely no harshness even into the final inch of this cigar. It did start to burn a little hot into the nub, but a lot of that weighs heavily on the fact that I could not put this cigar down.

Overview: It’s obvious that I liked this cigar. I have always liked Oliva, and even more so considering the value of each of their lines. Producing high quality cigars and very low prices. The Master Blend series is their run at showing just how premium they can be. Although it’s one of their more expensive cigars, the Master Blend series is comfortably priced at a standard in which many other cigar manufacture’s base lines are priced at today. Well worth it. The great and complex flavors were a treat from the very beginning and continued to tell the Master Blend’s story through the very end. There wasn’t a lot of change-ups, but considering the flavors in the mix, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This is a perfect cigar for any novice trying to break though to the high-range area, or even the most seasoned cigar smoker looking for an all around solid stick. Every humidor should have a few of these cigars in it.

Pairing: Another Belgian beer Tony? Yes! And if I had my choice I would paid ALL MY CIGARS with Belgian beer. Hell, I’d pair everything I ever smoked, ate, or even drank with Belgian beer. Belgian beer paired with MORE Belgian beer? Now we’re talking! Although that’s far from true, Belgians have, and will always be my beer of choice. This week’s pairing is Van Steenberge’s Gulden Draak. I’ll go out on a limb and say that means “Golden Dragon” which is strange, given that the beer is actually an amber brown. Even more strange is the fact that this is classified as a Triple, yet the only resemblance to a triple is the 10.5% ABV. This beer is a very sweet, very smooth strong ale. It boasts creamy flavors such as orange, hops, caramel, cherry, and clove as it transcends into one of the smoothest stronger beers I have ever had. Needless to say, this was a perfect choice as it really accompanied the Oliva Master Blends 3’s sweetness, and nutmeg/cinnamon medley. This cigar would go PERFECT with some sort of sweet latte, and even a Bruin or strong brown ale.

Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro isn’t anything new to the cigar scene. In fact, it was released last year at the IPCPR show in New Orleans, and the Entubar has been circulating cigar stores for about a year before that considering the company has only been around since early 2009. The thing is, much like many other brands, Berger & Argenti isn’t a brand that’s easy to come by here in El Paso. Not to mention Berger & Argenti is a Brick & Mortar exclusive product. These were actually sent over to me by one of our greatest sponsors, Bonita Smoke Shop.

The Good Stuff: The Entubar Quad Maduro is the second release in the Entubar series. The first being the standard Entubar which carried a Habano wrapper vs. The Nicaraguan Sun Grown Maduro wrapper the Quad Maduro that has been aged in oak barrels since 2002. It runs around $9 – $10 a stick.  Here is their description on the blend:

Each deeply aged Nicaraguan filler leaf is carefully rolled into itself creating delicate ‘scrolls’ of rich, flavorful tobacco. This age-old method ensures open chambers of air flow from the foot to the head of the cigar, creating a superior draw…The ligero tobacco leaves that lend the cigar its unique full body is bunched independently from the rest of the blend before it’s re-bunched directly into the center of the remaining Entubar rolled filler blend. This ligero channel ranges the full length of the cigar and extends ¼ beyond the finished trimmed foot, creating a startlingly unique fuse like appearance that virtually assures a perfect, conical burn with a long white ash.

Size: 6 7/8 x 56  (torpedo) -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Maduro  -  Binder: Nicaraguan  -  Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican  -  Body: Full

Now if this isn’t a crazy looking cigar, I don’t know what is. The Entubar Quad Maduro starts off with this crazy looking foot. It’s much like any other box pressed cigar but it has this large nub sticking out of the middle of it. Along with the nub is a HUGE yellow warning band stating “ADVISORY – Thoroughly toast entire cigar foot before smoking. I don’t know about smoking a cigar with a warning label on it (as if cigar smoking was healthy to begin with). We’ll have to see if this really does affect the experience, or if it’s nothing more then just a cleaver marketing ploy.

Once you pass the strange foot you come to the body of the cigar. Almost pitch black with dark brown and black colors. The wrapper is very spotty, which when it comes to maduros is a good thing. It shows that Berger & Argenti don’t dye their wrappers like some other manufacturers out there. The wrapper is very smooth and durable with a slight tooth, and almost non-existent veins. The band on this cigar is awesome looking. It’s a very basic brown and white wrapped band with the name of the manufacturer on it topped op with a nice, elegant gold Berger & Argenti sticker that almost looks like the old school melted wax seals they used to seal envelopes. After the band is a very sharp, pointed torpedo style cap. All in all this is a very good looking cigar, albeit a little gimmicky we’ll have to see how the crazy composition plays into the experience. The wrapper gives off a very very, sweet and pungent tobacco scent while the foot remains very neutral with just soft hints of chocolate and spice.

First Smoke: Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro start off with this crazy, almost overwhelming chocolate within the first few puffs. After the first few puffs the chocolate subsides a bit and lets through a really nice mixture of spice, tobacco, and just tons of coffee. This is probably the closest you can get to an infused cigar without actually smoking an infused cigar. Now, that’s not a bad thing at all, in fact, it’s starting off incredibly enjoyable, smooth, and very flavorful. The draw is just incredible. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the silly nub, but if so, it’s worth it. Each puff delivers this massive cloud of thick white smoke. I’m not having to hit this cigar more than once or twice to get the amount of draw that I enjoy. Usually, it takes at least 2 to 3 on most other cigars. The burnline for the most part is pretty even with the exception of a few wider waves. I wasn’t expecting that considering how difficult it was to maneuver my lighter around the nubby foot. The ash left behind is a bright white, lighter grey mixture which seems pretty solid with the exception of a few larger flakes towards the very beginning of the foot. The ash only held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Crazy enough, I didn’t pick up any pepper at the start of this Entubar Quad Maduro, but I am getting a ton of it now. Usually this is the point where it starts to really fade. Interesting. Along with the pepper came a lot more body from this Entubar Quad Maduro. The spice really picked up too with the bittersweet chocolate, and coffee taking the back burner. The retrohale was way more pepper-based then I thought it would be, and almost rough at times but leaves behind an awesome dark-chocolate priming. I just can’t handle retrohaling this cigar too often. The burnline is still producing some non-threatening, wider waves, but it hasn’t needed any attention from lighter yet.

Finish: At this point Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro has really started to smooth out. The pepper has all but faded away, the spice is a bit more dormant, and now I am left with this awesome mocha-latte flavor. What an interesting experience. This has been a rollercoaster of flavor and to be honest, I am happy to see the cigar really mellowing-out at the end. Not to say it wasn’t flavorful, but the body really dropped out. The burnline has been a bit wavy the entire time, but I t never needed touch-ups or any relights. The body was medium-full, then full, then back to a more dormant full. You can feel it the entire time, but it doesn’t knock you on your ass. All in all, it took about an hour and a half to take down this beast of a cigar.

Overview: Berger & Argenti’s Quad Maduro is really a departure from the norm. If you are looking for a unique experience, without getting far away from what we have all grown to love in most cigars these days then this is definitely a cigar you want to try out. The robust flavors, and interesting way in which the Entubar delivers them makes for a really different cigar. I personally really enjoyed this cigar, and the consensus among a lot of other reviewers are the same. And to be honest, I was really skeptical at first thinking that this is just another gimmicky cigar, and another attempt and cigar marketing, but Berger & Argenti really came up with a solid cigar.

Pairing: Since it is coming to a close of the summer season I decided to pair this cigar with another all time favorite summer ale, Dupont’s Saison. I’m a sucker for Sasion/Farmhouse Ales, slap a “product of Belgium” stamp on there and I’m sold.  Dupont’s Saison is one of the world’s most famous, and enjoyed Saisons coming in at 6.5% ABV brewed by Brasserie Dupont, in Tourpes Belgium. Dupont’s Saison is a rich, thick, ale with a very fruity, floral bouquet of flavors finishing in a nice, sharp citrus aftertaste. Did it go well with this cigar. Neh. I struck out this time, and I should have known it. Maduros, especially complex maduros such as Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad usually pair better with porters, and stouts. Anything with a richer, more coffee/chocolate build up. Since this was a deeper, sweeter cigar the floral and citrus flavors from the Saison just sat on top of the Entubar’s profile. Coffee would have went great with this cigar or even some nice whiskey.

The Good Stuff: San Lotano is the latest brain child of master-blender AJ Fernandez. AJ is better known for his crazy successful blends such as the Man O’ War line, the Ave Maria, La Herencia, and even the AF1 and AF2 from Emilio cigars. Working backwards from mail-order production, AJ Fernandez has released the San Lotano which is a line exclusive only to Brick and Mortar shops. The San Lotano lines are blended in the Tabacalera Fernandez factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Oval in particular made it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas, sporting a top priming Ecuadorian Habano Ligero wrapper,  Nicaraguan binder, along with Nicaraguan, Honduran, and a top secret filler blend. The Oval comes in six different sizes: Petit Robusto – 4.5 x 54, Corona – 5 x 54, Robusto – 5.5 x 54, Toro – 6 x 54, Gordo – 6.5 x 60, and the Pyramid – 6.5 x 54 which will all range from $6 to about $9 a stick. These were kindly sent of to us by Spence over at AJ Fernandez Cigars.

Size:  6 x 54  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero  -  Binder: Nicaraguan  -  Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Secret concoction

Prelight: The obvious stand-out characteristic in this cigar is the shape. Despite being a little quirky, and different then what I am used to, the rounded “oval” format of the Oval makes it incredible easy to hold. This reminds be a lot of the rounded box-press cigars that Padron has been making. Outside of the strange shape the San Lotano Oval sports the suburb quality and construction we have all grown to expect from AJ Fernandez. The body of the cigar is very firm with only a few veins leading up to the very round double cap. The band is identical to the rest of the San Lotano line with the cold print and AJ Fernandez crest, with the only difference being the dark greet “San Lotano Oval” slogan in the center of the band. The other blends tend to use a difference color background.  The wrapper is very thick, and durable carrying a nice milky, dark chocolate brown that’s extremely consistent until you get towards to cap of the cigar where the color begins to darken quite a bit. I love to see color differences in cigars. It gives them a much more natural, less dyed look.

The wrapper of the cigar gives off just a nice, smooth natural tobacco scent while the foot explodes with spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and just about every other sweet seasoning you’d find in a bakery. The aroma is incredible. It almost smells like a cinnamon roll. The Oval cut clean and actually very easy with my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw wasn’t as warn and toasty with cinnamon producing fun as I expected. The spice is there for sure, with a nice floral flavor then an overall natural earthy and tobacco flavor. Time to light this guy up and see what the real flavors end up like.

First Smoke: WOAH. Prepare for some flavor. The San Lotano Oval starts out with the just massive burst of cinnamon, sweet tobacco, slight pepper, and spice. All the flavors I picked up in the prelight really shine though and even the first few draws are flavor packed and ready to demand your attention. I’m not used to getting this much flavor off the bat of a larger ring gauged cigar. The draw is very easy and smooth giving a pretty nice sized mouthful of smoke with each puff. The Oval really doesn’t give off a lot of stationary smoke, and even then, despite all the flavor this cigar puts out the stationary smoke is relatively mild with only hints of spice and cedar. The burnline is dead even and razor sharp leaving behind a nice trail of solid, medium grey ash which held on for well over an inch before giving way. That’s a long way considering just how windy is was outside while I was smoking this.

Halfway There: At this point the pepper has completely dropped out of the picture. The San Lotano Oval is now pumping out a nice smooth, cinnamon, floral, cedar flavor with some interesting chocolate notes of the after taste. I am still impressed with the amount of flavor this larger ring gauged cigar has been able to kick out. I usually stay away from larger ring gauges for both flavor, and comfort reasons but the Oval Gordo, with it’s unique format doesn’t carry either of those two problems. The retrohale is awesome on this cigar coating your nasal passage with a very nice spice. I found myself retrohaling the hell out of this cigar. The burn is still solid and even and I’m barely feeling just a little nicotine kick from this cigar after the second third.

Finish: The San Lotano had a unique way of really smoothing out without losing the flavor. Usually cigars tend to ramp up in body into the final third but the Oval did just the opposite and actually weakened in body which really made up for the final flavors. The main flavors were still cinnamon, nutmeg, earth tobacco with nice chocolate notes, only a bit smoother and not as bold as the first two thirds making for a really creamy, smooth finish. No harshness, no heat buildup, just an all around smooth and enjoyable finish.

Overview: AJ Fernandez has been on a roll the last few years creating some of the best mail order blends money can buy. AJ and his Brick and Mortar exclusive San Lotano line just added a few notches in his belt. Not to mention, after smoking multiple vitolas of all the cigars in the line, the Oval has to be the stand out and one of the best cigars I have had this year. Top ten worthy? We’ll have to see. But what I can say is that this is a perfect cigar for any level of cigar smoker. Tons of flavor without overbearing body makes it enjoyable for both the Pro Cigar Smoker, and the Novice. The price is spot on, and this is boxworthy by far and will be in my regular rotation for some time to come.

Pairing: I decided to pair the San Lotano Oval with a bottle of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Series “Kick”. I really want to stress that THIS IS NOT A BEER I WOULD RECOMMEND PAIRING WITH CIGARS. Kick is an ale brewed with 75% Pumpkin and Cranberry Juice and 25% Oak wooden barrel aged ale. That being said you would expect a sweet, low alcohol, smooth beer. No way. This is a very strong, VERY sour beer coming in at 8.5% ABV. This isn’t your beginners beer and if you aren’t a fan of sour ales, or have never tried them, you may want to stay away from this beer all together. Having smoked through the entire line of the San Lotano Oval I knew what this cigar was capable of. And to be honest, I knew that it would be one of the only cigars in my humidor that packed enough flavor to stand up to this beer. Did I make a wise decision? Shit yeah I did! The pumpkin and cranberry tart paired perfectly and even became an equalizer at some points with the Oval. If you can get your hands on this beer and enjoy sours, do it. It was a neat experiment that actually turned out the way that I had hoped.

The Limited Edition 2011 is similar to the Reserva Especial which was released last year (we actually chose this as one of our best cigars of 2010) but with a few tweaks which in my opinion, really made a huge impact on the final blend.

The Good Stuff: The Limited Edition starts off with the same, beautiful Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper as the standard Reserva Especial, only with a higher priming. After the wrapper Jaime decided to showcase some of his choice Pelo De Oro leaf as well as two different types of Cuban Seed. These cigars were showcased at this year’s IPCPR convention, and started to hit shops in August. This box came straight to us from Bonita Smoke Shop. Although this run is limited to 3700, Bonita still has them in stock and if you’re lucky enough you can pick them up here before they are sold out.

These cigars come in elegant boxes of 15 and each box contains a special 16^th cigar. The only difference with this cigar is it carries a Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper. This isn’t something we see from My Father cigars often. It’ll be interesting to see the difference in taste when smoking the exact same blend with totally different wrappers.

The box is incredible. It even has piano hinges, much like a humidor and could probably even be re-used as one if taken care of properly. The top of the box is clean and elegant sporting Jaime Garcia’s name as well as the blend. The entire box it coated in this crazy manilla/white/pearl paint which actually gives off a crazy deep purple hue when held in the right light. The front of the box has the logo again with a format stamp as well as “3700/2011” stating the limited run numbers as well as the year. There is also a My Father Limited Edition Quality seal on one side of the box.

As soon as you open the box you get this huge whiff of a new lumber, or paint. At first, I was slightly upset thinking that the paint on the inside of the box hadn’t dried properly (we all remember what happened with a certain extremely exclusive cigar a few years back) after a further inspection I realized it was simply the etching and burning technique used in the inlay wood that holds the cigars. Whew. Furthermore, I’ll reveal a spoiler here and let you know right away that it had no effect on the cigars at all.

Size: 6.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  -  Binder: Nicaraguan Pele de Oro  -  Filler: 2 Cuban Seed Nicaraguan  -  Price: ~$16

Prelight: Anyways, back to the review. The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition starts off with a very dark, very consistency, toothy, and oily wrapper that looks identical to the wrapper chosen for last year’s “Reserva Especial” release. There is only one rather large vein that I can see running the length of the body of the cigar. Following the almost sand-paper-like wrapper, you come to two, wonderfully designed, and attention grabbing bands. That’s one thing about My Father cigars, they really overdo the band designs. They’re remarkable. The Reserva Especial Limited Edition is no exception to that rule. The main band follows the same manila, brown, blue and gold band design as the Reserva Especial. Underneath the main band is a similar designed band with blue and gold being the prominent colors with a gold embossed crest with the words “JG, Limited Edition” and Jaime’s signature. The Reserva Especial Limited Edition is then finished off with a large, round triple cap.

The wrapper of this Limited Edition is really tough and hard. You could probably use this cigar to break into a car. While the wrapper of the cigar gives off a very smooth cedar and spice aroma the foot carries this extremely powerful oaky, and earthy aroma. It actually burned my nasal passage a bit as I took my first big whiff. The cigar was extremely easy to clip using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is really interesting on this Reserva Especial Limited Edition. It starts off with just a ton of really strong, dark, bitter chocolate before transcending into a nutty, cedar flavor.

First Smoke: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition lit up with ease, even under my simple single flame butane torch. The first initial flavors was this subtle pepper, some really sweet spice, tons of chocolate and espresso with just a touch of tobacco. The cigar really starts off like a nice, bold, strong cup of coffee.  The draw on this cigar is soooo easy and effortless, but not loose. Each little puff gives me the same amount of smoke as 3 puffs of any other cigar would normal pump out. The Limited Edition doesn’t give off too much stationary smoke, but its actually really pleasantly scented with a nice cedar and chocolate. The burnline on this cigar is razor sharp and crazy even leaving behind a really thick, tightly compacted light grey and white ash which held on for almost an inch and a half before falling to it’s doom in my lap and all over my feet.

Halfway There: The pepper has completely diminished at this point and I am now left with a really smooth mash up of coffee, chocolate, cashew, cedar, and a little berry. You can tell right off the bat that this is a stronger cigar, but at this point the balance between flavor and strength has been so well played that you really don’t pay any mind to the fact that it is such a strong cigar. The retrohale is VERY sharp and the pepper really shows through so I really don’t find myself doing it too often. It almost burns as it exits my nasal passage. Another plus was the secondary band removal. I always have such a hard time with excess of glue on my bands, and you would figure bands as large as these would give me a headache. Luckily, the band popped right off without leaving any trace of glue. Let’s hope the larger, main band has a similar experience.

Finish: Wow. Into the final third of this Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial the cedar has REALLY taken off as well as the body of the cigar. The cedar is really sweet, and powerful with some nice chocolate and espresso still mixed in as well as a nice cashew aftertaste. I am still so impressed how smooth this cigar is considering the strength. It’s full for sure. The burnline and ash on this cigar has been exceptional the entire experience requiring no touch ups at all. And another big plus, the large band popper right off as well. Whoohoo! All in all this cigar took about an hour and a half to take down and astonishingly had no harshness building up into the final inch.

Overview: Needless to say this is an incredible cigar and I wouldn’t be surprise if this blend makes out top cigars of 2011 as well. The full body and mass amounts of smooth flavors really made this cigar a perfect blend for me. I love a full body cigar that doesn’t kick your ass, but has enough complexity and balance that you really don’t pay attention to the strength of the cigar. The Limited Edition does just that. This is Boxworthy by far, even with the elevated price tag this is something that I would love to keep in my regular rotation. I may not recommend this to the novice smokers though, the body may just been too much for them.

Pairing: I kept my pairing relatively simple with this selection combining the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition with some simple Sam Adams Rustic Saison. A lot of things go into pairing selections, type of cigar blend, body, time of day, and even time of year. With 100+ weather outside I went with something really simple, crisp, and refreshing that I knew wouldn’t overpower the cigar. Sam Adams Rustic Saison is a farmhouse style summer seasonal ale. It’s orange, cinnamon, and caramel composure made a nice treat and extended balance to the Limited Edition. It had just enough flavors not found in the cigar to extend the cigar’s character.  This cigar would go GREAT at night, with a nice stout, or even on a mid-morning brunch with some nice, black coffee.

The Good Stuff: La Casita Criolla or “The Creole Cottage” is the first, or one of the very few cigars that are actually constructed from 100% Connecticut Broadleaf. Pete Johnson goes into a bit more detail on the tobacco used for this cigar:

“Okay guys. To clear this up. Not all broadleaf is dark. The wrapper will be but the binders and fillers are made up of broadleaf tobacco also. When Jaime (Garcia) buys broadleaf, he buys in hopes to get good dark juicy wrapper, some medium color wrapper like La Riqueza and good binder but the other leaf that doesn’t make those grades is sorted by size and texture for filler. Again not every leaf will look like the wrapper. It’s all 100% USA Conn. Broadleaf. Jaime also buys all primings of broadleaf. Seco, Viso and Ligero. This is also how we are able to sort the filler to do the blend on the cigar.”

So yes, that’s right. 100% Broadleaf. I know that Broadleaf is expensive, and isn’t the easiest to come by so if anyone was able to create a cigar comprised of nothing but this leaf, it had to come from the My Father factory. The Garcias use more broadleaf than any other cigar manufacturer. And anyone that reads this blog knows that I am sucker for Broadleaf. Let’s hope this cigar doesn’t disappoint. The La Casita Criolla line will come in three different sizes, HCB – 5 1/8 x 42, HCBC – 5 5/8 x 46, and the HCBF – 6 1/2 x 48 and will be sold in the $7 range. That’s right, I was expecting a much higher price tag.

Size: HCBC 5 5/8” x 46  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  -  Binder/Filler: Broadleaf  -  Body: Medium

Prelight: What a vintage looking cigar, from the band down to the wrapper’s appearance. Although quite consistent in color the Casita Criolla sports a very rustic, almost beaten looking appearance. The construction is spot-on and the wrapper is a nice dark brown with lots of smaller darker spots around the ripples in the leaf. There are lots of very small veins throughout the slender body leading up to a nice round triple cap. The cigar is actually very first and puts up a ton of resistance when compressed with no soft spots at all.  The band is interesting and a departure form what we normally expect Pete to come up with. It’s very vintage looking with an almost old days, sewn on looking placement of the “La Casita Criolla” logo. As you rotate the cigar around you can see Pete’s embroidered logo as well as “Tatuaje Cigars Estelí” just before coming to a small sketch of a nice little cottage. Right away I get this crazy pungent smell from the Broadleaf wrapper.  It’s very barnyardesque with some nice chocolate and spice notes. The foot is almost just as stinky as the wrapper of the cigar bearing almost identical aromas.  The cap was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a lot smoother than I had originally expected pumping out some inviting spice and coffee notes with just a hint of pepper.

First Smoke: Wow, the Tatuaje La Casita Criolla starts off as what I would call the epitome of smooth. Right away I am greeting with some very nice woodsy, cocoa, espresso notes that tend to transition into a bit of spice after a while. No pepper at all, but a whole ton of sweetness. The draw on this Casita Criolla is super effortless pumping out huge clouds of thick smoke with every little draw. The cigar doesn’t give off much stationary smoke, but the smell is pungent! Be prepared, this probably isn’t something you’d want to smoke around people who aren’t really into cigar smoke (or could work in your favor by keeping them away). The burnline is pretty thick but produces a very nicely compacted, light grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The dark chocolate and sharp espresso flavors are really taking over this cigar, along with a nice creamy fruit hint here and there mixed in with some subtle spice. The Casita Criolla started out really smooth and has managed to become even more-so into the second third. Even the retrohale on this cigar is creamy and smooth coating with a nice creamed coffee style flavor. I’m really not feeling any nicotine, but this cigar is burning a little quicker than I expected. The burnline is still dead even.

Finish: Into the final third of the Casita Criolla and the spice that has been nothing but an aftertaste has really start to shine through. The cocoa and espresso are still the there in force, with a more creamier, milky flavor starting to creep in with still a dash of sweetness. This cigar took only a little over an hour to finish, requiring no touch-ups or relights. I started to feel a little nicotine at the tail end of the experience, but not really enough to call this cigar anything stronger than medium.

Overview: It may be a little early to call it, but I think Tatuaje’s La Casita Criolla has a VERY good chance in making it’s way towards the top of our “Top 10 Cigars of 2011” list. The flavors are smooth and powerful with only slight changeups where needed to keep me on my toes, the construction on these cigars are perfect, and the price point is actually cheaper then I expected knowing that these are composed 100% of Connecticut Broadleaf.

Pairing: Despite what most people think, Fat Tire was actually New Belgium’s second beer. The first being their award winning Abbey. Since then New Belgium has actually created a stronger, more premium Abbey with limited releases through their “Lips of Faith” collection. They call this their “Grand Cru Abbey Ale” and it’s exactly what I decided to pair this Tatuaje La Casita Criolla with. Abbey is a traditional strong, dark ale perfected by Belgium Trappist Monks, and in my opinion, one of the best brew styles available. With a malty flavor with nice Banana, Caramel, and Lemon hints its hard to believe that he beer boasts a 9.5% ABV. The sweet, creamy style of the beer blended perfectly with the smoothness of this cigar. It really made for a perfect pairing, even if it does leave you a bit loopy afterwards. I think this cigar would go well with any stout, porter, or brown ale as well as Dr. Pepper or sweet tea.

I am still aiming to get this review as well as my last blind cigar review from Brooks done this week, but I am actually undergoing surgery on Tuesday for my Umbilical Hernia I have had since I was a kid. It screwed up pretty bad on me the last few years, especially the last month and I am glad to finally get it over with. So depending on my recovery I may, or may not get to the last blind review this week. Wish me luck!

The Good Stuff: The Casa Miranda is among two new releases that Miami Cigar rolled out this year at IPCPR. Along with the Limited Release of the Nestor Miranda Gran Reserva, the Casa Miranda made it’s debut last month and have been circling the internet-waves ever since. The Casa Miranda is one of the only cigars in Miami Cigar’s portfolio that is not rolled by Pepin. In fact, the Casa Miranda boasts that it is a 100% USA made cigar, even down to the box. This does not mean that the tobacco is grown here in the US, it just means everything was constructed here.

The Casa Miranda is blended by Willy Herrera of ETB Cigars/Drew Estate and hand rolled on Calle Ocho in Miami by only Level 9 certified rollers. Willy has been on a hot streak lately and made news when he announced his new found partnership with Drew Estate about a month or so back. Expect good things from this guy.

The Casa Miranda is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar will be released in three sizes; The Robusto, The Toro, and the Belicoso ranging from $10 – $12 a stick. I got these from Bonita Smoke Shop. She always has the good stuff so head over before they sell out!

Size: Toro 6 x 52  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: Just by taking one look at the artwork on the band you can tell this is a different type of Nestor Miranda cigar. The band on the Casa Miranda is a very elegant, almost wine-label looking design. Creamy gold and beige accents surround a small cottage with the words “Casa Miranda – Chapter One” in scripted on the front and “Hand crafted in Miami” on the sides. The band sits elegantly on this stunning looking cigar. Willy is a stickler for perfect construction and the Casa Miranda is no exception. The wrapper starts off with just a perfectly consistent, toothy, medium brown color. There are a few vein in the thick body leading up to the seamless, round, double cap.  This cigar has a hell of a lot of weight to it and gives a whole lot of resistance when pressed between my fingers. The cigar bears no soft spots and in fact, gets increasingly more firm as I approach the cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a really mild woodsy aroma with just a slight bite of spice at the end where as the foot of the cigar boasts almost nothing but a strong spice with some woodsy aromas laying underneath. The Casa Miranda was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on this cigar was interesting. The Casa Miranda gave out this really neat woodsy, honey, and strong tobacco flavor that left a little burning sensation on my lips from the spice. In the cold draw, really?! We’ll have to see just how spicy this cigar is once we start smoking it.

First Smoke: As expected, the Casa Miranda started off with a blast of pepper right off the bat. What I didn’t expect was for the pepper to fade so quickly, just after the first few draws. Once the pepper suppressed I was left with a really bold, woodsy flavor with some nice spice, honey, and this citrusy-lemon taste. The draw is just ridiculously easy, but not too loose, kicking out a nice cloud of smoke with every puff. The stationary smoke on this Casa Miranda is great, lots of it and it seriously smells like a burning fireplace. The burnline has some very slight waves, nothing too concerning, and leaves behind a trail of almost perfect, compact, white ash. The ash held on, despite the wind, for well over an inch before giving way. And by “giving way” I mean falling into my shoe. No joke.. ughh…

Halfway There: Much more of the wood flavors have come into play during the second third of this Casa Miranda. I’d like to say they are cedareasue but the spice that accompanies the woodsy flavors puts a neat little spin on them making for a much more deeper flavor. The honey has faded at this point and the spice is still there as well as some of the citrus notes, but I’m also getting this strange little maple flavor on the aftertaste. The retrohale on this cigar is absolutely wonderful coating with a very smooth, creamy woodsy prime. I am not really feeling much nicotine from this cigar, but the body is up there and a bit more than I am used to when it comes to Nestor Miranda cigars. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t needed to touch it up at all.

Finish: As the body ramps up a bit into the final third of this Nestor Miranda Casa Miranda, the flavors start to level off and become much smoother and creamier. The main flavor is still the woodsy flavor while the sweetness and most of the citrus has dropped off leaving nothing but a faint spice mixed in with a little bit of espresso. These wasn’t any harshness built up in this cigar, even going into the final inch. I do however feel just a nice little nicotine kick from it.

Overview: You won’t hear me say this often but I think some age on this cigar will do it wonders. It’s a great cigar as it is, but with a little age it may just add that little somethin’ something’ that will really bring this cigar to a whole new level. It was an interesting departure smoking a non-Pepin blended Nestor Miranda and I think they made a very wise decision having Willy blend this cigar for them. He’s been making great things lately and the Casa Miranda is just another notch in his belt. Well balanced with an overall creamy flavor profile, plus the increased body really made this cigar an enjoyable experience with me. This is very box worthy, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be in high demand. Again, if you are looking for these Jackie over at Bonita Smoke Shop already has them, and like I said before, she is one of the best in the business and will get you taken care of.

Pairing: I decided to go for another risky pairing. This Casa Miranda was paired with Ichtegem’s Grand Crew Flemish Red Ale. Brewed at the Brouwerij Strubbe in Belgium this Flanders Red Ale style beer comes in at a modest 6.5% ABV. Most people have no idea what a Flander’s Red Ale style beer is. Basically it’s a sour beer and with it comes a very unique, but acquired taste. The beer pours a dark, reddish brown but tastes much like old orange, apple, and lemon roasted over caramel malt. It’s not for the faint of heart. There more woody flavor profile in the Casa Miranda gave an amazing balance with the sour notes of the beer and really brought the cigar to another level. This cigar would go great with apple juice, a strong brown ale, or some nice scotch.

The Good Stuff: Emilio Cigars is the brain child of Gary Griffith who is a certified Retail Tobacconist that oversees the operations at Delaware cigar.  Gary teamed up with master blender AJ Fernandez to bring you both the AF1, and today’s AF2 cigars. The AF2 is actually the third cigar in Emilio’s portfolio. The AF1 was the first blend, shortly followed by the Grimalkin which was not blended by AJ, and now the new AF2. The AF2 is composted of  Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Ligero wrapped in a Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper. The AF2 will be available in 4 sizes, the Robusto (5×50), the Toro (6×50), the Torpedo (6.5×52), and the BMF (6×58) and will run between $7 and $8 a stick.

Size: 6×50  -  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan/Pennsylvania Ligero  -  Body: Medium/Full

Prelight: Along with the AF1, Emilio’s AF2 sports flawless construction. The cigar starts out with this beautiful oily and toothy wrapper. The wrapper is a nice dark brown, with lighter spots and even some orange coloration here and there. There are a only one or two large veins running half the length of the body of this cigar. The AF2 is then capped off with a traditional round double cap. The cigar is firm for the most part with only one softer spot near the simple black and copper band. But nothing that I’m too concerned with. The wrapper feels really tough and durable.

The wrapper of the AF2 gives off a very nice oaky, and musky aroma while the foot bears a more traditional tobacco and grassy aroma. The wrapper gave a slight bit of push back, but then clipped clean using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw on this AF2 is dominated by a spicy ligero flavor backed by some slight wood and earthy flavors.

First Smoke: The AF2 leads in with an extreme amount of pepper. The pepper quickly fades and I am left with the really sweet tobacco, oak, cinnamon, spice, and honey mixture. It’s a far cry from the dominant ligero based flavor I picked up in the cold draw. And that’s a good thing. Too much ligero in my opinion, can quickly ruin a cigar (Both burn and flavor wise).  The draw on this cigar is effortless pumping out thick, heavy smoke with even the smallest draws. The AF2 doesn’t give off a lot of stationary smoke, however I found it interesting that the smoke it did give off was so pleasant scented. Much like wood burning in a fireplace. The AF2’s burnline is razor sharp and dead even leaving behind a very nice trail of light grey, tight, compacted ash.

Halfway There: Into the second third of Emilio’s AF2 the pepper has completely removed itself from the flavor profile. What I was left with is again, lots of sweet tobacco, oak, honey, and some nice graham cracker type flavors. You can taste the ligero in this cigar but only slightly, leaving it very balanced. The way it should be. Despite having a ligero based blend the cigar really isn’t giving out a ton of nicotine, if any at all at this point. Surprisingly too, the retrohale on this cigar is really smooth coating my nasal passage with a nice woodsy and spice profile. The burnline is still super sharp, and dead even.

Finish: This AF2 is finishing so smooth! I really wasn’t expecting that. Still, only a very slight amount of nicotine. I love when blends can really balance themselves out and have so much potential to be powerhouse smokes, but end up medium/full with an overall smooth complex. The AF2 falls right into that category. The pepper made a slight reappearance into the finally third, but that oaky flavor I mentioned has really taken control. The sweetness is still there slightly, with a bit of the honey, but now the experience is so much creamier. Might I say milky? Either way, this is exactly how I wish every cigar would end.  This cigar took about and hour and a half total to smoke down.

Overview: AJ Fernandez and Emilio Cigars have produced yet another winner. This blend compliments the AF1 very well, but is different enough not to be compared with the blend. The cigar has plenty of body to satisfy full body smokers, but is smooth enough all the way to the finish for the masses. The flavors are complex enough, and extremely pleasant and well balanced. The construction was spot on, and the price is right where I would expect it to be. I can’t really say anything else. Buy them. By the box. You won’t regret it.

Pairing: I paired this Emilio Cigar’s AF2 with a long time favorite, and one of the best summer brews around. Omega’s Hennepin Saison. Hennepin is a very tart, citrus infused farmhouse ale. Pale in color, carrying a 7.7% ABV it makes for a perfect afternoon refreshment. The wonderful wood and cinnamon flavors from the AF2 matched perfectly with the sharp citrus Hennepin kicked out. This cigar would go perfect with any light ale, an IPA or some ice tea.