A batch of these cigars were actually sent to me by one of you, our readers! If you are familiar with out comments section you’d see the name “JJO” popping up a lot more lately. Jeff has been one of our most constant readers and reached out to me to get my thoughts on this cigar. If any of you ever want me or Daniel to take a look at a certain cigar, all you have to do is ask! Now, if you like this review give a quick thank you to JJO for providing them, and make fun of Daniel for something. You know how we do. Anyways, thanks again Jeff, now onto the show!

The Good Stuff: Est. 1844 has been popping up a lot in a few of my mail order catalogs. Cigar.com and Cigarsinternational.com to be exact. And the only other site I have ever seen them on is cigarbid so I think it’s safe to assume that these are another exclusive cigar, but I could be wrong. Another more confirmed rumor is these are actually blended by the master-blender AJ Fernandez. If that is in fact the case, then I wouldn’t doubt these would be exclusive to the above sites.  I was able to track down some information on forums saying AJ did in fact blend this cigar, but I wasn’t able to confirm that on either of the above sites. The blend starts out with a San Andreas Maduro Mexican wrapper. This is another tobacco that AJ is familiar with which further solidifies that he just might be the mastermind behind this blend. The Binder and Filler are both Nicaraguan puro. One thing that I do know for sure is that if you’re lucky and you catch these cigars on sale you can actually snag them for less than $4 a stick.

Size: Amerada No. 50-extra (6″ x 50)  -  Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Medium

Prelight: I can’t remember the last time I smoked a figured. Flying pig maybe? I’m not sure, but I do know that figurados aren’t something I smoke regular. Not that I don’t like them, they just aren’t made in most blends. But that didn’t stop the est. 1844 from making them. In fact, every cigar in the line is some sort of figurado.  Outside of the obvious obllonged shape, the est. 1844 starts with a very old. Rustic, almost wet-muddy-maduro looking wrapper. The wrapper is very spotty, with medium and dark brown colors doing most of the work. There are a view larger veins, but in this case they almost add to the character of the cigar. The wrapper pairs wonderfully with the interesting map-like/ancient designed band that spans around the cigar simply stating “est.” in light bright and “1844” in a dark read on top of a tan, gold and light brown print.  I actually really like this band. It’s a departure from the everyday band design. The cigar starts with a small foot which immediately blows into a full ring width before tapering off to a very pointy cap near the head of the cigar. The wrapper is very tooth and has a really rough/dry feel to it. The 1844 is very, very firm as it’s tough for me to get any play when I squeeze it. No soft spots at all.

The wrapper has a very sweet chocolate smell to it. It almost smells like brown sure, or chocolate  chip cookies while the foot just explodes with spice and tobacco. This may make for a very interesting mix-up. The cold draw produces just a nice, smooth tobacco flavor. I was expecting to really taste the sweetness from the wrapper, but it didn’t shine thought to the cold draw. Hopefully I pick up a bit more of it in the actual experience.

First Smoke: The est. 1844 starts off with a really nice pepper flavor. Just enough to really tease my tongue and the back of my throat. Under the pepper is some real soft spice, lots of upfront tobacco, a little chocolate, and just a bunch of really earthy, natural flavors. The draw is really easy and pumps out a ton of smoke, but one thing I might mention is the thickness of the smoke isn’t something I’m used to. It’s actually very light and dissipates almost instantly when it hits the air. Kinda strange, but nothing off-putting. I just thought I’d mention it. The burnline is surprisingly even for a perfecto, producing a nice, solid white and light grey ash that held on for a little under an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this est. 1844 and I am enjoying the flavors so far. The wrapper really brings in some distinct sweet, chocolate flavors into this portion of the cigar while maintaining a traditional profile with woodsy, natural tobacco, and earthy flavors. The retrohale is very smooth, coating with a very nice chocolate spice prime. The burnline is still dead even and the ash is holding up particularly well considering how windy it’s gotten over the last 20 minutes or so. I am not feeling any nicotine at all from this cigar. It’s medium at best, but not mild in flavor.

Finish: Going into the final third of this cigar I was surprised to catch a bit of harshness so early on. It wasn’t really strong, but it was there. Looking through that the flavors have remained the same, but dulled out quite a bit. The est. 1844 has now became a more woodsy, natural tobacco taste with some harshness and just a bit of sweetness on the aftertaste. The burnline has remained dead even the entire times and I am surprised how well the ash held together on the cigar despite the increasing winds outside. I wish I could say the same for my ashtray though, I fear there wont be any ash left to lay my band in for my final photo.

Overview: This is a good solid smoke for the money. Towards the end of the experience the est. 1844 started to fall pretty flat, but was very tasty up until that point. I’d love to try one of these in a smaller size, but wouldn’t really reach for the larger ones. Considering the price point these are good sticks to keep around. They are mild enough to smoke in the morning with coffee, but have just enough flavor to enjoy after dinner as well. Ideal for novice smokers, but the more seasoned bunch may crave just a little bit more from a cigar.

Pairing: I decided to pair this 1844 with a VERY strong ale. This usually isn’t a good recommendation as the beer can easily overpower the cigar, but in this case the cigar’s flavors really stood it’s ground and made for a delightful pairing. Stone brewing  (home of Arrogant Bastard) is known for its EXTREMELY strong and bitter beers. They aren’t for everyone, and are proud of that. The beer I paired with today is called “Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale”. Dark in color this 8.7% ABV beast isn’t for the faint of heart. Don’t let the dark color fool you. This ale is very bitter, very hoppy, and balances out with some oaky, malty flavors. I really enjoy Stone’s beers, but again, be careful. They are an acquired taste. I think the est. 1844 is the perfect cigar for iced tea, which I paired one with not too long ago. This cigar would also go great with coffee and any brown soda.

The sample of Scotch Whisky I will be reviewing today was sent to us by Master of Malt. Master of Malt is an online retailed specializing in Whisky although they also sell a variety of other spirits. The company is based out of East Sussex, United Kingdom and they ship almost anywhere in the world. The package arrived in Canada in record time and the bottles were extremely well protected. ne of the winderful features offered by Master of Malt besides their huge selection of spirits is the ability to get many of the spirits in a small 3cl/30ml sample bottle similar to the one pictured. This is called the “Drinks by the Dram”. Please visit www.MasterOfMalt.com to see with wide selection of spirits and read the bounty of information they have there. you can also follow them on twitter: @MasterofMalt

The Maker: Arran Distillery
The Beverage: 12 Year Old Single Cask (Master of Malt)
The Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Beverage’s Home: Scotland, East of the village of Lochranza on the Isle of Arran
The Situation: Relaxing on the couch

The Story:
The Scotch Whisky being reviewed today is a 12 year aged spirit from the Arran Distillery. The particular one I sampled is a Master of Malt Single Cask special edition series. The standard 12 year from Arran is also available. Arran Distillery is actually fairly young being founded in 1993 and starting production in only 1995. It is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky that is distilled by Arran and bottled by Master of Malt after being specially aged in a single cask. The alcohol content weighs in at 54.7% alc./vol.

The Bottle:
The sample we received came in a small clear bottle with a black cap. The bottle is delicately sealed with what appears to be a wax coating. This ensured the cap did not unscrew and the bottle did not leak at all in transit. The front of the bottle has “Vintage” style label containing the “Master of Malt” name and the name of the contained Scotch Whisky.

The Eyes:
This Scotch Whisky is very clean and transparent. It has a very warm golden-amber tone to it. It’s very pleasing to the eye and inviting. I’m enjoying this particular blend “neat” tonight with no added water or ice.

The Nose:
Some fruity and smokey notes immediately evident on the nose. The fruity notes are the most dominant initially and linger on the nose ever so slightly.

The Tongue:
This wonderful looking Scotch Whisky coats the tongue nicely and lingers with some interesting flavors. Initially you get a big hit of sweet malt, followed by a bright fruity finish. There’s a slight smokiness and even woodsy-ness that can be detected. The spirit tingles on the tongue as the coating slowly fades. It actually leaves you with a mouthwatering citrus finish that is very enjoyable.

The Final Drop:
I was quite impressed by this particular Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Arran Distillery. At a fairly young age of 12 years it has a lot of competition on the market. And since the distillery only began production 14 years ago it is a fairly limited release of one of their first productions. In comparison to a lot of other 12-year Scotch Whisky’s this one had a wonderful coating flavor on the palate and was not overly harsh even when enjoyed neat.

The Pairings:
The Master of Malt Single Cask version of Arran’s 12-year Single Malt Scotch Whisky would pair very well with a variety of cigars. I would suggest finding something that is medium in body and can compliment the fruity sweetness. The two cigars that instantly come to mind would be the La Aurora 107 Corona, La Aurora 107 Robusto or the K.A. Kendall 7-20-4.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano Consul

I have actually never smoked a Joya De Nicaragua before, so this is my first. I have heard nothing but great things about this cigar, and I stumble across it just about everywhere I go. So I finally decided to give it a shot.

The Good Stuff: Joya De Nicaragua’s Antano 1970 is a lasting tribute to the comapany’s stability. Joya De Nicaragua’s cigars were first released back in the mid 1960′s where it was one of the first cigars ever produced in Nicaragua. In 1970, the cigar gained mass acceptance in the U.S. and actually became the tradition cigar of the White House. Shortly after, Nicaragua became fairly unstable, and all of Joya De Nicaragua’s production came to a standstill. After more than 30 years, Joya De Nicaragua came back into play in 2002 with the Antano, to celebrate the company’s hard work.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Size: 4.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Strength: Full

Prelight: I’ve read a review or two on the Antano so I know better than to let it’s small stature fool me. This cigar is supposed to pack a mean punch. The Wrapper is a very dark habano, almost maduro looking leaf. The cigar itself is very chunky, and has a pretty good weight to it. The wrapper smells of light earth tones with hints of almond. The foot of the cigar has a strong woodsy smell, with a touch of pine. There were a few soft spots close to the foot of the cigar. We will blame these on the handling, and I don’t forsee any problems with them. I should be able to burn right through them. The band is very bright, and inviting. There is a great use of metallic gold ink, with greens and reds spread out across the ring making the Antano stand out amongst most other cigars in any humidor. I used a double-bladed cutter, and a cheapy little 3 torch flame (my lighter is being repaired) to smoke this cigar.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano

Cold Draw: The pine taste didn’t come through with the cold draw, I must have picked that out of the air somewhere. The Antano’s cold draw had a very woodsy/leathery taste to it, with touches of spice and almond. The cold draw was pretty tight, and I am hoping this doesn’t transcend into the rest of the smoke.

First Smoke: The Antano lit up right away, and took literally just a few seconds to light completely under my 3 flame torch set to low. The first couple of puffs were very tight. I’m not a big fan of tight draws, so it was very welcomed when out of the blue the draw unleashed with huge clouds of thick smoke about 4 or 5 puffs in. Despite the massive draw, the smoke itself wasn’t all that bad smelling. If it wasn’t for the huge clouds of smoke I would recommend smoking this around other people. The taste pallete was very soft and invited. Peppery, spice was the dominant flavor backed by a bit of pine, cedar, and hints of almond.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

The burn line is nothing less of stellar at this point, and the Antano is producing very thick, almost white ash. The pepper taste is matching up well as this cigar is paired with an Avery Hog Heaven barley-wine style ale. Astonishingly enough, I got almost 2 whole inches of ash (keep in mind how short this cigar is) before finally giving way. I really couldn’t predict when it was actually going to give out.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Halfway there: I know this is a strong cigar, but at this point I have yet to feel it. The smoke is smooth, and incredibly creamy. The pepper taste has mellowed out some, and now its become more “bready”. I’m not sure if  “bready” is the term, or even a word for that matter, but it was the best way I could describe it. The draw hasn’t let up at all, it’s still as big as ever.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

The Antano’s burn line has taken a small turn for the worse as it became pretty wavy on one portion of the cigar. I’m not sure if this one will actually correct itself. The Antano is getting pretty warm. I usually smoke pretty fast, however this one is burning a lot warmer than most other cigars I’ve had as of late.

Finish: After standing up, and walking around my back yard A bit I was pretty surprised to find that I have felt no light-headedness, nor any signs of nicotine. Towards the end of the smoke the pepper taste came back, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as the beginning of the smoke. The questionable burn line actually did in fact correct itself, and the warmth of the draw only increased. I was really surprised how the taste of the Antano was so consistent throughout the entire smoke. The only addition were soft hints of sweetness I picked up towards the very end.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Overview: I would have to give this cigar 4.5 stars out of 5 (I am working on a custom rating system, no worries.). Outside of the small stature, the hot burn, and the fact that I don’t have more of these in my humidor, I can’t think of anything bad to say about this smoke. It was extremely smooth, and well balanced with soft kicks just where you would expect them. I WILL be getting more of these, and I recommend anyone who enjoys cigars to do the same.

The Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970 Consul was paired with Avery’s Hog Heaven Barely Wine Style Ale.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

ACID Liquid Cigar by Drew Estate

Out of all of the ACID series the red line has to be the most “either you like it, or you hate it” branded line. I really enjoy almost any infused cigar so even one that most people would hate, I’d probably still enjoy.

The Good Stuff: According to Drew Estate The Fiery Red banded ACID cigars are supposed to serve as a warning for the most incerdible infused cigar smoke of your life. These concoctions start with ripe, black smoking tobacco intensely infused with the best botanical and oils around. Some smokers are taken by the powerful aroma’s and vibrant flavors, while only the hardcore aromatic cigar smokers sulk in their bliss.

Size: 5 x 50  -  Shape: Robusto  -  Wrapper: Connecticut  -  Strength: Medium – Full Bodied

Prelight: The first thing that you notice about the ACID liqiud is it incedibly smooth, light, oily Connecticut wrapper. This only accompanies the Drew Estate – Perfect construction. Its very rare that a less-than-perfect cigar is produced from their factory in Esteli Nicaragua. The ACID liquid cigar sports a very round cap, and has no veins or soft spots. The scent is amazing. It smells very similar to the acid blues, but a lot lighter, and much more complex with everything from hints of wine and floral scents, to creamy nut aromas. I think the hardest part about this review is going to be nailing the infusion as this blend is just remarkable in flavor construction.

First Smoke: One thing I didn’t like about this cigar right off the back was its tight draw. I love big hits, and huge smoke. This cigar was just wrapped much tighter than I am used to. Most of Drew Estate’s ACID cigars are very loose producing a remarkable draw that produces massive amounts of flavor. I’m scared this will make the pallet that much hard to nail down. Upon my first few draws my tastebuds were overwhelmed with a strong, and slightly bitter taste. Notes of dark wine, cashew, and a very floral combination. There were very slight hints of cedar, but i think those may have came to to storage of my humidor. This cigar didn’t leave much of an aftertaste. I got about an inch and a half before the first ash gave way.

Halfway There: The ACID liquid has become very bold in strength and continues to step it up. The flavor is still there although its beginning to soften on the floral end and just become much more wine/tobacco based. Still not much of and aftertaste and the draw is much too tight for my liking. I’m beginning to feel light headed at this point, but I’m not sure if its the massive hits I have to take off this cigar to produce any kind of draw or if its the bold strength of the tobacco. Still no signs at all of any misconstruction, and the burn is absolutely perfect.

Finish: Drew Estate’s ACID Liquid finished off incredibly strong. By the end of the cigar the flavor was almost gone, but the tobacco strength was almost double what it began with. I took this cigar close enough to the nub to call it quits. Again, no signs of unwrapping and the burn was near perfect all the way through.

Overview: Despite my negative reviews this cigar was not a bad smoke at all. I’m just overly critical when it comes to any of the ACID branded cigars. My only miff with the cigar was the tight draw. I have two of these guys and both are the same so it has to be a consistency issue. One thought is that the flavor is so complex, the draw must be tighter to not only get the full effect, but to carry the flavor all the way through the smoke. Just an opinion though.

Would I try it again? Yes, but not an everyday smoke.

Would I suggest it? Totally, especially to anyone who is into cigars, and interested in trying aromatics.