Now there isn’t a whole lot of info out there about the ELO #3 so I’ll do my best here. If anyone has any more accurate or additional info, feel free to add it in the comments and I’ll be glad to append it to the review! From what I found while researching, this cigar comes exclusively from New Havana Cigars and is an “encore” release of a popular cigar they had previously sold in 2008.

It seems the cigars were sold at record speeds as do many of the limited releases from Tatuaje and especially from New Havana Cigars. As with many cigars from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, this is a Nicaraguan puro and is rolled at the My Father Cigars factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. At the moment only New Havana Cigars is selling the ELO series from what I understand but it is possible that the retailers could expand, depending on demand and supply of course.

Now this next part is pure speculation but there may be some truth here. Apparently, the ELO series, which runs with numbers 1 thru 5, are overruns of some other popular Tatuaje cigars. And just to clarify, an overrun is not a 2nd, it’s basically just extra stock without any imperfections. From some reading, it seems this ELO #3 is the counterpart to the Tatuaje Verocu #2. Reading that and looking at some pictures of the Verocu 2 seems to be pretty accurate, but who knows.

So remember, a lot of this info is just stuff I found randomly and not from any official sources, so I’m not sure how accurate it is. Feel free to share any more info on his cigar if you have it, I’d love to learn more about it! Now I won’t do any more speculation or yapping, let’s just get straight to the review!

Cigar: Tatuaje ELO #3 2011
Drink: Muskoka Brewery Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout
Vitola: Robusto (5.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $6.50
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Tatuaje ELO #3 2011 has a pretty rough and beefy wrapper on it
• Despite having quite a few decent sized veins the oily sheen of this cigar definitely makes it attractive to look at
• The triple cap topping off this cigar is very smooth and well applied, so I can’t complain there
• Now the foot of the cigar looks like it has it’s fair share of filler leaves in there, very packed
• Surprisingly though, there is a nice give and spring to this cigar when squeezed
• The more I look at these veins the more they worry me, I’m hoping they don’t cause any burn issues here…
• The cut with my double bladed guillotine cutter made a huge mess and little pieces of tobacco leaves went everywhere
• The pre-light draw seems a bit tight but we’ll see how it goes
• The draw actually turned out to be ok, it is a bit tight but it’s not affecting the experience so far

Burn:
• The toasting was slow and steady and although there were some problematic spots it all lit up fairly evenly in the end
• The burn through the first inch of so has been razor sharp and super slow, so far so good!
• The burn continues to be stellar and slow through the whole first half, I’m actually very surprised because I saw a few good sized veins
• I had one little peninsula form in the last third of the cigar but it actually corrected itself, all in all this was a superbly burning cigar!

Smoke & Ash:
• The smoke coming from this cigar is plentiful but it seems a little thin, not a bad thing just something to note
• The resting smoke is fairly minimal but it does give off a nice woodsy aroma
• The ash on this ELO #3 2011 is a very nice whitish color with accents of black striping here and there
• The ash lasted easily past an inch with a strong and clean looking structure before I tapped it off into the ashtray
• Loving the strong and clean ash on this cigar, another easy passing of the 1 inch mark on the second ash

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of this cigar has surprisingly little aroma, maybe just a touch of woodsiness to it
• The foot is similarly lacking in aroma but I did detect a touch of floral notes in there, kind of surprised cause I’m used to getting a lot of spice from Tatuaje cigars
• The woodsy and floral flavors are still there on the pre-light draw but now I’m definitely picking up the trademark Tatuaje peppery spice that I’m used to, tingling my lips and tongue
• The first few draws had a very charred taste, might have been due to the extended toasting but I’m glad they went away fairly quickly
• The next array of flavors seems to be a musty woodsy type of flavor with a side order of mild spices and just a dash of leather
• The retrohale on the Tatuaje ELO #3 2011 has just a small bite and a smooth creamy cedar finish
• The body is resting at a comfortable mild-medium right now
• Now I’m not sure if it’s partly the beer here but I’m getting a nice thick rich flavor on this cigar, like a dark chocolate or roasted espresso, really enjoying it
• The flavors continue to get richer as the cigar burns, the spice has mostly disappeared and I’m left with a nice woodsiness backed by those delicious espresso and dark chocolate
• The body started to kick up into the full category in the last third but it still maintained a smooth creamy finish and lots of rich flavors
• The strength of this cigar seemed to sneak up a bit on me at the end, I got a little bit of a nicotine kick but not much. Might be due to smoking this earlier in the day and having only a small lunch
• The flavors diminished a bit as I hit the nub but they didn’t get harsh, just sort of washed out, still enjoyed it up until my fingers were burning

Final Thoughts:
Now this was a darn tasty smoke. I’ve had a bit of an up and down experience with Tatuaje lately but I always come back because when Pete Johnson does it right, he does it really right! The perfect burn, the awesome ash and the great array of rich flavors made for a superb smoking experience. The slow burn also gave me plenty of time to enjoy the cigar without the need to babysit it. I have to say that this blend definitely carried some similarities to the Verocu line, especially the Verocu Tubo since I smoked it not too long ago. So maybe there is some truth to that info… If you can track down a few of these I would definitely recommend you give them a try.

Pairings:
Today’s pairing is definitely an interesting one. It comes from a brewery about an hour North of me in what we call “Cottage Country”. It’s from Muskoka brewery and it is called their Winter Beard which is a Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout. Now I took a bit of a risk here since I actually haven’t even tried this brew before today and I’m glad to say it worked out rather well. I was a bit scared that the cranberry flavor would be overpowering but it’s actually barely discernible at all. You can get a touch of sweetness but it’s not a super fruity flavor at all. Even the double chocolate is fairly balanced. Once thing to note is that this is probably one of the thickest beers I’ve ever drank. It poured out like well aged port but it surprisingly had very little head (foam) to it. I found the richness of the beer to be a perfect match for the richness of the cigar, they both played to each others strengths and made for a great overall experience.

The Le Hoyo part of this cigars name is actually a series created by Hoyo de Monterray which also includes the Le Hoyo Du Roi, Du Depute, Du Gourmet, Du Maire and Du Prince. Each name also represents a slightly different vitola but something unique to this series is that no cigar is larger than a 42 ring gauge which is fairly odd to see in todays cigar world where everyone seems to be making a 6×60 or something similar. In fact, the whole Hoyo de Monterray line up does not even pass the 50 ring gauge mark.

The Le Hoyo des Dieux is actually one of the larger vitolas measuing 5.5 inches and a 42 ring gauge. Only the Du Gourmet is comparable at 6.8×33. I picked this box as my purchase for 2 reasons. Firstly, it came with great recomendations from a few BOTL’s and my secondly, my research showed it was claimed as the best option from the Le Hoyo series.

I won’t get into too many details of the brand history but it is an interesting read, as is most Cuban brands. Basically, a Spanish immigrant to Cuba started his career working the fields and eventually began his own cigar line which gained a loyal following. We’ve also touched upon a few other Hoyo De Monterray reviews including the Regalos Edicion Limitada 2007 and the Epicure Especial. Be sure to check out those 2 reviews for more info on the brand.

We’ve had some pretty crazy weather up here, going from somewhat warm to incredibly cold. In fact, we already hit -13F just this week… that was a bitterly cold day! But between the bad days there’s been some good smoking days I’ve been taking advantage of. So let’s see how the Hoyo de Monterray Le Hoyo des Dieux stands up in todays review!

Cigar: Hoyo de Monterray Le Hoyo des Dieux
Drink: Quinta Da Romaneira 2004 Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage Port
Vitola: Grand Corona (5.5 x 42)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: About $7.00
Burn Time: Just over an hour

Construction:
• The Hoyo de Monterray is a surprisingly consistent looking cigar, all the sticks in the box I purchased were remarkably similar. I point this out because I find some Cuban cigar boxes to have a wide variety of oddly constructed cigars sometimes
• The wrapper on this cigar screams cedar just by looking at it, it has a light brown almost woodsy looking appearance to it
• The are some medium sized veins here and there but for the most part these cigars are smooth and well constructed
• Each cigar had a nice firmness to them with just a little bit of give when squeezed
• The triple cap atop each of the Le Hoyo des Dieux is finished cleanly and appears very well applied
• Filler in the foot looks very bountiful as well, cleanly cut and evenly colored
• The draw on the Des Dieux is just about perfect, getting a nice stream of smoke from it with little effort

Burn:
• Toasting was very even and easy, the whole foot was glowing with very little effort
• The draw is going nice and sharp with only a slight wave to it
• Some times it seems as though the cigar has gone out but two quick draws seems to bring it back to life easily
• The wave got a little out of control and needed a small correction, after ashing it looks like the cause was a small hole in the filler. Not a big tunnel or anything but a big of a gap between the leaves
• The next ash revealed another small hole that was affecting the burn, this one looks more like a tunnel so I’m hoping it doesn’t extend too far…

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is bring a perfect mouthful of smoke with very little effort
• The resting smoke it fairly heavy right after a draw but quickly dies down to a very light line of smoke that gives off a sweet cedar aroma
• The ash is starting off with a nice light grey color to it and is looking clean and strong
• I was surprised to see the ash on this thinner cigar easily pass 1 inch and made it to about 1.5 inches before I tapped it off, very clean, strong and even
• I find myself taking a few extra draws as I get to the halfway mark to get more smoke and the resting smoke has died down too

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the Hoyo de Monterray Le Hoyo des Dieux gives off a nice cedar aroma with a small spice kick
• The foot also gives off a nice sweet cedary spice aroma with a sort of creamy touch
• Pre-light draw brings lots of cedary and woodsy goodness with a light spice undertone to it
• Initial few draws bring more of that cedary smoothness and an undertone of light gingerbread spices, very nice start
• The body right from the start is undeniably mild but very flavorful
• The retrohale on the other hand has no bite and only a faint cedar finish, but at least it’s smooth
• There is quite a bit of earthiness sneaking into the flavor profile within the first inch or so
• The body of the cigar seems to have picked up somewhat at only 2 inches, it easily jumped into a more medium range and the flavors are a lot more intense and enjoyable
• The gingerbread-type of spices are creating a neat little kick on the retrohale and the creamy cedar finish has stepped up a notch too, very nice
• Cedar, spice and earthiness still dominate the flavor profile but it’s picked up a bit in intensity
• I’m also picking up a slightly bready type of flavor which is going very nicely with the spices
• The cigar continued on with the flavors balancing nicely and taking turns being the prominent one
• There was almost no strength or harsh buildup to the end, it stayed a smooth and flavorful medium right to the nub

Final Thoughts:
Despite a couple draw and burn issues, I actually enjoyed this cigar quite a bit. The flavors were spot-on and not diverse, they kept my interest the whole way through. I think the vitola was a perfect fit since I may have gotten a bit bored if this were a larger torpedo or churchill. At a price that isn’t too scary these are also fairly high on the cost-to-flavor ratio. The finish on this cigar was also very flavorful and it burned right to the end with no negative side effects at all. I’m curious to see what some aging will do to this cigar but they are already very tasty as is. I will definitely be looking to keep some of these in my humidor. Not only were they tasty but I actually liked this vitola a lot too!

Pairings:
Today’s Port pairing comes from a random grab at the local store. I’ve never really seen this bottle before and I like to try new ones so I grabbed it. The winery is called Quinta da Romaneira and this is their 2004 Unfilitered Late Bottle Vintage Porto. Now I should note that I’m not exactly sure where the “unfiltered” part comes in here, the Port is surprisingly clear and clean with almost no sediment from the glasses I’ve had so far. This particular port fell short of my expectations, it almost tasted watered down. Closer to a glass of light red wine than a finely fermented port, and especially not one worthy of a 7-year aged sticker on the bottle. There are some nice light fruity notes and a decent merlot after-taste but it’s not my type of port. If you’re just venturing into port I’d say it’s a good starter bottle as it might bridge the gap between a light wine and a strong port. It’s not all bad though because it actually paired well with the flavors of the Le Hoyo des Dieux since they weren’t overpowering or super spicy. They both complimented each other quite well. I think this Hoyo De Monterray cigar would pair very nicely with a hot cup of coffee or possibly an oak aged beer to pair with the cedar flavors.

Avo Uvezian is the mastermind behind the AVO brand is also a very talented Jazz pianist. He was born into a family of musicians but he paved a different road for his family’s future when he began making cigars. It’s no secret that he has blended some very tasty sticks and for the last few years he has been blending a limited edition cigar to be released on his birthday.

Not long ago I reviewed the AVO 80th Anniversary which was released in 2006 to commemorate Avo’s 80th birthday. Tony also reviewed the AVO Limited Edition 2010 not long ago. Today’s cigar is called the Compañero and was released in 2009 to mark Avo’s 83rd birthday. On the cigar, you will find the classic and classy AVO logo with the name “Avo Uvezian” on one side and “LE09″ written on the the other. Below this band is another dark burgundy band with the “Compañero” name written on it.

The blend in the AVO Limited Editions change a bit each year and the Compañero is no different. This year the cigar comes wrapped with an Ecuadorian leaf and bound with Dominican leaf. The interesting part of the blend is the filler which is made up of a couple types of Ligero and some Peruvian Seco tobacco.

I’m interested to see how this blend will play out. On paper it seems a bit strong but with at least 2 years of age on it I’m hoping it smoothed out. Let’s get onto the review and find out.

Cigar: AVO Compañero Limited Edition 2009
Drink: The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Vitola: Toro (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Cuban Seed Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Criollo Ligero, Piloto Ligero, San Vicente Ligero, Peruvian Seco
Price: About $15
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The AVO Companero is an oil and dark looking cigar that sports a slightly toothy wrapper with a goldish-brown glow
• There are some veins running down the side of the cigar but most are fairly small and don’t really pose any issues
• The top of the cigar is cleanly finished with an expertly applied single cap while the foot shows signs of a well packed long-filler cigar
• For the most part, the cigar is very firm to the touch with only a very minor give when squeezed
• I made the cut super shallow and just basically trimmed off the cap without cutting into the filler, left me with an easy and perfect draw
• I “may” have accidentally “dropped” the cigar right before lighting it up… I’ll take that into account for any burn issues

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even, it left me with a nicely glowing foot
• Despite some cracks on the wrapper near the foot due to my dropping it, the cigar is burning beautifully through the first couple of inches
• The cigar burned through the cracked wrapper like it wasn’t even there and I’m still going strong with a razor sharp burn!
• Ran into a few more wrapper issues caused by my drop, they still didn’t affect the burn much but I really regret dropping it!
• My super fail of a drop had more consequences than I had hoped for, the wrapper pretty much came off at the end but it’s totally my fault, do NOT take this as the regular burn for this cigar. Other Companero’s I’ve had burned without any issues.

Smoke & Ash:
• The AVO Companero is producing a heft amount of smoke from each draw, it’s thick and billowy to boot
• At a resting position, the cigar is producing a comfortable amount of smoke, nothing overpowering and it has a nice burning cedar aroma
• The ash is starting off a bit flaky but that’s probably my fault…
• The color of the ash is a very nice and consistent light grey
• Even with a bit of flaking, the ash lasted just past an inch before I gently tapped it off
• Now that I’m passed the cracked wrapper the ash is staying clean and tight
• The next ash fell off after about an inch jsut before I was going to take a picture… bad luck for me tonight! lol

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of the cigars is hardly aromatic at all, it’s only a little bit woodsy and that’s it
• The foot on the other hand shows clear indications of spices, earthiness and a fresh cedar aroma
• The pre-light draw is very earthy and woodsy, with more of the fresh cedar from the foot
• Initial draws are filled with more earthy notes and little bit of the fresh peat flavor I’ve come to appreciate from most AVO cigars
• Some of the spice I picked up earlier is making a subtle appearance within the first inch, it’s just on the tip of my tongue making for an interesting touch to the profile
• The body of the AVO Companero is a smooth medium so far, well balanced and with a nice little bite on the retrohale
• The finish is also very tasting, coating my nasal passages with a fresh cedar touch
• I have to emphasize the “fresh” part of the cedar flavor, it’s not like a seasoned humidor smells but more like the aroma of a fresh, brand new humidor or freshly cut cedar plank, very pleasant!
• The woodsy and earthy notes are mixing so nicely and taking turns being prominent
• Along with those, the peat and freshness of the cedar add a very interesting and enjoyable flavor that I can’t get enough of
• Just past the halfway mark, the spices are coming in a little stronger and mixing perfectly with the fresh cedar and peat flavors, this cigar keeps getting better!
• The body has stayed more or less in the medium range and it’s still maintaining a very smooth retrohale
• Despite the wrapper pretty much falling off the cigar, I still managed to enjoy the last bit of spice, cedar and peat right to the end

Final Thoughts:
Right from the start, the AVO Companero was bringing me a bright and flavorful profile that instantly caught my attention. Each of the tastes were very full flavored and easily discernible making for a very enjoyable smoke. Even with my fat-fingered fall to the floor and some wrapper cracks, this cigar burned perfectly. I’m also very surprised to say the wrapper falling off didn’t change the cigars flavor too much and I was still able to enjoy it. That’s a sign of a well balanced cigar in my eyes, the flavor was not “all in the wrapper” as some people might think. This showed me that the cigar had a very good balance of wrapper, binder and filler. I’d actually even say this experience made me appreciate the blending that went into this cigar even more than I normally would have!

Pairings:
I’ve only ever come across the peat flavors in the AVO cigars so I knew heading into this review that I had to pair it with a nice Scotch. So I looked into what I had and decided to finish off this bottle of The Singleton 12 year Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Well, I was right! The smokey and peat flavors of the Scotch paired perfectly with the fresh cedar and matching peat flavors on the cigar. I would definitely recommend having a nice scotch with this cigar, so give it a try next time you pick up this cigar or pretty much anything in the AVO lineup.

The Late Harvest might sound familiar to any wine aficionados we have around here. In the wine world, some grapes are harvested later in the season to produce a slightly different type of wine typically called a Late Harvest. It’s even a popular method of making Ice Wine which is a very interesting dessert wine especially common to the Niagara region wineries up here in Ontario.

Contrary to what the name actually seems to mean, the Late Harvest cigar from Viaje is not actually produced with tobacco leaves harvested later in the season. It’s trademark is actually that the filler being used is sourced from the last priming’s of the tobacco plant. These last priming’s are left on the plant slightly longer and are also exposed to the sun longer, this produces a darker, thicker, oilier and stronger leaf. The blend is said to have about 90% of it’s filler from these last priming’s.

To put the limited blend into perspective, the Late Harvest is made in 125 boxes of 35 cigars each making a grand total of 4375 cigars(if my math is right). The Late Harvest was debuted at IPCPR 2011 and it seems like Andre is planning to make a yearly release of it, although the yield could change from year-to-year. The production factory of these cigars is located in Honduras, the popular Racines Cubanas factory which is part of Casa Fernandez Cigar company.

My one gripe here is that there’s no indication on the band of the production year. Although I know this one is a 2011 release since it’s brand new, I would have liked to see an indication for future years to compare with and keep track of when aging. I guess we’ll have to be vigilant and make note of them if you’re not buying a box. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets see if these cigars are worth aging and worth trying out next year…

Cigar: Viaje Late Harvest
Drink: Wychwood Brewery Wychcraft Blonde Beer
Vitola: Toro (6 x 48)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $9.00
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Viaje Late Harvest is a bit of a rough looking cigar with a few medium sized veins running up and down along with some bumps here and there
• The wrapper presents with a medium cinnamon brown colour with some dark speckles here and there, it’s also fairly coarse
• The top of the cigar is finished with tight little pigtail on top of a triple cap that looks clean and well applied
• A little squeeze produces almost no give, the Viaje Late Harvest is fairly firm from foot to cap
• With a quick glance at the foot it’s easy to see this is a well filled cigar with almost no gaps to be seen
• Clipping off the cap with my double bladed guillotine cutter was fairly easy and left a nice clean cut

Burn:
• The foot of the cigar lit up very quickly and easily while toasting
• The initial burn has an interesting zig-zag pattern… let’s hope it tightens up
• Zig zag seemed to calm down and although it’s a bit wavy we’re off to a better start now
• A couple small corrections were needed in the first half but they were very minor and did not affect the flavor of the cigar
• A couple other small touch-ups through the cigar but nothing major, it burned very well for the most part

Smoke & Ash:
• The Viaje Late Harvest is producing a good amount of smoke from each draw, it’s not super-thick and billowy but it’s not light either
• Resting smoke is also fairly moderate, nothing over the top but it is notable
• The ash is looking to be a pretty dark tone of grey as I smoke through the cigar
• I’m also getting some flaking so I don’t think the ash is going to last too long
• It started to look really weak at about an inch so I tapped it off into the ashtray
• As I hit the halfway mark it seems the thickness of the smoke has been slowly increasing, getting a nice billowy thickness now

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of the Viaje Late Harvest has a fairly strong barnyard aroma to it, smells like it’s fresh from a farm!
• The foot, on the other hand, is strong with earthy and woodsy aromas followed by just a touch of peppery spice
• Pre-light draw brings an interesting mix of fresh cedar, earthiness and a touch of sweetness
• Initial draws bring more of the woodsy and earthy flavors I caught onto earlier, with a touch of very mild spices
• After a few draws there is a kick of pepper to this cigar, you can feel it on the back of your throat as well
• The Viaje Late Harvest is starting off in the mile-medium bodied range and the retrohale is giving a nice little bite with a smooth cedar finish
• The strong pepper faded as quickly as it appeared and I’m back to a nicely balanced cedar and earthy flavor profile
• There is a touch of tart sweetness that I’m picking up now and again although it’s not too strong right now
• The woodsy flavors are developing nicely and I’m getting a nice bready flavor coming in all wrapped up with a smooth and creamy finish
• The bite on the retrohale is pretty much gone now but it’s still giving me a smooth creamy cedar finish that I’m really enjoying
• As I creep into the final third, some of the spices are starting to make a comeback. It’s not the strong pepper like before but rather a more mild white pepper profile
• The Viaje Late Harvest finished on a smooth medium note with no harshness at all, I enjoyed it’s creamy finish and sweet tart cedar flavors right to the nub

Final Thoughts:
This was an interesting and unique cigar and I’m glad I was able to give it a try. As I mentioned, my access to Viaje cigars is pretty limited so it’s always a treat when I get a few sent to me in a package and this one was not a disappointment. It had an interesting variety of flavors that were very well balanced along with a smooth creamy finish to round it all out. The burn had a couple small touch ups but nothing worth complaining about. Considering the type of filler used here I was expecting a much stronger cigar but I ended up with a smooth medium bodied stick that I really enjoyed. The price on these is also fairly reasonable considering the limited production runs they are offered in. If you can track down some of these they are definitely worth a try. I’m curious to see if they change much from year-to-year…

Pairings:
Today I have another offering from Wychwood Breweries. Just recently, I tried out their winter ale called “Bah Humbug” with the Tatuaje TAA and I’ve also done a full review of their buby beer called Hobgoblin. This particular brew is their Blonde beer called Wychcraft. It clocks in at a light 4.5% alc./vol. and is triple hopped and filtered. It made for a perfect midday beer with lots of citrusy and malty flavors to it. An interesting combination since most blondes don’t carry too much of the malts with them, but I guess that’s where the triple hopped process makes a difference. I found that the Wychwood Breweries Wychcraft paried quite well with the Viaje Late Harvest. The cirtusy sweetness of the beer complimented that tart sweetness that sometimes made an appearance in the cigar and neither of them over-powered the other. I’d recomend sticking with a lighter pairing similar to the Wychcraft with the Viaje Late Harvest, choice such as a thick stout or strong coffee might drown out the cigars flavors.

Today’s review comes courtesy of Lou B. who you can find in the comments section every now and then. I met Lou at a herf a little while back and he’s been holding some awesome Cigar-B-Cue’s where we eat, smoke, drink and talk. At the last little gathering, Lou handed me a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and said that I had to try it and squeeze in a review if possible. We chatted a little about how my history with most Rocky Patel sticks is a little shaky but I would give it a shot.

So here I am today about to light up this cigar. I have had a few Vintage 1990′s a while ago but it’s been a rather long time so other than a few notes I made for myself I don’t have much to go on. I actually decided to ignore my old notes and go at this one blindly!

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 is the oldest cigar in his vintage line. This particular blend is made with Maduro Broadleaf wrapper dating back to 1990. So the wrapper on these cigars is near 12 Years old and apparently the filler is at least 5 years old before being rolled. That makes for a very well aged cigar right out of the box so let’s hope it has the smoothness you would expect on such a well aged smoke.

It seems that the Vintage 1990 line is also available in a wide variety of vitolas that come boxed in quantities of 20. I even stumbled upon some being sold as bundles so you can save a few dollars there too. The vitola Lou gifted me with happens to be their Churchill which also has a box-pressed look to it. The cigar also seems a lot smaller than the claimed 48 ring gauge, possibly due to the pressing. I’d say this cigar is almost around 42 or 44 ring gauge from a quick glance.

Now this cigar also has quite the reputation which can sometimes hinder a cigar. It’s been given a 92 rating by Cigar Aficionado and even been named to the Top 25 Cigars of the year twice. So this sets the bar fairly high when you read something like that before lighting up. But regardless of that, I’m going into this review with a clear mind and hoping for a good smoke. This one’s for you Lou!

Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Drink: Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011
Vitola: Churchill (7 x 48)
Wrapper: Honduran Maduro Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican/Nicaraguan
Price: About $8.00
Burn Time: Just short of 2 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this cigar is velvety smooth and has the color of milk chocolate bar, it’s actually quite appealing to look at
• There are some veins and seams running along it’s length but none of them look large enough to pose any problems
• The vitola on this cigar is pretty interesting, but despite that the single cap looks to be expertly applied and clean
• The foot follows in the same ‘footsteps’ (cheesy pun, I know…lol) and is very well packed
• That also links into the fairly firm feel of the whole cigar, there is a tiny give when squeezed but not much, I think I’ll blame that on the box pressing process
• The cap clipped off nice and easy but left me with a bit of a tight draw, hoping that doesn’t continue and it opens up soon
• Glad to report that the draw opened up nicely within the first inch

Burn:
• The toasting was easy and fairly even, getting me off to a good start easily
• I usually get some funky burn lines on box pressed cigars but through the first couple inches this one is flawless
• Not much to report here, as I get to the halfway mark I’m still moving along flawlessly
• Still more nothing to report, lol. No wavy lines, no canoes, no tunnels, just the way I like it!

Smoke & Ash:
• There is a ton of resting smoke coming off this cigar, could be a little too much if I were in an enclosed room
• Even with a tight draw, I’m still picking up a fairly good amount of smoke from each puff
• The ash on this cigar is a nice even tone of light gray and is keeping itself fairly clean and tight
• Got to just about an inch before the ash fell off
• Next ash got to about an inch again before I tapped it off cause it was looking ready to fall
• Seemed to get a pretty consistent 1 inch ash on these that stayed clean

Tasting Notes:
• Running the cigar under my nose gives an easily noticeable aroma of coffee, but mostly of cedar. It’s light and pleasant, not overpowering
• The foot does away with the coffee but does carry the aroma of cedar and maybe a little bit of greenery
• I get the same greenery and cedar flavor as I take a pre-light draw after clipping the cap. Also an odd liquor type of flavor, almost like infused but you can tell it isn’t, interesting to see if that will carry into the smoking experience
• Initial flavors are mostly woodsy and earthy notes, maybe with a hint of coffee in there
• The coffee flavors are developing a bit as the cigar burns, still very mellow but they are there, maybe with a bit of cocoa too
• The start of this cigar as been fairly mild for the most part, maybe just approaching medium and the retrohale has almost no bite but gives a smooth cedar and coffee finish
• The liquor flavor I was getting is making slight appearances here and there, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but it’s keeping the experience interesting. It’s sort of sweet and mixed with the coffee flavors I guess my closest comparison would be Kahlua or something similar
• The whole cigar seems to be quite well balanced to me, I’m getting a good variety of flavors that keep changing up on me and keeping me interested, none of them are overpowering the others
• The array of flavors has stayed the same through to the last third but the fact that they keep taking turns being the dominant one has kept me interested and enjoying the whole cigar so far
• Flavors got a little more intense near the nub, but no harshness or bitterness so I got to enjoy it to the very end

Final Thoughts:
So I have to admit I came into this cigar with some hesitation due to my past experiences with Rocky Patel sticks. I’ve had a few good ones, but most were not in my flavor profile. Even with Lou’s claims of how much he enjoyed this I was a little worried. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed this cigar! I wouldn’t put it into my top 10 but I would keep it on regular rotation as a reliable mild/medium bodied stick if I can find it on sale or maybe in the bundles. It had an interesting set of flavors that were very well balanced and it burned superbly. I don’t really have anything negative to say. If there was one critique I could make it’s that the flavors were not very pronounced. They were there, but you really had to sit and concentrate to pick up on them. Maybe this is due to their extended aging? I’m not too sure… You could easily enjoy it’s smoothness without paying attention, but if the flavor were a little more intense, this might have been a top 10 contender for me.

Pairings:
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Innis & Gunn Brewery and everything I’ve tried from them to date. Their Oak Aged Beers are simply the best I’ve been able to find so far with a sweet caramely smoothness. Every year they also come out with a Winter Seasonal, and as I mentioned in my last review, I’m a bit of a sucker for Winter Seasonals. So I had to get this, their Winter Beer 2011! The crappy part is that it’s only available in a Sampler pack here. Although I really enjoy their other beers in the sampler, it comes with a glass. I think I’m up to 5 or 6 Innis & Gunn glasses now because I keep buying the sampler packs they have for their seasonal beers… lol. But enough about my ranting, this beer keeps to my expectations for this brewery and brings a TON of flavor to the table. Along with the classic Oaky notes, you can pick up some citrus, vanilla, toffee and the signature caramel smoothness. All of their beers seem to pair best with a good mild or medium bodied cigar, so it fit very well in with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. Other good pairing would be a similar beer like a blonde or amber, and possibly a nice cup of coffee.

The Man O’ War Armada is available exclusively at Cigars.com and Cigarsinternational.com as with the other Man O’ War lines. The other blends in the series include the Ruination, and untitled Man O’ War, the Virtue, and the Puro Authentico. The Armada is the special edition of the Man O’ War line and priced rightly so for that purpose at a hefty $20 per cigar.

Now I have to say how much I love these bands. I think I mentioned this in my Man O’ War Virtue review as well. This particular band has the gold Spartan mask with hints of metallic green in it all splashed on a black background. It really stands out and gives the cigar a “mean” look! lol Maybe there’s a hint of inspiration from the “300” movie here? hehe

The boxes of these cigars are packaged in impressively made chests of 32 cigars that also include a humidifier and a hygrometer. Currently, the Man O’ War Armada is only available in a single vitola, the Toro Grande. There are also two limited edition boxes that come with a few other cigars and include an Armada. These two boxes contain the Armada in a Perfecto and Box-Pressed Robusto Vitola.

The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is extremely rare and all the tobaccos used undergo an extensive fermentation and aging process before being put into any cigar. The fillers in this cigar are ligero from AJ’s farm in Nicaragua, specifically the Esteli and Ometope regions. The Armada is also produced in limited quantities of only 10,000 of this cigar each year. All these key features come together to justify the higher price tag. Now all that is fine and good, but if it doesn’t have a delicious profile and excellent construction to back it up, most people probably won’t buy it right? So let’s see if it has that important last piece to the puzzle.

Cigar: Man O’ War Armada
Drink: Brights Canadian 74 Port
Vitola: Toro Grande (6.5 x 56)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $20 MSRP
Burn Time: A little over 2 hours

Construction:
• Now this is a beefy looking cigar with mean face! The dark brown wrapper glows in the light with a nice oils it has
• The whole cigar is super smooth and evenly constructed, although it does have a few sizeable veins
• It’s also a fairly heavy stick, feels substantial and has no soft spots to be found. Just a tiny bit of spring when squeezed
• The foot of the Man O’ War Armada is finished super clean and looks fully packed
• The cap on this cigar is also damn near seamless and even the exact same color, wonderful construction all around
• The first cut was clean and easy but the filler was so packed near the cap that I barely got any draw
• I went in for a second deeper cut and the result was a little better, but still tight. The amount of filler in this cigar is beyond comparison

Burn:
• The toasting took a bit of time but rounded out nice and even with a perfect glow
• I can tell right away that this cigar is gonna burn SUPER slow, especially with all this filler
• The burn for the first bit was razor sharp and not wavy at all, it continue to burn at a turtles pace
• I’m getting a bit of a wave near the middle of the cigar, hopefully it evens itself out
• Did I mention how slow this thing is burning?!?!
• The wave in the middle corrected itself but I got another one soon after, turned into a pretty long peninsula that needed a correction
• Got another peninsula shortly after correction, just seems one part of the wrapper just stops burning
• It’s still burning super slow by the way

Smoke & Ash:
• Despite what seemed like a tight draw I’m getting super full smoke from every draw, it’s thick and creamy as it coats my palate
• There is a good amount of resting smoke coming off the cigar, not over powering, and it smells almost like the burning wood of a campfire
• The ash on this cigar is strong, clean and an awesome white color with occasional dark grey bands. With all the filler in this I would expect no less
• Although the ash looked amazingly strong, it gently fell into my ashtray after just over an inch
• The other ashes fell off on their own at a similar 1 inch length
• The smoke stayed super thick and creamy right to the end

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a mild coffee and cocoa aroma to it, very pleasant and light
• The foot is a different beast, bringing a full sensory aroma of cedar, floral, earthy and a touch of spice
• The pre-light draw is bursting with spices, I’m getting some pepper, cloves and maybe nutmeg, along with some cedar and earthiness
• Initial impressions are impressive, lol. I’m getting a really full and balanced cigar right off the bat. It’s not in your face but it seems so full flavored
• The flavors on the first few draws are filled with cedar, spices, earthy notes and a super smooth creamy coffee finish
• I have to stress how amazingly balanced this cigar is so early on, and the finish is so smooth and tasty, I really hope it continues
• The body is starting off in the medium range but I have a sense that this is going to be a powerhouse of a cigar (which is why I busted out my trusty port wine!)

• I’m surprised to say the retrohale is very subtle and laid back, almost no kick to it and a smooth/light cedar finish
• Just an inch or so in and the flavors gave me a nice change up. The coffee notes are much more pronounced, most of the spice is settled in although still lingers, and the smooth cedar rounds out the profile nicely
• Did I mention how wonderfully balanced this cigar is?!?!
• I’m getting another tasty change-up just past the halfway mark. Although I feel the body increasing the flavors are getting a touch sweeter and I’m also picking up some vanilla and cocoa notes
• The spice is making rare appearances in more prominent bursts, then settles nicely into the background
• The intensity of the flavors and body is really starting to burst out in the last third, but it’s still balanced amazingly well
• It seems like all the flavors are making a comeback and playing nicely together now, coffee, cedar, earthy, spicy, vanilla-y (lol?), sweetness and a touch of cocoa
• I’m finally getting a bit of a nice bite in the retrohale now but still nothing over powering, still keeping the smooth cedar finish as well
• The body is really shining through into the full range now
• The flavors started to fade a bit in the last inch and I was left with mostly woodsy and leathery notes. Very surprised to get very little harshness on such a full cigar

Final Thoughts:
I’ll admit I had my reservations going into this cigar. I haven’t had too many AJ cigars that wowed me but I also haven’t had any of his newer ones. Also, with a $20 price tag, this cigar set the bar high from the start. I have to say I’m not at all disappointed and it was $20 well spent! The flavors in this cigar were excellent and the balance of them all with incredibly spot on. It kept me on my toes and going back for more to see what flavor would be the dominant one on the next draw. My only real complaint here might be the draw, which was a bit tight even after a few pokes with a toothpick. But the construction on this cigar was something to admire and AJ Fernandez’s skills in the blending department definitely shined through! The price may be out of range for most people to purchase a box but I think it’s definitely worth getting a few to sit in the humidor for a special occasion. Take note that this cigar does have some kick and power behind it, so pick your pairings well and don’t give it to a new cigar smoker as they may not be able to fully enjoy the complexity and balance that this cigar offers. Perhaps this will be a contender on our 2011 list??

Pairings:
I was pretty excited when I found this bottle at my local liquor store. More Port wines are produced in Portugal and it’s fairly uncommon to find them produced by many other wineries. I’ve only come across a small handful that are made in Canada and this one happens to be from one of my favorite wine regions, Niagara, Ontario. The winery is called Brights and this particular bottle is called Canadian 74 Port. I fully plan to visit the winery on my next road trip to the Niagara region and see what else they have. Why you ask? Well, because this port is fantastic! It has a light start with cherry, current and blackberry fruit notes along with a woodsy touch. But the real treat is the finish, when it builds in body and gives you a full heavy red wine flavor, similar to the Merlot wines I’ve come to love from the Niagara region. It’s incredibly tasty and I will definitely be buying more, especially at a super cheap price tag of only $12 even after all the ridiculous liquor taxes here.

But the question is, did it pair well with the Man O’ War Armada? You’re damn right it did! the light fruity start complimented the flavors of the cigar extremely well and the full smooth finish contended the full body of the cigar perfectly. This was a powerful cigar but I find a good port wine really helps counteract any nicotine effects you might feel. I’m not sure there is a better pairing for this cigar but if I had to choose I might pick out a smooth aged scotch or possibly a strong cuban coffee with a couple sugars to combat the nicotine. A full stout might also work well here.

This was one of the few “talked about” cigars that made it’s release at the trade show last week. I did quite a bit of research on this cigar before smoking it, but I think that the description comes best from Steve Saka himself:

-  Undercrown to be debuted at the IPCPR – initial delivery to retailer in Sept 2011.

-  Undercrown is a blend that was developed by the Liga rollers for their own smoking pleasure because we had to ask them to cut back on smoking the LPs they were making – they were crushing us. The name represents this – if LP was made exclusively for the king/boss initially, this cigar was made initially for themselves, the princes, i.e. Undercrown.

- Imo, it is just a touch stronger than Medium bodied with a great natural tobacco sweetness and earthy flavor. Very creamy core and sexy smooth – like all LP’s** it is very balanced – this cigar probably won’t satisfy some of the pepper junkies.

[Disclaimer: this of course is my personal opinion of the smoke - you will have to decide for yourself... some folks will say it is too strong, others will say it is mild, one guy will say it tastes like bing cherries and pencil lead, and on and on and on - lol]

- Made with many of the same tobaccos as other LPs, but utilizes different primings, crops from different sections of the same fields, different ages etc… or change-ups – for example the binder is our exclusive T52 stalk cut habano.

- Prices are NOT set on the brand yet, because we price all of our cigars based one what they cost to produce and it takes us a few months of true production to know for sure what the indexes and run rates will be – I am going to Nica next week to do a final review – we expect the prices to range between $7 – $9…
BUT I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO BE COMPLETELY WRONG ABOUT THIS!!!

- LP-grade pairs are rolling these.

- Initial launch will be in the same 4 sizes as LP + the 6 x 60 parejo Gordito. Complain to JD about it, he wanted it, he is on a 60RG rampage… <snicker> Look when I first wanted to do Dirty Rat JD was not really on board because he always preferred larger cigars, but he let us run with it and fell in love with it. I in turn, am not a 60rg guy, but I gotta admit I am impressed with the MUWAT he did over at JDN. I do not think you have to choose between doing all big or all small.

- If the brand proves to be popular with smokers of course we will add sizes… I already have been smoking a 5 5/8 x 46 version. But launching with the most popular sizes is what makes sense… tell you what I will make up some more of the Corona Gorda UC to share cause you ain’t gettiing mine. Lets plan a BOTL herf somewhere this Fall an I will show up with these to share…

- It will not be limited to LP accounts only – this is a more sustainable blend so in the long run is will have better availability – hoorah!

In my opinion the price, and availability from the above statements are golden. Not just Liga Privada appointed retailers?! This cigar is going to FLY off the shelves! Keep in mind this is a “First Look” at the cigar, since it is still pre-release, so the review will be very loosely written. Saka himself had told me once though that any Liga Privada that gets handed out is the Final blend, and they do not change then from that point. That being said, I think it’s safe to say that this is in fact the final product. Anyway, let me get on with the review. ( PS. I didn’t read the above statement before writing my review. So please disreguard any “cherry” flavor I pick up )

Here is a little more info on the blend:

Undercrown is a liga blended on our factory floor by the best of our Liga Privada torcedores for themselves due to our request that they smoke less of the cigars they were crafting. Incorporating many of the same rare tobaccos, but of different vintages and primings, the cigar they created was no mere replacement. Earthy, creamy, spicy with a delicious black tobacco sweet finish, Undercrown is an exceptional smoking experience of uncompromising quality and flavor that deserves to be smoked by all.

Capa: Otapan Negro Último Corte
Capote: T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano
Tripa: Select Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan Cuban Seed

Strength: Medium to Medium-Full
Packaging: 25-ct Display Cabinet BN Boxes
Taste Profile: Lush, smooth and creamy with a natural inherent sweetness.
Cigar Style: Refined and balance with excellent depth for the smoker.

Additional Info:
- The Undercrown blend was originally created by our torcedors for themselves to smoke in Nicaragua – their own “liga privada.”
- The capa is a unique strain of San Andreas Negro maduro seed grown exclusively for us whose harvest is intentionally delayed by 4+ weeks to allow for additional field and sun time resulting in a higher natural sugar content and a richer, creamier flavor.
- “Otapan” is the name of the vega on which it is grown and “Último”
- Corte” translates to “last cut”; a reference to its delayed harvesting.

For more info you can view Drew Estate’s Spec Sheet Here.

Prelight: The Undercrown is a nice, dark cigar. The wrapper obviously bears a lot of resemblance to that of the No. 9, but to me, it has a lot more reddish mixed in with a slightly lighter brown wrapper. Not that the wrapper is light by any means, just not nearly as dark as most of the No.9’s that I have smoked. The wrapper gives off a slight shine from it’s toothy body which only had one larger vein running about half of the length of the cigar. The cigar is very meaty, and only slightly soft. Other than that it gives a great bounce-back when pressed between my fingers. Before coming to the round, double-capped head of the cigar I was greeted with a really badass band. The band isn’t like all the rest of the Liga Privada blends that we have seen before in the past. This one starts with a dark blue (similar to the “Unicos  Series” blue) paper, with a similar god Liga Privada Lion in crested in the center of the band. The only difference is, like the name, the crown is actually placed below the Lion’s neck instead of above his head. Tracing the band to the back, the sides are the words “Undercrown” in the same gold metallic ink before coming to a nice “Drew Estate” logo on the back. I really like what they did with the band. It stands apart form the rest of the Liga Privada lines without being overly different.

The wrapper gives off this incredible cedar and almost potpourri smell. No joke. It’s very interesting and I can’t wait to see what it does to the smoking experience. The foot of the cigar, while giving off the potpourri smell also has a lot of spice, and a more subtle tobacco scent. The cap clipped right off of this Undercrown using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was surprisingly very sweet giving off smoke nice spice and cedar flavors. Not a lot of pepper which I expected from a cigar in the Liga Privada Line.

First Smoke: Right off the bat you can tell this isn’t going to be like the other Liga Privada experiences. The Undercrown starts off with a ton of cedar, sweet tobacco, honey, spice, and floral flavors, much like the No. 9, but there are two things missing. First is the pepper, second is the body. You can tell this is a milder cigar right away, but that’s not a bad thing. Usually the Liga Privadas start off with a huge bang, instead the Undercrown kindly welcomes you in. This cigar has a very easy draw and the smoke released is ridiculously thick. I don’t find myself having to hit the cigar more than once or twice to get the my desired mouthful of smoke. The stationary smoke on this cigar is just like any other Liga, VERY strong and heavy with some really nice cedar aromas. The burnline is perfect from the start leaving behind a nice trail of bright white, compacted ash that held on for a bit over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: During the second third of this Undercrown I experienced a slight ramp up in flavor. The cedar, floral, sweet tobacco remained the same but now there is a really nice black cherry being thrown into the mix. I’m still stretching to pull the spice from this cigar. It’s probably the main characteristic that makes it stand apart form the Liga Privada line at this point. That and the medium body of course. The retrohale is incredibly smooth producing a really nice cedar and sweetness, priming my nasal passage.

Finish: The final third of this Undercrown proved itself worthy when it finished just as smooth as the first. This was pretty much my only concern going into the cigar as the flavors ramped up way early, that the harshness would as well. It’s safe to say that they didn’t, in fact the flavor even increased slightly into the last third with no harshness as all, even into the final inch. The cedar and black cherry have totally taken over for a remarkable finish. The burnline remained sharp, and clean requiring no tough-ups and no relights the entire experience. All in all this cigar burned pretty slow taking a little over and hour and a half to take down. Needless to say I enjoyed every minute of it.

Overview: Needless to say I think Drew Estate has a winner on their hands. There is a little more to creating a winning cigar that goes into that statement though. I, along with countless others, am a HUGE Liga Privada No. 9 fan. This cigar stands as an almost perfect substitute for the No. 9 as quantities become even more limited. I WILL being purchasing a few boxes of these to satisfy my cravings while not dwindling down my No. 9 stock. Along with the less-limited quantities, this cigar also comes with a lower price tag. That was pretty much the only thing really keeping a lot of smokers away from purchasing cigars in the Liga Privada blends. Now that price is no longer an obstacle these cigars will be flying off the shelves. Especially since they will/may be available at almost any Tobacconist, not just Liga Privada appointed retailers.  The last piece to the success of this cigar is the strength of the past Liga Privada releases. Now that there is a release that still carries the same flavors, at a lower cost, and a lower strength category many more smokers will be turning to this cigar.

Pairing: I decided to pair this undercrown with a long-time favorite of mine, St. Bernardus Abt. 12 Quadruple Abbey Ale. This best of a beer is brewed at the Brouwerij St. Bernarus in Belgium. Starting out with a boasting 10% ABV and finishing with a nice, bitter, fruity, composure it’s no wonder why this beer is named by some as the best beer in the world. If you aren’t a fan of strong beer you may want to stay away from this one, the alcohol shines through the clove and anise flavors with every sip. This bold beer made a perfect match with the Undercrown, not just cause of the fruit flavors, but it really helped to add that extra bite I think the Undercrown needed. But then again, I am a stronger cigar smoking kind of guy.

EDIT: I made a quick change to this review. Thanks to this video, and the guys at Stogiereview.com, I realized that Drew Estate decided to drop the “Liga Privada” from the Undercrown name. It is know as just “Undercrown”.

I picked out a Pinar Del Rio cigar tonight, just because it looked so tasty so I thought it deserved to be reviewed tonight. I also reviewed the PDR Classico Exclusico Lancero a short while ago, you can check out that review for more information on the company/brand itself. Today’s blend is called the 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura and I received through a box pass that I recently participated in.

The PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura is well presented cigar and I found the band to be pretty interesting. At first glance it seems to just be a plain black and silver band but it actually has a slightly glossy finish to it that makes it stand out nicely. It seems to be described on the Pinar Del Rio website as a Medium Bodied cigar with a interesting combination of Brazilian, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco leaves.

The Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper especially caught my attention as it seems to be one that I generally enjoy in a lot of cigars. The line is available in a variety of vitolas ranging from a Corona up to a Churchill with 6 other vitolas in between. Today’s review will focus on the Toro vitola.

Cigar: Pinar Del Rio 1878 Cubana Especial Capa Madura
Drink: Delaforce 2005 LBV Tawny Porto
Vitola: Toro (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic Criollo 98
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Republic
Price: Around $5
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This is a very nice looking cigar, it’s even in diameter throughout and only shows signs of a few medium sized veins
• The color on this wrapper is a beautiful dark chocolate brown color and has a nice shine to it from the natural oils in the leaf
• The cap is finished with a tight little pigtail
• The cigar looks to be well packed at the foot but squeezes along it’s length show some definite springiness to the cigar, but not overly soft
• Cut was very clean and easy and although it was a short cut I feel that the draw is a little too open
• The draw adjusted after about an inch or so and now it’s just about perfectly where I’d want it to be

Burn:
• A speedy a quick toasting led me to a nicely glowing foot
• First inch or so is coming along fantastic, a tight crisp burn line
• Cigar is staying lit nicely, no need for extra draws and it’s letting me enjoy it slowly
• Spoke a little too soon, one of those medium sized veins caused a serious wavy burn that needed correction just before 3 inches in
• After that corrections the cigar burned quite well with only minor waves caused by more veins

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of thick smoke right from the first draw, easily fills my mouth
• Resting smoke is equally thick and abundant, it’s almost a crisp white color due to it’s thickness
• The ash started off strong, clean and light grey, would have stayed on longer but I accidentally hit it against my ashtray… lol
• My second ash went a little smoother and fell off gently into the ashtray just short of 2 inches

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a pungent barnyard aroma to it
• The foot has less of the barnyard and mixes in a bit of natural cocoa and maybe a touch of spice
• Pre-light draw brings with it a lot more of the spice, definitely getting some black pepper now with a background of barnyard and some woodsiness
• Initial draws have a very nice coffee and spice mix to it, the spice is fairly light so it’s balancing nicely and keeping me interested
• Body has started off at the border of mild and medium and the retrohale has no bite to it, just a smooth creamy coffee finish
• Despite the barnyard aromas I was getting, none of them have presented in the cigar so far
• The coffee flavors are intensifying nicely as I get close to the halfway mark, I’m also getting that initial cocoa flavor coming into the mix
• The spice is still hanging around with a sort of bold woodsiness
• There’s a nice little bite in the retrohale now and it’s maintained it’s smooth coffee and creamy finish
• Past the halfway mark, I thought I was getting inklings of a tarty sweetness but that quickly went away
• The profile has changed to a more leathery/woodsy/spicy mix and the coffee and creamy finish has taken a backseat, a huge change here
• The leather and spice are developing nicely and trading places as the dominant flavor
• The body increased a tad towards the end but I’d still place it in the medium range
• In the last inch, the spice took a leap forward to leave the final notes speckled in pepper and some notes of cloves

Final Thoughts:
Overall I found the Pinar Del Rio Cubano Especial Capa Madura to be an interesting and complex smoke that kept my attention throughout. I personally enjoyed the first half with the coffee and spice more than the leathery and woodsy second half. But that’s just by preference, both profiles were well balanced and equally complex. What stood out for me in this cigar was the massive change in the flavor profile, this was an excellent example of a multi-dimensional profile! There were a few burn issues caused by the veins that I seemed to find in most of these that I’ve tried. For a price of about $5 this is definitely a cigar worthy of having in your humidor!

Pairings:
If you’re a frequent reader of my reviews, I think you’ll recognize this bottle. (And if you’re not a frequent reader, there’s no time to start like the present! lol) It’s quickly become my “Go To” Porto based on price and an excellent array of flavors. You can see one of previous pairings with the Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro. The Delaforce 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Porto offers an interesting mix of dark berries, smokiness and a fantastic bold Merlot-like profile. If you are a fan of Merlot or Cabernet red wines, this will be a great port for you to try. I think it paired perfectly the the Pinar Del Rio 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Maduro tonight. It complimented both of the very unique profiles I got from this cigar. I think a nice dark stout would have also made an excellent pairing here and possibly a nice strong cup of coffee.

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.

In celebration of this day I thought it was fitting to dig something special out of my humidor and out of the fridge. The cigar of choice ended up being a fairly rare Cohiba. It is the Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2006. It’s a very nice looking Piramide shaped cigar. Apart from it’s normal Cohiba band, it’s also adorned with the standard Cuban limited release band. This second band is gold with raised black lettering and border which says “Edicion Limitada 2006”.

These limited edition Cuban cigars are usually fairly easy to track down when they are initially released but after a few years they become a well sought after cigar to add to any humidor. I was recently lucky enough to track down a few through a friend and I grabbed them to save for special occasions like this.

This Piramide vitola was also the vitola for Cohiba’s 2001 Edicion Limitada. It was met with such great fanfare and reviews that they decided to re-release a similar blend. Each of the leaves within the cigar were aged a minimum of 2 years before being rolled into these rare cigars. 2006 also marked the 5th year that Habanos S.A. began offering limited edition cigars on a regular basis.

Cigar: Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2006
Drink: Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask 2010
Vitola: Piramide (6.1 x 52)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: Originally a little over $30. No idea on current value but it’s much higher!
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This is a rough and oily looking cigar, the wrapper definitely has signs of bumps and veins
• The color on this cigar is a very dark chocolaty tone and has some nice bloom signs of aging
• The cap is finish with a single piece of tobacco that wraps around the cigar 3 times
• The foot appears to be fairly well packed
• A slight squeeze along the length of these cigars gives a mostly firm feel with some slightly soft and springy spots
• The cut was very clean using my double bladed guillotine and made no mess
• The pre-light draw is a tad tight but we’ll see how it goes

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and slow but perfectly even, had the foot glowing nicely
• Burn line stayed nice and straight through the first couple of inches, glad to see that!
• Immediately after I wrote the previous line I started getting a peninsula on one side that soon required a little encouragement from my lighter
• After that initial touch up a few more were required as the cigar burned, I’m always disappointed when this happens on such limited release cigars

Smoke & Ash:
• Despite the tight draw, I’m getting a nice mouthful of smoke from each puff
• There is only a light amount of resting smoke and seems to come and go, it gives off a nice toasted bread type of aroma
• The Ash is coming along nicely with an interesting deep ripple effect and ashes off a little past 1 inch
• The color on this ash is mostly a medium gray with some dark accents
• Subsequent ashes were a little messier and shorter due to the touch ups
• One of the last ashes managed to hang on for almost 2 inches

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2006 is mostly aroma-less, just a slight cedar touch, probably from the humidor
• The foot of the cigar has a nice spice note to it, maybe a mild white pepper, along with some cedar
• Pre-light draw brings more of the white pepper and cedar flavors
• Initial draws have an interesting combination of cedar, chocolate and espresso, great start!
• The retrohale on this cigar is just fantastic, a great array of coffee and chocolate notes hit my sinuses with no bite and a smooth creamy finish
• The coffee and chocolate flavors seemed to dominate through the first half with some minor appearances of white pepper and cedar
• The body on this cigar has been mild through the first half along with a great balance of flavors and a super smooth creamy finish
• Had a little tar buildup, probably due to my small cut on the cap. A little trim fixed that issue
• As I get the half way mark, there is a bit more spice and a bit more body in the cigar, bt the awesome espresso and chocolate mix is still there
• Now I’m getting something interesting, it’s a good mix of spice and chocolate, almost like a chili spice. If you’ve ever had those gourmet chocolates made with chili you’ll get an idea of how this tastes, very unique!
• The body of this cigar has also gone into the high medium range right now but still offers a smooth and creamy finish
• The cigar burned a little hot near the end and the coffee flavors developed back into a nice strong espresso flavor and kept the interesting chili chocolate notes

Final Thoughts:
The flavors on the Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2006 were extremely enjoyable right from the start to the finish. They offered some unique touches and kept me on my toes the whole time. There’s no doubt that they did a quality blending job on this cigar. I was obviously disappointed with the number of touch ups it needed but oddly enough it didn’t affect the flavors much at all. I keep all my limited edition and expensive cigars in a smaller humidor that has a perfect 65-67% humidity almost all the time. The smaller area gives me more control over it, but doesn’t seem like that made a difference. As with most limited editions it usually comes down to a matter of cost and if these are worth their dollar value. At the original price of $30 these were a hard pill to swallow and their value has only gone up since then. The closest cigar I can compare this to is Cohiba’s own Maduro 5 line which was very close in flavor profile, possible just with a bit more spice in the Edicion Limitada 2006. But for the cost, I’d rather pay for and enjoy 3 or 4 Maduro 5’s. See my review of the Cohiba Maduro 5 Magicos here. Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy this rare piece of cigar history! The chocolate and chili combo was especially unique and enjoyable!

Pairings:
With my special cigar tonight I picked out a special brew and one that fit the Canada Day theme as well. It comes from one of my favorite breweries, Innis & Gunn. The beer is called “Canadian Cask 2010”. This brew was made specifically for Canada Day last year. I bought a few of them last year and had one left that I was saving for this year. I also reviewed it awhile back with the Camacho Liberty 2009. There’s not much I can say about this beer other than it is fantastic. Basically take their already fantastic Oak Aged Beer and add in some light whiskey barrel and rye flavors and you have an even better brew! Each batch is also aged a longer amount of time in the whiskey barrels, 54 days to be exact. The cigar was not over the top strong so it actually paired well with this full flavored beer. I’d also recommend a fine smooth scotch, cognac or port with this cigar. A nice coffee would also pair well here as a non-alcoholic alternative.

Pedro Cigars is a running legacy. The cigar company is ran by Maria Martin, daughter of Pedro Martin. Pedro was the founder of Tabacalera Tropical, and one of the most well known cigar blenders around. Sadly, he passed away last year leaving Maria to carry on the family cigar legacy. Does her name sound familiar? Maria actually used to be the national sales manger for Camacho cigars. Since her father’s passing she has left Camacho and is now dedicating herself to the family business.

Pedro martin cigars will start with 3 released blends; The Ruby is crowned as Pedro Martin’s masterpiece. The cigar is composed of a Maroon Corojo wrapper and an all Nicaraguan blend. The Gold is composed of a Ecuadorian-Connecticut wrapper and all Nicaraguan binder and filler. And finally, the Corojo which is a full Corojo blend, from the binder, to the filler to the wrapper.

The Pedro Martin Ruby starts out with a very nice, consistent, medium brown, oily wrapper. The light was just reflecting off of all the oil on this cigar. The wrapper is very smooth with only 1 larger vein running the body of the cigar up to the seamless, round double cap. The cigar is really firm, with no soft spots, but the wrapper seems to be very delicate. The wrapper gives off a very slight hay scent, and lots of spice coming from the foot. The cigar cut clean and easy letting out a nice earthy, grassy cold draw. The draw is a little tight, but it pumps out a ton of smoke. The retrohale was a bit harsh with tons of spice. Effortless. The Ruby starts off with a ton of pepper up from with some nice spice, tons of woodsy flavors and even some orange tart in there. The flavors are interesting, and the pepper actually lasted the entire length of the cigar, but was never too overbearing. The Ruby finished off overall very smooth with absolutely no harshness built up. The burnline was dead even the entire time leaving behind a nice, white compacted trail of ash. The Rudy smoked at an average speed taking about an hour to take down from start to finish.

The Ruby is a good, solid stick. The flavors are great, and not too complex, however my only gripe is they really didn’t change up much, if at all. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just something I look forward to. This cigar is something I’d smoke again, but I’d probably only buy it in handfuls.

The Pedro Martin Gold is  a beautiful Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped cigar. The wrapper just looks awesome. Its this really rustic, dark brown and light brown, beaten looking cigar. I really don’t like when Connecticut cigars look all machine-made and this cigar really sets that idea aside. The cigar is really smooth, only showing a few small, smooth veins leading up to round, double cap. There wasn’t a lot of oil, on the wrapper, but the cigar feels like silk. The cigar is very firm, and heavy giving a tough bounce-back when it’s compressed between  my fingers. The wrapper gives off a nice woodsy smell with only a very light tobacco scent from the foot. The Gold was very easy to cut, letting loose these really interesting sweet brown sugar, and grassy cold draw. The Pedro Martin Gold starts off with a mouthful of pepper with quickly fades into a nice soft wood, deep rich spice, and this neat little sugar cookie flavor from some sweet tobacco. This cigar gives off a ton of stationary smoke, and carried a perfect burnline the entire time leaving behind a medium grey, semi-compacted trail of ash. The cigar is very mild and creamy.

Overall, The Pedro Martin Gold just didn’t do it for me, but don’t take that to heart. I’m not a Connecticut guy. If you do like Connecticut then I think the Pedro Martin Gold is a great place to start. The construction was perfect, the flavors were smooth, and plentiful, and the burn was perfect the entire time.

The Pedro Martin Corojo bares the same stellar construction as the other 2 in the line. The wrapper is an extremely consistent milky brown. The cigar is firm for the most part with only a few soft sports around the foot. One thing Pedro Martin is doing right is the construction for their cigars. They are just spot on. I had to look real hard to find any sign of veins in the Corojo. It’s almost perfectly smooth all the way up to its round double cap. The rapper gives off a nice woodsy and cinnamon scent with some really bold spice from the foot. As with the other two blends the Corojo cut easy and clean with my double bladed cutter. The cold draw gives off a ton of wood and spice. Once lit, the Corojo starts off with a ton of pepper tingly my tongue and lips. After the pepper fades the cigar comes alive with a ton of the deep, oaky flavor I have come to expect from Corojo cigars. Outside of the oak the Corojo kicks out some other smooth woodsy tastes with lots of spice and even some black cherry. The burnline again, was spot on, and the ash was a really nice compacted medium grey with some darker spots. The retrohale was great, priming with a really nice woodsy coat. The Corojo finished with only a very light nicotine kick. This cigar took about an hour to smoke.

I think it’s safe to say that out of the entire blend, the Corojo was the  one that really got me excited. The flavors are deep, full, and there is a ton of them. Construction was perfect, and the entire smoking experience was smooth. This is a cigar I’d keep around, buy and handfuls, and probably even by the box.

AND NOW!!! To announce the winner of out Macanudo 1968 box contest! Steve Garrr!! Please email me at casasfumand0(at)gmail(dot)com

Today I reached into my Cuban humidor to pick out a stick from a box I recently ordered. I hadn’t tried a Hoyo de Monterrey Spicure Especial prior to this little box purchase so I started off with a 10 count box to see how I would like them before I bought a larger box. The cigars have the standard Hoyo De Monterrey bands with an additional white band below that with the “Epicure Especial” name on it,

Hoyo De Monterrey is one of the many cigar manufacturers from Cuba and they offer a fair variety of cigars. I’ve dabbled in some of their other vitolas and heard good things about this one, especially considering their fair price tag. So I bit the bullet and grabbed a box. The cigars come in a cedar box of 10 with a sliding lid. This damn lid practically required a vice grip to get off! Needless to say, the lid never went back on the box after that… So after prying the lid off I got to see my cigars.

The Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure Especial come bound together with a nice golden yellow ribbon adorned with the cigar name. The name of the cigar is very misleading considering it’s actual vitola. A typical epicure is much smaller but this cigar is almost a full toro size! As I smoke this I’m sitting outside enjoying some awesome sunny weather. Let’s see how this cigar stacks up!

Cigar: Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure Especial
Drink: Unibroue Brewery Maudite
Vitola: Epicure Especial (5.8 x 50)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: About $8
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this cigar is fairly rough looking with quite a few bumps and some medium sized veins running along it
• The color of the wrapper is a nice deep brown, almost chocolate and shines with it’s oiliness
• The top of the Epicure Especial is finished with a triple cap, not messy but not perfectly clean either
• The foot of the cigar looks fairly well packed with no gaps to be seen
• A slight squeeze reveals a fairly firm cigar with just a little springiness to it
• The cut on this cigar was super easy and fell off in one clean piece

Burn:
• Toasting was very simple, the tobacco started glowing quickly
• Turns out the toasting wasn’t too even so I needed a little touch up shortly after lighting
• After that minor correction we’ve be running in auto-pilot! No problem for the first couple of inches at all
• Discovered a little tunnel after the first ash and it’s making the burn a little lopsided now, will need a touch up
• Cigar actually went out a bit early

Smoke & Ash:
• Right off the bat I’m getting a ton of smoke from each draw
• The resting smoke is fairly minimal and gives off an almost campfire type of aroma, like burning wood
• Ash is a little rough looking but it’s staying compact and clean
• The color on the ash is a fairly light grey with some spots being nearly white
• I started to get a bit of flaking on the ash as it grew to almost 2 inches in length
• First ash fell calmly into the ashtray just short of 2 inches

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of the Epicure Especial gives off a nice cedar aroma with a slight nuttiness to it
• Pre-light draw is very woodsy and has some nice spice added into the mix, a bit of white pepper and some raw nutmeg
• Initial draws bring more of the woodsy notes and a very creamy undertone, I’m very surprised to see the pre-light spice is almost completely gone
• So far the body is fairly mild but smooth and creamy, retrohale has almost no bite to it with a cedar finish
• I’m getting a little bit of the saltiness that Tony always mentions in his Cuban reviews
• There are some slight hints of leather here and there along with some bits of roasted coffee
• There’s a lot going on the the flavor department, very complex but it’s very smooth, balanced and tasty so I’m enjoying it quite a bit
• As the cigar hits the half-way mark, some of the initial spice is making a comeback with a bit of nutmeg and clove
• All the flavors seemed to slowly intensify as I passed the halfway mark with the coffee and woody notes still being the most prominent
• As I approach the nub I’m getting some interesting earthy and vegetal flavors I wasn’t expecting
• The body had a nice buildup to the finish and started to turn a tad bitter with under an inch to go

Final Thoughts:
Well there’s not much I can say about this stick other than I really liked it! What a great and relaxing experience! The cigar had a nice variety of flavors that were always well balanced and enjoyable. The smooth and creamy aspects made it a pleasure to smoke along with a great burnline. The price of these is also very fair coming in at around $8. It’s not an “in-your-face” cigar and if you prefer a lot of strength you won’t find it here. The little bit of build-up near the end was a nice turn as I was expecting it to be mild the whole way through. Considering the age of this cigar being only from 2009 I think another year would make the last bit just as smooth but it’s still a tasty cigar.

Pairings:
Another Canadian craft brew for me today. The Maudite from Unibroue Brewery! I’ve had this one with quite a few other reviews including the Alec Bradley Family Blend, La Aurora 1495 and My Father Le Bijou 1922. It’s a very tasty and smooth strong beer with an 8% alc/vol. I’ve sai it before and I’ll say it again, this does not taste like a strong beer AT ALL! It’s so smooth and light tasting. you get some fruity/tart undertones with a slight malty bitterness and a clean finish. Very enjoyable and seems to pair well with a lot of cigars. It did pair fairly well here although I think a nice porter or stout would have gone better from the brew category. Port of course would have been perfect and a strong coffee would have been excellent as well.

Not long ago I reviewed the My Father Cedros Deluxe Eminentes and before that was the My Father Le Bijou 1922. Looking over those two reviews, it’s easy to see they were both tasty cigars so the My Father factory must be doing something right. One other thing that stands out to my about all the My Father cigars is their presentation. They really know how to make a cigar, from the beautiful wrappers to their crisp and well designed bands. Read up on one of the two previous reviews to get more information on the My Father company.

The My Father Limited Edition 2010 is a very special cigar. What makes this cigar special is the person who rolled it, Jose Pepin himself! With the help of his son, Jamie Garcia who did all the bunching. This is truly a collaboration between two great people in the cigar world and a testament to the families dedication to what they do.

The information regarding the tobacco used in this cigar seems to be a tightly held secret and very little is known other than rumours. One thing that does seem to be known is that the wrapper used is the same as the one you can find on the Le Bijou 1922. The Pelo de Oro wrapper is very rare and banned from growing in some regions due to it’s cost and sensitivity, among other factors. I really enjoyed the Le Bijou 1922 and I’m excited to see how this cigar turns out.

Cigar: My Father Limited Edition 2010
Drink: Hockley Valley Brewing Co. Traditional Irish Stout
Vitola: Toro (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Pelo de Oro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $20
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
• Talk about a gorgeous looking cigar, this thing has everything going for it.
• The wrapper is velvety smooth and presents with a warm milk chocolate type of color.
• The wrapper shows signs of only minor veins and the top is finished with an amazingly clean triple cap.
• I did notice a decent sized green spot on the wrapper
• The length of the cigar has a fair bit of firmness but still has a nice springiness to it.
• The foot looks to be fairly well packed but still has 2 smaller holes in it.
• The cap cut nice and easy but exploded into a small mess in the ashtray
• The initial draw seems a bit open
• As I peeled off the lower band, there’s some writing where the glue was that said “One out of 24000 made”

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even, the open parts of the filler near the foot didn’t cause any problems
• Through the first few inches this cigar is burning razor sharp with no problems at all
• About 2 inches in the cigar is going a little wavy, it may correct itself so I’ll see how it goes…
• Looks like the wavy burn was caused by a vein under the wrapper
• The burn isn’t getting uncontrollable, staying with a slight wave as it burns through what seems to be a pretty long vein
• After the ash fell I decided to give it a quick touch up so the next section starts off nicely
• I gave it another quick touch up after the second ashing as it seems this subterranean vein will not go away!

Smoke & Ash:
• Right off the first draw it’s easy to tell that this cigar is going to be a smoke machine, it fills your mouth completely with very little effort on each draw
• The ash on this cigar is a beautiful thing, very tight and neat with an almost white color and some smaller accents of light grey
• There is a bit of resting smoke slowly coming out of the cigar, it leaves a nice sweet roasted cedar aroma in the air
• The ash continues to impress, staying nice and clean and easily hitting the 2 inch mark before falling into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar gives off a wonderful cedar aroma with a touch sweet cocoa
• The foot of the cigar has aromas of wood and hefty helping of spice, mostly pepper and raw nutmeg
• Pre-light draw brings an interesting mixture of cedar, nuts and some coffee all held together by a prominent pepper spice. There’s also earthy notes in there
• The first few draws bring a blast of pepper and cedar, with some of the nutmeg tossed in there
• Within the first inch, the “in-your-face” peppery punch tapered off, I’m left with a nice bittersweet coffee and cocoa flavor with some hints of nuts
• The retrohale has a small bite, just enough to keep it interesting and a super smooth cedary finish
• The balance at this point is stellar, all the flavors are playing an equal role and the finish is amazingly smooth
• The coffee flavors are slowly developing as I progress and the body has stayed in the medium range from the start
• I’m not sure if it’s just the pairing or a combination of the two, but this cigar has some awesome coffee notes, maybe even a nice espresso flavor
• I’m surprised that as I get near the halfway mark the pepper and nutmeg spices are nowhere to be seen after that initial burst
• I want to re-iterate how smooth this cigar is smoking, very balanced, creamy and smooth!
• Approaching the last third, I can sense the body building here, the flavors are also getting more intense
• I think the initial spice is starting to make a re-appearance near the end, I was hoping for this!
• The spice definitely came back with a vengence, lots of pepper, raw nutmeg, and maybe a bit of paprika all mixed in with the cedar, coffee and creaminess
• The last bit of this cigar is an absolute flavor bomb and a bit of hefty body, but it’s still balanced very well

Final Thoughts:
If you didn’t figure it out from my notes above, I loved this cigar! The coffee notes in this thing were over the top and they stayed well balanced and smooth with everything else. The burn had a bit of trouble due to a vein but nothing that got me annoyed or relighting multiple times. The ash was also spectacular as was the whole visual presentation of the cigar. I went into this cigar expecting a lot of spice but it never really overpowered the cigar other than a little burst at the start. Now this is obviously a limited edition cigar and along with that title comes a limited edition price. The My Father Limited Edition 2010 carried a retail price of about $20 so it’s not something I can justify having too often but it’s definitely worth splurging and enjoying on special occasions. The cigar doesn’t seem to need aging but I think it would taste even better after a little time in the humidor.

Pairings:
Today’s pairing is from a local brewery about 45min North from where I live. It’s a nice little town with a small ski hill for the winter and a beautiful lodge. Their brews are fairly small batch and I tend to have a hard time finding them but so far I’ve enjoyed each one that I’ve had. I thought I had done a review with their Dark Ale but after a quick search I can’t seem to find it… but back on topic! This brew is a Traditional Irish Stout from Hockley Valley Brewing Co. It has a neat little catchphrase on the can as well: “Pours like liquid midnight”. And indeed that phrase holds true. The Hockley Stout is a thick and dark brew and pours with a full head of foam. It has some wonderful coffee notes and a sight hoppy bitterness, all held together with a smooth creaminess. I have to say I think this was an awesome pairing for this cigar. The thick brew stood up to the bold flavors of the My Father LE 2010 and was flavorful enough to add to the whole experience. I would highly recommend a good stout with this cigar. As always, I think Port would go well here! Also, you can try a nice scotch or a strong coffee.

Now let me tell you why I’m doing this. My reasons are two fold… The first is completely Tony’s fault. Big surprise right? lol. He’s bragged about this cigar a few times and how much he enjoys it. A few days ago we started chatting about how I’ve never really been impressed by an Alec Bradley cigar, so he tightened the chains on my desk and told me I had to review it, or else! Ok, not really, but he did ask me to give it a chance. Secondly, I was at a little BBQ herf (Hosted by a good BOTL, Lou at Rumours Furniture) today and had another discussion on Alec Bradley. This time it was with one of Lou’s friends named Jarvis. A really nice guy who also started bragging about Alec Bradley…

So, I basically caved in and decided to give this cigar a try. I had a few Prensado cigars but only in this vitola so that’s why I’m reviewing it instead of a new vitola. I won’t go through and re-write all the good stuff about Alec Bradley or the store of this blend. Check out Tony’s review of the Prensado or you can also get more info from my review of the Family Blend and the Vice Press. So without further adieu, I sit here in my backyard on a warm and damp evening while I prepare to clip the cap of this cigar and see where my Alec Bradley bias takes me…

Cigar: Alec Bradley Prensado
Drink: Six Grapes Reserve Tawny Porto
Vitola: Box-Pressed Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran
Price: $9
Burn Time: A little over 1 hour

Construction:
• Very smooth box pressed appearance with a darker milk chocolatey colored wrapper
• There are almost no veins and the ones that are visible are very thin
• The top of the cigar is finished with a smooth triple cap that blends in very well
• The foot of the cigar is very well packed as is the rest of the cigar which is very firm to the touch
• Cutting was firm but clean
• Draw is just about perfect despite the firm feel of the cigar, no problems in this department
• The band was perfectly applied, it didn’t just fall off but still slid off easily

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and lit up fairly quickly to a nice even glow
• A slight touchup was needed at the start but other then that it is burning very well
• As I hit the halfway point, I’m happy to see no burn issues and it’s coming along razor sharp
• A slight burn issue near the last third, but it corrected itself without my intervention
• Cigar burned a bit hot in the last inch but I kept smoking it anyway

Smoke & Ash:
• I was met with lots of smoke right off the bat here, fills your mouth nicely
• The ash first appears to be nice and strong, well constructed and definitely pressed
• The color on the ash is a little dark, venturing from a medium grey to an almost black
• Ash continued nice and strong until about the 1 inch mark when it fell off into the ashtray, I thought it would last longer since it looked so well packed
• All other ashes were about the same 1 inch and kept the clean and strong look to them

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off an interesting sweet aroma, mixing some nice cocoa and coffee notes
• The foot offers more sweet coffee notes and a bit of mild tobacco, as well as a mild spice
• The pre-light draw seems to have lost the sweetness and is replaced mostly by a tobacco flavor, some woodsiness and a bit of peppery spice on my lips
• Initial flavors really pop on this cigar but are not overpowering, I was met with a good helping of leather and cedar alongside a touch of coffee and nutmeg-like spices
• The retrohale on this cigar is giving a nice light bite with a smooth woodsy finish
• This cigar is very well balanced, I’m figuring it’s in the medium to full range but it’s so smooth that it doesn’t feel that way
• As I reach the halfway mark, the spice is picking up a bit with a little more pepper and raw nutmeg
• The coffee and leather notes are also developing nicely and adding some roasted flavor to it
• Getting into the last third, the coffee flavors have sort of tapered off but the woodsy and cedar notes are making a nice appearance
• There’s been a nice creaminess from the start that has persisted and is just getting better as he cigar progresses
• The smoothness continued right to the nub with a great balance the whole way through

Final Thoughts:
Ok, I gotta honestly say that I enjoyed this cigar. I went in with some bias as you can tell from my intro but it seems that once again you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (or it’s brand). It started off with a nice burst of flavor and burned well through most of the cigar. The box-pressed shape was also very comfortable and a perfect size to smoke. The body was into the fuller range but the smoothness and balance made it blend in so nicely. So I must avow that I found an Alec Bradley cigar I enjoyed from start to finish. Now the biggest downside to this cigar was the price. I didn’t look up the price until after I smoked it and I was a little shocked, especially since it’s one of the smaller vitolas in the line. This did not taste like a $9 cigar to me and that disappointed me because it was pretty good on all other accounts… I wouldn’t say this cigar makes me an Alec Bradley convert but it will open my eyes to at least try a few more blends from this brand.

Pairings:
Today we have another new port that I stumbled across at the liquor store recently. It’s called Six Grapes and is considered to be a Reserve Tawny Port which was bottled in 2004. I was pleasantly met with a great mixture of in-you-face fruit mostly dominated by a strong blackberry tartness. The port also had a nice full bodied feel to it and coated the palate very smoothly leaving a nice sweetness on the tongue. The coating of your palate is one of my favorite aspects of pairing port and cigars because it’s like a fresh cleanse after each sip. It paired excellently with the woodsy and spicy notes of the cigar. I would definitely recommend trying it out. This cigar could also pair well with a nice strong coffee, scotch or maybe a dark soda.

The Gurkha I am smoking today is called the Symphony. I had no idea what the name was at first because it’s not labelled anywhere on the cigar. Aside from their normal massive band, there is only one smaller silver and black band with an illegible signature and the following phrase: “A Century of Tradition | Silver Edition”. The signature happens to be K. Hansotia’s whose name is also on the standard Gurkha band. I searched high and low for the name and finally stumbled upon Symphony. Originally the cigar only came with the silver band but the traditional Gurkha band was added afterwards

The cigar itself is a limited production run (Big surprise, right?) of 3000 boxes for each of the 3 sizes that were produced. The production began in 2004 and the available sizes were Robusto, Torpedo and Churchill. Today’s cigar is the Robusto vitola and the size itself is a little larger than most Robusto, making it close to being a Toro.

Tony managed to squeeze in a review of the Gurkha Shaggy Maduro a long ways back in 2009. I’m also going with a very unconventional pairing here and something I wouldn’t normally try but who cares right?

Cigar: Gurkha Symphony
Drink: Rekorderlig Swedish Pear and Wild Berry Hard Cider
Vitola: Robusto (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $4-6 (Original MSRP was about $15)
Burn Time: A little over 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This is fairly rough looking cigar, with lots of bumps and larger veins running the entire length of the cigar
• The wrapper around the cigar is a warm honey colour with some splashes of orange mixed in
• The top of the cigar is finished with a clean double cap
• The firmness of this cigar is fairly inconsistent, there are some soft spots and some hard spots
• The foot appears mostly well packed but has some areas spots that seem a little open
• The cap cut was a bit difficult since it was a soft spot on the cigar, so it squeezed together and made a bit of a mess but turned out ok in the end
• Draw is just about perfect at the start, nothing to complain about here
• As with a lot of Gurkha’s I’ve had, the large band was difficult to remove and once removed revealed a dark and damaged wrapper
• The bit of damage underneath the wrapper turned into a crack as the burnline approached

Burn:
• The toasting of this cigar was nice and easy, it glowed evenly in a short amount of time
• Through the first inch the burn is progressing nicely, a slight wave but nothing that looks to be worrisome
• As I work my way through the last half I’ve had no burn problems at all, I wouldn’t call it razor sharp but it is burning rather well considering some of the larger veins on the wrapper
• Despite all the larger veins along this cigar it burned rather well all the way down with me ever needing to give it a touch up
• Cigar burned a little hot near the nub so I had to set it down a bit early

Smoke & Ash:
• First reaction to the smoke it just right, each draw brings a good amount of smoke but it’s not overly thick or light
• There is a fair bit of resting smoke and a surprising amount continues to trickle through the cap after leaving it to rest
• The ash here is nicely formed but the color is not pretty, coming in with a brownish grey color
• First ash stayed nice and clean until tapping off into the ashtray a little past one inch
• The ash continued it’s clean and consistent shape holding on for at least an inch each time

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of this cigar gives off a very strong barnyard aroma. Close your eyes, take a whiff and you’ll feel like your visiting Old McDonald’s farm!
• Pre-light draw brought more barnyard type flavors mixed in with a helping of woodsy notes
• Initial draws are filled with mild woodsy flavors and a bit of a cinnamon flavor
• The retrohale is also fairly mild and mostly woodsy, with a dry and slightly creamy finish
• As I get to the halfway mark, there hasn’t been much change here, the primary flavor is still a cedar woodsiness and there are some minor hints of cinnamon like spice and a creamy finish
• The smooth creaminess continues and I’ve picked up a slight sweetness here and there
• The flavors are taking a light turn near the last third, they seem to be getting a bit more intense and body is building a bit. The lighter flavors like cinnamon and sweetness are pretty much gone now
• As I approach the nub, the flavors have changed to a bit of a burnt wood note
• The finish was fairly bland as most of the flavors had disappeared and the creaminess was gone a long time ago

Final Thoughts:
Surprising for me, this cigar started out fairly promising. It had the typical notes I would expect from a Connecticut cigar. It was smooth and enjoyable. As the cigar progressed it didn’t change up a whole lot which left me kind of disappointed. It’s not that it was bad, it was just one dimensional. It burned well with no need for touchups. I think this cigar had some great potential with the light cinnamon and sweet notes I was picking up but unfortunately they never shined too strongly. I don’t think this cigar is worthy of the “Limited” title since it doesn’t taste much different from most other regular budget connecticut cigars. When you factor in the price of only $4 at some online retailers it makes this a much more attractable package. When the cigar was first released the MSRP was near $15 and I would have given this a terrible review at that price point, but at $4 this would have made a reliable regular production cigar. It can be enjoyed by mostly anyone and makes for a relaxing morning cigar as well.

Pairings:
So after reading Tony’s success on his unconventional pairing awhile back in his review of the EP Carrillo New Wave Connecticut I decided to give it a try with one of my Connecticut reviews. So here it is! I went with something slightly different, a Swedish imported Hard Cider from Rekorderlig. The can promises a pear cider mixed with Wild Berries and clocks in at 7%alc./vol. So how did this weird pairing work out for me? Let’s just say it was like pairing this cigar with a watered down and carbonated cough syrup… Ya, that about sums it up! I’ve had some local Apple Cider that was very tasty but this one just didn’t taste that great. I’m going to chalk up the weird flavor in it to the preservatives and artificial coloring that the locally made Ciders from Ontario don’t have.
Besides that big failure, I can totally see how a fruity beverage can pair well with a Connecticut cigar, especially on a nice summer day. As long as you find a good one of course… As with most Connecticut cigars, this Gurkha Symphony would probably pair best with a coffee.