• Aging Room Small Batch M356 Major (6 ½ by 60)
• Camacho Corojo Diploma (5 by 50)
• Humo Jaguar Grande (6 by 60)
• J Fuego Origen Original (5 by 44)
• My Uzi Weighs A Ton Bait Fish (4 by 44)
• Padilla Miami Maduro Torpedo (6 ½ by 54)
• Perdomo Champagne Noir Robusto (5 by 54)
• Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Toro (6 ½ by 52)
• Schizo Sixty (6 by 60)
• Torano Loyal Robusto (5 by 56)
• Trinidad Paradox Churchill (7 by 57)
• Trocadero Honore (5 ¾ by 56)

Today, I have decided to check out the Humo Jaguar 2011.  All the manufacturers who attend the annual Honduran Cigar Festival blend a cigar specific for the festival and one cigar is chosen as the best. Nestor Plasencia claimed this title in 2011.  This cigar is readily available through online retailers.  The Humo Jaguar 2011 comes in three vitolas: Robusto (5 by 52), Corona Gorda (6 by 52), and Gigante or Grande (6 by 60). While not a go to size for me, I will be smoking the Gigante 6 by 60.

The Facts

Vitola: Gigante
Size: 6 by 60
Wrapper: Honduran Oscuro
Binder: Honduran – Talanga
Filler: Honduran – Cuban Seed Long-Filler
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: Just under 2 hours

Pre-light

The Humu Jaguar has a rustic appeal.  Veins are all over the cigar but there are none above medium in size. The cigar has a velvety feel and is fairly firm with no soft spots.  However, under the band there is a crazy indention in this cigar. The color is mostly medium reddish brown with dark spots throughout.

The wrapper aroma is extremely earthy with some nutty and sweet notes. The nuttiness is similar to the shell of a peanut.  A minor pepper and tobacco notes are prevalent on the foot of the cigar.  What appears to be a triple cap has been applied rather sloppy.  Due to the larger ring gauge, I made a shallow cut on the cap of the cigar. A free draw delivers rich tobacco and clove flavors.

First Third

The 60 ring gauge foot took some time to light with my Zippo Z-Plus!. A triple flame would have come in handy when lighting up this puppy. Instantly, smooth and spicy smoke coats my mouth. The leather and earth flavors dominates the profile but not in a bad way.  In the background of the flavor profile some mineral-like flavors are peeking through, along with a sweet finish.  The leather flavor is something I anticipated knowing the Honduran origin.  Deep earthy notes and dark coffee comes forth on the retrohale, with additional spice and pepper. The first salt and pepper ash dropped at a half of an inch, but the second ash held to an inch.  The smoke production is decent but a long draw is required to pull the smoke down this six inch stick.  The Humo burn line is thick and wavy but isn’t getting too off path. Flavors are coming through medium/full and the strength is medium.

Middle Third

The flavors remain heavy and deep as I dive into the second third. Some enjoyable cocoa and coffee flavors have arrived and the earthy notes remain around.  The smoke production is now rockin. Tons of thick, dense smoke is billowing out of this Humo Jaguar Gingante. The black pepper on the retrohale is intense.  Some sweetness is still on the finish but quickly fades to a deep earth, almost dirt-like, flavor. I thought for sure I would be feeling some strength in the cigar by this point. So far so good.  While the strength is medium the cigar is still very flavorful.  The burn-line has almost completely corrected itself from the waviness early on.

Final Third

The band slides off with ease, giving way to the final third of the winner of the 2011 Honduran Cigar Festival.  A similar spice from the start of first third is back, warming my entire mouth.  I have not come across any harshness in the smoke thus far and the smoke remain cools.  A cocoa sweetness hits the front of the palate, but darker, earth flavors override it.  The dark flavors are heavy on my palate requiring a lot of water to keep a fresh palate between puffs.  The smoke is very meaty.  A mixture of earth, pepper, and saltiness reminds me of McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning.  The burn-line is now razor sharp and not one touch-up was needed throughout this six inch Humo Jaguar.  The flavors are full at the conclusion of the final third and strength has shifted to the medium/full arena.

Wrap-up

The Humo Jaguar 2011 was super earthy.  Probably one of the most earthy cigars I have smoked or at least remember smoking.  But overall it was a very enjoyable stick. There were some subtle complexities but the fullness of the earth flavor overwhelmed the other enjoyable, more subtle notes. While I may not go out of my way to search down this stick, I would grab a single if I ever came across it or if it was included in another sampler like the one above. If you enjoy earthy cigars, this cigar will be right up your alley. Shoot,  12 cigars for $19.99 is a heck of steal and the offer is still available here. Grab the sampler and let us know what you think of the Humo Jaguar 2011.

The post Nestor Plasencia – Humo Jaguar 2011 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Aging Room cigars are produced by Boutique Blends, LLC an Oliveros Cigar company and available in six vitolas: Motivo (6 by 46), Forte (5 7/8 by 40-56), Major (6 1/2 by 60), Mezzo (6 by 54), Presto (4 1/2 by 48), and Rondo (5 by 50).  Here is a brief excerpt from a press release I located on www.pr.com.

At the end of 2011, Oliveros also introduced the Aging Room Small Batch M356 blend. The Aging Room is blended using a small batch of extra aged Dominican grown Habano. The blend M356 delivers a very robust and bold cigar with a full body and full of complexity. The Aging Room Small Batch, quickly received great reviews from consumers and experts alike and was the highest rated cigars of 2011 by Cigar Insider. The Aging Room Small Batch was also selected as one of the Top 25 Cigars of 2011 by Cigar Aficionado.

The Facts
Price: Approx. $8.50
Format: Toro
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Dominican – Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Pre-light

The Small Batch M356 bears an oily, Habano wrapper that is medium brown in color, with a burnt  orange hue. Medium size veins run down the rustic looking cigar. Other than the foot being under filled, the rest of the cigar is firmly packed. Aromas of cooking spices and pepper come off the wrapper and the foot blasts me with a huge amount of pepper followed with cinnamon and clove.

After punching the cigar with this nifty Screwpop Cigar Punch, the free draw delivers clove, pepper, and minor spice.  My mouth is already experiencing some dryness from the cold draw.

First Third

The Aging Room instantly warms my mouth from the amount of spice hitting my tongue and back of the throat. With my palate now being fully engaged, I detect familiar Habano flavors of pepper, woodsy notes and spice. Due to the pepper and spice, I am a little hesitant to retrohale this M356.  Nonetheless, I give it a shot. I am pleasantly surprised by the ease of the retrohale that brings out white pepper and spice in a very enjoyable fashion.  While the draw resistance is nice, I am not able to draw the amount of smoke I prefer.  Knocking off the ash about an inch in, I clip the cap with my double guillotine cutter. The smoke production has literally doubled.  The thick burn line is carrying a slight wave but I don’t foresee any issues arising. I originally thought the flavors to be medium, but, after clipping the cap, they are definitely full with medium strength.

Middle Third

The flavors of the Aging Room have evolved to deeper notes of dark fruit (merlot) and roasted nuts.  The peppery core, wood, and spice remain relevant in the profile.  Farther along into the middle third, the cinnamon has come through that I picked up from the foot aroma. The finish is really unique with a lingering spice and oak flavor.  While a copious amount of smoke fills my mouth, it is on the light, dry side.  The grey ash holds on easily for over an inch. The burn remains wavy and has one of the thickest burn lines I can remember on a cigar. The strength has kicked up a notch as I finish up the middle third.

Final Third

After a minor touch-up, I am into the final third with a bang.  The dark fruit flavors have become much sweeter with an added toastiness and oak-like flavor. I am sneezing like crazy from the pepper on the retrohale and the finish is dry with hints of chocolate.  Small areas of the wrapper, mainly by the wrapper seam, are having difficulty burning requiring a couple of touch-up.  As I approach the final inch of the Small Batch M356, the flavors progress to coffee and roasted nuts. I usually find it difficult to pick up on the room aroma once I start smoking. However, this Aging Room has a wonderful cedar aroma like walking into a humidor or sauna. The ash has become flaky which is most likely a result of the touch-ups. The flavors remained full throughout the stick and the strength has moved way up leaving me with a nice nicotine buzz.

Wrap-up

The Aging Room Small Batch M356 received rave reviews when it hit the market back in 2011.  Somehow, I looked over this stick until now.  Well, this will not be a stick I look over any longer.  The M356 Mezzo offered complexity that was engaging and challenging and produced several flavors that I more commonly associate with Nicaraguan tobacco.  With a price around $8.00 a stick, this will be an easy buy in the future.  I encourage you to head to your local B&M, grab an Aging Room Small Batch M356 and let me know what you think of it.

Giveaway

Finally, the good stuff! The crew over at Screwpop Tool, LLC sent over one Screwpop Cigar Punch to check out and another to giveaway.  I’ve been carrying the Screwpop around for 2 weeks now and have made good use of it. The Screwpop has a cigar punch on one side and a bottle opener on the other.  While a cigar punch is not my go-to cut for a cigar, the Screwpop does free up a significant amount of real estate in my pocket by combining both a cutter and bottle opener in to one.  Not only are we going to giveaway a cigar punch/bottle opener, we decided to throw in a few cigars from our own humidors to sweeten the deal.  The giveaway includes the following:

Screwpop – Cigar Punch
El Suelo Prado (5 3/4 by 58)
Quesada – Heisenberg Coronet Cuadrada (5 1/4 by 44/48/55)
Arturo Fuente – 2012 Unnamed Reserve (6 by 47)
262 Cigars – Ideology Belicoso (5 1/2 by 52)
Undercrown Robusto (5 by 54)

This contest is open to anyone in the US  who is 18 years of age or older.  To enter the giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment below.  For additional entries, like our Facebook page here (plus 1 entry)  and share this post on your wall (plus 1 entry).  A winner will be chosen at random.  The giveaway ends February 20, 2013 11:59 PM EST.

The post Aging Room – Small Batch M356 (Plus Giveaway) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.