Southern Draw’s Quickdraw line is produced in Esteli, Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez. The cigars come wrapped in either Pennslyvania Broadleaf, Ecuadorian Connecticut, or an Ecuadorian Dark Habano leaf and filled with tobaccos from Nicaragua. Available sizes include Petite Corona (4 ½ by 44), Short Panatela (5 ½ by 40) and Corona Gorda (5 by 46). You can find our Southern Draw Cigars reviews below: 

• Jacobs Ladder
• Kudzu
• Quickdraw Pennslyvania

You can purchase the Southern Draw Quickdraw Habano from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.31
Vitola: Corona Gorda 
Size: 5 by 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Dark Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 5 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Quickdraw Habano is dressed in a medium-dark brown Ecuadorian Dark Habano wrapper that is consistent in color. There are small veins webbing down the oily leaf and scattered bumps. Lightly pressing my fingers down the cigar, I encounter a void in the filler tobaccos between the band and the head of the cigar. The rest of the cigar feels firm to the touch. 

The wrapper aroma is of dark red fruit, manure, and cedar. Being a closed foot, I don’t pick up much more other than a touch of chocolate from the foot. With the small pig-tailed cap cut off, the cold draw is firm as expected with the covered foot. I am met with sweet cinnamon and cedar on the cold draw and a mild spice can be felt on the lips. 

FIRST THIRD

The Quickdraw Habano lights with ease but takes a few seconds to get the smoke production going on the draw. The opening profile is on the low side of medium with flavors of Pepper, yeast, and a sour edge.  As the cigar warms, the pepper sharpens and a bit of saltiness and pencil shavings join into the line-up of flavors. The cigar is burning along well with a decent ash forming considering the small ring gauge.. 

MIDDLE THIRD

An earthier profile presents itself in the second third of the Quickdraw Habano by Southern Draw Cigars. The pepper is still holding strong, but the sour edge has dropped out as I make it near the halfway point of the cigar. This Corona Gorda is producing a mouth-full of smoke with each small draw. 

FINAL THIRD

Since the second third, the Quickdraw Habano has been growing in richness and savoriness. A pepper and salt combination is at the forefront of the profile with the earthier notes trailing just a hair behind. The finish is made up of charred wood and coffee, while the retro-hale highlights the pepper but doesn’t bring out too much more spice. 

WRAP-UP

Just like all the other Southern Draw cigars I have smoked, the Quickdraw Habano hit the spot for me. The Corona Gorda (5 by 46) format is one of my favorite sizes and, when you pack it full of rich and spicy Nicaraguan tobaccos underneath an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, it makes for one heck of cigar. The performance was great between the even burn and awesome smoke production. I would reach for the Quickdraw Pennslyvania over the Habano version, but that’s just because I am a sucker for Broadleaf. But either way you go, you are in for a treat.

The post Souther Draw Cigars – Quickdraw Habano appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

Cigars blended and/or manufactured by Abdel (AJ) Fernandez have certainly not been ignored here at Casas Fumando, as there are too many reviews of them in the archives to list or link to.  Suffice to say that we are all fans of what he has put out ever since he burst onto the scene several years ago.  The Enclave follows on the heels of the New World that he and his father Ismael introduced last year, and is a tribute to the community of cigar smokers the world over.  Although I have yet to try the New World (I know, shame on me), the premise of the Enclave was too much for me to pass up on it for a review before I could get around to the New World.  With all of the vitolas of the Enclave being of a 52 ring gauge, it is right up my alley in terms of size.  Those sizes are Robusto 5×52, Toro 6×52, Figurado 6.5×52, and Churchill 7×52 and fall within the $6 – $7 range.

The cigars for review were once again provided by Cuenca Cigars.

The Basics:

Wrapper:   Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder:  Cameroon
Filler:  AJF Select Nicaraguan and AJF Piloto Cubano
Size:  Figurado 6.5 x 52
Price:  ~$6.80
Pairing:  Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (7.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The AJ Fernandez Enclave presents itself in an oily wrapper, uniformly medium brown in color and sporting a couple of medium sized veins.  It is for the most part firmly packed with a few slightly softer spots, starting with a blunt foot and culminating in a sharply pointed cap.  The main band is primarily blue, red, white, gold, and sepia, and depicts a Native American astride a horse, while the secondary band of red, blue, and gold reads “A.J. Fernandez”.  The wrapper displays scents of tobacco and light earth.  The foot gives off tobacco, earth, wood, and light coffee.

Snipping the cap, I’m greeted by a snug draw, but that may be the effect of the nearly closed foot, so we’ll see how that progresses.  The flavors on the cold draw are light cedar and tobacco with a touch of sweetness.

First third:

Despite the slightly tight draw, the Enclave produces a decent of smoke featuring sweet cedar and just a hint of white pepper.  Earth and leather become apparent, more so on the retrohale.  Although I needed to make a quick correction due to the shape of the foot (i.e. my iffy lighting technique), the Enclave is now burning with thin and even line.  The ash which is part white and part gray (again, most likely due to the shape) looks solid, save for a crack about ½” down, and sure enough, it falls on me ¾” in.  The smoke output has increased and inch or so in, and the body has likewise gone up to a solid medium, bringing in a bit of musk and fleeting bread notes.  It has become nice and smooth on the entry, while leaving a bit of lingering tickle on the back of the tongue and throat.  Sweetness has become more apparent in the wood flavor, with bread on the retrohale.

Middle third:

Entering the second section of the AJ Fernandez Enclave, the cedar, earth, and leather continue to drive the flavors, while some bitter coffee and herbaceousness has come into play.  The sweetness has backed off and the body continues to climb.  With bitterness creeping up, I have given the stick a quick purge, and the sweeter notes immediately come rushing back.  Since my initial touch-up, the Enclave has been burning beautifully, with a razor sharp and even line, although the ash still wants to drop off unexpectedly.  The flavors have become earthier, and the woodiness darker.

Final third:

The Enclave continues to smoke smoothly, picking up more pepper, and the body is now at medium-full and climbing, and so is the strength.  There is a certain brightness that has entered the mix that helps to balance the darker flavors, and the sweetness has again come back into the picture.  At the two hour mark, with the strength kicking at me and the body at nearly full, I put the cigar down, although it is still smoking cool and without harshness, even at this point with an inch left.

Overview:

The AJ Fernandez Enclave turned out to be a solid smoke, which while not the most complex around, provided a good range of flavors with enough transitions to keep me interested in it.  Construction and burn were top-notch, it smoked nice and slow, and the price is absolutely consumer friendly.  Mild smokers and those who have an aversion to strong smokes might want to build up to this one, but for those who like their cigars on the stronger side, this would be a good one to pick up and try. It’s a worthy salute to the brotherhood/sisterhood of cigar smokers at a great price point.  I’m now interested to see how it shows itself in one of the Parejo shapes.

Pairing:

After smoking my first Enclave, I decided that I wanted to go with something on the sweeter and smoother side, so I went with the Claymore Scotch Ale by Great Divide.  While it does have a good amount of malty sweetness to it, it also is not so sweet as to be cloying.  Medium bodied and balanced out with a touch of tartness, it proved to be a good match with the cigar, helping to bring out more of the sweetness of the Enclave, while not overpowering it.  A strong ale or dark Belgian would also make for a great pairing.

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