The Good Stuff:

TUXTLA is the newest addition to the Tatuaje portfolio. The line features modified versions of the Avion 13, Tatuaje 7th, and T110 which now sport a Mexican San Andrews Maduro wrapper celebrating the city of TUXTLA:

San Andrés TUXTLA is a city and municipality in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is the largest in the Los Tuxtlas region. It was founded after an eruption of the San Martín Volcano pushed people into this valley during the early colonial period. Since the 19th century, the area has been the center of Mexico’s production of fine tobacco, mostly used in the making of cigars.

Pete Johnson

The T110 TUXTLA features the same blend as the 2021 T110 with the only difference being the Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper. The T110 version comes packed in boxes of 25 with 4,000 cigars being released (in comparison to only 2,000 of each other format in the Tuxtla line). I purchased mine over from our friends at Fox Cigar bar.

• Size: 4 3/8 x 52
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $10
• Pairing: Bottle Logic The Fall of Umibozu (Imperial Stout 13.37% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA starts out with a very deep, dark, consistent brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is both very toothy and very oily. The wrapper feels very dense and hard while the cigar as a whole is extremely solid and heavy with no soft spots at all. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself as it leads up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar sports the same T110 white, blue, and red band it always has but also carries a secondary white and green “TUXTLA” band in addition to that.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA gives off a ton of sweet cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more natural with loads of tobacco, earth, and spice. The cap cut clean and easy using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of prune, cedar, and natural tobacco.

First Half:

The Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA starts out with a huge cayenne pepper punch which left my tongue and lips sizzle for a few seconds after each draw. The pepper lasted through the first few draws. Once the pepper fades the cigar leads with loads of rich cedar, tart prune, black coffee, brown sugar, musk, and earthiness. There is a little sweet cherry that pops in every so often. The draw is a bit tight (and was on 2 others I smoked) but manageable. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for about an inch before giving way.

Second Half:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA and the cigar really calms down a bit as the flavors become a bit more creamy and balanced. The cigar and coffee lead the charge with minor notes of that tart prune that the San Andres offers along with light notes of brown sugar and musk. The retrohale brings out a lot of spice and pepper that I don’t really pick up during the normal smoking experience anymore. The draw is much more open in the second third so no points really taken off there as at no point did I consider tossing it. It took me about an hours and a half to smoke the cigar down to the nub. Honestly I was surprised with how slow this little guy burned, but no complaints here. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat. The cigar left me with a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Mexican San Andres Maduro changed quite a bit in the T110. Mainly taking down the spice and body and adding some more tart and fruit to the overall profile. While I still enjoyed this cigar quite a bit, I still have to say I like the T110 better. Its not to say this isn’t a good cigar, my personal profile just leans more towards to in your face flavor and body the T110 has to offer. I do want to keep a few of these on hand for when I am craving a T110, but don’t want to get my palate blown away.

Pairing:

A collaboration between two heavyweights: Bottle Logic and Topping Goliath, the Fall of Umibozu is a double mash imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for 18 months with Panama Geisha coffee beans roasted by Monstra Coffee. This 13.37% ABV beer leads with loads of brown sugar sweetness, milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee, maple, and malt. I love that the coffee isn’t acidic in the least. The beer sports a very thick, heavy, and sticky mouthfeel before finishing with more sweet vanilla, coffee and maple with a great little bourbon aftertaste. Outside of a little more sweetness that I would have liked, this beer is very well balanced and incredibly enjoyable. The sweetness, coffee and chocolate made for such a great pairing with the flavors Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA.

The post Tatuaje T110 TUXTLA appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary, as you would guess, was created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the brand. The Garcia family is one of the most famed, and coveted cigar manufacturers in the word. The Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary features an all Nicaraguan make-up utilizing a special tobacco called “Pelo de Oro” or Hair of Gold which is a very difficult tobacco to grow as it attracts mold, and bacteria which can quickly decimate whole tobacco crops if not carefully looked after. Each year since 2010 the company has released a Anniversary blend which until this past year, has always come in a single toro format fitted into coffin boxes. While the coffin box remains he same this year the family has added an additional Robusto format to the mix. The cigars come packaged in boxes of 14 running between $20 and $23 a stick. We got ours over from the wonderful Cuenca Cigars. 

Size: 5 3/4 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $20
Pairing: The Answer Double Barrel King Molokai (Barleywine 14.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary starts out with an absolutely stunning, dark, milky brown wrapper which is incredibly consistent in color. The wrapper’s texture is mildly toothy with a good amount of oil coating it. The wrapper feels very dense and heavy while the cigar as a whole feels very hard, firm, and tightly compacted. There are a few minor veins scattered throughout the cigar’s body leading towards the round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a dark blue band based on the classic Don Pepin Blue band only much more extravagant. Then of course each cigar comes packaged in it’s own cedar coffin box. 

The wrapper on the Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary unleashes a ton of bold cedar and spice aromas while the foot is more natural with grain, tobacco, and earthiness. The cigar cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw features some great spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, earthiness, and tobacco flavors. 

First Third: 

The Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary starts out with a whole mess of sharp black pepper which leaves my tongue and lips tingling. After the first few draws the pepper starts to fade away revealing huge amounts of cedar, espresso and vanilla with notes of earthiness, soft spice, pine, and almond. The draw is fabulous as each little puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke which dissipates very quickly. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted medium-gray ash which held on for an inch before giving way. 

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary and the flavors have still be pouring it on. The cedar and espresso lead the charge backed by vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, and lots of natural earthiness. The pine flavor I encountered at the start has completely faded away. The retrohale brings back all the sharp pepper I picked up in the first few puffs which is a bit overwhelming so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The burn line is still very sharp, and very even as I close out the second third with a nice mild nicotine kick. 

Finish:

Into the final third of the Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary the flavors are still very bold, and the body is sitting in the full range, but they have started to come together to provide a much more balanced profile. The cedar and vanilla still lead the charge backed by light sweetness, earthiness, espresso, and spice. It took me almost two hours to take this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and the cigar burned like a champ as I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. I close out the experience with a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary is a fantastic cigar in every way. The bold profile is complex, while not overpowering. The strength is full, but not ass-kicking. The construction is flawless creating a perfect smoking experience. Sure the price point is high, but this isn’t something I’d smoke everyday. This a perfect celebratory cigar, or one for those perfect moments when you are caving something a bit more extraordinary. 

Pairing:

I had been waiting for a cigar I knew that was bold enough and had enough body to pair up with the Answer’s Double Barrel King Molokai. Brewed in Richmond, VA this 14.5% ABV barleywine is a blend of: Laird’s Apple brandy/Bourbon Barleywine (70% Barleywine/30% Stout) with Kona coffee, Macadamia, Hazelnut, vanilla and toasted coconut. This beer is a thick, chewing thing featuring one of the sweetest profiles I have ever had in a beer. Leading with tons of vanilla, molasses, almond, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, oat, and malt with an extremely heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with more vanilla, coconut, coffee, molasses, and malt. As the beer warms more and more of the vanilla and coffee find their way through while the coconut starts to fade out. This is a big, bold beer and the Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary really held it’s own against it. The vanilla, almond, and spices made for a perfect pairing with the flavors in the cigar while the sweetness from the beer helped add another dimension to the experience. 

The post My Father Cigars – Don Pepin Garcia 15th Anniversary appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Mophine was created to celebrate Black Label Trading’s 5th anniversary and was the company’s first limited edition cigar ever released. Morphine is created at Black Label Trading Co.’s own factory in Esteli, Nicaragua the Fabrica Oveja Negra. The Morphine is composed of a Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan Habano wrapper over all Nicaraguan fillers. The cigar is offered if 3 sizes: Corona 5.5 x 42, Lancero Double Wrapper (7.25 x 42) and Short Corona or Robusto (4.5 x 50) running between $10.50 and $11.50 a stick. I got this one for my buddy Andrew over at Lucas Tobacco in Las Cruces, New Mexico who always carries the greatest boutique blends including tons of Black Label Trading Co.’s goodies. 

Size: 4.5 x 50
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $10.50
Pairing: The Bruery So Happens It’s a Tuesday w/ Coffee (Imperial Stout 14.7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Black Label Trading Co.’s Morphine starts out with a crazy dark, beautiful, consistently dark brown wrapper. The color is about as dark brown as you can get before the color turns black. The wrapper itself is very smooth and silky with a good amount of oils coating it as it’s laid seamlessly over itself exposing almost not veins or webbing leading up tot the cigar’s round, pigtail style cap. The Morphine sports two bands and black and white foot band with the word “Morphine” printed accross the front as well as a bigger back with a crowned skull over a butterfly as well as Black Label Trading Co’s crest. 

The wrapper on the Black Label Trading Co’s Morphine gives off bold aromas of deep oak, strong tobacco, and vanilla while the foot of the cigar carries more spice, pepper, and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO cutter. The cold draw produces some great black cherry, strong tobacco, and deep oak flavors. 

First Half:

The Black Label Trading Co.’s Morphine lets loose a flurry of black and cayenne pepper when it’s first lit up leaving my tongue and lips tingling. After the first few puffs the pepper starts to drop off and I am left with some really bold oak, black cherry, vanilla, spice, and bold tobacco. This cigar already starts off in the full arena and I doubt the body will dip down very much. The draw is flawless as each and every little puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke while the cigar releases just a slight amount of thin stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line has some slight waves, but there is also breezy out so that may be adding to the affect. The ash left behind is bright white and tightly compacted holding on for about 3/4 of an inch before giving way. 

Second Half:

Into the second half of The Black Label Trading Co.’s Morphine and the cigar hasn’t let up one bit in the body department pouring out gobs of oak, black cherry, vanilla, spice, bold tobacco and dark coffee with some soft pepper and floral flavors. The retrohale kills me with spice and pepper so I don’t find myself doing it too much. I am definitely feeling the nicotine in this little beast as well. I took me an hour to smoke the Morphine down to the nub and I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. While there was some wavy moments I never once had to reach for my lighter to tough up or relight the cigar. 

Overview:

I’ve said it time and time again, I am a huge fan of Black Label Trading Co’s portfolio and the Morphine is no exception. Its an incredibly bold cigar in both body and strength with a complex profile that could easily kick a novice cigar smoker’s ass. That being said this wasn’t my favorite cigar by them. It’s fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but at times I felt the experience was just overpowering my palate and I wished it would have just been a bit more tame for my personal liking. The price is very modest from this company and since its a limited edition I’d be surprised if these are still out there in circulation, but if you see them and aren’t afraid of a strong cigar I’d urge you to pick them up. 

Pairing:

Brewed in California, The Bruery’s So it Happens it’s a Tuesday with Coffee is a 14.7% ABV Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with Coffee added. The beer wakes you right up with bold notes of strong espresso, vanilla, malt, dark chocolate and brown sugar with a very heavy mouthfeel. As the beer warms more vanilla comes through along with some of the bourbon barrel. It’s boozy and you taste all 14.7% of it with every sip. The coffee, vanilla, and barrel married up wonderfully with the flavors in the Morphine will adding some missing sweetness creating a perfect pairing.

The post Black Label Trading Co. Morphine appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The “El Güegüense” or “The Wise Man” was the first release we saw from Nick Melillo after his departure from Drew Estate. The Wise Man, along with Foundation Cigar Company took the cigar industry by storm and has been featured in most of the top 10 lists across the country since they have made their debut. Now in 2017, the company comes full circle with a Maduro  extension to the Wise Man line.

“This cigar is a tribute to Nicaragua, its culture, people, land and the bridge between the old world traditions and the new.” Says Melillo “We’ve enjoyed a lot of success with El Güegüense, and it is an honor for people to recognize a project that personally means so much to me.” says Melillo. “I was looking to create a line extension with a whole different level of complexity and the San Andrès wrapper brings just that.”

The Wise Man Maduro features a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan Corojo 99 Jalapa binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigar will be packaged in boxes of 25 and offered in five familiar sizes: The Corona Gorda (5 1/8 x 46), the Robusto (5 1/2 x 50), the Toro Huaco (6 x 56), The Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52), and the Churchill (7 x 48) which will run between $9.90 and $12 a stick. I purchased a handful of these over from our good friends at Smoke Inn.

Size: 5 1/8 x 46
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Corojo 99 Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Fulll
Price: $9.90
Pairing: The Bruery Poterie (Scotch Ale 16.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Wise Man starts out with a beautiful consistent, deep, dark brown wrapper. There are a few areas around the natural webbing in the tobacco leaf that appear a shade darker. The wrapper’s texture is extremely toothy and gritty with only a slight amount of oils and almost no noticeable veins. The cigar as a whole is packed pretty tightly with no soft spots while the wrapper itself feels very dense and stable. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a red version of the Wise Man wrapper with the cigar’s crest on the front, “The Wise Man”, “El Güegüense”, and “Esteli, Nicaragua” printed on it.

The wrapper on the Wise Man Maduro gives off nothing much outside of a few spice notes, and natural tobacco while the foot of the cigar is much more potent releasing a ton of spice, earthiness, sweetness, and natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a tart mixture of berry, cocoa, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Wise Man Maduro starts out with very little pepper which faded after the first puff or two. The leading flavor is dark chocolate backed by some great tartness, caramel, berry, leather, spice, and sweetness. The draw is perfect as I get a mouthful of thick white smoke with each and every puff. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a very tightly compacted trail of white and dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Wise Man Maduro and so far this has been the epitome of a solid, traditional style Maduro cigar. The main flavor is still dark chocolate with lots of tartness, caramel, butter, leather, spice, and musk with a good amount of sweetness yet the only real dominant flavor is the chocolate. The retrohale is fantastic and adds an extra layer of spice and pepper to mix. The burn line is still dead even and burning perfectly while I close out the second third with only a very small nicotine kick.

Finish:

Much of the same to report in the final third of the Wise Man and that’s not a bad thing at all. The cigar is still leading with dark chocolate and vanilla backed by caremel, tartness, leather, and musk with a decent amount of sweetness sprinkled in. The cigar took me two hours to take down to the nub and I took it down as far as I could before my fingers started to burn. I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat from the cigar but there was a big resurgence of black pepper at the very end that I could have done without.

Overview:

The Wise Man Maduro is a the perfect example of a classic Maduro done right. Smooth, balanced, not too complex, and just solid all around. Foundation Cigar Company has been kicking out some great cigars and I don’t see them stopping anytime soon. While this cigar would easily find its way into my regular rotation I can’t say I would enjoy it more than I enjoyed the original version which will always hold it’s place in my regular rotation. But this is a box worthy cigar for sure, especially if you’re a Maduro fan.

Pairing:

The Bruery Poterie is a Scotch Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels which comes in at a rocking 16.8% ABV. The word “Poterie” means “Pottery” in French and represents the traditional gift given on an 8th anniversary which is fitting considering this beer was created to celebrate The Bruery’s 8th anniversary last year. The beer leads with salted caramel, apple, chewy sweetness, malt, and cocoa with a very heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing with more caramel, cocoa, vanilla, and tartness with a ton of booze. The barrel really comes out as the beer warms. This beer is not for the faint of hearted. That being said, the Wise Man kept this beer at bay and it never once overpowered the cigar which I could see it doing with most cigars out there.

The post Foundation Cigar Company Güegüense The Wise Man Maduro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

It’s that time of the year folks! One of the most popular, sometimes elusive releases just hit shelves. I’m talking about the the Tatuaje Monster series. This ninth release in the Series is called the Krueger and is designed after none other than the man nightmares are made out of, Freddy Krueger himself. For those who have been living under a rock for the last 10 years, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars releases a Halloween specific blend each year just before the holiday hits. I have had the pleasure of smoking each and everyone, and plan on keeping that tradition up as long as I can. Here is the rundown of the releases.

• 2008 – The Frank
• 2009 – The Drac
• 2010 – The Face
• 2011 – The Wolfman
• 2012 – The Mummy
• 2013 – The JV13
• 2014 – The Jekyll
• 2015 – The Hyde

Produced a the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Nicaragua, this year’s format utilizes the Conjonu 2009 molds but were cut a bit longer. It closely resembles the format of the Wolfman coming in at a 7 1/4 x 48 box-press with a tapered torpedo style cap. The blend features a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder and Nicaraguan Filler tobaccos. The Krueger comes packaged in Dress Boxes of 13, and standard non-Dress  Boxes of 10 running $13 a stick and won’t last long. I purchased a few of these over from our friends at 2 Guys Smoke Shop. At the time I am writing this it looks like they have already sold out.

Size: 7 1/4 x 48
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $13
Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County 2015 (Imperial Stout 14.3%)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje Krueger starts out with a very consistent, deep, dark brown wrapper. While the wrapper is already dark, you can still see many natural dark webs reaching through the cigar’s wrapper leaf. The texture of the cigar is incredibly toothy and firm. It feels like extra gritty sandpaper wrapped around a stack of popsicle sticks. The entire cigar is very solid and firm and feels incredibly tightly packed while the wrapper itself is very dense and very hard. The long, slender body carries a comfortable soft box-press which leads up to a very long, pointed, tapered cap. The cigar is polished off with the same Tatuaje and we see on just about all of their cigars with the standard monster twist, carrying a red, green, and black design which matches the clothing worn by Freddy.

The wrapper of the Tatuaje Krueger gives off a good amount of spice, cocoa, and cedar while the foot of the cigar carries more pepper than spice, natural tobacco aromas, and a good amount of earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great tart, cocoa, spice, and rich tobacco flavors.

First Third:

Woah! I wasn’t prepared for the sheer amount of bold cayenne pepper the Tatuaje Krueger was about to give off. After the first few puffs my lips and tongue were left burning for a few minutes. After about a quarter inch the pepper starts to give way and it opens the doors for the tartness, cocoa, spice, molasses, and rich oak that lies within the cigar. The draw is perfect, each tiny puffs releases a huge cloud of thick white smoke while the cigar gives off a decent amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a compacted trail of medium and dark gray striped ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The Tatuaje Krueger is really coming to life in the second third. The flavors lead with a deep, rich oak, bold bittersweet chocolate, a nice natural tartness, a good amount of spice, and a bit of pepper that is still somehow lingering around. The retrohale is a great reminder of just how potent that pepper was to start off the cigar and I really doubt I’ll find myself retrohaling this cigar very often. The burnline is still dead even and very sharp, while I close out the second third already with a nice little nicotine kick.

Finish:

The Tatuaje Krueger finishes just as bold as it started with a ton of bittersweet chocolate, spice, tartness, cinnamon, and pepper with some soft notes of pine and clove. This is one of the better Monster Series releases in my recent memory. I smoked it down to the very nub which took just over two hours and I experienced no extra harshness or extra heat. In fact, I was able to take this cigar down much easier than most cigars with half the body and strength which is pretty surprising considering how full body and strength the Krueger is.

Overview:

As I stated, this was one of the better Tatuaje Monster Series I’ve had. Not that any of them are bad, or even close to it. But the Krueger seems to stand out amongst them. The cigar is very strong, and very bold, yet I never once felt overpowered by it which is great considering how long the smoking time was. I wouldn’t recommend this for those novice cigar smokers though. I just think its a bit much and if you aren’t used to smoking full-strength cigars it might do you in. I know its pricey, I know its hard to find, but in all honesty if you see them I recommend snatching up quite a few of them. I’m glad that I did.

Pairing:

Good Island’s Bourbon County Stout is another beer that isn’t a stranger to Casas Fumando. As the released of the 2016 version grows near I dipped into my stash to put a few of the 2015 on ice. Brewed at the Goose Island brewery in Chicago this Bourbon Barrel Aged stout comes in at a whopping 14.3%. At least in these parts, in other parts of the country a less potent version is found on shelves. The Bourbon County Stout leads with a ton of sweetness, rich bittersweet chocolate, cinnimon, spice, a bit of clove, lots of roasted malt, and even a bit of raisin with a very, very mouthfeel before finishing very sweet with a good amount of bourbon and booze over more chocolate, roasted malt, spice, and raisin with a very boozy aftertaste. I love this beer, and knew right away it would have to go down as the pairing with this cigar since the flavors were so compatible.

The post Tatuaje Monster Series #9 Krueger appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Espinosa Alibi is the first of a new series called “The Backroom Series” which shipped to 3 lucky Espinosa retailers who feature Espinosa Lounges in December. The Alibi is a 6 x 48 cigar which features a Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper along with some undisclosed binder and fillers produced at the La Zona factory in Nicaragua. The Alibi comes in a single size, packed in boxes of 10 running $90 a box with only 200 boxes produced. The 3 retailers who carry the Alibi are Casa Belicoso in Walnut Creek California, Cordova Cigars in Pensacola Florida, and Smoke Inn VI in Margate Florida with more to be expected as Espinosa Lounges are established across the country. (Thanks to Halfwheel for the info) Samples were sent to us from our friends at Espinosa for review.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Founders Backwoods Bastard (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale 10.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The Espinosa Alibi starts out with a very dark, very beautiful toothy, veiny, web wrapper. Seriously this thing feels like it’s wrapper in sandpaper. The wrapper is very a very dark, very consistent brown and feels very dense with little give as I squeeze it between my fingers. the long body leads up so a shallow, round, double cap. The Alibi is polished off with a simple, elegant beige band with the word “Alibi” on the front, “Backroom Series” on one side, and “Espinosa Lounge Exclusive” on the other while the foot sports a simple black band that blends in with the darkness of the wrapper.

The wrapper on the Alibi gives off tons of pepper, spice, and raisin while the foot of the cigar lets looks a generous blend of spice and tobacco. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some really bold raisin, spice, sweetness and a whole mess of pepper left my lips tingling.

First Third:

As I expected the Espinosa Alibi starts off with a strong black pepper boom which leaves both my tongue and lips with a tingling sensation. The pepper began to simmer down a bit after about a half inch in and the Alibi’s flavors began to take shape with a really strong raisin leading the pack backed by some dark cheery, leather, spice, and sweetness on the finish. The draw is a bit loose but I can dig it as each little puff produces a ton of thick smoke. The burn line has a few slight waves, but nothing too serious as it leaves behind a trail of medium gray, compacted ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The black pepper is still quite resident into the second third of the Espinosa Alibi. The raisin is still rocking solid with the cherry and sweetness backing while the spice has ramped up quite a bit. The Alibi started in the medium category but is now venturing into the full-bodied zone. The retrohale is very sharp and much to spicy/peppery for my liking. The burn is still slightly wavy but hasn’t needed any extra attention from my lighter while I am feeling a slight bit of nicotine while closing out the second third.

Finish:

The pepper has finally cleared way for the other flavors in the final third of the Espinosa Alibi. The flavors are pretty consistent leading with the raisin and cherry backed by sweetness and spice with a ramp up in leather and oak. The draw is been a bit wavy the entire time but I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar so I’m not complaining. It took me about an hour and forty five minutes to smoke the Alibi down to the nub and while the strength really stepped it’s game up towards the end, there was no harshness or heat finishing very bold and proper with a beautiful little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Espinosa Alibi is a solid cigar in every category. I usually gravitate towards full-bodied cigars and this is the perfect example on full-bodied done right. The flavors are bold, yet balanced while I wasn’t overpowered by the higher strength this cigar yields. The size chosen is incredible as I usually go for smaller ring gauges as I feel the wrapper, in most cases, delivers more of the flavors I look for. This probably isn’t going to be something that novice cigar smokers are going to be chasing down but I think it’s perfect for the seasoned smoker looking for a great full bodied experience. My only gripe is the availability but that was the whole idea behind this series.

Pairing:

Yeah, this pairing rocked. Simple as that. The first time I smoked the Alibi I knew that I would be choosing Founders Backwoods Bastard as it’s partner. The Backwoods Bastard is a 10.2% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale and one of my favorites in the Founders portfolio. This particular bottle was from a 2013 haul I brought in. The beer leads with some strong Bourbon and caramel with a very heavy and thick mouthfeel finishing strong with lots of sweetness, malt, and cajeta with a good amount of booze. This cigar would pair perfectly with any wee heavy, spiced rum, our tawny port.

The post Espinosa Cigars Alibi – Backroom Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

La Palina’s Black Label is on of it’s newest releases which made it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas. The La Palina Black Label is composed of a Brazilian Bahiano wrapper, Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan Binders, as well as Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan Fillers. The blend is said to be the boldest and strongest cigar in the La Palina portfolio. The Black Label is manufactured at the PDR Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic. This is the same factory that rolls La Palina’s Classic line. The La Palina Black Label is offered in four different sizes: the Petite Lancero (6 x 40), the Robusto (5 x 52), the Toro (6 x 50) and the Gordo (6 x 60). Each stick will run you between $9 and $11.50 a piece. I ordered up a handful of these from out friends over at SmokeInn.com.

Size: 6 x 40
Wrapper: Brazilian Bahiano
Binder: Dominican / Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican / Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Laughing Dog Brewing The Dogfather Bourbon Barrel Aged (Imperial Stout 10.85% ABV)

Prelight:

The La Palina Black Label is a dark little cigar. Seriously, the wrapper is as close to black as you can get which makes the name of the cigar very fitting. The wrapper is very consistent and the only areas which show off a bit of the brown are around the crests of the medium-sized veins that are scattered throughout the body of the cigar. The wrapper is silky smooth in some areas while a few areas closer to the foot carry some slight tooth. The entire cigar is coating in a thick layer of oils. The cigar looks a bit rough, but in a good way as the construction is spot-on. The wrapper on the cigar looks real dense, but feels very fragile as the cigar has quite a lot of give when I squeeze it between my fingers. The La Palina Black Label is finished off with a beautifully round triple cap. The cigar is polished off with the classic La Palina gold and white crest along with an additional black and gold band stating “Black Label” across the front of it.

The La Palina Black Label’s wrapper gives off a ton of spice and coffee aroma while the foot of the cigar showcases more woodsiness and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut very clean, and incredibly easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw carried more sweetness than I expected with lots of spice, a bit of grassiness and dirt, as well as some prominent coffee mixed in there.

First Third:

The La Palina Black starts out with some great, subtle black pepper which mixes in well with the heavy spice and cedar in the flavor profile. The backing flavors are some dark chocolate, black cherry, and espresso. I’m impressed with how the sweetness in the smoke surrounds all these flavors making it bold, yet really well balanced. The draw is a bit snug, but after a few puff it starts to kick out these massive clouds of thick, white smoke. The stationary smoke is incredible as well. Its like a miniature smoke machine resting in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty solid and thin leaving behind a trail of bright white, tightly compacted ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The sweetness is really starting to come out in the La Palina Black Label with the beer pairing’s help. I know the beer is Bourbon Barrel Aged, but even the Black Label alone gives some bourbon qualities in it’s flavor profile. The Cherry, chocolate, and espresso still lead the way with some great spice, woodsiness, and lots of malt. The retrohale is incredible coating my nasal passage with a really interesting malt, spice, and musk. The draw was still a bit snug so I clipped a tiny bit off the cap and it’s rocking now. For what it’s worth, all the other Black Labels I have smoked weren’t tight at all. The body has been in the medium/full range the entire time, while the strength is well in the medium/full range as I feel a slight nicotine kick closing out the second third.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the La Palina Black Label and it’s been incredible all the way through. The body is in the full area now leading with the chocolate, sweetness, and cherry with lots of woodiness and spice. There was also some great raisin flavors that come through in the final third. The burn line has been perfect and I never once had to touch up or relight this cigar. The draw has been great ever since that extra little clip in the second third. The strength really comes through in the final third as I close it out right in the middle of the full area. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this bad boy down to the nub with no harshness, and a slight nicotine kick.

Overview:

Needless to say I fell in love with the La Palina Black Label. I’ve been a long time fan of La Palina. While not all of their blends fit my profile, many of them find their way into my daily rotation. The La Palina Black offers a great, full bodied, full strength experience at a decent price point. While the strength was in the full area, never once did it muddy up the flavors as they were a bit complex, very pure, and extremely enjoyable. While I got mostly the same flavors from the other two formats I smoked, the petite lancero we by far my favorite as they were much more pronounced, especially in terms of the cherry and chocolate. The price points on La Palina cigars have always been a bit higher than most, but that has never deterred me as I have always gotten my moneys worth and the Black Label continues the trend. This is a box-worthy cigar for sure and an excellent addition to the La Palina portfolio.

Pairing:

As the temperatures drop here in West Texas I tend to reach for more darker, thicker beers. One that I can easily go to is Laughing Dog’s Dog Father. The first time I drank this beer our pal Jeff actually sent it to me, and now I am luckily enough to find this brew locally. Brewed at the Laughing Dog Brewery in Idaho, this Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout comes in at a whopping 10.85% ABV. Laughing Dog also makes a non-barrel aged version of this stout which rings in at 11% ABV, but that was only available in the past. This year features the Barrel Aged version. The Dogfather leads with a whole lot of sweetness and maltiness with a very thick mouthfeel and tons of bourbon remnants as it finished creamy and thick with more sweetness, chocolate, and a slight bit of booze. The flavors in this beer are much more pronounced as it warms. It’s obvious why I chose this beer as a pairing with La Palina’s Black Label. The chocolate, bourbon, and malt paired perfectly with the flavors present in the cigar smoking experience. I also think this cigar is begging to be paired with a sweet bourbon or sweet port wine.

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