The Good Stuff:

Firewalker is the latest release in CAOs Arcana portfolio which features limited runs of cigar produced with rarer tobaccos. Last year’s Arcana Mortal Coil was one of my favorite cigars I smoked all year. The Firewalker features an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper over Nicaraguan Binder and Filler. The fillers actually go through a very unique and ancient process called Chincagre. The filler comes from the Mastepe region in Nicaragua. Once the tobacco is stacked in pilons, those pilones are then buried in volcanic soil for two months to ferment. Once ready, the tobacco is removed and then goes through another round of fermentation for 9 months at the factory. This painstaking process is used by tobacco farmers in western Nicaragua to trap in the sweetness and aromatic flavors of the tobacco that could be lost in open-air fermentation. The Arcana Firewalker comes in a sign 6 1/2 x 56 format which comes packaged in 20-count boxes running $11.99 per stick. Only 5,000 boxes will be produced. Big thanks to CAO for sending a few of these our way for review.

• Size: 6 1/2 x 56
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $11.99
• Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Double Barrel Brand Toasted Barrel Stout (Imperial Stout 16% ABV)

Prelight:

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, this thing has a HUGE band much like the Mortal Coil did. Underneath the band is a very rough, rustic looking wrapper that is mostly medium brown with scattered reddish, light brown, and orange tints. The wrapper’s texture carries some light toothy and loads of oils. The wrapper itself feels very thick and sturdy while the cigar as a whole is very hard and heavy. I think I could beat someone down with this thing. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s large, round, double-wrapped cap with just a tiny little tail sticking up. Then of course, the band. It’s a dark gray with black and red embossed ink which covers about 2/3 of the cigar’s body. The Arcana and CAO crest can be found printed on the front and back while “FIREWALKER” runs down the side.

The wrapper on the Arcana Firewalker gives off a great amount of sweet tobacco and gingerbread while the foot of the cigar is mostly musk and earthiness. The cap took a little convincing from my Xikar XO double bladed cutter, but once clipped the cold draw releases notes of musk, tartness, and earthiness with some subtle sweetness.

First Third:

The CAO Arcana Firewalker starts out with a quick blast of black pepper which didn’t stick around too long before the cigar began to release bold notes of dark chocolate and raspberry over wood, gingerbread, pecan, and loads of earthiness. The opening profile is fantastic. The draw is perfect. Each little puff kicks out loads of thick, gray smoke while the cigar releases a huge amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line started a bit wild but has now corrected itself as it’s burning solid and even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of white ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the CAO Arcana Firewalker and I am getting the bold dark chocolate and raspberry still over lighter notes of wood, pecan, sweetness and musk while a great floral/cologne type flavor is found on the aftertaste. The retrohale brings out some toasted spice notes that I don’t get during the standard smoking experience. The cigar is still burning flawlessly and I close out with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Here we are into the homestretch of the CAO Arcana Firewalker and this thing is still firing on all cylinders. The bold chocolate and raspberry are still the dominant flavors here with notes of pecan, wood, sweetness and musk. This is such a great flavor profile. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I really enjoyed every minute of it. There were no burn issues, no extended heat, no harshness and very little nicotine.

Overview:

Last year the Arcana Mortal Coil caught me by surprise with how great it was which led to high expectations for the Firewalker, and it delivered. The flavors were balanced and complex while still being incredibly enjoyable. There is a sweet-spot for me where a cigar is bold in body and flavor while not being overpowered by nicotine. The Firewalker fell in the mid-range for strength which was perfect. I don’t know that I liked it more than the Mortal Coil, but I didn’t need to. They are very different cigars which both offered a very unique experience and I can really appreciate the work that went into the tobacco process for this cigar.

One note: I hate these Chinese finger trap bands. They tend to do more harm than good as they always tug and tear on the cigar’s wrapper. Not to mention you have to take the band off so early in. Also, it hides the beauty of the cigar.

Pairing:

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Double Barrel Brand Toasted Barrel Stout is their standard Bourbon County Brand Stout aged in Elijah Craig small batch bourbon barrels, then aged in Elijah Craig Toasted bourbon Barrels. The result is a boozy little 16% Imperial stout. The beer leads with heavy sweetness, caramel, vanilla, roasted malt, pecan and a great black cherry flavor I don’t normally pick up in Bourbon County. The mouthfeel is incredible thick and sticky while the beer finishing with more vanilla and caramel over some sweet barrel flavors and a lasting bourbon bite. This is such a great example of the perfect treatment of this beer. I’ve had so many of it’s variants that just didn’t do much for me however this is the first one in a while that really got my attention. The flavors paired perfectly with the musk, pecan, and sweetness from the Firewalker while the black cherry note added a whole other dimension to the pairing.

The post CAO Arcana Firewalker appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Originally released in 2013 the Marelas Supremas as the sixth addition to the Cruzado line. Fast forward a few years and the entire Cruzado line become scarce, and until a few years ago pretty hard to find. Now that Illusione has re-released them into the market the Marelas Supremas has become a rare, event-only format which I was lucky enough to get over from our friends at Fox Cigar Bar. The 6 1/4 x 52 cigar features a unique Cuban-Style 109 cap, a Nicaraguan Criollo Rosada wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

• Size: 6 1/4 x 52
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: ~$10
• Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine 2017 (Barleywine 14.4% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Cruzado Marelas Suprema starts out with a rustic-looking dark brown wrapper with lighter brown and orange areas scattered throughout the cigar’s wrapper. The wrapper’s texture if pretty toothy and gritty with a decent amount of oils coating it. There are a few larger veins and lots of natural webbing in the tobacco leaf leading up to that tapered, Cuban-Style 109 cap we mentioned before. This all lives underneath a gold foil which covers about 2/3 of the cigar along with the old-style black, silver and gold Cruzado style band.

The wrapper on the Illusione Cruzado Marelas Supremas gives off a very musky, barnyard aroma while the foot of the cigar gives off very grainy and earthy aromas. This is a terrible smelling cigar which in most cases is a good sign. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of bold musk, dirth, and earthiness.

First Third:

The Illusione Cruzado Marelas Suprema starts out with aa rush of cayenne pepper which left my lips tingling for a bit, but quickly faded allowing the cigar to release heaps of musk and earthiness over caramel, cashew, black tea and soft spice. As I start to get into the middle of the first third an awesome floral presence slipped into the mix. The draw is absolutely perfect as each little puff kicks out the desired amount of thick, white smoke which dissipates rather quickly while the cigar releases very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is sharp, but pretty wavy. I haven’t had to reach for my torch to touch it up though so no points taken there. The ash it leaves behinds is semi-compacted and very dark gray while it held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione Cruzado Marelas Suprema and most of the flavors remain the same. The musk and earthiness lead the charge backed my light caramel and floral flavors and a good amount of black tea. The retrohale really brings out the black tea and a lot of the spice that I otherwise no longer pickup at this point. The burnline is still a bit wacky, but again, no touch-ups needed. I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Note: The tiny cracking you see is due to user error. I *almost* dropped the cigar while I was smoking it causing me to crush it a bit as I juggled it. Nice save though! Too bad no one was around to see it.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione Cruzado Marelas Supremas and not a whole lot has changed, and I’m totally ok with that. The flavor profile has been pretty consistent from start to finish. Musk and earthiness are the dominant flavor backed by black tea, floral, cashew and caramel. It took me 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I didn’t want to put it down. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. I closed out the cigar with online a very slight nicotine kick. One important note is that, while the burn line was a bit uncontrolled, I never once had to reach for my torch to touch up or relight the cigar.

Overview:

I remember how much I loved the Cruzado when it originally came out, and much of that love still remains the same. I experience was flawless, and the flavor profile was enjoyable without being too complex. If I had to complain bout anything it was just a bit dry, but that dryness fit the flavor profile perfectly. I’m glad I have quite a few of these stacked in my humidor.

Pairing:

Yup, another Bourbon County pairing. Tired of them yet? Me neither. I swear, they were maid with cigar pairings in mind. This week I take a look at the 2017 Barleywine version. Brewed at the Goose Island brewing in Chicago this 14.4% ABV Balerywine starts with a whole mess of malt, sweet caramel, cherry, vanilla, hop and a great bourbon bite with a very sticky mouthfeel before finishing with loads of toffee, vanilla, brown sugar and more bourbon. The Illusione Cruzado Marelas Suprema is very dry and the Bourbon County Barleywine carries loads of sweetness which really helped push the complexity of the experience over the top making for a ridiculously awesome pairing.

The post Illusione Cruzado Marelas Supremas appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas translates to five decades and celebrating anything that has lasted 50 years is incredible, much less something that has faced consistent turmoil such as cigars. There isn’t much detail about the cigar outside of it being created to obviously celebrate Nicaragua’s oldest cigar factory’s anniversary. The cigar is offered in two sizes: The Diadema (6 x 54) and the General (7 x 50) each come packed in boxes of 10 and come in at $18.99 and $19.99 a stick with a total of 5,000 boxes being produced. Big thanks goes out to Joya de Nicaragua for sending a few of these our way to review.

Size: 6 x 54
Wrapper: Not Disclosed
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $19.99
Pairing: 2018 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout (Imperial Stout 14.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas starts out with a gorgeous dark brown wrapper with shades of orange scattered through the bottle half of the cigar and a darker shade of brown scattered around the top. The wrapper’s texture is very gritty and toothy with a small amount of oils as well as some decent sized veins running through the cigar’s body. The standout characteristic of this cigar is obvious the unique diedema format in which both ends are tapered like a torpedo. You don’t really see too many cigars shaped like his anymore. The Cinco Decadas is then polished off with an absolutely stunning manilla, maroon, and gold embossed band showcasing the Joya de Nicaragua badge as well as the Cinco Decadas logo. 

The cigar is very firm to the touch as the wrapper feels very dense and hard. The wrapper gives off some light spice and tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more pepper driven with lots of spice and earthy aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a very earthy and musky mixture of flavors with just a bit of pepper tossed on top.

First Third:

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decades starts out with a very potent black pepper blast which hangs around for a considerable amount of time before fading out revealing a bold mixture of leather, vanilla, earthiness, oak, plum, and caramel. The draw is just amazing as each, tiny, little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick gray smoke which hangs around for a considerable amount of time before dissipating while the cigar gives off a good amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of medium gray ash which I thought was pretty well compacted until it fell in my lap about a quarter of an inch in. Hence the following picture not really falling my standard.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas and the spice is really started to come out backed by oak, vanilla, leather, and earthiness. This is a great mixture of flavors. The retrohale focuses more on the spice and oak. The cigar is still burning flawlessly as I have taken a bit more precaution for the loose ash. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas and this is where the cigar really starts to pour it on. Loads of vanilla, moss, oak, earthiness and leather of some light caramel, coffee and spice. It took me two and a quarter hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. It’s crazy how slow this cigar burned. I close out with only a very minor bit of nicotine.

Overview:

What a fantastic cigar. Not even going to try to hide how much I enjoyed it. Usually Joya de Nicaragua cigars are packed with both power and punch, but I found the Cinco Decadas was the perfect balance of full flavor without being an overly strong cigar. I kept finding myself really relaxing and taking in all the flavors the cigar had to offer. While this cigar is limited, and pricey, its a perfect cigar for a seasoned smoker who is looking for a special experience. The price would be the only thing keeping this out of my day to day rotation.

Pairing:

Its Bourbon County Time of the year! This time I chose my favorite variant the Vanilla to pair with The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas. This imperial stout is brewed in Chicago, aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla added, and comes in at a rockin’ 14.9% ABV. The beer leads with a ton of sweet vanilla, malt, caramel, cocoa, and bourbon with a very heavy/sticky mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with more vanilla and cocoa, bourbon, and malt. As the beer warms the vanilla comes out even more. This is a fantastic beer for anyone who likes big stouts, vanilla, or barrel aged beer. The vanilla and caramel really attracted me to this beer when thinking of a pairing for the Cinco Decadas. I was a bit skeptical that the beer may over power the cigar but the Cinco Decadas really held its own and it made for just a fantastic pairing experience.

The post Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Diadema appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Each year the Crowned Heads releases their “Las Calveras” series. A series of cigars inspired by the Mexican “Day of the Dead” holiday which celebrates those we have lost. Each year I pick these up and smoke them in honor of my friends and family, especially my father who I think of as I enjoy the cigar and silently thank them for everything they have done for me. You can check out our reviews of each blend since their inception in 2014 here:

• Las Calaveras 2014
• Las Calaveras 2015
• Las Calaveras 2016
• Las Calaveras 2017

As always, the cigar is being produced at the My Father Factory in Nicaragua. This particular blend features a fitting Mexican San Andres wrapper over a Nicaraguan Filler and Binder. The 2018 Las Calaveras is offered in four sizes: the LC46 ( 5 5/8 x 46), LC50 (5 x 50), LC54 (6 x 54), and the last one, which is exclusive to the four count sampler in my pictures (5 1/2 x 56). Outside of the sampler exclusive each come packaged in boxes of 24 running between $9.95 and $11.95 per stick. I purchased mine over from our great friends at Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert, Arizona.

Size: 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.95
Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Northwoods Stout 2017 (Imperial Stout 12.6%)

Prelight:

The Las Calaveras 2018 starts out with a very consistent, deep, dark brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and gritty with only a slight amount of oils. The wrapper feels very hard, and dense while the cigar itself feels nicely packed with no soft spots what so ever. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself with only the smallest of veins running their course through the cigar’s slender body leading up to a perfectly round triple cap. The cigar is the polished off with the traditional Las Calaveras band we have all come to expect only this one had quite the color departure from the previous palettes with a lime green base under white, gold, and red embossed ink. 

The wrapper on the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 gives off a very nice sweet spice, cinnamon, and and oak aroma while the foot of the cigar  carries the same spice and cinnamon over a more natural tobacco base. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw follows up the aromas quite nicely with more cinnamon, spice, gingerbread and oak. 

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 starts off with a nice little black pepper burst which quickly fades away as the flavor profile transcends into a very sweet mixture of cinnamon, spice, nutmeg, cedar, almond, musk and notes of natural tobacco/earthiness on the back. The draw is absolutely brilliant. Each puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke which hangs around for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar releases only a small amount of thin, white smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a very tightly compacted trail of thick, white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray. 

Second Third:

As I enter the second third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 the musk flavor is leading the show backed by the cinnamon, spice, and sweetness with light hints of almond, nutmeg and floral flavors. I don’t think I could have found a more appropriate pairing for this cigar. The retrohale brings out a bit more of the spice and even a bit of the pepper that I have lost since the start of the experience. The cigar is still burning like a dream and I close out the second third with only a very light nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 and the cigar is burning like a dream. The flavor profile is still heavy on the musk and spice with lots of cedar and almond backed by sweetness, floral flavors, cinnamon, and even some light vanilla that the beer is really helping to bring out. It took me an hour and forty five minutes to take this cigar down to the nub and I loved every minute of it. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and quite frankly the cigar performed as perfect as it could have.

Overview:

Without hesitation it’s easy to say the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 is a fantastic cigar. I have been a big fan of Mexican San Andres wrapped cigars and this is a perfect example as to what the tobacco has to offer. Deep flavors, consistent burning, and wonderful presentation. The cigar is complex, balanced, flavorful, and won’t knock you on your ass. Need I say more?

Pairing:

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Northwoods Stout is a variant of the famous beer brewed with blueberry juice and almond extract. The imperial stout comes in at a whopping 12.6% ABV and can be purchased on Black Friday each year. The beer leads with heavy sweetness, roasted malt, blueberry, almond, bourbon, booze, sticky toffee, and chocolate with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with a ton of bourbon, booze, vanilla, almond, and a blueberry aftertaste. I am not a blueberry fan at all but the flavor is so well balanced that I absolutely love the way it pumps body in an already bold beer. The almond is killer and I LOVE it. The flavors obviously mashed up perfect with the almond, cedar, musk, spice and sweetness in the Las Calaveras. This beer can really overpower some of the boldest of cigars but the Las Calaveras really had enough body that it complimented the beer flawlessly. 

The post The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2018 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

I decided that I would close out my 2015 reviews with a cigar that I have always wanted to smoke, but somehow have never got around to, the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series in Maduro.  Although Casas Fumando has reviewed other 1964’s previously, it’s been a while, and none involved this particular vitola.  I will admit that although I’ve had a number of the core line cigars before, this is my first foray into the upper echelons of what Padrón has to offer.  It always helps to have friends who will see to it that one is able to broaden their horizons, and this one came to me through the courtesy of my good Minnesota friend Josh Peterson.

Details:

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size:  Exclusive 5.5 x 50 box-pressed
Price:  $11.70, but gifted by Josh Peterson
Smoking time:  One hour, twenty-five minutes
Pairing:  Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 2014 (13.8 % ABV)

Pre-light:

The cigar has a rather handsomely rustic look to it and comes draped in an extremely dark and mottled wrapper, firmly rolled with invisible seams leading to a somewhat lopsided and wrinkled single cap.  It feels downright hard, especially in the boxed corners.  Because it comes uncellophaned and has been sitting in my humidor for a month, the wrapper doesn’t have as much of a distinct aroma to it that one might expect.  Light earth and tobacco are pretty much all I get off the wrapper, while the foot gives up more discernible scents of sweet spice, tobacco, and herbs.  A shallow cut is all that is needed to provide an ideal draw that shows some sweetly spiced tobacco on the cold draw.

First third:

The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series maduro starts out with smooth sweet cedar, earth, and leather, along with a nice peppery bite.  It has what I can only describe as an aged tobacco feel to its underpinnings, as sweet coffee comes into play.  The burn line is sharp and even, leaving behind a thickly layered ash.  An inch in, the 1964 has taken on a a creaminess to complement its medium body and a toastiness has emerged as it continues to burn flawlessly, dropping a solid 1 ¼” ash.

Middle third:

The 1964 Anniversary Series maduro Exclusivo enters its middle section continuing on its medium-bodied way, as it flashes toasty cedar, mocha coffee, spice, and peppery pungency on top of that smooth aged tobacco background.  The ash finally falls on me after another 2”, and the cigar is still incredibly smooth, while picking up even more sweetness and bite on the back end.

Finish:

The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series maduro Exclusivo has entered the final stretch with a rather sudden ramp-up into the medium-full range, as the flavors have become toastier and bitier, and either the strength of the cigar has grown or the ABV of the beer is starting to have an effect on me.  Probably more of the latter.  The sweetness has receded, yet there is no harshness, even though the pepper has come on pretty strong at the very end.  The 1964 smokes absolutely cool down to the nub, even though it has gotten a bit squishy.

Overview:

With this being my final review of the year, I wanted to finish things off with something special, and indeed, it was.  The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series maduro Exclusivo was a thoroughly enjoyable smoke, one with a great amount of flavor and complexity, along with terrific construction and burn.  The price is absolutely warranted and this cigar could even be considered to be underpriced (shh!).  It’s not the prettiest girl at the dance, but it’s a perfect example of how beauty runs skin deep.

Pairing:

As with the cigar, having a great friend who will always see to it that you can try out beers that are normally beyond your reach is a wonderful thing, and this one came from the man himself, Tony Casas.  As he has pointed out before, “It’s with good reason that this limited release sells out so quickly. Aged in Bourbon Barrels this Imperial stout clocks in at a whopping 13.8% ABV. The beer is thick, almost syrupish and the mouthfeel is similar. Right away you’re hit with the bourbon and the booze as it starts to smooth out the spice, vanilla, sweetness and chocolate begin to creep in while it finishes boozy, and creamy with lots of bourbon and spice notes.”  Man, if I had a few more of these, I would save one to pour over a bowl of French vanilla ice cream.  I was afraid that this beer would be a little much for the Padrón, but it was a great pairing.

I want to extend a big “Thank you!” to both Josh and Tony for making this revew possible, and a big “Happy New Year!” to everyone out there!

The post Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro Exclusivo appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Casas Fumando is no stranger to Caldwell cigars. I have been on a mission to review as many of them as I possibly can and this week the Blind Man’s Bluff is at the plate. Caldwell hit the market last year and focuses on creating blends using rare, vintage, and limited tobaccos. The Blind Man’s Bluff is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Honduran Criollo binder and San Vincent Viso (Dominican), Honduran Criollo “Generoso” Ligero  fillers. The Blind Man’s Bluff is the first of a few lines produced at Davidoff’s Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Danli, Honduras vs. the usual Tabacalera William Ventura. Cigar Aficionado had some more information about this:

Caldwell Cigar Co. is expanding operations. The cigar company, founded by Robert Caldwell in early 2014, is finishing construction on a new factory in the Dominican Republic that is opening this week and preparing to launch four new cigar lines. Three of the lines, Sevillana Reserva, Gibraltar Extra and Muricas Especial, will be rolled at the new factory, appropriately named the Caldwell Cigar Factory. The fourth line is called Blind Man’s Bluff, and is made at Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Honduras, the same factory where Camachos are produced. The new cigars will debut at the 2015 International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in July.

“It’s been a crazy year so far,” Caldwell told Cigar Aficionado. “We’re excited about our new brands—and the cigar factory is in its final stages of construction. It will begin production this week.”

The core lines in Caldwell’s cigar portfolio are currently made at Tabacalera William Ventura, a small cigar factory in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. This week, those brands move to their new home at the Caldwell Cigar Factory, about a mile away from Tabacalera William Ventura. The Ventura family will still play a major role in Caldwell’s cigar production process.

The Caldwell Blind Man’s Bluff comes in four sizes: The Robusto (5 x 52), the Toro (6 x 52) and the Magnum (6 x 60) which all run for the modest (in Caldwell terms) price of $7.50 – $9.50 a stick. I picked up a few of these from the Caldwell team themselves at Fox Cigar Bar’s Foxtoberfest in Gilbert, Arizona a few months ago.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Criollo
Filler: San Vincent Viso (Dominican), Honduran Criollo “Generoso” Ligero
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.50
Pairing: 2015 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (Imperial Stout 14.3% ABV)

Prelight:

The Blind Man’s Bluff starts out with a very rugged, rustic looking wrapper. The wrapper is medium brown in color with lots of darker, and orange splotched areas scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very, very toothy as it feels like sandpaper with a decent amount of oil splashed over it. There are a few medium sized veins running their course through the cigar’s body as it leads up to a beautiful, round, triple cap. The cigar is finished off with a classic, brown, Caldwell band featuring a thug looking character with his eyes scratched out, and the words “Blind Man’s Bluff” and “We Own the Night” embossed in gold ink. The cigar is very firm, and very tightly packed while the wrapper is extremely dense and hard. There are no soft spots to be found through the cigar’s body.

The wrapper on the Blind Man’s Bluff gives off some very subtle cedar, molasses, and sweetness while the foot of the cigar is very spicy with some strong pepper, and bold tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The molasses and sweetness carried over to the cold draw with the same bold amounts of spice and pepper.

First Third:

Caldwell’s Blind Man’s Bluff starts out with a very potent black pepper blast which lasted through quite a few draws. After the pepper faded the cigar let loose some very strong oak, vanilla, espresso, sweetness, molasses and spice flavors. This cigar starts off full-bodied right out of the gate and I’m interested to see where it goes from here. The draw is flawless, each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke while the cigar burns like a while fire as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is a bit wild, and decently sharp leaving behind a very flaky trail of medium gray ash which held on for about 3/4 of a inch before falling into my lap. Gotta love when that happens.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Caldwell Blind Man’s Bluff and it’s still pouring on the flavor. The cigar leads with oak, vanilla, spice, and sweetness backed by espresso and molasses now. The flavor profile is incredible, the ash consistency is not. I ashed on my lap again… I won’t deduct from a review for that though unless its unescapable, which this is not. It’s just from my own laziness. The retrohale showcases the pepper that I picked up in the first third and it’s plentiful. I don’t find myself retrohaling this cigar very often. The burn line is still slightly wavy, but I haven’t had to reach for my torch yet as I close out the second third with a slight nicotine kick.

Finish:

The strength has been hovering around the medium region up into the final third of the Blind Man’s Bluff before it really ramps up into the upper medium/full range. The flavors are still holding their own too leading with oak, vanilla, sweetness and spice with some great chocolate and espresso on the back end. Despite the wild burn I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar. It took me almost 2 hours to take this slow-burning cigar down to the nub and I experience no harshness, extra heat, and a pretty decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

Caldwell’s Blind Man’s Bluff is another great cigar from the company. They came flying out of the gate and haven’t slowed down. Add the price of this cigar in comparison to the other cigars in Caldwell’s portfolio into the equation and it’s easy to see why this cigar has been so popular amongst the cigar community. The flavors, full body, marketing, and price all lured me towards this cigar. Not to mention Caldwell’s track record, and it impressed me out of the gate. This may be a bit too full bodied for the novice cigar smoker, but it would fit in perfectly with one who wants to venture into full-bodied premium cigars without breaking the bank. On the flip side, and seasoned cigar smoker looking for a great, solid, reasonably priced cigar should be all over these. I plan on picking up a box as this is something I could easily see being a long-time contender in my daily rotation.

Pairing:

It’s a yearly thing for me. Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout needs no introduction. It’s a bold, rare, strong, bourbon barrel aged stout that is only available one day a year. People wait in line for it. People trade for it. People pay ridiculous prices for it. With good reason. The 14.3% stout leads with very bold chocolate, vanilla, coffee, bourbon, sticky sweetness, malt, and caramel with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing heavy with lots of spice, bourbon, booze, vanilla, and a whole ton of sweetness. This is one of my favorite releases of the year and it always lives up to expectations. The spice, sweetness, vanilla, oak, and coffee paired absolutely perfectly with the flavors in the Blind Man’s Bluff. One thing to keep in mind is that this beer can easily overpower most cigars so you need to pair it with something that can hold it’s own.

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