The Good Stuff:

To say that Davidoff has really stepped their game up the last few years is an understatement. They have been kicking out fantastic new cigars left and right with little signs of slowing down. An extension to the AVO Syncro series called the AVO Syncro South America Ritmo is one of the newest offerings the brand has shipped to retailers. The goal of the Ritmo was to utilize tobacco from seven different countries to reach the highest, most intense flavor offered within the AVO portfolio. The cigar features an Ecuadorian wrapper, Mexican Binder and fillers from Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru, and Nicaragua. The cigar is offered in four size: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 54), Special Toro (6 x 60), and the Torpedo Largo (7 x 54). Each size comes packaged in boxes of 20 and runs between $10.90 to $13.90 a stick. I purchased mine over from our friends at Ford on Fifth.

Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Brazilian / Dominican / Honduran / Peruvian / Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.90
Pairing: Alesmith Grand Cru (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo starts out with a gorgeous, dark brow and orangish brown wrapper. The cigar is covered in rustic looking inconsistencies in color along with some areas of very dark brown splotches scattered through the wrapper leaf. You can see some nice dark natural webbing in the leaf as well as a few mild veins running through the course of the cigar’s body. The wrapper feels very thin a brittle but carries an incredible amount of both grainy tooth and oils. The cigar features a soft-box press format with a nice round double cap. The cigar is polished off with a gorgeous teal, orange, white and black wrapper that carries the standard AVO crest as well as the words “South America” on it. There is also a secondary team band that simply states “RITMO” across the front. The cigar feels very heavy and extremely tightly packed which I hope doesn’t result in any plugging.

The wrapper on The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo gives off a lot of earthy, mossy, natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a bit more spice and oak over mostly the same earthy, natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and like butter using my Palio XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of sweet spice, honey, earthiness and a great mixture of naked woods.

First Third:

The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo starts out with vanilla, oak, honey, sweet spice, a bit of tartness of my lips and tongue as well as a little bit of black licorice. While I was expecting the draw to be tight, it was as fluid as it could get. Each tiny puff kicked out massive clouds of thick, white smoke which quickly dissipated as it reached my ceiling fan while the cigar itself released a standard amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty even, and razor sharp leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of light and medium gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo and the tartness has started to overtake the cigar, but not in a good way. I just hope it doesn’t last too long as I really enjoyed the flavors that developed early on. Underneath the tartness is still some oak, vanilla, and spice, but anything else is pretty much lost at this point. I really hope that the flavors can come back in this thing cause I was really digging how this cigar started. The retrohale helps though as it coats my nasal passage with the sweetness and spice I picked up early on. The cigar is still burning beautifully as I close out the second third with a tiny little nicotine kick.

Finish:

As I wished for the tartness to fade out in The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo it just kept pouring it on and it has now completely took over the experience. I still get a bit of vanilla and a bit of oak, but that’s just about it. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and quite frankly I thought about putting it down about 20 minutes ago. I just wanted to hold out just to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

Overview:

I really wanted to like The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo. I have been on a huge AVO kick lately but this one just didn’t perform on par with some of the previous Syncro releases. The flavors started out incredible, but quickly took a turn for the worse when the overwhelming tartness took over the flavor profile. It almost seems like the tartness was the outcome of faulty blending but I smoked 3 of these cigars, all of which ended up the same. I can’t say I’d really recommend these cigars, but what I will do is stash a few away and see if aging them a bit helps the tartness fade out.

Pairing:

I decided to pair The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo with a beer that is heavy on the sweetness and very bold body in an attempt to help the cigar out. Alesmith’s Grand Cru is an 10% ABV Belgian style strong dark ale brewed at the Alesmith brewery in San Diego, California. The beer leads with a ton of sweetness, cajeta, caramel, malt, a bit of hop, slight bitterness, and some rich apple flavors with a very light mouthfeel before finishing crisp with more apple and sweetness, spice, and malt. This is such a good beer and it did in fact help lend a hand to the The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo experience but in the end it just wasn’t enough.

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-Tony

Launched in 2016, Daddy Mac was created in homage to Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars founder Steven Bailey’s father, Mac.  The Bailey family has been involved in tobacco growing in Virginia since the 1860’s, and the Cornelius in the company’s name comes from Steven Bailey’s great-great grandfather.  While the company’s first release, the Cornelius, was produced by El Titan de Bronze in Miami, the Daddy Mac is made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and comes in four sizes – Corona Gorda 5.5 x 46, Robusto 5 x 52, Toro 6 x 50, and Gordo 6 x 60 – packed in boxes of 20, with prices ranging from $8.50 to $11.

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Brazil
Binder:  Ecuador
Filler:  Nicaragua
Size:  Corona Gorda 5.5 x 46
Price:  $8.50
Smoking time:  One hour, twenty minutes
Pairing:  Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale (ABV 8.5%)

Pre-light:

The Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac comes draped in a medium brown wrapper with some darker splotches dispersed throughout the lightly oily and slightly toothy cover.  Any veins are very fine and the pack is solid down to the foot, where it gets a little softer.  The band of gray, black, gold, and eggshell white looks great against the hue of the wrapper, and is complemented by a “Daddy Mac” secondary band in black and gold.  The aroma off of the wrapper is something that I haven’t experienced before – a meaty, almost beef jerky-like scent over an earthy background.  The foot gives up rich tobacco, meat, and smoky oak.  I’m really intrigued by this, and looking forward to seeing what this stick gives up in flavor.  A shallow clip of the cap allows for an ideal draw that surprisingly shows little more than light, sweet spice on top of natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac toasts up quickly, even in the light breeze out today, with initial flavors of earthy natural tobacco, light leather, and moderate but lingering pepper.  The retrohale deepens those notes while bringing in a bit of breadiness.  The burn is sharp and just little wavy, giving me no concern, and the ash gives way at about ¾”.  I am picking up some sweet oak and hints of musk and spice as the pepper smoothes out on the palate, but continues to smolder on the retrohale.  By the time I’ve gotten past the first inch, the texture of the smoke has become smooth and almost creamy.   The earthy tobacco, leather, and sweet woodiness have continued to propel the cigar, and the other flavor interweave with them.  The Daddy Mac winds up its first third at a low-medium in body, but rich in flavor and low in strength.

Middle third:

The Daddy Mac has begun the second section by bringing in a sweet citric tang to complement the base flavors.  The earthiness and leather have both dropped back, while the bread notes have moved up.  The pepper has dissipated from the palate, but is still very present on the retrohale.  A short section (1/4”) tunneled on me, but once past that, it picked up where it left off, gaining a bit more musk and spice and even bringing in a light savoriness.

Final third:

The final third of the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac shows a deepening of flavors, with smoky oak becoming a bigger player, along with a re-emergence of pepper and a sprinkling of sweet nuttiness.  The musk has departed along with most of the spice, but wisps of citrus remain to keep me entertained.  While the body has mostly remained at a solid medium, the richness and complexity of the cigar have made it seem fuller than that.  The Daddy Mac winds down to a peppery nub; firm and cool, imparting little in the way of nicotine strength, and without any harshness.

Final thoughts:

I found the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac to be a flavorful stick with enough complexity to keep my interest and keep me coming back for more.  In fact, I was a little disappointed when it ended, wanting to continue enjoying it for a while longer.  The little tunneling hiccup was not a deal breaker at all, as the one I smoked previous to this one didn’t have any such problem and it didn’t impact the remainder of the smoke.  Overall, construction and burn were excellent and the price is definitely in line with the quality.  This is a cigar that I could smoke just about any time of day.  I’m a sucker for medium bodied, richly flavored cigars, and would certainly recommend picking up on some of these to try out.

You can pick up the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac from our friends at Cuenca Cigars here.

Pairing:

I’ve been on a bit of a Founders kick since they recently have become more widely available in my area, and the Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale has become a fairly regular addition to my basket while beer shopping.  With a low-medium body, smoky sweet malt, dark stone fruit and slight citrus notes, and a hoppy finish, it paired up extremely well with the Daddy Mac.  I could also see going very well with a rich, sweet Imperial IPA, a strong ale or brown ale, and for a matching spirit, would love to pair it with a nice aged rum or Highland Scotch.

– Review by Jeff Oda

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Smoke Inn is at it again.  They have partnered up with yet another well known cigar company to add one more Smoke Inn Exclusive to their portfolio.  Big Delicious is the sixth installment in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. This time in partnership with Matt Booth of Room 101 (Side note: Matt Booth will be in attendance at Foxtoberfest 2013). The excerpt below is from a press release I located at room101bigdelicious.com

Smoke Inn proudly continues its quest to work with the world’s leading manufacturers to create limited release boutique cigars that are produced with only the highest quality premium tobaccos under the strictest supervision to guarantee the consumer a unique and exquisite experience

Other Microblend releases include: Tatuaje Anarchy, Padron SI-15, My Father El Hijo, Arturo Fuente Solaris, and Tatuaje Apocalypse. Other than the Tatuaje Anarchy, you can find our reviews of the Microblend Series below:

• Padron 1964 Anniversary Series SI-15 Natural 
• My Father Cigars – El Hijo
• Arturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje – Apocalypse 

The Facts

Price: $44.75 per five pack / $134.25 per box
Vitola: Torpedo
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Habano 2000
Binder/Filler: Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic
Pairing: Equal Exchange – Cafe Salvador Coffee
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Pre-light

The Big Delicious sports a beautiful, consistent, oily, milk chocolate wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch. I have not encountered any soft spots on this evenly packed cigar. The aroma off the wrapper is light with mild pepper and leather.  One thing that immediately grabs you about this stick is the crazy shaggy foot. However, due to the shaggy foot, I am unable to pick up on any additional notes off the foot.

The cap has been applied extremely neat looking like an extension of the wrapper. Taking a small clip off the cap, a perfect draw is revealed.  The back of my throat is tickled from pepper on the cold draw and rich tobacco hits my palate.

First Third

Toasting the foot of the Room 101 Big Delicious took some time due to the shaggy foot and the large ring gauge, but I am now under way and I am really looking forward to this cigar. This is a hefty cigar but the soft box pressed format makes it very comfortable in the hand and while smoking.  The smoke is delivering flavors of leather, earth, pepper and a very enjoyable tartness.  The spice is felt across my entire palate.  Retrohaling the cigar showcases a sharp spice of white pepper and woodsy notes.  Already the profile is transitioning with an added layer of oak. The burn started off a little edgy but is now even with a thick eyeliner burn line. I am loving how slow the Big Delicious is smoking. It took about 30 minutes before the first ash fell off about an inch and half into the cigar.  The flavors and strength are a steady full.

Middle Third

The leather quality, which I usually associate with Honduran tobacco, is still around with a vegetal flavor that is somewhat musty. The tartness is something I have rarely picked up on and I am not sure which type of tobacco delivers it but it is tasty.  It is similar to the tart side of a SweeTART.  A caramel richness is showing through but not overly sweet. I clipped the cap a little deeper, not due to draw resistance, but the amount of smoke was not to my liking.  The deeper cut has significantly improved the amount of smoke each puff delivers.  The smoke is cool and balanced.  The retrohale it still in your face with the spice and pepper.  I am really digging it.  The strength is full but comfortable, giving me a nice relaxed feeling.  Once again the ash is holding strong. While not the prettiest ash, it is solid.

Final Third

A sweetness that was barely poking its head out earlier has now arrived complementing the tartness in the profile.  While not a lingering sweetness, it does hit the tip of the tongue on each draw. The sweetness is fresh, almost fruit-like. The earth and leather notes are now much darker, with an added savoriness.  In the final inch and half, a toasted dough-like flavor has entered the profile with a cocoa finish. Smoke is just pouring out of this puppy and copious amount of smoke fill my mouth with the smallest draw, leaving an oily coating on my palate.  The sweetness continues to evolve incorporating a caramel richness.  This cigar just keeps building and evolving. Finally reaching the band an hour and 25 minutes in, I remove it with ease. The flavors remained a steady full throughout the entirety of the stick, while the strength moved up a notch making this one powerhouse of a smoke at the end.

Wrap-up

To sum it up, I feel privileged to have smoked this stick prior to its release. The Room 101 Big Delicious captured me and took me on a crazy, amazing journey for an hour and forty-five minutes.  The flavors engaged my palate and challenged me and not once did I lose interest in this cigar. The construction was excellent and even the large size was comfortable. This is one smoke I could easily recommend to any seasoned cigar smoker out there.  Now at the price of $44.75 for a five pack, I think it is a steal.  The Big Delicious can be pre-ordered at Smokeinn.com and the cigars will ship on April 29, 2013.  Get your hands on this gem before they are gone.  And trust me, these sticks will be going fast.

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Now today we have a new blend from La Aurora called the Fernando Leon Family Reserva. Fernando León Asensio was the “Father” of La Aurora and passed away in 2009. This particular blend was actually made for personal consumption and reserved for friends and family only. To commemorate his father, Guillermo Leon decided to push out this special blend for the masses to enjoy.

The cigar comes wrapped in a very similar band to what the Guillermo Leon Signature had, only with a different color scheme. The lion logo still adorns the top middle of the band and instead of Guillermo’s signature, we have Fernando’s signature in gold print across the middle of the band.

The Fernando Leon Family Reserve comes in the same classic sizes as the Guillermo Leon. A Corona, Corona Gorda, Robusto, Belicoso and Gran Toro. For today’s review I’m picking up the Corona Gorda vitola, which is also becoming one of my favorites of all the vitolas lately. It turned out to be a warm(warm to me at least, it’s still only like 35F) afternoon with only a little bit of wind. So let’s get to it and see how this new cigar stands up!

Cigar: Fernando Leon Family Reserve
Drink: Wellington Breweries Imperial Russian Stout
Vitola: Corona Gorda (6 x 47)
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Peruvian, Brazilian, Dominican
Price: About $8
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Fernando Leon Family Reserve has a rough, but soft, wrapper with a touch of toothiness to it
• There is a definite softness when squeezed from head to foot, pretty consistent the whole way through
• Looks to be a triple cap that is finished extremely smooth and well, blends right into the wrapper
• The foot has some small gaps, so it’s not too tightly packed
• Golden brown is the color of the wrapper, with some shiny hints of oil
• The cut was very easy and smooth leaving me with a perfectly sliced cap
• Draw was just perfect with enough resistance but not with too much

Yes, that is a big pile of snow! lol

Burn:
• Toasting was nice, even and slow with only the foot catching and leaving me with a nice amber to start off with
• No burn issues through the first third, razor sharp and thin burnline, just the way I like it!
• It’s also burning at a nice slow pace, allowing me to enjoy it slowly without burning out
• At about the half-way mark I hit a tunnel that ended up requiring a touch-up, now we’re off to the races again
• After that touch-up, we had smooth sailing right to the end, a very well constructed cigar!

Smoke & Ash:
• Right from the start I’m getting a nice mouthful of billowy smoke with very little effort
• The ash is nothing spectacular here, it’s a light grey and dark grey mix, it is nice and clean and string though
• The first ash made it to about an inch before I tapped it off
• The next couple of ashes both fell off at about a half-inch even though there were looking strong
• Smoke continues to be very full with very little effort on the draw
• The ashes continued looking strong but always seemed to fall unexpectedly or really shatter in the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper is giving off a sweet woodsy sort of aroma
• A little more boldness on the foot where the aroma is adding a bunch of spices like nutmeg
• Pre-light draw was a big kick of cedar with some touches of spice
• First few draws started with a small spice kick but that quickly disappeared
• I’m now left with a smooth and creamy cedar flavor backed by some light coffee notes
• Through the first third, the body seems to be in the medium range and I’m also getting some accents of nutty notes
• The retro-hale is giving me a nice little bite with a smooth creamy finish, nice touch
• Through the first half, the cedar and coffee notes are prime with a smooth creaminess to round it all out
• As I get into the last third, the coffee is ramping up a bit but sadly the nice creaminess has toned down a notch
• I’m also getting a little more of the early spices as we sneak into the last bit here
• The last inch or so turned into a bit of charred wood type of flavors, not off putting, but not as exciting as it was before
• The Fernando Leon finished with lots of wood and spice flavors and I was able to nub it happily

Final Thoughts:
I was a huge fan of the Guillermo Leon Signature so I was pretty excited when there was another cigar added to Guillermo’s lines. Now I can’t help but compare the Fernando Leon Family Reserve to the Signature and I feel it fell a little short. That’s not to say this was a bad cigar, it was actually quite tasty(minus the last part which got boring). I just felt that the Signature brought all the flavors together a little better and made it enjoyable from start to finish. I would probably pick up more of these up again in the future but if the Fernando Leon Family Reserve was right beside the Guillermo Leon Signature, I’d go with the signature every time. Maybe I’ll pick out some different vitolas as well to see if that changes the profile much. Either way I’m happy to see more additions the La Aurora line-up and I hope to see more coming up as well

Pairings:
Today’s beer is actually a pretty rare find for me up here. Most of the local breweries tend to stick to typical stouts and dark ales and rarely venture outside of that territory. Welling Breweries took a step outside the comfort zone and came out with an Imperial Russian Stout. This brew clocks in at 8% alc./vol. and has a dark and thick consistency with a very thick head as well. The flavors bring lots of coffee and cocoa notes, but one interesting thing was that I was actually picking up some citrus notes. That made for a very interesting brew and paired quite well with the spice that the Fernando Leon had to offer. I’d like to try this cigar with a nice strong coffee as well, maybe with a little cinnamon sprinkled in there!

The post Fernando Leon Family Reserve appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

You might remember a while back Tony took a trip down to the Dominican Republic courtesy of our awesome friends over at General Cigar. He got a very neat tour and had an awesome time. You can read more about it from his recap here. He did an awesome job of detailing the whole trip including all the educational pieces that General Cigar mixed in. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure you do now.

While on the trip, Tony had the chance to blend and even help roll a special cigar of this own. He got to choose all the tobacco leaves that went into it and sprinkled a little bit of sunshine into the recipe! lol. When he came back, he graciously sent me one of his samples and today I am going to review it.

As a special treat, I also found out that Tony sent one of these sticks over to our friend Jeff, so I sneakily went behind his back and asked Jeff to review it as well. Check his thoughts out at the bottom of the post and a big Thanks to Jeff for sending it along to me!

So enough with the chatter, let’s see if Tony is next master cigar blender!

Cigar: Macanudo “Tony Casas”
Drink: Unibroue Raftman
Vitola: Corona (5.5 x 46)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Ometepe Ligero, Nicaraguan Viso, Brazillian Mata Fina and Piloto Cubano Seco (Can anyone say “Frankenstein’s Monster”? ;))
Price: Priceless!
Burn Time: About an hour

Construction:
• When squeezed, there is mostly a fairly squishy type of feel with some soft spots to be found
• Spotty cinnamon brown wrapper has no major veins to be worried about
• Foot appears very well packed and almost even tapered a bit towards the foot, interesting style there
• Cap seems like some sort of single cap with a messy application, but not too shabby for a first attempt (sorry Tony!)
• The cut was very easy and left me with a really nice draw

Burn:
• The toasting was super easy, probably due to the slight taper at the end, not sure if that was intentional or if the cigar got squeezed but I like the idea! lol
• There was a bit of a wave just near the foot after lighting but it quickly corrected itself without my help
• Through the first third I’m having a nice burn, not perfectly straight but still very nice
• I noticed that some big draws were over heating the cigar, causing very black burn lines and a change in the flavor, slowed it down a bit now
• Happy to report that I only needed one minor touch up around the halfway mark, the rest of the cigar burned pretty nicely

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke right from the start here and no need for any extra draws
• There’s a bit of resting smoke as I lay the cigar in the ashtray, just a burning wood aroma from there
• Ask is a bit flaky and messy, getting some bits falling off now and then
• Tapped the ash off at just about a half inch, was worried it would fall on my laptop
• The ash has some parts that are very light grey and others are super dark black
• After I changed my draw pattern, the ash is a consistent medium grey, not over heating it anymore
• Kept the ash under a half inch since it was flaky the whole way through

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper had a bit of a woodsy aroma to it but nothing too strong
• The foot is more woodsy aromas with a little bit of greenery tossed in there
• On the pre-light draw, I’m actually getting some tarty or fruity notes along with the woodsy and greenery
• First few draws were kind of burnt wood flavors, nothing interesting here
• I started get a bit of the tarty flavors coming out as I burned through the first third
• I realized that drawing too fast on this cigar is causing some really hot burning, so I slowed it down and all those burnt flavors are slowly disappearing
• Getting some nice woodsy and sort of cinnamon type of flavors into the mix now
• I also started picking up a bit of the tarty notes I had before lighting it up, they are peeking in and out
• The slightly burnt flavor never completely left but slowing down on my draws definitely reduced it
• For the most part the body was fairly mild, maybe just near medium towards the end
• No harshness or bitterness towards the end at all, a nice finish and some of the flavors really bolded up

Final Thoughts:
So what to say here? I’m not too sure. I’ll be easy on Tony since it was his first attempt. I have to point out the mess of fillers he put in this stick, it’s like he grabbed one leaf from every pile and put them together! Just joking, I’m sure it made sense in his head.
Aside from the over heating aspects, the Macanudo Tony Casas had some promising flavors to it and it actually burned quite well. The price was astronomically too high for this cigar though!
Good job Tony, you’re well on your way to becoming the best Texas grown cigar maker out there!

Pairings:
This isn’t a new pairing here but it is the last bottle I have (and probably last I will be able to get for a long time). This offering by Unibroue is called the Raftman and is brewed with whisky malts. I’ve only ever been able to find it when I was in Quebec which is a good 5-6 hour drive away. The flavors are fantastic with a great mix of oak, a hint of those whisky malts and a nice helping of regular malt. There’s even a touch of citrus in there too, very good stuff! It paired well with the Macanudo Tony Casas because it’s not an overpowering beer so it was a good choice.

Macanudo LE by Tony Casas (Review by Jeff Oda)

Pre-Light

The wrapper is fairly veiny and bumpy. The pack is firm with no discernible soft spots.
Wrapper smells of tobacco and light cedar with very faint barnyard.
Foot smells of tobacco, not much more.
The cold draw is snug and doesn’t offer up much other than tobacco flavor.

Light up!

First draws are of lightly sweet tobacco and cedar on the tongue with a slight pepper bite. It’s mild and smooth with some nice cedar on the retrohale. The stationary smoke is very light but has a nice aroma.

One inch in at 15 minutes, the draw has improved and ash held for 1”. Pepper has ramped up a bit,
feeling it in the back of the throat, but the body is still mild, although it is climbing a bit. The retrohale continues to be cedary and lightly sweet with a peppery sting.

Two inches in at 35 minutes, I’m now getting a bit of acidic brightness and pepper has faded but is still there. The small amount of sweetness that was there has also departed, but I’m enjoying the aroma through the nose as I take a draw.

Halfway through, I’m starting to pick up some creaminess, but not a lot. The body is at medium and I’m still getting a bit of peppery tickle at the back of the throat, though it seems to come and go. Burn-wise, I haven’t even had to think about it, a bit wavy at times, but mostly even.

Into the final third at 1 hour, the spice has faded once again and nuttiness has come into play. Further down, the pepper zing has surfaced again on the tongue and lips. With 1-1/2” left, the flavors have washed out, but the burn remains cool to the last inch, where I stopped at 1:20. Pretty slow burn on this one.

All in all, not bad, but I was hoping for more sweetness and creamy richness to intermingle and balance with the pepperiness and wood and tobacco flavors. I’m sure part of it may have to do with the tobaccos that were available for blending.* Would I smoke one again? Sure. Would I pay for it? I plead the 5th on that. I have to commend Tony on this first effort. The flavors were a bit thin and
unbalanced, but even though it wasn’t the prettiest cigar to look at, the construction, burn, and draw
were great. Now I’m really looking forward to trying the Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua blends he did.

I paired it with Lagunitas New DogTown Pale Ale, but I think it would go better with a cup of coffee.

Photo Courtesy of Jeff

The post General Cigar – Macanudo “Tony Casas” appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Dona Flor Selecao

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Brazillian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazillian Mata Norte
Filler: Brazillian Mata Fina
Price: ~$7
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Pairing: Water

Prelight: This cigar is extremely rustic looking. The wrapper is a very consistent, very dark brown. The dark, meaty wrapper almost looks damp. The wrapper is extremely toothy and carries some decent oils. While the cigar may look like it has had better days, some of the craziest looking cigars produce some of the most pleasurable experiences. The cigar is pretty soft to the touch and doesn’t feel very packed. The wrapper has one or two larger veins running up to its double cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a very mild cedar aroma while the foot just boasts of natural tobacco.

Flavors: Right off the bat this cigar greets you with very sweet chocolate, leather, lots of cedar, and even a bit of cherry. As the smoke progresses the cedar becomes more dominant while the chocolate begins to damper off. The cigar finishes very sweet and very smooth. The Brazillian tobacco really is a step away from the usual experience. I found the flavors stayed more on the natural side with lots of sweetness and fruit in the background.

Burn/Draw: The burn was razor sharp the entire time. Outside of some large waves I encountered about halfway in the cigar burned relatively clean. It did require a few touchups during that troubled time, but nothing out of the ordinary. The ash produced was very thick and tightly compacted holding on for about an inch before giving way. Despite the pre-light experience with a loose feel, this cigar drew like a dream. Perfect and plentiful every time.

Thoughts: While this cigar didn’t give off a ton of flavor I found what it did create was a very balanced, smooth, and enjoyable experience. This is a perfect cigar for someone taking a stroll, enjoying a morning coffee, someone looking for a unique experience, or even a novice smoker looking for something that carries a bit more flavor than the average mild cigar.

Alonso Menendez Mata Fina

Size: 6 x 42
Wrapper: Brazillian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazillian Mata Fina
Filler: Brazillian Mata Fina
Price: ~$6
Strength: Medium
Body: Full
Pairing: Water

Prelight: I love this format. I am sucker for smaller ring gauges. This wrapper looks very different than the Selecao. Starting with a lighter shade of consistent brown, this wrapper carries quite a toothy texture. The cigar is seamless, with only a few very small veins running through the slender body. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a subtle cedar and sweet honey aroma while the foot of this one lets loots a very chocolaty, sweet, tobacco aroma.

Flavors: The cigar started out with just a slight spice, lots of cedar, heavy creamed coffee, and lots of sweetness. The sweet tobacco and honey really took over the deeper I got into the cigar while the spice faded in and out. The cedar remained the entire time before ramping up into the final third. There wasn’t much of a changeup in flavors, but I really enjoyed what this cigar had to offer.

Burn/Draw: The burn on this cigar was all sorts of crazy at the start. I touched up a few times and then it burned clean and clear the rest of the way. This tells me it had to do something with the way I toasted the foot. The draw was a bit tight on this cigar, but I was able to get a good amount of thick, white smoke after giving it a good puff or two.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this cigar. I have always liked Brazillian tobacco and this cigar really showcases what the Mata Fina has to offer. Lots of up front flavor, mild and creamy composure with just a tad of spice. This cigar is great for the novice smoker and it makes for a pleasurable experience for the more seasoned cigar smoker looking for something mild and smooth without skipping out in the flavor department.

The post Quick Draw Episode 10 – Dona Flor Selecao and Alonso Menendez Mata Fina appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Photo courtesy of Jay L. from www.cigarphoto.net – Be sure to check out his awesome photography!

Now, I think it’s no secret that I’m a La Aurora fan. They have turned out a number of great smokes in the past year or two that have all been quite good. Now while their newer releases are enjoyable we can’t ignore some of their previous releases. So that’s what I decided to pick up tonight for review, it’s the La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Ruby Edition.

Now this particular cigar is part of the La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Special Edition series which covers 5 different colors and each one represents a specific wrapper and . The particular version I’ll be reviewing tonight is the Ruby Edition which is their Brazilian Sun-Grown wrapper version. Each of the Preferidos 1903 Special Editions come in wonderfully crafted aluminum tubes, each matching the color of their appropriate names.

It’s not just the wrapper or tube that makes these cigars special, the process for all the tobacco involved is quite unique as well. Firstly, the only Torcedors permitted to make this line of cigars are the resident experts that have at least 15 years of experience. This experts are also restricted to making a maximum of 125 cigars per day so they can pace themselves accordingly and not rush to over-produce. This ensures high quality cigars and extra time allotted for each one.

As for the tobacco leaves themselves, each one used in the Preferidos cigars have been aged a minimum of 4 years. This time includes a full year of aging in rum barrels and another 6-8 months in the aging room after being rolled. All this extra time and attention to this cigar makes for an exceptional presentation. So without further delay, let’s jump into the review.

Cigar: La Aurora Perferidos 1903 Ruby Edition
Drink: Hockley Valley Brewery Black & Tan
Vitola: Perfecto (5 x 54)
Wrapper: Brazilian Sun Grown
Binder: Piloto Cubano
Filler: Piloto Cubano, Brazilian Bahia, Cameroon
Price: $10 – $15
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A very nice dark chocolate brown wrapper surrounds this perfecto shaped cigar
• The wrapper is amazingly toothy and rough like sandpaper, but the presentation definitely shows attention to detail
• There are quite a few visible veins but none of them are too large or worrisome
• The cap blends into the cigar and the start of the cap is barely noticeable
• There is a fair bit of firmness on the cigar and it offers almost no give when squeezed
• The foot is fairly small due to the tapered edge but it actually appears poorly packed, which is odd since the rest of the cigar is really firm
• I gave the cigar a short cut which sliced through easily and cleanly
• Draw was excellent even with a small cut

Burn:
• Given it’s super small foot, the cigar toasted quickly and evenly
• I usually have a lot of problems with sharply tapered ends on cigars but so far the burn is super razor sharp
• It’s also quickly noticeable that this cigar is burning very slowly, hopefully that keeps up
• Passing an inch and we’re still razor sharp
• It’s still burning amazingly slow too, really allowing me time to enjoy it
• I was expecting the thinner portions of the cigar to burn faster but the total burn time ended up being longer than what I would have expected on a 5 inch cigar, love it when that happens

Smoke & Ash:
• Right off the bat it’s easy to notice the ton of smoke from every draw on the Ruby
• Initial sightings of the ash are showing a nice white/light grey color
• It also appears to be nicely clean and tight
• There’s also a ton of resting smoke from this cigar and it’s giving off a nice cedar aroma
• Ash is holding strong at about two inches and looking good
• The ash lasted well over 2 inches but in my greediness to try and get a massive ash, it fell onto the floor
• The middle of the ash turned out to be amazingly white, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a bright white on an ash before
• The thick billowing smoke was consistent right to the end

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the La Aurora Preferidos Ruby offers just a touch of sweet coffee aroma
• The foot is fairly small and I basically get the same aroma as I did on the wrapper
• The pre-light draw brought a lot more flavors, including cedar, cocoa and just a touch of spices
• The initial draws are bursting with notes of cedar and spice, it actually made me sneeze, lol
• The retrohale has no bite and a very smooth and enjoyable cedar finish
• So far the body seems to be in the low-medium department and I’m enjoying this profile
• The spice kicked down a notch but I’m still getting a smooth cedar and maybe some hints of coca are appearing now and then
• The cedar and cocoa flavors are really intensifying and getting super tasty, also picking up lots of coffee notes now too
• It seems like the flavors just keep intensifying and getting more enjoyable, the spice and coffee are also making a bigger appearance just past the halfway mark
• The flavors are staying balanced and taking turns being dominant right to the end, took out the toothpick to get max enjoyment out of this cigar tonight
• No harshness right down to the super small nub, enjoyed every last bit of this tasty cigar.

Final Thoughts:
This was not my first dive into Preferidos territory and it definitely won’t be my last. I think La Aurora has another winner with this line of cigars and the Ruby Edition is definitely one of my favorites. The intense but smooth array of flavors makes for a very enjoyable cigar from start to finish. I did find quite a variance in the prices of these cigars so you might be careful and do some research before purchasing. At $15+ these can be a tough buy, and may not live up to expectations. But if you can find them at the $10 range then these are winners in my book and deserve a home in your humidor. The burn was also sensational on the La Aurora Preferidos Ruby which helped tie up the whole experience with a winning combination.

Photo courtesy of Jay L. from www.cigarphoto.net – Be sure to check out his awesome photography!

Pairings:
Today’s brew pairing comes from a local brewery about 30min away form my home called Hockley Valley Brewing Co.. It’s actually a gorgeous place I’ve visited a few times before that is very picturesque and surrounded by forests. In the winter time they have some fairly basic ski hills to enjoy as well. This offering is called the Black & Tan. The best way I can describe it is some sort of hybrid between ad dark ale and a stout. It’s got some thick creamy notes but is also smooth like a dark ale, very interesting. It offers up notes of creamy coffee and lots of roasted malt with almost no bitterness at all. It’s very enjoyable! It also paired very well with the cedar and cocoa notes of the La Aurora Preferidos Ruby, they complimented each other quite well. Other good pairings for this tasty cigar would include coffee or a fine tawny port!

The post La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Ruby Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Monte Pascoal is made by the Tabacos Mata Fina Ltda company and is part of the Orsi Family Group. The tobacco portion of the Orsi’s company was established very recently in 2007 but they also have business in Wine, Steel, and Real Estate. The Monte Pascoal name comes from a part of Brazil where the first Portugeuse explorer landed in Brazil. As with the Dona Flor, the Monte Pascoal is a Brazilian Puro Cigar.

The Monte Pascoal line is available in 6 Vitolas and are all made with the same blend of Mata Fina and Mata Norte leaves. The blend of tobacco sounds very interesting and I’m hoping to get a lot of the expected cocoa and coffee notes that I typically get from Brazilian wrappers. Let’s light this cigar up and see how it stands. As always, I’m going into this review completely unbiased and will be giving my wholly honest opinion as I burn away.

Cigar: Monte Pascoal
Drink: Quinta do Tedo Fine Tawny
Vitola: Corona (5.623 x 42)
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Mata Norte
Price: About $6
Burn Time: Just over 1 hour

Construction:
• A slender rough looking cigar with a medium brown wrapper and some dark brown accents
• There is a fair bit of bumpiness on the wrapper and a few prominent veins but none look problematic to the burn
• The entire cigar is consistenly soft and springy
• The triple cap is finished tightly and clean
• The foot looks moderately packed, a couple open spots can be seen
• Cutting the cigar was effortless and fairly clean and didn’t cause any wrapper damage
• Draw it spot on, lots of air but just enough resistence

Burn:
• The small corona sized cigar toasted easily to a nicely glowing foot
• The burn line glows brightly with each draw, staying nice and straight but it seems to be moving quickly
• The burnline is still razor sharp through half the cigar and has started to burn a bit slower
• This burn is perfect, absolutely no waves or retouches from start to finish!

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is offering up a hefty mouthful of smoke
• Very little resting smoke but it gives off a mild and pleasent woddsy aroma
• Ash is fairly strong and clean, colouring is light gray with lots of black accents
• Ash held on just past an inch before I gently tapped it off
• Subsequent ashes all held on around an inch and stayed clean and tight

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a sweet cocoa and tobacco aroma to it, very inviting
• The foor brings different aromas of woodsiness and a bit of mild spice, possibly nutmeg
• Pre-light draw brings a bit more cocoa and woodsiness, this time I get a bit of nuttiness too
• Initial draws are mostly woodsiness and some tobacco flavors
• Retrohale is faily mild with just the smallest bite a woodsy finish
• As I approach the halfway mark I haven’t gotten many new flavors, maybe just a bit of nuttiness, sorta like raw almonds
• The existing flavors are well balanced but I’d like to have a bit more variety/dimensions soon…
• I’m getting slightly more body and bite as the cigar progresses near the last third
• Some slight bitter coffee notes started near the end of the cigar. At first it was enjoyable but then the bitterness took over

Final Thoughts:
Similar to the Dona Flor (also from CigarsFromBrazil.com) this cigar ranked in the mild-medium range. It would be a good early day cigar with your morning coffee or something light after lunch. Unfortunately the flavors never “wowed” me on this stick. The were tasteful and well balanced but didn’t offer enough variation or complexity to keep it interesting. With a shorter vitola like a corona I wouldn’t expect tons of dimensionality but I usually like to see at least one noticable change in flavor direction as it smokes. The cigar itself burned very well and is worth trying if the woodsy and tobacco flavors are in your favorite profile. The initial aromas on the wrapper and foot promised some more interesting flavors that never came to fruition.

Pairings:
I haven’t paired a port for a review in quite some time. Not sure why, I’ve been enjoying some Port with cigars but it never fell in line with one of my reviews. Today I’m pairing with a bottle that’s new to me. I saw it at the store and decided to give it a try. It’s a 2004 Late Bottled Vintage from Quinta Do Tedo in Portugal. It ranks in at 19% alc./vol. but it tastes no where near that. This particular Tawny Port is a bit sweeter then I’d usually like. It has lots of bright and fruity flavors such as blackberries and a tartness akin to cranberries. It also has a presence of a Merlot like wine to it. It’s very tasty and great for anyone looking to just start into tasting Tawny Port. In this particular pairing I think the port was too sweet for this mild cigar and would have been more enjoyable with a stronger cigar pairing. This cigar would have paired much better with a cup of coffee, dark cola or an amber beer.

The post Monte Pascoal Corona appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The actual company producing the Dona Flor cigars is Menendez Amerino which has been in business since 1978. The blend for the Dona Flor was created by Felix Menendez and offers a wide range of sizes from cigarillos up to up Double Coronas. They also have a few special blends in the line which were developed with the help of Arthuro Torano. I actually reviewed one of the special blends, called the Dona Flor Selecao, not long ago.

Today’s review is of the Double Corona with the Mata Fina wrapper. Some of the line is also available in Connecticut or Mata Norte wrappers. This will be my first review in temperatures that are NOT below freezing (Yeay Me!). It’s actually exactly 32F tonight as I light this up. So let’s dive into the review on this Dona Flor and see how it stacks up.

Cigar: Dona Flor
Drink: Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Winter Beer
Vitola: Double Corona (7.5 x 50)
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazilian
Filler: Brazilian
Price: Around $5
Burn Time:

2 Hours

Construction:
• A long and slender shaped cigar with an appealing dark chocolate brown wrapper
• The wrapper displays some oiliness and roughness with a few larger veins, one in particular looks like it could cause some burn issues
• The cigar felt a little lumpy in areas but mostly gave a nice soft spring
• Although they say this is a 50 ring gauge cigar it seems a little smaller then that to me and it’s not box-pressed
• The overall construction reminds me of some old or mid-range handmade Cubans with it’s rough appearance
• The head is finished with a rough triple cap and the foot appears to be quite well packed
• The cigar cut Easily under my Colibri double bladed Guillotine cutter
• Initial draw seems to be a bit open but not too open that it ruins the experience
• Cut was nice and easy with only a slight mess
• Just past the halfway mark the draw tightened up a bit

Burn:
• Toasting was even and easy, any dark spots were easily cleared with a light exhale on the foot
• Despite the rough appearance the burn is going very sharp so far
• There’s no need for extra draws here, the Dona Flor is staying lit easily without extra attention
• No problems at all through the length of the cigar, my only complaint here is that it burned a little fast and got a bit hot near the end

Smoke & Ash:
• Ash is coming along even and tightly wound
• First ash held on about an inch before gently falling into the ashtray
• The smoke here isn’t overpowering, I’d say a little shy of what I’d like
• The second ash held nice and strong until tapping it off at almost 2 inches
• As the draw tightened up the smoke from each draw become a comfortable mouthful

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma is mostly cedar with some mild tobacco
• The foot offers similar aromas plus a slight cocoa sweetness
• Pre-light draws have more cedar but along with it came a bit of a tart sweetness and some raw cinnamon
• My first impressions in the flavor department bring me a bit more tart sweetness and cinnamon along with the same cedar that been around
• Body is starting off in the mild range
• As the cigar progresses, cedar becomes the main flavor with the raw cinnamon sticking around. That tartness is coming and going
• At the end of the first third I’m starting to pick up hints of the cocoa I initially got on the wrapper
• So far the retrohale has been fairly straightforward, very mild with no bite and just a slight cedar finish
• As I approach half-way the flavors are balancing out a bit more and the cocoa is being matched with a nice coffee flavor I was expecting from this Brazilian wrapper
• The body increase a bit in the final stretch but nothing overwhelming, just holding steady in the medium range
• No bitterness on the finish and the flavors stayed consistent and balanced from the half way mark other then the coffee notes developing nicely to the end

Final Thoughts:
This was a perfect cigar to kick back and relax with. It’s nothing earth shattering or revolutionary but it hits a perfect balance of interesting and mild flavors that can be enjoyed any time of day. The milder body makes it a great alternative to Connecticut wrapper cigars in the early day with a coffee or any other time. It also burned exceptionally well making it an easy cigar to enjoy without requiring much attention. you won’t find a powerhouse or a pepper bomb here but you will find an enjoyable cigar at a fair price that can be included in your daily rotation easily. After some research I did notice they were slightly difficult to find online but not impossible. You can also ask your local B&M to sign up to be a wholesaler on their website to try and get the cigars in.

Pairings:
I can’t get enough of the beers that this brewery produces. I’ve been hooked on their Original and now the Scottish brewery of Innis & Gunn has hit another homerun with their Winter Beer. I’ve enjoyed the Original brew in my brevious reviews of the Camacho Liberty 2009 and the Man O’ War Virtue. You can see from those reviews how much I enjoyed that brew. Now the Winter Beer picks up where the original leaves off and brings a fuller and richer beer that has a warming effect for the winter season. The brew itself is aged in Oak barrels slightly longer then the original and produces a warm sweetness with some added vanilla and caramel notes on top of a delicious malty flavor. This brew paired fairly well with this cigar although I think it would have gone better with a Connecticut wrapped cigar. A better choice with the Dona Flor would have been a dark stout or porter, coffee or a dark cola.

The post Dona Flor Mata Fina – Double Corona appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The La Aurora factory has recently released this new line called Guillermo Leon. The Leon family business, Grupo Leon Jimenes, has been around for over 100 years and La Aurora is one of the many companies under its umbrella. Guillermo had his hand in creating this blend and was out to create something that is complex and a bit stronger then some of their other offerings but still brings lots of flavor to the table. The Guillermo Leon line is also the first cigar by La Aurora which is made with two binders.

The two binders in this cigar both have a specific purpose. The Cameroon binder offers a smooth sweet creaminess to the blend while the Dominican Corojo offers some spice and strength. The concept is interesting and I’m excited to see how they blend together as I smoke it. The Guillermo Leon line is currently available in Corona, Gran Corona, Belicoso and Gran Toro. They were recently released in mid-October 2010 and should be in your local shop already or arriving very soon. Today’s review will look at Belicoso vitola as I sit outside on a chilly afternoon.

Cigar: Guillermo Leon
Drink: Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port (2005)
Vitola: Belicoso (6.25 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Vuetta Arriba
Binder: Cameroon & Dominican Corojo
Filler: Peru, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Nicaragua
Price: MSRP of about $8.50
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A soft cinnamon brown colored wrapper holds this cigar together
• The wrapper has some bumpiness to as well as some medium sized veins, none appear to be a potential problem though
• The cigar is firm but springy and consistent the whole way through
• The foot appears fairly well packed but not overly filled
• The cap is amazingly clean, almost impossible to see unless you really examine it
• Cutting was easy and effortless, I started with a small cut and got plenty of draw, so make sure not to over-cut on this vitola
• Got a bit of tar build-up that I commonly see with tapered heads, I cut off a bit more and problem was solved. I think my initial cut was too small

Burn:
• Toasting was a bit slow but still produced a nice evenly glowing foot
• The burn started out by creating a bit of a peninsula but it quickly corrected itself without my help
• Past the half-way mark and I’ve had no issues with the burn
• The cigar stayed lit with very little effort and allowed me to enjoy slowly
• A couple minor corrections were needed near the end

Smoke & Ash:
• First few draws are producing a ton of smoke
• The cigar gives off a moderate amount of resting smoke which gives off a nice cedar aroma
• Ash is a bit wavy and rigid but appears fairly strong
• The color of the ash is a bit on the darker side, leaving alternating lines of light and dark grey
• Ash held on just past an inch before being gently tapped off into the ashtray
• This cigar was a smoke machine the whole way through, never letting down and always producing a nice aroma

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a soft cedar aroma on it, very light and pleasant
• The foot has more cedar aroma but is complimented but a fruity sweetness and a touch of spice
• The pre-light draw brings a mixture of interesting spices, I’m getting some pepper, nutmeg and a bit of cloves paired with a smooth cedar
• Initial draws bring more cedar, the same interesting spice mix and now I’m getting a flavor of freshly baked bread, starting out great so far
• The spices are slowly settling down and balancing nicely with the cedar and toasted bread flavors
• The body started in the low end of the medium range and is holding steady so far
• Retrohale is very smooth, there is no bite but has a great creamy finish
• As the cigar progresses near to the half way mark the creaminess from the Cameroon binder starts to become more apparent giving the cigar a very tasty finish
• Past the halfway mark and the spices are coming back a bit, mixing nicely with the new creaminess
• As the cigar progresses I can feel the body ramping up a bit but it’s so smooth you can almost barely tell
• The retrohale has developed a small bite now but still has that great smooth finish
• The flavors balanced excellent right up to the end giving a nice variety but blended into a smooth experience

Final Thoughts:
This cigar was right up my alley, it had a fantastic blend of flavors, body, construction, smoothness and balance. Even before you light it, the Guillermo Leon had a great aroma on it that just drew you right in. The cigar started off with a burst of various spices and the balanced out nicely with the cedar and toasted bread. The finish on this cigar never disappointed. It also never left my palate dry. The sweetness and creaminess from the Cameroon binder and the strength from the Corojo binder really showed through and I think they achieved their goal with this dual binder creation. I enjoyed every bit of this cigar and the flavors changed just enough to keep me interested the whole way through. The MSRP prices fall just below the $10 mark. Some people may see this as a bit high, especially when taxes are mixed in, but I think they are worth their cost. The body may be a bit much for a new smoker but are definitely worth a try. I will be looking for more of these, I’m especially interested in trying the corona vitola. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Pairings:
I’ve paired Tawny port with a variety of cigars and I always find it pairs best with something that has a bit of body and spice to it. This pairing didn’t disappoint at all. The berry, oaky and tart flavors of the Grahams Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port from 2005 was just right. The price of the bottle is also very accessible and offers lots of flavors. This is a good starting point if you’re interested in trying out some Tawny Port. Some other good pairings would include scotch, coffee or a dark soda.

The post Guillermo Leon Belicoso appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Paradigm line has an interesting combination of tobacco that always made me wonder how they melded together. The filler is made of 3 types of tobacco, Seco and Ligero from the wonderful Esteli region of Nicaragua and some Cubito from Columbia. Holding the filler together is a Honduran binder, which is also where the factory is located. And finally the cigar is wrapped with a Brazilian leaf. I must say it sounds like a tasty combo!

The Revolution Cigar Co. is fairly active both in the online and B&M communities, making multiple appearances in the various cigar shops and holding a strong online presence. You can find their Facebook and Twitter pages from their home page too. I’m no marketing genius but I must say this was a great move by Revolution and it has no doubt helped spread the word about their cigars much faster.
I’d like to thank @jakrell and @thecigarnut for sending this stick over to me and I hope you enjoy the review.

Cigar: Revolution Cigars 262 Paradigm Box-Pressed Toro
Drink: Devils Pale Ale 666 from Great Lakes Brewery
Vitola: Box Pressed Toro (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaragua and Columbia
Price: Just under $9 direct from www.smoketherevolution.com
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
● A nice looking chocolate brown wrapper, also has some darker highlights
● Appears to be slightly box-pressed
● Finished with what looks to be a clean double-cap
● Foot is well packed with the band sitting around it
● A fairly firm feel, not much spring to it but even throughout
● Cut was a little difficult, very firm cigar
● Band had a little too much glue, caused some wrapper damage but since it’s near the foot it shouldn’t cause any problems
● Draw is a little tight at the start
● Draw opened up just before the halfway mark

Burn:
● Toasting was easy and even, no dark spots
● Burn has been razor sharp for the first couple of inches, let’s hope it keeps this up
● Burning nice and slow and still razor sharp, just how you would want all of your cigars to burn
● Past the halfway mark the burn went a little wavy but nothing alarming as of yet

Smoke Ash:
● Not a ton of smoke on the draw, just barely enough
● A decent amount of resting smoke giving off a light sweet aroma
● Ash is a nice white color with some grey accents
● A little bit of flaking on the ash but is generally pretty strong looking
● Ash held on nice and tight for just over an inch before falling into the ashtray
● Once the draw opened, I got a good mouthful of smoke, much better.

Tasting Notes:
● Wrapper has a mild sweet tobacco scent to it
● Foot has an in-your-face aroma of cinnamon and a bit of cocoa, very appealing
● Pre-light draw is very earthy with hay-like notes and a touch of sweet spice
● Initial draws bring flavors of cedar and earthiness with a touch of sweet cocoa in the background
● Starting off fairly mild in body
● Retrohale is also fairly mild with a smooth cedar finish, no bite at all
● Just past an inch the cocoa flavors started to make a bit more of an appearance in a slow progression
● A little bit of a cinnamon type kick has snuck its way into the retrohale, very interesting
● Some of the initial cinnamon spice flavors I detected on the foot are making its way into the finish
● The body has begun to build as I approach the half-way point
● Passing the halfway point, I’m starting to get a nice espresso tone to the flavor profile, the earthiness has mostly dropped off at this point
● The espresso and cocoa notes came into full force as I approach the end of this cigar, great finish too with a touch of cinnamon
● Body came into the Medium-Full range as I approached the last inch or so
● Just a tiny bit of bitterness towards the end, but was more like an Espresso bitterness, definitely nub-worthy

Final Thoughts:
This cigar had a great progression from mild and quiet flavors to something with a little more body and complexity. It burned excellently and slowly making for a great experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this cigar. It has a price tag that some would say is a bit higher than normal and is still a fairly new company, but it justified it’s price in great burn, quality and flavors. To my surprise, I must say I was pleasantly impressed by this cigar. Definitely worth a try and I’ll be looking for more in the future.

Pairings:
The “Devil’s Pale Ale 666” is produced by the Great Lakes Brewery out of Toronto, Ontario, the home town of yours truly! The 666 in the name actually has a little more meaning in this IPA. On the back of the can you get a list of ingredients that look as follows:
– 666 kilograms of malt
– 6.66 kilograms of hops
– 66.6 minutes of boiling
– 6% Alc./Vol.
– 6.6.06 Date of conception
Besides a slightly gimmicky name and recipe, this is actually a very tasty IPA. There’s a handful of hoppy bitterness in this brew but it’s well balanced and doesn’t leave a bad taste. It has a nice dark amber/ruby tone to it and a mouthful of enjoyable flavors. It paired fairly well with this cigar and could likely hold up well even against a full bodied stick. Other good pairing for the 262 Paradigm could be a full bodied wine, port, stout, dark diet soda, or a strong coffee.

The post Revolution 262 Paradigm Toro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Dona Flor line comes in a variety of Vitolas and 2 types of blends.  The standard line is just called Dona Flor and their specialty line is called the “Dona Flor Reserva Especial”.  The especial line uses Cuban-seed corojo while the standard line uses Connecticut and Mata Fina Maduro wrappers.  The vitolas range from a Petite Corona all the way up to a Double Corona making up a total of 9 Vitolas in the standard line and 3 in the Reserva Especial line.

The vitola up for review today is the standard line Dona Flor Selecao Robusto with a Connecticut wrapper. Read on to see my thoughts on this Brazilian puro cigar and see if the Brazillian Connecticut is as good as their popular Maduro wrapped cigar found on many different brands. You can also read more about the company and the cigars at their website: www.donaflorcigar.com

Cigar: Dona Flor Selecao
Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper
Vitola: Selecao Robusto (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Brazillian Connecticut

Binder: Brazillian

Filler: Brazillian
Price: Gifted from @BelicosoBrother (MSRP $6.50)
Burn Time: 1.25 Hours

Construction:
• Wrapper has some bumps and one large vein
• 3 bands on this cigar, one looks like it got way too much glue
• Foot looks tightly packed
• Seems a lot smaller than the claimed 5×52 and it’s not box pressed?
• Even and firm throughout with a small spring
• Clean triple cap
• Medium dark brown wrapper
• Cut made a mess but left a clean cap
• One crack formed just past the halfway mark, no major problem yet though

Burn:
• Toasting was very uneven and messy
• Burn after first few draws is very wavy
• Burn evened out within a half inch and has burned fairly straight to the half-way mark
• Some small waviness after the half way mark
• No major corrections needed and no extra attention needed to keep lit.

Smoke & Ash:
• Medium mouth of smoke
• Lots of resting smoke, giving a burning wood aroma
• Ash is light grey
• Appears to be weak and is flaking a bit
• Ash held on to near 2 inches, pretty good for the smaller vitola

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is very woodsy and earthy, not a cedar smell, more like chopped firewood
• Foot has the same woodsy aroma and a mild spice, similar to nutmeg. Also a hint of honey-like sweetness
• Pre-light draw has similar flavors to the aroma
• Initial draws are of roasted wood and the nutmeg flavored spice
• Retrohale is very mild with a woodsy and slightly sweet finish
• About an inch in Im picking up some leather flavors
• The woodsy flavors became very prominent at the halfway mark, spice is no where to be found any longer
• Body has been fairly mild-medium throughout
• Leather flavor has taken over the dominant role, not my favorite flavor
• Some bitterness crept in near the last inch but nothing overpowering

Final Thoughts:
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much out of this cigar.  I had never really heard about it until I got it in this package.  It wasn’t a top ranking cigar but it was still a good smoke.  Lots of wood and leather flavors with good construction, smoke and ash.  The MSRP on these cigars is at a fair price but they seem fairly hard to find.  I would like to try these again and maybe try the Maduro wrapper as well.  If you stumble across them during your B&M shopping, pick one up.

Pairings:
I went with a simple Diet Dr. Pepper here because it was an early day smoke.  It actually paired fairly well with the slight sweet and spiciness I got in the first half and counteracted the stronger leathery flavors near the end.  This would make a perfect match with a good coffee or amber/dark beer.

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