The Good Stuff:

The Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer is a very limited edition cigar created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s Tomb:

One hundred years ago, Lord Carnarvon left Highclere Castle for the ancient sands of Egypt. He, along with archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun, hidden for 3000 years. We crafted this cigar for the Highclere Castle Cigar line to pay homage to archaeology’s greatest discovery. With our secret blend, we have endeavored to capture the spirit of ancient incense; “Senetjer” is the ancient Egyptian word for incense or “that which makes holy”.  The box design is an exact replica of a storage box from the tomb itself.  This cigar embodies life at Highclere in the era of the 5^th Earl of Carnarvon, his love for cigars, and his passion for ancient Egypt. 

– https://foundationcigarcompany.com/senetjer/

Blended by Nick Melillo, Foundation Cigar’s founder and produced by AJ Fernandez, The cigar features a special 7th priming Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and undisclosed filler tobaccos. The cigar comes in a single 6 3/4 x 52 perfecto format, packed in boxes of 12 running $33 per cigar. I purchased mine over from our friends at Cuenca Cigars.

• Size: 6 3/4 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano (7th Priming)
• Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $33

Prelight:

The Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer is a very big cigar. Let’s just get that out of the way. The cigar starts with a very consistent, very dark brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture carries some slight toothy grain and a whole mess of oils coating it. The wrapper feels a bit thin and delicate while the cigar as a whole is very hard, very heavy, and packed very tightly. There are a good amount of veins running through the wrapper leading from the cigar’s tapered foot up to the cigar’s tapered, double-wrapped cap. The cigar is finished off with a gold, black, and purple band with the Senetjer crest and logo embossed on the front.

The wrapper on the Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer gives off mostly oak and dark chocolate aromas while the foot is so tapered in I get pretty much the same scents off of it. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter while the cigar releases loads of gingerbread, cedar, and dark chocolate on the cold draw.

First Third:

The Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer starts out with a very small cayenne pepper blast which quickly fades away allowing the cigar to release bold notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar and cinnamon over lighter notes of cedar and spice with mostly oaky undertones. This cigar tastes like Christmas in the best way possible. The draw is so perfect as each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke which really stick around before dissipating while the cigar releases a good amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray as the oils burn off the wrapper. The burn line is mostly solid with one smaller wave in it, which is to be expected with a perfecto footed-cigar. The ash left behind is tightly compacted and medium gray which held on for about an inch before falling into my astray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer and a really awesome grape/raising flavor has started to become a dominant force in an already jam-packed flavor performance. The sweetness has dropped back some allowing the cedar and oak to join the dark chocolate leading the charge while all the cinnamon, brown sugar, and spice are still there just not as potent. The retrohale brings the spice to the forefront of my palate so I find myself doing it quite often. As expected the burning has completely resolved itself without any assistance from my torch and the cigar is now burning like a dream. I close out the second third with only a minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

The sweetness is just about gone from the Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer leaving behind bold notes of cedar and oak mixed with dark chocolate and lighter notes of espresso and cinnamon. It took me a little over 2 hours to smoke the Senetjer down to the nub and I didn’t want it to end. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar.

Overview:

While the $33 price tag is pretty impressive, so is the performance that the Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer put on. The flavors are incredible, in tune with my personal palate, enjoyable, and complex with just the right amount of change-ups to keep me entertained all the way through. The burn-time is a factor here as well as you get a lot of bang for your buck. While these aren’t a cigar that I will keep in my regular rotation mostly due to price, they are a cigar that I will keep around for those days when I have an urge to smoke something extra special.

The post Foundation Cigar Highclere Castle Senetjer appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Manufactured in the Dominican Republic at Agio Caribbean Tobacco located in the small town of San Pedro de Macoris, the line is now available in four wrapper options Brazilian Arapiraca, Ecuadorian Connecticut, Nicaraguan, and Sun Grown. Currently, there are three available vitolas: Perla ( 4 1/8 by 40), Corona (5 7/8 by 42) and Robusto (5 1/8 by 52). Packaged in boxes of 20, this valued-price lines from Royal Agio Cigars will run you between $4.75 and $5.50 per cigar.

You can purchase the San Pedro de Macoris Brazil from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop HERE.

THE FACTS

Price: $5.50
Vitola: 5 1/8 by 52
Size: Robusto
Wrapper: Sun Grown Brazilian Arapiraca
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina, Dominican Olor, and Dominican Piloto Ligero
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The San Pedro De Macoris Brazil wears a dark brown Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper with a deep red hue and some even darker markings. The bright Brazilian flag-like colors really stand out against the dark leaf. There are a few small, thin black veins running down the length of the cigar and a very fine tooth can be felt. As I gently press my fingers on this 5 1 /8 by 52 cigar, I find some indentations in the tobaccos but, other than that, the cigar is firmly rolled.

The wrapper shows off an aroma of earth and barnyard, while a lighter aroma of warm cedar, cinnamon, and raisin come across on the foot of the cigar. Upon cutting the cap, I find an easy draw and a big flavor of cinnamon.

FIRST THIRD

Once lit, the San Pedro de Macoris Brazil opens with medium-full flavors of wood, earth, and lemon. The sour bite of the lemon lingers on the palate for some time between puffs. As the cigar warms, the sour fades slightly as a yeast moves into the profile resulting in sourdough-like flavor. The burn line is sharp as a gray ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

Into the second third, a bright pepper flavor moves into the profile alongside the earth that is holding strong. The earth note has evolved from a generic earthiness to a deeper dirt flavor.  The flavors have shifted down from medium-full to a notch below medium. Even so, the pepper comes across sharp and full through the nose. The San Pedro de Macoris Brazil continues to burn with no issue. 

FINAL THIRD

As I make my way into the final third, a growing sweetness rounds out the profile as the darker flavors of earth and pepper soften. Each puff is producing a satisfying amount of smoke as the cigar continues to burn exceptionally well. As I begin to close out the cigar, I am feeling just the slightest kick of nicotine. 

WRAP-UP

Royal Agio Cigars is still not a company I am overly familiar with, but I was thoroughly impressed with Balmoral Royal Selection Anejo 18 that I smoked back in 2014. It even landed the #9 spot on my 2014 Top 10 List (You can check it out HERE). But a $12 cigar is high for my taste. So when I heard a new value-priced line was being released by the Royal Agio Cigars in 2018, I knew I had to get my paws on one. The San Pedro de Macoris Brazil Robusto offers a good profile that leans towards the darker end of the spectrum and rounds out in the final third with the addition of some sweetness. For a $5.50 smoke, I was pleased with the flavors the cigar presented. The performance of this wallet-friendly cigar was exceptional with its razor sharp burn, well holding ash, and excellent smoke production. Grab yourself a couple and let us know what you think. I know it’s a cigar that I will be lighting up again.

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The Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro was developed by the torcedores at the factory in 2009 as an alternative to Liga Privada. The cigar features a Mexican Otapan Negro Último Corte wrapper, T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano binder, and Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Undercrown Coronets began shipping in August 2017. 

You can purchase the Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Coronets from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $22.00/10-Count Tin
Vitola: Coronet
Size: 4 by 32
Wrapper: Mexican Otapan Negro Último Corte
Binder: T52 Stalk Cut Connecticut Habano
FIller: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 40 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

This small 4 by 32 cigar wears a very rustic leaf. Even though the darkness of the Mexican Otapan Negro Ultimo Corte wrapper conceals it upon a quick glance, a more thorough inspection reveals a leaf loaded with tooth, bumps, and raised veins. 

There is a pungency to the wrapper leaf with a combination of vinegar and earth. A mild cedar aroma is noted on the foot of the cigar. The Undercrown Maduro Coronet comes is a close with a slightly tapered head that cuts with ease. A free draw allows notes of cedar and glove to pass through on the cold draw.

FIRST HALF

The introductory profile of the Undercrown Maduro Coronet is rich, sweet, and smooth. As the cigar warms up, the sweetness settles in as meatier flavors push their way to the front. The smoke is thick and creamy in the mouth as a mild to medium spice heat lingers on the palate that is quickly gaining in spice heat. The burn is right on, but the ash doesn’t hold for more than half an inch.

SECOND HALF

Big flavors and spice characterize the profile of this mixed-filler Undercrown Maduro as I transition into the second half. The profile remains meaty with pepper spices and a mesquite smokiness, but there is just enough sweetness to balance everything out. In typical Drew Estate fashion, the Undercrown Maduro Coronet is pumping out tons of smoke.

WRAP-UP

Mixed-filler, machine made, smaller than I prefer. There wasn’t a whole lot going for the Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Coronet prior to smoking it. But once lit, my mind was quickly changed. Full, rich, spicy, sweet and satisfying. And other than the flimsy ash, it didn’t smoke like a mixed-filler cigar. The Undercrown Maduro Coronet is one heck of a cigar and one that I would keep around for those days when your smoking time is limited.

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The Good Stuff:

The Highclere Castle was revealed at last year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas. Nick Melillo tamed up with Sir George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon who is the current owner of the Highclere Castle which is famously known for it’s location on the hit TV show Downton Abbey. 

The Highclere Castle Website has all the details:

Highclere Castle Cigar was meticulously crafted by master blender, Nicholas Melillo, inspired by the style and flavor profile of cigars imported by the earlier Earls of Carnarvon to Highclere Castle at the turn of the 19th century.

The result is a hand rolled cigar from Estelí, Nicaragua, using the best Connecticut Shade wrapper available.  The filler includes both Criollo and Corojo from the volcanic soils of Jalapa and the island of Ometepe.  For the binder, the ancient Mata Fina, a carefully selected dark tobacco from Brazil, is used to tie the flavors together. Our special blend is finalized with our very own exclusive hybrid seed that we have named Nicadán, whose flavor is reminiscent of tobacco leaf from a bygone era.

The resulting smoke is silky smooth, exceptionally creamy with a lite peppery profile.  Close your eyes and you’ll get a nose of fireplace and leather books that brings you right to Highclere Castle’s library. Subtle, sweet notes lend themself well to hints of citrus and the finish is elegantly clean. 

We control each step of the production process starting with carefully selecting the tobacco, monitoring the weather and growths year to year, and managing the rolling process.  Even our boxes are hand made from sustainably grown cedar logs grown on Nicaragua’s east coast at our friend Pedro’s family business, also located in Esteli. 

The Highclere Castle comes in five size: Churchill (7 x 48), Corona (5.5 x 46), Petit Corona (5 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), and the Toro (6 x 52) all packaged in boxes of 20 ranging between $12 and $14.40 a stick. Big shout out to my buddy Jason for hooking it up with a few of these.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Mild/Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $12
Pairing: Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Chili Hazelnut Break (Imperial Stout 11.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Foundation Highclere Castle starts out with a beautiful light, orangish brown wrapper that’s extremely consistent in color. The wrapper’s texture is silky smooth with a good amount of oils and almost no tooth or grit. There are almost no present veins, only natural webbing running through the wrapper’s leaf as it’s laid seamlessly over itself. The wrapper feels very thin and delicate while the cigar itself is packed nicely, not to tight or too soft. The cigar features a standard body with a round double-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with a manilla band with gold, red, and orange metallic in featuring the Highclere Castle crest boldly on the front of it. 

The Foundation Highclere Caste’s wrapper gives off light cashew and cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar features subtle cedar scents over natural tobacco. The cap cut like butter under my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw features a nice subtle sweetness and pepper mixed with spice, cashew, and naturally tobacco flavors. 

First Third:

The Highclere Castle starts out with a massive cayenne pepper blast that totally caught me off guard and left both my lips and tongue tingling. The pepper only really lasted through the first few draws but my lips felt the sting for quite some time. After the pepper fades I was greeted with lots of cedar, spice, nutmeg and honey flavors along with soft coffee and hazelnut. Some nice saltiness started to transition to my lips mellowing out the pepper sting. The burn line was thin with slight waves leaving behind a good amount of rightly compacted medium gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray. 

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Foundation Cigars Highclere Castle and the flavors have really creamed out into a more balanced experience. Creamed coffee, hazelnut, honey and spice lead the charge backed by a soft brown sugar sweetness. I just wish this cigar carried over the body it started out with, I feel it mellowed out a tad too much. The retrohale brings out some of the spice and pepper that I picked up in the first third. The burn line is still a bit wavy but I haven’t had to reach for my torch so no complaints there. I close out the second third feeling absolutely nothing in terms of nicotine. 

Finish:

Into the final third of the Foundation Cigars Highclere Castle and the cigar has continued to mellow out more and more as the experience progresses. There is no more spice or pepper all I am really left with at this point is some lightly creamed coffee, light hazelnut, soft honey and spice. The cigar took me a little over an hour to smoke down to the nub and I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat. 

Overview:

The Highclere Castle started out with a bang, but quickly began to fade out into something just a bit too mild for my preference. The cigar was beautiful and burned brilliantly but the flavor profile left much to be desired. One thing I had to keep reminding myself was that this cigar was blended for a different market. Usually the European cigars tend to resemble the Cuban cigar market a bit closer producing much more milder cigar experiences which is exactly what the Highclere Castle delivered. For the price though, I think I can think of quite a few mild cigars that I personally would reach for before this one. 

Pairing:

Because of the existing hazelnut flavor I repeatedly picked up in the Highclere Castle I decided to pair this cigar with Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Chili Hazelnut Break. The 11.5% Imperial stout leads with roasted malt, cocoa, hazelnut, caramel, and even a nice tartness with a medium mouthfeel before finishing with gobs more hazelnut and cocoa along with a great sweetness and good amount chili with a decently boozy aftertaste. 

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The Good Stuff:

The Gaaja Maduro is the follow up release of last years natural version of the Gaaja (you can read my review of that one here) with made it’s debut at the 2016 IPCPR trade show. The Gaaja Maduro started shipping to retailers across the country last week. Mel Shah, owner of Bombay Tobak states the the only difference in tobaccos used in the Maduro version is the Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. While the are no new tobaccos in the Gaaja Maduro, some of the blend proportions were modified to reach desired tastes. That being said, the Gaaja Maduro features a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, Ecuadorian Binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, and Paraguay. The Gaaja Maduro will launch in only two formats, a 6 x 54 Toro and 6 1/2 x 54 Torpedo. Both run $15.50 a stick.

Size: 6 1/2 x 54
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian, Paraguayan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Pairing: Liefmans Goudenband (Flanders Oud Bruin 8% ABV)
Price: $15.50

Prelight:

The Bombay Tobak Gaaja Maduro starts with a gorgeously consistent, dark brown wrapper with only a few darker areas around the natural webbing on the wrapper’s leaf. The wrapper sports a few medium veins, while its laid seamlessly over itself. The wrapper’s texture is rather smooth, with a good amount of oils residing on the leaf’s exterior. The wrapper is very thick, and very dense while the cigar itself is pretty heavily packed resulting in a very hard, heavy cigar. This particular Gaaja format sports a soft box press and a long, tapered torpedo style cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard gold, blue, and red band we saw on the natural Gaaja, and the first departure from the bands we had grown to expect on the Mbombay releases.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off some slight tart, and natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries some good amount of spice, pepper, cedar, and natural earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some light spice, sweetness, and a nice little tart on the tip of my tongue.

First Third:

The Gaaja Maduro starts out with some very subtle pepper, muted spice, bold sweetness and tartness with some great cedar and pecan flavors. The flavors started out a bit mild but started to ramp up as the cigar heated up. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which lingers quite some time before dissipating. The burn line is pretty wide, and pretty wavy, but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight so no complaints there. The ash is semi flaky, medium and dark gray, and very light. The first ash held on for about 3/4 of a inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Gaaja Maduro and the flavors haver really started to become more pronounced. The flavor profile leads with some coffee, pecan, cedar and spice backed by brown sugar, tartness, and a bit of tartness. The cedar really lingers on the aftertaste. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with even more of the cedar and lots of the spice. I rather enjoy it and find myself retrohaling this cigar pretty often. The burn line has completely cleaned up and is not razor thin and dead even. I close out the second third with almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the Gaaja Maduro and the flavors have continued to impress me as they lead with cedar, spice, and pecan coated in maple syrup with some light coffee and brown sugar. The cigar was in the medium body range through most of the experience but has jumped into the medium/full arena here in the final third. The burn line has been flawless since the second third and I never once had to reach for my lighter to either touch up or relight. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat even into the final inch of the cigar. I close the cigar out after about an hour and a half with absolutely nothing in terms of nicotine.

Overview:

I wasn’t huge on the natural Gaaja. I felt it just needed something, and the Mata Fina wrapper was just the thing. The flavors in the Gaaja maduro are complex, balanced, and well-formed. Plus, they fit my desired palate really well. I always love of all the Bombay Tobak cigars tend to concentrate on flavor over strength. The price on these cigars are pretty steep, but not high enough for me not to consider having a few of these on hand for whenever I am looking for a great, flavorful experience without getting knocked on my ass.

Pairing:

The Liefmans Goudenbnad is a Flanders Oud Bruin straight out of Belgium. Coming in at 8% ABV this treat of a beer starts out with a ton of sweetness, brown sugar, caramel, apple, and spice with some slight hop and a very light mouthfeel before finishing clear with more sweetness, tart, caramel, apple, cinnamon, and a bit of hopiness. This is one of my favorite beers and a perfect example of the style. It’s often easy for this beer to overpower a cigar, especially due to the amount of sweetness but in this case not only did the Gaaja Maduro hold it’s own, but it made for a perfect compliment for the beer.

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The Good Stuff:

This is an oldie, but goodie and it’s finally come time to review Drew Estate’s Liga Privada Ratzilla on Casas Fumando. The Ratzilla is the older brother of the long time favorite Dirty Rat. Both blends fall in the Unico category of the Liga Privada series and are known to be some of the strongest cigars out there. The cigar originally made its debut in 2012, but has come in and out of the scene over the past few years. It’s a rare cigar, but there are plenty of them out there. While the blend is almost identical to the Dirty Rat, the Ratzilla is slightly tweaked to match it’s format. The blend starts with a Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano wrapper, Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and filler tobaccos for Nicaragua and Honduras while coming in a single 6.25 x 46 format which runs $14 a stick.

Size: 6.25 x 46
Wrapper: Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $14
Pairing: Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break (Imperial Porter 11.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Ratzilla starts out with an absolutely gorgeous dark brown wrapper. I have to say, the Liga Privada series have always had the most beautifully wrapped cigars. Anyways, the wrapper is a very dark brown with lots of areas of darker brown and orange scattered throughout the cigar. The texture is extremely toothy and extremely oily as oils actually get transferred to my skin as I inspect the cigar. The wrapper feels very dense and tough while the cigar as a whole is packed very, very tightly and is as hard as a rock. There as some very small veins as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the round, pigtailed cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard Liga Privada band with the word “Ratzilla” sketched across the front. I’ve always been a huge fan of how simple and elegant these bands were.

The Ratzilla’s wrapper gives off a very bold musk aroma surrounded by a lot of sweetness while the foot of the cigar is mostly spice and tobacco with some sweetness sprinkled in there. The cap of the cigar cut clean and easily using my double bladed Xikar cutter. The cold draw is very bold with lots of spice, pepper, black cherry, cedar, and musk.

First Third:

The Drew Estate Liga Privada Ratzilla didn’t start out with the pepper bomb I was expecting, in fact, there wasn’t much pepper at all. The cigar started out with some bold spice and sweet cedar over brown sugar, black cherry, and musk. It’s bold off the bat, but not as bold as the Dirty Rat is. The draw is perfect, despite being packed so tightly each little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, white smoke. The cigar also unleashes a ton of stationary smoke as the oils burn off the wrapper while the cigar rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted, medium gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

As I make my way into the second third of the Ratzilla, a really bold floral flavor begins to coat the flavor profile. Its real deep, and almost blends in with the musk that was already present. The brown sugar, sweet cedar, and spice are still main contenders in the flavor matchup backed by the black cherry and a bit of cocoa and coffee. The retrohale really brings out the cedar and spice. The burn line is still dead even and I close out the second third with a slight little nicotine kick already.

Finish:

The strength has really ramped up into the final third of the Liga Privada Ratzilla. It started as a medium/full and was well into the full section by the second third, now it’s way, way up there. That being said, I don’t feel overpowered by strength. If this started as strong as the Dirty Rat did I would be on my knees by now. The flavor profile is now leading with cedar, musk, spice, and cocoa with mild coffee, black cherry, and the floral flavors have all but washed out. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke this bad boy down to the nub and I experienced no harshness, no extra head, and a great deal of nicotine so be ready for it.

Overview:

I am a huge fan of the Liga Privada lines, especially the Dirty Rat and No. 9. The Ratzilla fills the gap for when I am craving a Dirty Rat, but have more time to enjoy a smoke. It starts out smooth and light before finishing with a knockout flavor profile and tons of strength. This cigar is incredible and quite honestly one of the absolute best cigars I have smoked in a while. Too bad I only have a few left, but like I said earlier, they are still out there.

Pairing:

Yup, another Evil Twin. Who cares? I don’t. I love this brewery and all of it’s offerings. The Imperial Doughnut Break is a 11.5% ABV Imperial Porter loaded with glazed doughnuts. I’m not even joking. The Imperial Doughnut Break leads with a ton of sweetness, brown sugar, cocoa, light coffee, roasted malt, and spice with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with a ton of malt and cocoa backed by light coffee, sweetness, sugar, and spice leaving behind a ton of sweetness on the aftertaste. The flavors were almost identical to those in the Ratzilla. At one time I thought that the sweetness in the beer may actually overpower the sweetness in the cigar, but the Ratzilla stepped up to the plate and really offered a powerful sweet flavor in it’s profile as well.

The post Drew Estate – Liga Privada Unico Ratzilla appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Famous Smoke Shop carries both cigars being reviewed today. You can purchase the Undercrown HERE and the Inferno Flashpoint Maduro HERE.

THE FACTS

PRESENTATION AND PRE-LIGHT

Drew Estate Undercrown: The Undercrown is eye catching with its blue and gold band against the  dark brown, almost oscuro, Mexican leaf  that is mostly uniform in color, with only a few darker splotches and a couple medium-sized veins. There are a decent amount of oils on the cigar that is rock solid and smooth to the touch. The Undercrown has a musty wet earth aroma . Similar notes are found on the foot with some added chocolate, cinnamon and pepper. A double cap with clean straight lines has been applied. Upon cutting the cap, a perfect draw brings for rich cedar, clove, and a mild cinnamon spice.

Inferno Flashpoint Maduro: The Mexican San Andres leaf on the Inferno Flashpoint has a marbleized appearance with colors ranging from medium brown with a reddish hue to almost black. This is one rustic looking leaf. The veins are small, but the leaf is coated with a fine tooth and scattered bumps. The wrapper aroma is of vinegar and manure, but some welcoming cedar and chocolate are found on the foot of the cigar with a pepper spice that tingles my nose.  The Flashpoint Maduro draw is nearly identical to the Undercrown, but highlights deep woodsy notes with chocolate and graham cracker.

Verdict: Drew Estate’s Undercrown takes the win in the presentation department. Since its release several years ago, the Undercrown band has been one of my favorites. If the Undercrown and Flashpoint Maduro were next to each other on a shelf, my hand would be reaching for the Undercrown off of the visual presentation alone.

PERFORMANCE

Drew Estate Undercrown: Immediately upon lighting the Undercrown, large volumes of smoke were produced by the cigar. A few minutes in, I noticed a tunnel forming, which never impacted the flavors or smoke production. From the get go,  the cigar was plagued with a jagged, wavy burn that resulted in two touch-ups throughout the duration of the smoke. The brilliant white ash held well over an inch. 

Inferno Flashpoint Maduro: Similar to the Undercrown, the smoke production satisfied with each small draw. However, the resting smoke was nothing compared to the Undercrown. With that said, the razor sharp burn line never once veered off track as a light gray was formed.

Verdict: With no re-lights, an even burn,  and satisfying smoke production, the Flashpoint Maduro has the upper hand.

FLAVORS

Drew Estate Undercrown: With a mixture of toasted bread, pepper, pencil shavings and earth complimented with a sugarcane sweetness, the Undercrown showed a great depth of flavors from the very start. As the cigar burned down, an intriguing fig joined in along with a crushed red pepper spice. The profile became savory as a saltiness arrived in the middle third. As I closed out this offering from Drew Estate, a dry cinnamon and cocoa provided a pleasant exit to the cigar. I would classify the Undercrown full in flavors and body and medium in strength. 

Inferno Flashpoint Maduro: Dark heavy flavors of coffee, earth, and pepper opened up the cigar that quickly developed into a rich, savory, spicy smoke. Halfway through, the spice calmed allowing the richness to shine and a cocoa sweetness to make an appearance. A gritty earth, cocoa, and coffee concluded the flavors of the Flashpoint Maduro. I would classify the Flashpoint Maduro as full in flavor and strength and medium in body.

Verdict: There was a clear winner in each of the earlier categories, but it is much more difficult to determine a winner in something so subjective as flavors. The Undercrown and Flashpoint Maduro shared some common flavors, but you would definitely not mistake one for the other. Both profiles were well balanced and delivered a spice and flavor combination that worked well with my palate. However, the depth of flavors, the complexity, and body of the Undercrown secures the win.

Overall Winner: While Famous Smoke Shop has a solid offering on their hands with the Flashpoint Maduro, Drew Estate’s Undercrown takes the overall win. Since I am such a value conscious consumer, if the price-point on the Flashpoint was lower, it would’ve been harder to make the decision, but for now, I will be reaching for the Undercrown, a cigar that has done me well since its release.

I enjoyed bringing something different and fun to the table here at CF and I hope you enjoyed it too. Lastly, “Thank You” Famous Smoke Shop for providing the samples for review.

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The Good Stuff:

The next Tobacconist’s Association of America release to hit the shelves is Drew Estate’s Herrera Esteli TAA exclusive. As I spoke about during my last review, the TAA is a small group of retailers (about 80) across the United states who meet up every year to discuss issues that the cigar industry faces, and this blend is only sold in those few shops to help support their cause. The Herrera Esteli is a variant of the original Herrera Esteli and is the first blend that Willy Herrera, Drew Estate’s master blender, has created for Drew Estate which utilizes Connecticut Broadleaf. Following the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is a Brazilian Mata Fina binder surrounded Nicaraguan fillers. The Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro comes packaged in boxes of 12 and runs $12 per cigar. Big thanks goes out to the Drew Estate team for sending a couple of these our way to review.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $12
Pairing: Modern Times City of the Dead (Imperial Coffee Stout 7.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro starts out with an absolutely gorgeous, consistent, dark brown wrapper. The wrapper’s color is very deep in most areas with a few lighter spots around the soft veins, and a bit of a darker shade coating the cigar’s cap. The texture of the wrapper is very, very toothy with a good amount of oils. The wrapper is very hard, and dense. It almost feels like it would take a chainsaw to get through it. The Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro’s body is beefy, round, and incredibly tightly packed. The cigar is very heavy as it leads up to a perfectly round double cap. The cigar is polished off with the red version of the Herrera Esteli band as well as a red and gold secondary band with the “TAA Exclusive” label on the front.

The wrapper on the Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro gives off a very pungent cocoa and cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice and natural tobacco scents. The cap cut surprisingly easily and clean using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great grainy/earthy flavors buried beneath a great sweetness and cedar.

First Third:

The Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro starts out with a nice, big cayenne pepper blast along with some really bold, dank, tobacco flavors. As the pepper fades the cigar unleashes some very bold coffee, chocolate, cedar, and musk all with a very sweet overtone. I wasn’t expecting the cigar to start off as bold as it did, but I’m not complaining. As i continue into the first third a nice, subtle black cherry fades in and out as well. The draw is perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke while the cigar unleashes a huge amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is a bit wavy, but not too concerning as it leaves behind a beautiful trail of solid white ash which held on for over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro and this cigar is still pouring on the flavors. The cigar now leads with a bold dark chocolate, espresso, and sweetness with some nutty, cedar, spice flavors backing it. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with even more dark chocolate as well as some sharp spice and cedar. The burn line is now burning flawlessly without the need of my torch while I close out the second third with only a very mild nicotine kick.

Finish:

The final third of the Herrera Esteli is much of the same, and there is nothing wrong with that. Strong dark chocolate, coffee, and cedar lead the way with a very sweet overtone and subtle nut, and spice. The flavor profile of this cigar is incredible. The body ramped up a bit in the final third, and barely reached into the medium/full zone. It took me an hour and a half to take this cigar down and I enjoyed every second of it.

Overview:

Willy has always been great at putting a classic touch into all of his blends. The Herrera Esteli TAA Maduro is no exception. The blend is as close as you can get to a classic maduro while utilizing modern tobacco. The Connecticut Broadleaf adds more sweetness, and a nice little tarty tang to the equation while helping the cigar reach a medium/full body experience. The price is a bit high on this cigar, but it wont stop be from stocking up. It seems like the manufacturers who have taken the time to create TAA exclusive blends have really kicking out some incredible blends, for a worthy cause. Do your part by supporting them, you won’t regret it.

Pairing:

Modern Times is a small brewery in San Diego, California that has created some of my absolutely favorite beers. The city of the dead is a 7.5% stout which includes Guatemalan coffee aged in bourbon barrels. That’s right, the coffee is aged, not the beer. Modern Times claims that this is the first time a beer had been created with barrel aged coffee (that they know of). Modern Times knows two things really well, coffee, and beer. Pair them both together and the outcome is outstanding. The beer leads with a ton of sweetness, dark chocolate, coffee, malt, and milk with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing smooth with even more coffee, chocolate and sweetness. This beer is way easy to drink, and only leaves behind a slight bit of the coffee acidity and a bit of bourbon. The beer and cigar were a match made in heaven as they both carried almost identical flavor profiles. I’d also pair this cigar with a sweet, spice rum, bourbon, or Belgian quad.

The post Drew Estate Herrera Esteli Maduro TAA Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

This time around, I bring to you a review of another cigar by Roberto P. Duran Cigars, the Azan White Premium in the Toro de Luxe size.  The weather here in Seattle has been pretty consistently crappy, with rain, rain with high winds, and more rain, with a scant few breaks in between.  Although today’s weather was originally predicted to be rainy with a chance of snow, it has instead turned out to be sunny, but with strong and cold wind gusts, thus chasing me inside for this review.

Anyway, the Roberto Duran White Premium line of cigars was launched at the 2013 IPCPR trade show, but this year, they introduced a new size to the line, the 6 1/2×54 Toro de Luxe, priced at $9.  The other sizes in the line include the Campana 5 1/2×52, Robusto Extra 5 1/2×52, and the Robusto 4 7/8x 50 and run between $6-$8.

The Azan name has an interesting background among old Cuban brands.  Kwan Ben Sen and his two brothers migrated to Cuba from China in 1870 and adopted the name Azan.  They started manufacturing cigars in 1928 and the company continued to do so until the revolution of 1959 when the government took possession of it.  The Roberto Duran White Premium line under this name has an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper surrounding a binder from Nicaragua, with a filler blend of Nicaraguan Jalapa and Estili and Brazilian Mata Fina.

I have previously reviewed the Neya from Roberto Duran – you can read my review here – and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was eager to give the White Premium a go.

I received these cigars for review from the good folks at Cuenca Cigars, although they don’t seem to have them listed online as of this writing.

Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan Jalapa and Esteli, Brazilian Mata Fina
Size:  Toro de Luxe 6 1/2×54
Price:  $9
Smoking time:  Two hours, ten minutes
Pairing:  Deschutes Jubelale (6.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The Roberto Duran Azan White Premium comes draped in a fairly oily medium brown wrapper that shows some darker mottling, leading to a nicely applied double cap.  The roll is very firm with no soft spots and is rather bumpy despite minimal veining.  I rather like the simplicity of the band – a white background with gold and brown lettering and logo.  The wrapper gives off a tangy scent on top of natural tobacco and light earth, while the foot shows some spicy tobacco and earth.  A slight snip of the cap reveals a rather open draw showcasing light cedary tobacco.

First third:

Well, at least being inside allows for a nice leisurely toasting of the foot, and immediately, bright sweet cedar jumps out at me, joined by a bit of earth, rich tobacco, and a smoky umami savoriness that I can’t quite place.  There is some pepper in the retrohale, but the cedar is really what is carrying the flavors so far, although not in an obnoxiously strong way.  The burn line is a bit thick with just a slight waviness and is producing a pretty solid looking ash that lasts for a good inch.  Earthiness soon steps forward and the sweet cedar and pepper have backed off to show smooth savory tobacco driven flavors in a medium bodied presentation.

Middle third:

As the Roberto Duran White Premium enters into the second portion of its length, some bread notes have come into play, along with some sweet spice lingering in the aftermath of the retrohale.  The rich tobacco continues to be the main force along with the woodiness, and that lightly smoky savoriness remains in the background.  Just past the halfway point, the cigar has gone out on me, and I’m forced to give it a re-light, something that wasn’t required of the two that I had previously smoked, but it’s off and running again, with no negative effects from the re-light.  Pepper has re-emerged, and the breadiness has grown stronger, as the body has moved a bit beyond the medium point.

Final third:

After an hour and forty minutes (!), I’m just getting into the final third of the Roberto Duran White Premium.  The flavors have remained pretty much the same, but are getting a bit deeper, making the smoke very enjoyable.  The strength has moved up to medium with just a bit of nicotine kick.  The rich tobacco, cedar/oak, earth, bread, and light sweet spices continue to the smooth smoking and medium-plus bodied end, and despite suffering from a bit of exhaustion from the long smoke time, I’m having a hard time putting it down with an inch remaining.

Conclusion:

While not the most transitionally complex smoke around, the Roberto Duran White Premium’s portfolio of flavors is certainly complex enough to be a thoroughly enjoyable smoke.  Although I did have to re-light it once and give it a couple of quick touch-ups, that did not occur with the first two I smoked, so I would judge the construction and burn characteristics to be very good to excellent.  The time it took me to smoke this one rather astounded me, so the $9 MSRP is a great value.  I will certainly check out the other sizes in this blend, and recommend that those looking for a cigar in this range try out this line as well.

Pairing:

The Jubelale winter seasonal ale from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR is one that I’m sure to pick up each year as it comes out.  This year’s version seems a bit thicker in the mouth than the ones that I’ve had in the past, and what the reddish brown color would indicate.  Roasty malt on entry is backed by smoky coffee along with a bit of dark fruit and caramel.  I loved the way that the smoky, roasty flavors reflected those in the White Premium, and the fruit and caramel intermingled nicely.  I think that a strong ale or a malt-forward Imperial IPA would be a great match for the Roberto Duran White Premium cigar, as would a smooth Highland Single Malt Scotch or a deeply fruity red wine.

The post Roberto Duran Azan White Premium Toro de Luxe appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

The Signed Range Selección Selection Suprema is a very limited release by Dunhill made to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of their Don Candido, which was the first cigar line produced solely for Dunhill.  Since I could not find any contact information for Dunhill cigars, I will rely on Will Cooper’s always excellent information at cigar-coop.com.  The factory and country of origin have not been disclosed.  The Jalapa Shade wrapped cigars come in only one size, a 6×50 toro.  They are packed eight to a box, and retail for $160, or $20 for a single.

I believe that the cigars here were provided to Tony by General Cigar, and he sent me a few to review.

The Basics:
Wrapper:  Nicaraguan Jalapa Shade
Binder:  Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler:  Nicaraguan Jalapa and Esteli; Brazilian Mata Fina
Size:  Toro 6×50
Price:  $20
Smoking time:  One hour, fifty minutes
Pairing:  Ninkasi Noir Milk Stout (7.6 ABV)

Pre-light:

The word “Shade” would seem to infer a light colored wrapper on this cigar, but that is certainly not the case.  Instead, the Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema comes cloaked in a beautiful deep reddish-brown and oily leaf with a couple of small to medium veins and nearly invisible seams.  The pack is extremely firm, even hard, with no soft spots whatsoever.  The bands – there are three of them – are striking.  The main band has a black background with gleaming deep gold (nearly copper), gray, and white, showing the Dunhill crest and “Selección Suprema”, while the band just below it is in the same gold on black and says “80 Years” encircled by the words “Celebration Exclusivity”.  The narrow foot band merely says “Dunhill”.  All in all, it’s an elegant, if a bit flashy, presentation.  The aroma that comes off the wrapper is a tangy and lightly earthy barnyard, while the foot adds some woodiness and a hint of cocoa to the mix.  Despite the firmness of the roll, the cap clips easily, revealing a very firm draw that shows some sweet tobacco and not much else, but it does leave a bit of spicy tingle on the lips.

First third:

The cigar toasts up easily, and immediately dives in with a mix of spicy sweet cedar, light earth, and bright white pepper.  Even more cedar shows on the retrohale.  Even though the draw is stiffer than I prefer, it is producing an adequate amount of smoke, with a medium burn line that is rapidly getting thinner.  More earth and a touch of savory leather are apparent in the now nearly medium bodied stick, and the pepper has increased in intensity.  Sweet citrus fruitiness has entered and the pepper steps back as the Selección Suprema shows itself to be smooth on entry, but with enough bite on the back of the palate and on the retrohale to be noticeable.

Middle Section:

Entering the center portion of the cigar, it continues to refine itself.  Still driven by the sweet cedar and citrus, it has dropped the pepper almost entirely, becoming very smooth throughout with touches of leather and light-roast coffee.  While the first ash came off at about the ¾” mark, the second lasted a good 1-1/2”.  By the halfway point, some savoriness has returned, the flavors have deepened, and some strength has crept in.  Sweet coffee notes are becoming more prominent, perhaps influenced by the beer I’m pairing the cigar with, as the body and strength continue to climb.

Finish:

The final third of the Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema has brought in some bitter char that persists despite a purge, as well as pungent pepper, as the body of the cigar has pushed to medium-full.  Those flavors eventually fade back and again allow the cedar, coffee, and citrus to take the reins, but with the strength really ramping up into the full range, it’s taking its toll on me, and feeling quite queasy, I’m forced to set it down with a good 1-1/2” left.

Final Thoughts:

The draw of the Selección Suprema eventually opened up enough for me to not have to think about it, and it produced ample smoke anyway.  The overall construction and burn characteristics were excellent, with no touch-ups or re-lights, and it smoked quite slowly.  Now to the subjective portion of this recap.  The first two-thirds of the cigar were very much to my linking, and I was enjoying the way that it was progressively getting deeper in body and flavor, but the sudden spike in overpowering strength and the temporary bitterness in the final portion really threw off the balance of the cigar for me.  The price is where things get even more dicey for me.  If I have the sort of problems in the final third in a $5-$6 cigar that I did with this one, I can lay it down with not a lot of disappointment, feeling that I at least got the bulk of my money’s worth.  But a $20 smoke should not come with that kind of experience, limited availability or not.  I did smoke one prior to this review, and although I didn’t get the heavy bitterness in the last third, the strength did tip past the body in that one as well.  I will venture to say, however, that this cigar may well prove to be a good one to age for a few (or more) years, as that may alleviate some of the strength and balance things out.  If that happens, this would certainly be a cigar worth consideration.  I do have one left, and intend to find out.

Pairing:

I was all set to pair this cigar with my last bottle of the Fort George North VII that featured in my review of the L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER13 last year, but ran across the Ninkasi Noir Milk Stout.  The Noir is a special release and is brewed with cold brewed Stumptown coffee, resulting in a surprisingly light bodied and not too sweet stout with a bit of tartness.  A great stout for those who don’t really like the thick, heavy brews, it was a great foil for the portion of the Dunhill that I really enjoyed, bringing out more coffee flavor and complementing the light woody and citrus sweetness of the cigar.

The post Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

By now you should all be familiar with Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. In case you have been living under a rock for the past few years, Abe Dababneh, Owner of Smoke Inn cigars has teamed up with some of the cigar industry’s leading manufacturers to create exclusive releases which are only sold at Smoke Inn Stores. We’ve been lucky enough to smoke or review each and every one of these:

• Tatuaje Anarchy
• Padron 1964 Anniversary SI 15
• My Father El Hijo
• Aturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje Apocalypse
• Room 101 Big Delicious
• Quesada Oktoberfest Dunkel
• 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster
• Illusione Pactum

The newest addition to the Smoke Inn Microblend Series is the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village. The name Pope of Greenwich Village comes from the title of a movie with he same name which takes place in New York, the city in which Drew Estate’s founders Jonathan Drew, and Marvin Samel come from. The Pope of Greenwich features a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The blend sounds very similar to what you find in Drew Estate’s Undercrown series. The cigar is offered in one single format, a 6 x 40 panatela with comes packaged in bundles of 10 running $8.50 per cigar. As of now, you can pre-order these cigars from Smoke Inn’s website as they are expected to start shipping this week. Word to the wise, as with all the other Microblend Series, these are limited runs so if you enjoy the cigar, grab as many as you can while they are still available.

Size: 6 x 40
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.50
Pairing: Deschutes The Abyss (Imperial Stout 11% ABV)

Prelight:

The Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village starts out with an impressively dark brown wrapper. The wrapper is pretty consistent in color with some almost black areas spread throughout the webbing of the leaf. The long, slender cigar body features a few very subtle veins while it showcases it’s rugged appearance. The texture is very, very toothy with some slight oils while the wrapper and body of the cigar remain extremely firm. The cigar is finished off with an absolutely seamless, round, double cap and a very modest maroon band with the title “The Pope of Greenwich Village” as well as a very small Drew Estate logo embossed in gold metallic ink.

The wrapper of the cigars boats some very strong sweetness, cedar, and chocolate while the foot of the cigar carries some soft spice and more natural aromas. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced some soft cherry, chocolate, and grainy flavors.

First Third:

The Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village starts out with a nice little black pepper blast which quickly fades into a soft spice mashed up with some black cherry, deep cedar, brown sugar, cocoa, and natural tobacco flavors. The draw is perfect. Each puff kicks out a great deal of thick smoke. The cigar kicks out a ton of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of compacted white and light gray ash which only held on for about a quarter of an inch before falling into my lap. Sorry about not getting a picture of the first ash before it fell, it was a bit unexpected.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village and the flavors remain nice a bold leading with the black cherry and cedar backed by cocoa, natural tobacco, and some nice black licorice that has snuck it’s way in. The retrohale is really smooth and filled with chocolate, licorice, and spice. The burn line is still dead even while the ash has been falling quite often, so be prepared for it. I close out the second third with no nicotine kick whatsoever.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village and the flavors are still holding in there. The black licorice has really ramped up and is competing with the cedar for the top spot backed by black cherry, spice, and cocoa. The burn has been flawless and never once required any extra attention from my torch. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experience only some light harshness into the final inch while the cigar left me with absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Overview:

It’s funny, the first time I smoked this cigar, even before I knew what the blend consisted of I thought to myself “This is basically an Undercrown Viva! Hybrid.” Here I am, smoking the cigar, thinking the exact same thing. But that’s not a bad thing. I am a huge fan of the Viva! and a huge fan of the panatela formats and I really enjoyed everything the Pope of Greenwich had to offer. It’s got some great bold flavors with a more medium strength level resulting in a smooth, relaxing experience at a great price. I highly recommend this cigar if you are a fan of flavorful, milder cigars of if you are into Drew Estate’s Undercrown series at all. Get them while you can.

Pairing:

Although this beer is usually better served in the winter, I couldn’t help but break out a bottle for this pairing as I knew it was perfect. Deschutes’ The Abyss is an 11% ABV Imperial stout from  Bend, Oregon. It’s not your run of the mill stout though as its brewed with a slew of items such a Black Strap molasses, licorice, cherry bark and vanilla with 6% of the beer aged in oak bourbon barrels, 11% aged in oak barrels, and 11% aged in oak wine barrels. Do I have your attention now? This monster of a beer leads with strong malt, bourbon, booze, and vanilla with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with some strong black licorice, more booze, cocoa, and cherry. I told you it was a perfect paring.

The post Drew Estate – The Pope of Greenwich Village – Smoke Inn Microblend Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Montecristo Relentless is a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive that states that though a bold experience will be “relentless” on your taste buds. The blend starts out with an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican San Andreas Binder, and a mix of Nicaraguan and Brazilian Mata Fina Fillers. The Relentless is offered in 5 sizes: The Churchill (7 x 56), the Magnum (6 x 60), The No.2 (6 1/8 x 52 torpedo), The Robusto (5 1/2 x 48), and the Toro (6 x 54). The Relentless comes in boxes of 10 ranging from $9.65 to $12.50 a stick and can purchased here directly from Famous Smoke Shop who is currently running a promotion that includes free bonus deals with a box purchase. Big thanks goes out to our friends at Famous for sending these bad boys our way for review.

Size: 5.5 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Mexican San Andreas
Filler: Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Price: $9.65
Pairing: Keweenaw Widow Maker (5.2% Black Ale)

Prelight:

The Montecristo Relentless carries a smooth, silky, light brown wrapper that showcases some great natural oils. The wrapper is very thin, and very delicate with some very light veining and some darker, almost greenish-brown areas around the cap and the foot. The cigar feels very tightly packed with a bit of sponginess around the foot while leading up to a beautiful round triple cap. The Relentless carries the standard round Montecristo band we all know so well with a bit of a twist. First, the color scheme is pretty interesting using a yellow dominant color with red and black accents. Underneath the Montecristo crest band there is a red one with the word “Relentless” sprawled across it which lays over yet another more elegant black band with some spot-uv coated Montecristo Logos.

The Montecristo Relentless’s wrapper gives off some nice, buttery tobacco flavors with some light cedar while the foot of the cigar has much more spice and earthiness to it. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw is very grainy/oaty with some soft spice and lots of cedar.

First Third:

I was expecting lots more pepper given the Nicaraguan fillers, but the Montecristo Relentless stared out rather tame in that department with only enough pepper to tickle my tongue. The rest of the flavor profile consisted of some strong cedar, cashew, soft spice, and a bit of that butter that I picked up in the prelight. The draw is perfect and plentiful. Each little puff kicks out a whole mess of thick, white smoke. the burn line is a bit wavy and a bit dense, but nothing concerning at all as I close out the first third of the Relentless. The ash left behind is a medium grey which is very tightly compacted holding on for over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Much the same into the second third of this Monte Cristo Relentless. Still lots of cedar and cashew over some slight spice, butter, and natural tobacco flavors. The body and strength remain both in the medium area while the nicotine is almost non-existent. The burn line has pretty much corrected itself and is now burning completely solid without the help of my torch. The retrohale is really smooth coating my nasal passage with some soft cedar and spice which actually helps add a bit of body to the experience.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the Montecristo Relentless and it’s still remaining true to the experience by delivering the exact same as it did when I first lit it up. That has it’s good and it’s bad depending on what you look for in a cigar. If you like medium/consistent smoked then this is perfect, but if you’re like me and you like bold/complexity this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea. The burn has been perfect though and in the hour and a half it took to take this cigar down I never once had to reach for my torch. The finish was very soft and creamy too with absolutely no harshness whatsoever.

Overview:

While the Montecristo Relentless is a good cigar, it left quite a bit to be desired, especially in the flavor department. The cigar seldom switched up, and the flavors became pretty muted and muddy from the halfway point on. This may actually be appealing to those who want a solid, medium body cigar and especially those of you who are looking for a great morning coffee smoke. Flavor profile aside the Relentless preformed rather well in terms of construction and burn/draw experience. No touch ups or relights were ever needed and the cigar just quietly did what it was born to do. Taking that in consideration the price point for a cigar of that stature is pretty high on the Relentless and it’s probably not something I’d consider adding to my regular rotation.

Pairing:

I decided to pair the Montecristo Relentless with a brew that was brought back from the Upper Peninsula by none other than Mr. Jeremy. Big thanks dude. Keweenaw’s Widow Maker is a black ale found all over the UP that comes in a 5.2% ABV. The beer is a solid black ale leading with some nice roasted malt, barley, and caramel which finishes crisp with some slight espresso and chocolate. I’ve always been a fan of Black Ales especially when they are as solid as this one. The theory behind this pairing was the hope of brining a bit more dimension to the smoking experience, which it did by placing some great flavors that didn’t already exist in the cigar into the experience. I still think the best possible pairing for this cigar is a morning coffee or even some sweet tea.

Contest Winner:

First of all, thank you all who took the time to enter. Also, thank you guys for the support you have shown us over the years. YOU are why we do this and this site wouldn’t exist without you. Give yourselves a pat on the back.

Now to the good stuff. We used Rafflecopter to pick a winner at random (It’s easy that way). The system chose, at random, Texican8! If you haven’t received and email from us yet, you will soon. Thanks again and be on the lookout as we are planning some more giveaways in the very near future.

The post Montecristo Relentless + Contest Winner appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Flor De Selva Egoista

Wrapper: Honduran Ecuadorian Connecticut from Talanga
Binder: Habano Jamastran
Filler: Viso Tojes/Ligero Jamastran
Size: 3.5 x 50
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full

Prelight:

The Maya Selva Flor del Selva Egoista is a stubby little bullet-shaped cigar. The wrapper is a fairly consistent light brown with a nice orange hue to it. the wrapper showcases some darker webbing as well as some smaller, soft veins leading up to it’s snobby, round, triple cap. The wrapper of the cigar feels very thin with some slight tooth and a decent amount of oils. The Flor De Selva is very, very hard and firm to the touch. Seriously, this thing feels like a rock and is almost as heave as one too. The cigar is polished off with a beautiful, elegant white and brown band with the Flor De Selva crest along with a red and black foot band with “Maya Selva” scripted in white across it.

Flavor Profile:

Yeah, be ready for this one, as the first time I lit this sucker up I sure as hell wasn’t. Looks can often be deceiving and that’s the case with the Flor de Selva Egoista. Right off the bat you are smacked in the face with a huge, huge pepper blast that I didn’t expect. After the pepper settles down a bit the cigar shows off some great cedar flavors wrapped around cashew, pine, and lots of natural tobacco. The more I smoke this cigar the more I pick up some saltiness and mossy flavors buried in there. The cigar finishes nice and bold which isn’t usually the case in Ecuadorian shade cigars.

Draw/Burn:

The burn was razor thin and dead even the from start to finish. I never once had I correct or relight the cigar. I was also impress with how long the little Egoista burned for clocking in at a little over an hour. The draw was perfect. Each little puff produced a decent amount of thick smoke which didn’t linger for very long at all. I was curious as to how the draw would turn out considering how tight the cigar was packed, but it performed beautifully from start to finish.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the Flor de Selva Egoista a lot more than I thought I would. If you have read this blog for any amount of time you’d know that I’m not big on Connecticut wrapper cigars

Flor De Selva No.15 Maduro

Wrapper: Natural Maduro from Jamastrán, Honduras
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Habano Jamastran/Ligero Azacualpa
Size: 3.5 x 50
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full

Prelight:

The Maya Selva Flor de Selva Maduro No.15 has an absolutely beautiful wrapper. The wrapper is a deep, dark brown with lots of lighter/darker/reddish spots scattered throughout. The wrapper has some beautiful natural tobacco webbing and only the smaller of veins. The body of the cigar leads up to an extremely sharp, torpedo style cap. The wrapper on the Flor de Selva Maduro is very oily with some slight tooth and a dense texture. The cigar is pretty well packed, but not as tight as the Egoista was, nor is it as heavy. The cigar carries the same white band as well, along with a black and red foot band with “No 15” printed on it.

Flavor Profile:

The Flor De Selva Maduro starts out with some nice pepper, lots of sweetness, and lots of cocoa. As I smoke on the pepper begins to drop out and is replaced by some great spice and an almost gingerbread-like flavor. The cocoa stays consistent throughout the entire experience while the sweetness comes in waves. Halfway through the cigar I started to pick up some nice raisin and espresso which lasted through the rest of the experience. I really enjoyed the flavor profile while most of the combinations remained consistent with natural maduro cigars, there were some really unique flavors that kept me on my toes.

Draw/Burn:

The Flor de Selva Maduro carried a pretty thick and pretty choppy burn line for most of the experience with some larger waves towards the end. I had to relight once towards the end, but after all was said and done the burn wasn’t really menacing. Mata Fina always seems to burn a bit crazy but in my opinion the great, bold flavors they carry are well worth the trade off. The draw was great from start to finish kicking out lots, and lots of thick white smoke.

Final Thoughts:

This is a seriously good cigar. The deep flavors, complex profile, and unique characteristics makes it a great cigar to have in your regular rotation for those time when you are craving something a little different. While I had some slight issues with the burn, it wasn’t anything that ever really turned me off of the cigar, and as I stated before the flavor trade off was well worth it.

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The Good Stuff: As most of you know by now Camacho Cigars decided to completely revamp their portfolio last years consolidating their portfolio, reblending their core lines, and completely revamping their marketing and design. The Ecuador is the seventh release in their core line and probably the most talked about out of the bunch. The Camacho Ecuador gets its name from the obvious, the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper the cigar is embraced in and fits perfectly within their new campaign which simply entails “The Bold Standard”. The Camacho Ecuador comes packaged in 20 count boxes and in 5 different sizes: the Robusto (5 x 50), the Toro (6 x 50), Gordo (6 x 60), Churchill (7 x 48), and Figurado (6 1/8 x 54 x 42). I picked up a handful of these from Cigarhuslter.com. Thanks goes out to them for the top-notch service.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Corojo, Criollo Ligero, Pelo de Oro from Honduran and Dominican Republic
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $6.80
Pairing: 21^st Amendment Lower DeBoom (11.5% Barleywine)

Prelight: The Camacho Ecuador sports a crazy shiny, oily wrapper. Seriously it looks like someone waxed this thing. I can practically see my reflection off the tobacco leaf. Along with the gleam the wrapper is a medium to dark brown with lots of darker areas around the medium sized veins and the natural webbing in the tobacco. The wrapper feels really fragile and thin as it leads up to a round triple cap. This may actually be a double cap as one of the cigars I have on hand looks to carry a double cap while this one has a triple. Not too sure, but either way the caps are flawless. The Camacho Ecuador is packed incredibly tight with tobacco making it as hard as a rock all over. This is fine with me as long as it doesn’t plug up the draw. The Ecuador is polished off with the new Camacho band design which I absolutely love. Each blend has a different color, the Ecuador’s is a bright, turquoise. The band has the Camacho brand printed largely across it with the statement “Infamous since 1962” and “Ecuador” with the brands scorpion mascot as well.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off a really musky, leathery aroma while the foot of the cigar carries nothing more than natural tobacco with a bit of dirty earthiness. The cap was surprisingly easy to clip using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produced a lot of the musk I was picking up along with a really grainy, natural, doughy mix of flavors.

First Smoke: Right off the bat I was greeting with a big pepper rush that I wasn’t expecting at all which quickly faded away after the first few draws. The Camacho Ecuador then presented me with some bold musk, leather, spice, raisin and hints of clove and sweetness. The body is full right away and it will be interesting to see how it keeps up later in the experience. The draw on this beast is perfect kicking out a whole mess of thick smoke with every little puff. The burnline is razor thin and dead solid leaving behind a tightly compacted medium and light gray ash which held on for and inch before tumbling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Into the second third of the Camacho Ecuador the flavors began to subside a bit as they all started to mix in with one another. It makes for a creamy experience but the body became just a bit muted here for a while. But as I continued into the second third the flavors began to ramp right back up leading off with lots of musk and tons of woodsy flavors backed by the raisin and leather with bits of espresso and spice. The retrohale showcases large amounts of wood flavors with some nice, subtle spice. I found it incredibly easy to retrohale this cigar .The draw is still perfect, some very sight waves have formed in the burnline (which don’t bother me one bit), and I am actually feeling some slight nicotine as I close out the second third.

Finish: The Final third of this Camacho Ecuador is finishing just as bold as it started although the flavors have switched up quite a bit. Now the cigar is leading with some REALLY strong spice, lots of clove with musk and espresso backing along with some slight fruit and sweetness. I love the changeups, the boldness, and the complexity this cigar offers. It’s taken me about an hour and a half to take it down to the nub and never once had to reach for my torch as it’s burned solid the entire time. I do feel a bit of a nicotine kick, but it’s not real bad. The last inch carried no harshness, a bit of heat, and a whole lot of spice with little hints of the pepper I picked up in the first third.

Overview: What can I say about this cigar other than it rocked. First of all, I am a huge fan of what Camacho has done with their branding. The old branding was just a bit too flashy in my opinion and now they are letting the cigars speak for themselves. The Ecuador is complex, bold, smooth, and incredibly affordable. What else can you ask for? A box maybe? That’s where I’m going. This cigar fits perfectly in anyone’s rotation whether you are a seasoned smoker who enjoys complexity or a novice looking to break into premium cigars without breaking the bank. This is by far a box worthy cigar and knowing Camacho, they will be pretty easy to come by. On a side note, I have smoked a few of the other Camacho reblends and have enjoyed them a lot. That being said, the Ecuador has to be my favorite core line Camacho cigar that I have smoked in a really long time. Don’t be surprised if it’s a contender in this year’s top 10 list not only on our site, but many others.

Pairing: A cigar with as much flavor and body as the Camacho Ecuador needs a beer that can hold it’s own and 21^st Amendment’s Lower DeBoom handled itself quite nicely. Lower DeBoom is a flavor powerhouse of a Barleywine Brewed in California coming in at a whopping 11.5% ABV. I can’t get this brew in Texas but was able to score it in a beer trade with my buddy Patrick. Big thanks goes out to him for the hookup. Lower DeBoom starts out with some really strong citrus and spice which transforms into a bold fruitiness before finishing off with some lingering spice and malt. The spice, fruit, and malt paired up perfectly with the spice, fruits, and natural flavors in the Camacho Ecuador. A word to the wise though as Lower DeBoom, and most other barleywines for that matter are almost always too strong in body and will easily overpower almost any cigar unless they are maxed-out in the body category like this Camacho Ecuador was.

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Press Release

A truly boutique cigar, MBombay, just hit the shelves of retailers in Southern California within last couple of weeks. MBombay Cigars are made in a very small factory in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In a recent interview with Mel Shah, owner of MBombay Cigars, expressed “Cigars are embedded in my memories since childhood. I can still smell the lingering mild smell of Cubans that my grandfather and my father smoked when I was a kid. After graduating college in India, my father offered me my first cigar in ’96, which he got from Dubai. I retired from IT industry in 2001, and opened a cigar shop that year in July. I enjoy retail even today, but I believe manufacturing aspect of cigars was supposed to happen. Touching, feeling and smelling of tobacco in the factory takes me right back to my grandpa’s room. I do miss him and classical music that he used to listen while smoking a fine cigar.”

The owner, Mel Shah, is a Palm Springs based tobacconist and a wine retailer for last 15 years, commented on the line “… our philosophy is simple, acquire the best quality of tobaccos and focus on quality than quantity. The wrapper tobacco used for our classic line is Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade from 2001, binders and fillers are well aged from 2006 and 2007. After the cigars are rolled by only four to five rollers in the factory, the cigars are kept in the “caparate” for more than 6 to 7 months before we start to import to the United States.” With production of merely 1000 boxes a month (boxes of 20), Shah does not plan to distribute the line to more than 200 to 250 stores nationwide.

The Classic Line

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut 2001
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Peru
The Classic line is available in five sizes: Corona (5″ x 43), Robusto (4.5″ x 48), Belisoco (5″ x 52), Perfecto (a figurado 6 x 50) and Churchill (7″ x 48). The retail price ranges from $8.50 to $11.50.

A truly boutique cigar, MBombay, just hit the shelves of retailers in Southern California within last couple of weeks. MBombay Cigars are made in a very small factory in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In a recent interview with Mel Shah, owner of MBombay Cigars, expressed “Cigars are embedded in my memories since childhood. I can still smell the lingering mild smell of Cubans that my grandfather and my father smoked when I was a kid. After graduating college in India, my father offered me my first cigar in ’96, which he

The Maduro Line

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina 2007
Binder: Peru
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic
The Maduro line is available in four sizes: Robusto (4.5″ x 48), Perfecto (a figurado 6 x 50), Churchill (7″ x 48) and a Double Corona (7″ x 52). The retail price ranges from $10.00 to $13.50.

Upon being asked on why he chose Costa Rica to roll his cigars to other predominant countries in Central America, Shah said “…. I was given more freedom in using the tobaccos that we purchased three
years ago. The factory has an outstanding record in making cigars like Atabe, Byran and few other highly rated and popular names in European market.” For the time being, Mel does the marketing of cigars himself and with couple of his friends in the cigar industry, and visits the retail stores he feels that can house and support his cigars. “It is not easy to sell cigars in the market, nowadays. Retailers want to understand and I want to make sure that my cigars don’t end up as a dead stock on our retailer’s shelves. I’ve gone through some horrifying experiences with a few brands in our store too, and I do not want any of our retailers’ to go through that with MBombay” Shah added.

MBombay cigars are distributed solely by Bombay Tobak. Contact them through their website http://www.bombaytobak.com for more information.

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