The La Jugada Nunchuck is designed to resemble a pair of nunchucks. Two cigars are connected the head of the cigar and will be sold as a pair, something completely unique to the cigar industry. The design of the cigar was conceived by Danny Moya & Nelson Ruiz after being inspired by the martial arts theme of the Cigar Dojo social media app.

“Our company was coming up to its one year anniversary so we wanted to create something special, something unique. We made this limited edition cigar (1000 boxes) in dedication to the members of the Cigar Dojo. This social media community has supported us from day one, and is one of the key reasons for our company’s success.” Stated Danny Moya.

Big thanks the the MoyaRuiz family for hooking it up with samples to both Jeremy and I. You can actually check out Jeremy’s full review here.

Size: 7 x 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $23.50 (Per Nunchuck, 2 cigars)
Pairing: Water

Prelight:

Well, it’s a nunchuck. There you have it. Very Gimmicky, yes, but I actually applaud MoyaRuiz for thinking outside the box on this one. Not to mention it fits the Cigar Dojo theme to a tee. Looking at it from a cigar standpoint, its actually a beautiful thing. The wrapper is absolutely beautiful. The color consistently dark brown with some slightly darker webbing spanning the body of the cigar. The wrapper carries some mild tooth and a impressively thick layer of oil coating the entire cigar. There are a few slight veins but nothing too worrisome. The Nunchuck is very thick, dense, and heavy and the wrapper is as hard as a rock. The beefy body leads up to a round, double cap with a tobacco-made string that runs from the center of the cap of one cigar to it’s pair. The La Jugada Nunchuck is polished off with a massive white band that spans box cigars with the words “La Jugada Nunchuck” on the front of it.

Draw/Burn:

The burn line started out a bit wild as I lit up the La Jugada Nunchuck, but cleaned up about an inch in and remained solid the entire length of the cigar. The burn line was razor thin and left behind a very tightly compacted trail of medium and dark gray ash which held on for and well over an inch before giving way. The draw on the Nunchuck is incredible. Each tiny, little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke. This cigar lets loose a ton of stationary smoke as well as it rests in my ashtray.

Flavor Profile:

The La Jugada Nunchuck starts out with a nice little black pepper bang which actually carried itself through the first half of the experience. Underneath there was some deep cocoa, coffee, cedar, and a bit of leather. Halfway through I started pulling out some subtle floral flavors as well some strong sweetness. The cigar finished very creamy with a ton of cedar and sweetness. There was no harshness at all and I was very impressed with how bold the experience delivered by the Nunchuck was and how balanced the strength was.

Thoughts:

I’ve been impressed with all the cigars under the La Jugada brand, and the Nunchuck just added to the list. The cigar is decently complex, bold, and finished smooth and creamy without the strength overpowering the experience which is exactly what I look for in a cigar. Again, it’s a bit of a gimmick, and the price point is up there, but this was a fun cigar, and a damn good one.

The post Quick Draw: MoyaRuiz La Jugada Nunchuck appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

• Drew Estate – Undercrown Dogma
• MoyaRuiz Cigars – La Jugada Nunchuck

Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla is limited in several ways. First, it is a “limited run” cigar with only 1,000 bundles of 10 cigars being produced at La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua. Secondly, the cigar is only being manufactured in one vitola, a 5 1/2 by 52 Belicoso. Lastly, the Sarsaparilla was only made available through Famous Smoke Shop, an online-retailer. Checking on the availability of the Sarsaparilla, unless you know someone who has a stockpile of these laying around, this may be an extremely difficult cigar to find.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Espinosa Premium Cigars
Price: $79.99 per bundle of 10
Vitola: Belicoso
Size: 5 1/2 by 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 40 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The Sarsaparilla is truly a great looking cigar from the band design to the oily wrapper. The dark brown Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper conceals much of the leaf’s characteristics but a fine tooth can be felt under the fingers and small veins and bumps can be seen upon closer inspection.

A faint aroma is found on the wrapper with a slight pungency and barnyard smell. The unlit foot is very welcoming with notes of chocolate, graham cracker, cedar, and pepper. The cigar comes to a close with a tapered head that clips easily. A decent draw brings forth clove, graham cracker, and cedar.

First Third

Black pepper is in full strength, alongside some wet cedar and coffee. Surprisingly, the retrohale is not unbearable (It didn’t even make me sneeze or tear up). The pepper flavor is full but the spice-heat is only in the medium realm. A very welcoming change in the flavors has taken place at the half inch mark as the flavors have lightened up with some sweetness and rich cedar joining the mix. The finish of the smoke is long with dirt and earth notes. A quick touch-up is needed as one side of the cigar is having difficulty burning in-line with the rest.

Middle Third

Arriving into the second third, the flavors have mellowed. While some of the unique San Andres tobacco flavors are in the mix, they play a very minimal role in the profile. Black pepper and earthy notes characterize the main flavors. A hairline crack has formed in the wrapper, which I did not notice until smoke began to seep out of it, but there is no impact on the smoke production or flavors. Once again, I use my Zippo Z-Plus! to get the burn corrected.

Final Third

As the black pepper moves to the back of the profile, rich cedar and sweet natural tobacco balance out the darker flavors of coffee and earth (dirt). The cigar has really found its groove at this point in the smoke. Copious amount of full flavored smoke is produced with each draw bring forth rich full flavors that are completely satisfying.

Wrap-up

Erik Espinosa has a history of producing solid cigars. There are very few cigars coming out of La Zona that I do not hold in high regard. However, I am split on Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla. If the cigar smoked the entire length as it did in the final third, I would have absolutely zero complaints. Everything about the final third with the rich cedar and natural tobacco sweetness made it an absolute treat. The first and second thirds lacked the balance and complexity of the final third. Regarding performance, the Sarsaparilla showed an average performance – a good amount of smoke produced, firm ash, and only a few touch-ups required. Both samples I had an opportunity to smoke for this review performed similarly and offered consistent flavor profiles. Even the drop in the intensity of flavors in the second third took place at almost the same exact time. If this cigar was a regular production smoke and easily accessible, I would consider purchasing a few more to see how they smoke down the road. But I don’t think I’ll have that opportunity based on the zero availability.

The post Espinosa Cigars – Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Dogma is one of the biggest blends to hit the cigar community this year. Dogma is an extension of the Undercrown series created to commemorate the Cigar Dojo app. For those who are not familiar with Cigar Dojo, its basically the first Social Media application for cigar enthusiasts who “Never Want to Smoke Alone”. You can find more about the app and directions for download here. This is a must try cigar for anyone who’s used the app, and enjoys smoking the Undercrown line. Here is an excerpt from Drew Estate’s press release which pretty much sums up the project:

Miami, FL – Drew Estate announced today their plans to release a new size within their Undercrown cigar line. The size will be called Undercrown “Dogma”, and has been created to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the online community Cigar Dojo. The blend of “Dogma” is based on the Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! and is comprised of Mexican San Andreas wrapper, Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan & Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The “Dogma” will come in a 6 x 56 box-pressed vitola.

When asked about the “Dogma” project, Jonathan Drew said, “we have been major supporters of Cigar Dojo from the beginning. A handful of Drew Estate employees, myself included, are Dojo members, and we have always been floored by the support Drew Estate has received on the app and website. When Eric (owner of Cigar Dojo) approached us about coming up with this special commemorative cigar, it was a no-brainer. My dad, “Baitfish” Gary, came up with the name ‘Dogma’.”

The “Dogma” will be a limited run of 10-count bundles, and will be sold exclusively through Smoke Inn, a South Florida cigar retail chain, owned by Abe Debabneh. For those based outside of Florida, the cigars will be available through Smoke Inn’s web store. The “Dogma” will be priced at $9.95 MSRP per single and $99.50 MSRP per 10-count bundle.

The flavor profile of the “Dogma” aligns with that of the Corona ¡Viva!, featuring notes of cocoa, earth, and a rich spicy character. If you enjoy the Corona ¡Viva! but would like a longer, 56 ring gauge smoke, the “Dogma” will be a new favorite.

While the initial batch of Dogma has been sold out, I am told more are on their way. You can find this here and sign up for restock notifications. Big thanks goes out to our friend at Drew Estate for shooting a few of these over. Now, let’s dive in shall we.

Size: 6 x 56 Box Press
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina & Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.50
Pairing: Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout (11.2% Bourbon Imperial Stout)

Prelight: The Drew Estate Undercrown Dogma carries a familiar wrapper, the same one we see used on all the blends in the line. It’s a very heavy, very thick, very dark leaf covered in oils and thick tooth. The wrapper isn’t the only thing that’s dense, the whole cigar feels incredible thick and heavy. I’m not too worried about over-handling this one. There are a few medium sized veins running through the body of the cigar up to its round, double cap. The soft box press format on the Dogma make in not only very comfortable in hand, but it also has a great mouthfeel. The Undercrown Dogma is polished off with the standard blue and gold Undercrown band with the addition of the secondary band with the words “Dogma” and Cigar Dojo’s “Never Smoke Alone” tagline and logo.

The wrapper on the Undercrown Dogma gives off a coffee, chocolate, and tart aroma while the foot of the cigar lets loose a ton of spice and cedar. The cap cup clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a bit tight, but produces some really strong spice and cedar flavors with some natural tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Undercrown Dogma starts out with a nice black pepper boom. I was surprised at just how quickly the pepper dropped out of the smoke. The rest of the flavor profile lead off with some real bold cedar, sweetness, cherry, tobacco, and spice. After about an inch the black pepper re-appeared, and would continue to poke its head in then dissipate. The draw is incredible. Every tiny puff kicks out massive clouds of thick shite smoke. The amount of smoke pouring out of this cigar as it rests in my ashtray is incredible. The burnline is a bit thick, but dead even leaving behind a very thick, tightly compacted white ash. The ash held on for an inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The pepper has completely faded from the experience in the second third of the Undercrown Dogma. What I have left is still a very bold cedar, some great sweetness, spice, black cherry, chocolate, and tobacco. The cherry and spice make for a really interesting combo and I tend to pick these two flavors quite often with the Undercrown and the Liga Privada No.9 blends. The retrohale is real spicy with sharp cedar notes and a ton of sweetness. I am not feeling any nicotine what so ever as I close out the second third with a flawless burnline.

Finish: It took me almost 2 hours to take down the Undercrown Dogma. The Undercrown series aren’t the quickest burning cigars, but this one took considerably longer to smoke down than the other formats I smoked. Some awesome floral flavors have started to creep their way into the flavor profile during the final third. Along with the floral was a ramp up in spice while the cedar and chocolate remained in the mix and the cherry and sweetness have dropped out. It’s been an interesting experience. The final inch finished clean and smooth with no harshness or heat built up. I am only feeling a very slight nicotine kick as I put the Dogma to rest.

Overview: I’ve always been a fan of the Undercrown Series. Being a Liga Privada fan, it’s a great little departure from the line that is easier on the budget and far more easy to find in shops around the world at any given time. When they added the Undercrown Viva to the line I was enthralled. A stronger Undercrown? Sold! And now, they offer it in a larger, longer boxpress form. I think it’s a wonderful cigar, with a great format. I do however think the Viva had more of this crazy sweetness that I don’t tend to get in any of the other Undercrowns. This sweetness is also picked up in the Dirty Rat. I had a conversation with Steve Saka about this in Nicaragua and he alluded to the Nicaraguan Viso that they use in those blends. Either way, it’s one of the main reason why I love those blends so much and for whatever reason I didn’t pick up nearly as much of it in the Dogma. It’s probably due to the wider format. Outside of that, this cigar still rocks. I’d probably choose it over the other Undercrown series with the exception of the Viva. The price is more than reasonable and the fact that they are offered in 10 count bundles make it an easy decision. I can see why these sold out so quickly, and highly encourage you to get your hands on them during their next batch.

Pairing: Want to see a perfect pairing? This is it. Founders KBS, or Kentucky Bourbon Stout is a Bourbon and Coffee flavored stout that is widely sought after by every beer enthusiast across the united states. It’s basically beer happiness in a bottle and by far one of the best stouts I have ever had in my life. Coming in at 11.2% ABV this heavy stout leads off with tons of bourbon, coffee, and chocolate with a ton of spice and cinnamon finishing off with a heavy cream and caramel. It basically tastes like Irish Cream in beer format. The spice, coffee, and chocolate paired up amazingly with the flavors in the Dogma, leaving a nice, creamy, bourbon overtone. I could drink and smoke this pairing all day.

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