The Antaño 1970, which translates to ‘yesteryear’, is a Nicaraguan puro manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua. There is a large number of frontmarks in the line including: Machito (4 3/4 by 42), Consul (4 1/2 by 52), Gran Consul (4 3/4 by 60), Robusto Grande (5 1/2 by 52), Alisado (6 by 52), Belicoso (6 by 54), Gran Perfecto (6 by 60), Magnum (6 by 60), Churchill (6 7/8 by 48), Big Bull (7 by 60), and Lancero (7 1/2 by 38).

You can purchase the Joya De Nicaragua Antaño 1970 from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $7.92
Vitola: Robusto Grande
Size: 5 1/2 by 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, Esteli)
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Joya De Nicaragua’s Antaño 1970 wears a dark reddish brown wrapper that is loaded with black markings. The leaf is somewhat coarse and a light amount of oils can be seen. Small veins coat the cigar that is evenly and firmly rolled.

A faint aroma of vinegar and raisins is found on the wrapper, while chocolate, warm cedar, baking spices, and raisin comes across on the foot. A mild spice tickles my nose nearly bringing on a sneeze. A quick cut through the cap opens a perfect draw. The raisin flavor is followed by the rich cedar and cinnamon.

FIRST THIRD

The Joya De Nicaragua Antaño 1970 opens with a medium profile and spice. A sour note overshadows the other flavors as the cigar warms up. As the sour flavor subsides, a fruit flavor appears along with a generic wood. Black pepper trails and, at this point, there isn’t a whole lot of spice going on.  A burnt wood flavor sits on the finish of the smoke and the pepper spice is more noticeable as I retro-hale. Through the first third, the burn remained even as a white ash is held well.

MIDDLE THIRD

Making my was into the second third of the JDN Antaño 1970, there is a noticeable evolution in the flavors. The burnt wood flavor from the prior third has gained ground and the earlier fruit is now more of a floral note. The pepper spice is  right in line with the bolder flavors and there is a sweetness coming across on the back end of the profile.

FINAL THIRD

The floral flavor and spice intensify in the last third of the smoke with the wood and cocoa following. The sweetness is no longer consistent, but only appears every few puffs of the 1970. I burn through the last two inches of the cigar with ease.

WRAP-UP

It made a world of a difference approaching the Antaño 1970 with the right mindset. I didn’t go in to it expecting the strongest cigar out there, but, rather, I laid aside my previous opinions (as much as one can) to give the 1970 a fair chance. And I walked away from the experience with my expectations exceeded on what this cigar brings to the table. A complex, balanced, evolving profile characterized the Antaño 1970 that burned nearly perfect and produced a satisfying amount of smoke. And, the odd thing is, I found the profile to fit perfectly with a cup of coffee in the morning. With fifteen years under its belt, the Joya De Nicaragua Antaño 1970 is still a worthwhile smoke.

The post Joya De Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Robusto Grande appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua at Joya De Nicaragua, the Rosalones Reserva is a Nicaraguan puro featuring a Habano Criollo wrapper over tobaccos from the regions of Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli. The following vitolas are available:  RR440 Petit Corona (4 by 44), RR546 Corona Gorda (5 ½ by 46), RR 550 Robusto (5 by 50), and RR650 Toro (6 by 50).  

You can purchase the Rosalones Reserva from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Vitola: RR550 Robusto
Size: 5 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli)
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Rosalones Reserva is dressed in a medium brown wrapper that has orangish tint with loads of dark color splotching. There is no seen or felt tooth, but some bumps are scattered down the leaf that has a fair amount of oils. The cigar is rolled firmly and evenly from head to foot.

As I bring the wrapper to my nose, I note a big aroma of raisin and barnyard, while the foot of the cigar has a pleasing aroma of chocolate and raisins. Upon clipping the cap, the dry draw has a light amount of resistance allowing flavors of rich cedar, baking spices, raisin, and chocolate to move freely across my palate.

FIRST THIRD

The Rosalones Reserva starts out with medium to full flavors that are thick on the palate. Cedar and a dark earth flavor are first greet me followed by sweet, dark fruit. The burn that began with a small wave has self-corrected and a layered, light gray ash is forming. There is a light spice in the mouth and not much more on the retro-hale.

MIDDLE THIRD

The sweet dark fruit flavor has taken center stage followed by a newly arrived pepper and the earlier cedar and earth. A tart flavor is developing in the profile that is working well with everything else going on. Copious amounts of smoke pour out of the Rosalones Reserva as the cigar buns with a minor wave, but nothing alerting.

FINAL THIRD

As I make my way into the final third, a charred wood flavor joins in and pushes the other flavors to the backend of the profile. While the spice has gained a bit of ground, the other flavors have decreased in their intensity. 

WRAP-UP

As soon as I spotted the Rosalones Reserva online, I knew I had to order up some. And over the last month, I have smoked nearly half a box. Joya De Nicaragua has once again created a solid cigar with a very approachable price in the Rosalones Reserva. For a cigar that can be found for under $4, the Reserva provides a mostly medium profile with some woodsy and dark flavors accompanied by a mild to medium spice and sweetness. The smoke production was satisfying and no issues were encountered with the burn or draw. You can’t go wrong trying out this Nicaraguan puro.

One last thing…

Tony and I keep it simple here at Casas Fumando. All we do is smoke cigars and drink beer. But there are a lot of great resources available, especially for newcomers to the hobby, that can teach you some of the basics. Famous Smoke Shop recently launched “The Beginner’s Guide to Cigar Smoking”. The site is easy to navigate and covers the essentials. Do us a favor and check it out!

The post Joya De Nicaragua – Rosalones Reserva appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Late Hour is the newest addition to Davidoff’s highest selling Winston Churchill line. This is one of the few cigars we’ve seen Davidoff create in recent times containing barrel-aged tobacco. The Last Hour uses tobacco that has been aged for six months in Scotch singly malt whisky casks. The cigar starts out with an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder covering filler tobaccos from Dominican Republic and Nicargua. One of the Nicaraguan fillers, a Condega Viso was the specific tobacco that was aged in Speyside scotch barrels. The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour is offered in three different sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and the Churchill (7 x 48) which all come in boxes of 20 ranging between $17.50 and $20.10 a stick. I purchased a few of these over from our friends at Atlantic Cigar Company a while back, and then was gifted one by Jeremy’s sister on my birthday. I can’t remember which formats I got from where so I figured I’d mention both. Thanks Amy!

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Dominican Republic (Olor, Piloto, San Vicente) / Nicaraguan (Condega, Esteli)
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $17.50
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Bomb! (Imperial Stout 14% ABV)

Note: Thanks goes out to halfwheel.com for the wrapper/binder/filler breakdown

Prelight:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour starts out with a beautiful dark brown wrapper. Probably one of the darkest wrappers I’ve seen on a Davidoff off cigar. The color is semi-consistent with a good amount of darker splotches scattered throughout the cigar. The wrapper carries a good amount of tooth and grit and a stunning amount of oils which actually rubbed off a bit on my fingers as I inspecting the cigar. The wrapper feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole is incredibly firm and heavy. I really hope that doesn’t cause any issues as I get into the smoking experience. The wrapper carries a few mild veins as it leads up to the cigar’s round, double wrapped cap. The Late Hour is polished off with a beautiful black and gold band with elegantly showcases a silhouette of Winston Churchill himself, the Davidoff Logo, and the Winston Churchill branding as well as a secondary black band with simply states “Late Hour”.

The wrapper on the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour gives off a whole mess of different aromas. Starting with plum, spice, oak, and mud while the foot of the cigar is much more spice-driven with backing notes of sweetness, peat, and earthiness. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some nice plum notes with honey, spice, oak, and moss.

First Third:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour starts out with an unexpected cayenne pepper blast. Once the pepper begins to wear off I am greeted with lots of pine, moss, peat, honey, plum, cinnamon, and a bit of cocoa. I am really really digging how this cigar is starting out. The draw is perfect as each puff kicks out a desirable amount of gray smoke which dissipates rather quickly. The burn line is razor thin and wild but I haven’t had to touch it up so I’m not complaining. The ash left behind is slightly compacted and medium gray in color. It held on for about an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour and the flavors I usually identify Davidoff with are really starting to come out. The cigar now leads with the peat and moss, earthiness, and oak over great splashes of spice, honey, sweetness, vanilla, and a nice little booze bite at the end of the taste. The retrohale helps reinforce the peat, spice, and booze and I am enjoying doing it quite often. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour and the flavors are still pouring it on. Leading with peat, moss, earthiness and spice backed by vanilla, honey, and a bit of a scotch kick that became more noticeable in the final third. It took me almost 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I wish it would have lasted even longer. While the burn line was a bit wavy at times I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar. I experienced no harshness, not any extended heat as I closed out with a decent little kicking kick.

Overview:

I have really enjoyed the trend of more full-bodied cigars coming out of the Davidoff factory and the Late Hour tops that list. What a fantastic cigar that kept true to the Davidoff palate. The cigar is complex, yet easy smoking sticking true to it’s roots. Its rather expensive, but it’s Davidoff so that’s expected. This is a great cigar for those full-bodied smokers out there who have stayed away from Davidoff due to it being too mild for them. I would say this would have a place in my regular rotation but I just can’t do that with a $20 cigar. But this is something I’d spring for when I want something special especially around the holiday season when I’m drinking more stouts.

Pairing:

Prairie Artisan Ales is probably one of my most featured beers on Casas Fumando. For this week’s pairing I went with the Pirate Bomb which is an Imperial stout brewed with Cacao nibs, Coffee, Vanilla and Chiles aged in Rum barrels. The Tulsa, Oklahoma brewed beer comes in at a whopping 14% ABV. This stout leads with a whole ton of of sweetness, cocoa, vanilla, malt, heavy creamed coffee, and spice with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing very sweet with a good amount of booze, spice, cocoa, and vanilla with an awesome Chile flavor on the aftertaste. I love the Bomb series and I venture to say that the Pirate and Christmas bomb are probably my favorite from the bunch. Its so easy to pair these with just about and dark, sweet cigar and it showed with the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour. The beer added some great cocoa to the cigar which was probably the only thing I thought was missing.

Giveaway Winner:

And the winner of the 3 pack of Tatuaje Michael is:

Ken Fellenstein!

Congrats! Send your address to casasfumando[@]gmail.com and I’ll get these in the mail! And a big thanks goes out to everyone who entered! Keep a look out as we have been on a roll with Fox Cigars giving away cigars like crazy so I am sure another one is right around the corner.

The post Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour + Giveaway Winner appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Manufactured at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua located in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Bellas Artes is produced in four box-pressed vitolas: Short Churchill (6 by 48), Robusto (5 by 52), Toro (6 by 54), and Gordo (6 1/2 by 60). The cigar utilizes a hybrid wrapper leaf named “Rojita” over a Nicaraguan binder and three-countries are represented in the filler tobaccos. The Bellas Artes are packaged in 20-count boxes and run between $8.30 and $10.50 per stick.

You can order the Bellas Artes from our good friends at Ford on Fifth Here.

THE FACTS

MSRP: $8.30
Vitola: Short Churchill
Size: 6 by 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan – Proprietary Hybrid – Connecticut 8212, Corojo ’99, and Havana 2000
Binder: Nicaraguan Havana ’92
Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli, Condega, Jalapa), Honduran, and Brazilian (Mata Norte)
Smoke Time:1 Hour and 20 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

AJ Fernandez’s Bellas Artes sports a tan hybrid wrapper that has a reddish hue. Due to the lighter color, even the small veins are visible on the leaf. Along with some bumps and stretch-marks, there are dark watermarks  and other color imperfections on the leaf. This cigar is far from rock solid and about two-inches down from the foot there is concave area.

As I bring the AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes to my nose, the wrapper shows an aroma of red wine, vinegar, and dark chocolate. Much of the same aroma transfers to the foot of the cigar with an additional oak. A quick cut through the double cap opens up a wonderful draw that brings forth cold draw flavors of grape and rich cedar. There is a cinnamon-like spice that is mild in terms of flavor and mild to medium in spice heat that lingers in the mouth.

FIRST THIRD

Once lit, the Bellas Artes requires no time to warm up as it immediately begins pouring out flavorful smoke. There is a lot of depth to the flavors making it difficult for me to pinpoint any specific ones. There is a central woodsy flavor that is complimented by several different spices and a light caramel. At an inch in, a grape-jelly like flavor arrives in the profile adding a new dimension to the sweetness. The flavors are well balanced and full through the first third. A dark gray, ugly ash is forming as the burns evenly with a thick carbon line.

MIDDLE THIRD

Making my way into the second third, a rather large section of the wrapper is struggling to burn with the rest of the tobaccos making it necessary to perform a touch-up. The Bellas Artes has shifted up in richness and spice as the profile is dark and meaty, but still being rounded out by the subtle caramel sweetness. The earlier grape jelly flavor moves in and out of the profile and only shows up every handful of puffs. A black pepper flavor pushes forward in the profile as I make my past the halfway mark.

FINAL THIRD

With only a few inches remaining, the Bellas Artes delivers earthy and char flavors. Allowing more rest and the cigar to cool between draws, the earlier flavors shine through. As I pass the smoke through my sinuses, the pepper and spice are full and I am beginning to feel a good amount of strength.

WRAP-UP

It is without hesitation that I can say the Bellas Artes Short Churchill is one of the best cigars I have smoked from AJ Fernandez and he has a huge portfolio of solid cigars. The cigar hung in the medium to medium/full arena in the flavor department and the strength continually progressed to full by the final third. As mentioned in the review, there was great depth to the flavors that were well balanced and evolving. The burn issue in the second third impacted the flavors, but after a somewhat major touch-up, the smoke and flavors were once again pouring out and satisfying my palate. The other sample smoked for review did not show any of the same burn related issues. The box-pressed format in the Short Churchill vitola is a fantastic size and for just over $8.00 this is a cigar I can highly recommend.

The post AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Short Churchill appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Davidoff Yamasa is the newest offering from Davidoff which made it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas. What sets Yamasa apart is that much of the tobacco used in this cigar is grown in a region of the Dominican Republic that is not know for yielding tobacco crops due to the condition of the soil. Henke Kelner, Master Blender for Davidoff made it his personal mission to change that:

The new Davidoff Yamasá has been 20 years in the making. It all started out with Master Blender Henke Kelner’s impossible dream to turn the unforgiving swampland of the Yamasá region into a successful tobacco-growing field. When everyone said it couldn’t be done Henke persisted. He held an unwavering belief in the natural bounties and potential for the land.

And he was right. On an endless pursuit to bring cigar aficionados new tastes, experiences and pleasures, Henke Kelner and his team of experts relentlessly nurtured and cultivated the Yamasá soil – a soil that was relunctant to change. Discovering that the soil contained too much sand and loam, they added nitrate and calcium by hand to each and every single tobacco plant. In Henke’s own words, they “continued, continued and continued” until they got it right. Thanks to his determination, a journey into the new Davidoff Yamasá series is truly one to an undiscovered planet.

Great story there that touches on just how much patience, passion, knowledge, work, and craft goes into the production of not only Davidoff cigars, but cigars produced around the world. In the case of the Davidoff Yamasa, the cigar starts out with a Yamasa wrapper over a San Vicente seed Yamasa binder, packed with Dominican Piloto and Mejorado fillers along with Nicaraguan Esteli & Condega fillers. The Davidoff Yamasa comes in 4 sizes, the Petit Churchill (4 x 48), the Pyramids (6 1/2 x 52), the Robusto (5 x 50), and the toro (6 x 52) which all come packed in 12 count boxes with the exception of the Petite Churchill which comes packed in a 14 count box while the cigars range from $12.90 to $23.00 a stick. I picked a few of these up from our friends at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Yamasa
Binder: San Vicente see Yamasa
Filler: Dominican Piloto/Mehorado, Nicaraguan Esteli/Condega
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $19.70
Pairing: Brouwerij Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne (Flanders Red Ale 6% ABV)

Prelight:

As with all Davidoff cigars, the Yamasa is absolutely stunning. The cigar starts with a beautiful medium/darker brown thats incredible consistent in color. The darker shade on this wrapper sets it apart from most of the cigars we find in Davidoff’s portfolio. The cigar’s texture carries a good amount of tooth, and an insane amount of oils which actually transfer to the skin on my fingers as I inspect the cigar. The construction is flawless. The wrapper is laid perfectly, and seamlessly over itself for a perfect cigar from the cigar’s foot, to it’s round double cap. The cigar is very heavy, and very tightly packed while the Yamasa wrapper feels very dense and extremely hard. The cigar is polished off with the black and silver version of the Davidoff band that we have seen a few times in recent releases as well as a gorgeously elegant maroon double band with the word “YAMASA” embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Davidoff Yamasa gives off a very musky/earthy aroma while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice and pepper with a good amount of musk as well. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw carries a good amount of spice, pepper, and lots of musk much like the aromas the cigar gives off.

First Third:

The Davidoff Yamasa starts out with a huge pepper bang that I don’t normally expect from Davidoff cigars. The cayenne pepper lasted quite some time, tingling my tongue and lips. As the pepper began to fade I was left with tons of musk, oak, spice and earthiness. There is also a good amount of a mossy type flavor I reference whenever I am smoking a Davidoff cigar which I find in just about every one of their blends. The cigar starts out well in the medium/full range which is something I also don’t normally expect from a Davidoff blend. The burn line is a bit wavy, but not out of control leaving behind a flaky trail of medium and dark gray ash which held on for about 3/4 of an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The pepper has completely disappeared at this point of the Davidoff Yamasa and the mossiness has really ramped up and I am loving it! The spice, musk and oak are still rocking hard and a really awesome sweetness has crept into the mix as well. The retrohale its so smooth, coating my nasal passage with a great musk and spice. The burn line is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t had to reach for my torch just yet. I close out the second third with only a tiny bit of nicotine.

Finish:

The flavors have really began to mashup as well as ramp up in the final third of the Davidoff Yamasa. The musk and moss still lead the charge backed by strong spice and oak and soft sweetness and earthiness. The flavors have really balanced out working together as one strong, high-medium/full force. The burn line has been a bit wavy throughout the entire experience but I never once had to reach for my torch so I’m totally ok with that. It took me an hour and a half to take the Yamasa down to the nub and I loved every second of it. The cigar never hit me with any harshness, or extra heat even into the final inch. I smoked this baby down to the nub.

Overview:

In my opinion, Davidoff has released some of the best cigars in their portfolio lately. The Eclipse, the Nicaraguan, and now, the Yamasa. Davidoff has always made great cigars, but often I find myself wishing that there was something just a bit bolder about them. Well, that’s been answered. The Yamasa is a great, medium/full cigar with enough body and complexity to keep me entertained, without losing what makes Davidoff cigars so special. These cigars are box-worthy for sure if you are willing to drop the coin on them, as they are a bit high in price. You have come to expect act with Davidoff though, and in most cases, they deliver.

Pairing:

Brouwerij Verhaeghe’s Duchesse de Bourgogne is a 6% ABV Flanders red ale brewed in Belgium and could quite possibly be my favorite beer of all time. The Duchesse starts out with a ton of up front sweetness, backed by pear, caramel, apple, malt, and a bit of sourness with a very light mouthfeel before finishing clean with more sweetness, spice, pear and apple as well as some good sourness. While the flavors didn’t necessarily match with the resident flavors in the Davidoff Yamasa outside of the spice, what the beer did was it helped to enhance and add to the sweetness the Yamasa had to offer creating an even better experience than what was already present.

The post Davidoff Yamasa appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Famous Smoke Shop’s Cory Grover reached out to me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing this cigar.  Of course, there was no way I was going to decline the opportunity to do so.  Famous Smoke carries just about everything Davidoff, and you can check out Famous Smoke Shop’s Davidoff page here.

For some reason, there have not been a lot of reviews here of Davidoff cigars, but Jeremy did a great one of the Millennium Blend which you can find here, and Tony reviewed the Escurio here.

The Basics:

Samples provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Wrapper:  Nicaragua Habano Oscuro
Binder:  Nicaragua Jalapa
Filler:  Nicaragua (Condega, Esteli, and Ometepe)
Size:  Robusto box pressed 5 x48
Price:  $14.50
Smoking time:  One hour, ten minutes
Pairing:  Doorly’s Fine Old Rum Aged 12 Years (ABV 40%)

Pre-light: 

The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Press Robusto’s shape gives it an appearance that seems more like a petite corona than a typical robusto, but needless to say, it certainly lives up to what one might expect of Davidoff’s standards.  The wrapper presents itself in an almost uniform amber tinged medium brown spotted with darker hues, a silky oily feel and sheen, and minimal veining leading to a neatly applied triple cap.  It carries a bit of a spongy feel with a few softer spots.  Something I wasn’t expecting is that the primary band also identifies the size of the cigar as Robusto; not a feature you normally see on any cigar, as that would require a different band for each size.  Yep, details obviously matter to Davidoff.  The wrapper exudes a sharp earthy scent, while the foot shows an aroma of rich natural tobacco with faint tones of mossy wood and herbs, and perhaps even a bit of unsweetened cocoa.  After clipping the cap, I am met with sweet spice, light woodiness, a touch of saltiness, and a bit of peppery tingle on the lips and tongue.

First third:

Upon lighting, musty, earthy tobacco, pepper, and sweet spicy herbs hit the palate.  Woodiness bordering on mesquite or hickory follows as the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Robusto is already at a solid medium body, while giving up a copious amount of smoke with each easy draw.  The burn line is sharp but wavy, and the ash has unexpectedly fallen into my lap and onto the porch floor.  Toward the end of the opening third, the pepper that had been leaving a scratchiness on the back of my tongue has ebbed, and the entire experience has smoothed out considerably, while bringing in some mocha-like notes and pushing up the body a bit more.

Middle third:

The second ash of the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed has decided to be nice to me and hung on for a good inch before falling off into my ashtray.  The burn has pretty much self-leveled as the mocha/coffee pushes in further and the body continues to climb.  The cigar is rich and smooth and there is just enough strength at this point (combined with the rum) to put me in a nice state of relaxation.  The mustiness is still there, but has moved farther into the background and the sweetness has also fallen back.  Some tartness has emerged, giving the cigar another dimension.

Final third:

Continuing its ascent into the medium-full realm, the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Robusto has brought back the pepper, although more in the flavor department than in feel, and some sweetness also return on entry but quickly dissipates on the palate.  Wood, earth, coffee, tartness, a little bit of leather, and that rich and once again musty tobacco intermingle nicely.  The strength continues to move up, but not to an uncomfortable level, as the body approaches full.  With no re-lights or corrections needed throughout, the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed smokes comfortably cool and with just a small amount of softness down to the last ¾”.

Final thoughts:

Nice appearance?  Check.  Great construction and burn?  Yes.  Outstanding flavors, complexity and balance?  Another tick.  The only misgiving I would have is the price, which is obviously a bit high for a 60-70 minute smoke.  That being said, if I could afford it, I would have this stick around at all times.  It’s a damned good cigar to relax and melt into a comfortable chair with, and no doubt one of the best I have had so far this year.  Highly recommended for those who like their smokes on the fuller, stronger side, but still want great balance and smoothness to go along with it.

Thanks to Cory at Famous for sending these to me to check out!  And for another take on this line, but in the Toro size, you might want to take a look into my friend Gary Korb’s review here, which I had to keep myself from reading until I finished my own review, lol.  Sure, Gary works for Famous and is also the head man at Cigar Advisor, but I have always found his reviews to be honest and concise.  Damn, now I want to try out the Toro.

Pairing:

I figured it was about time to take my own advice and match a cigar with a nice rum that I thought would enhance my experience with this cigar.  Doorly’s is a product of the well thought of Barbados based Foursquare Distillery (R.L. Seale & Co. Ltd.), and is mostly available through the Total Wine and More beverage chain.  The Aged 12 Years is a blend of pot and column stilled rums, with 90% aged for 12 years in Kentucky bourbon barrels and the remaining 10% aged for 12 years in Madeira barrels.  Exuding banana and apricot fruit on the nose and a not overly sweet oaky vanilla hit on the palate, this rum presents a smooth and silky feel on the tongue with a nice bit of alcohol warmth.  At about $28 for a fifth, it’s a great deal for a high quality sipping rum and a perfect match-up for a number of cigars.  Hell, that’s an entire bottle for about the cost of two of the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Robustos.  This was certainly a great pairing, as each complemented the other with what they had to offer, and any deeply flavored but not overly sweet, balanced rum would do well with this cigar.  If you’re looking for a beer to go with it, I would recommend something rich and strong, especially something barrel aged, and in terms or wine, a rich tawny port with a good acidic balance is something I would love to match this up with.

*We often post pairings here on Casas Fumando and have always been advocates on finding the right pairing for your cigar smoking experience. Our friends over at Famous Smoke Shop recently released a very easy to use tool which helps you choose the right pairing for your cigar or drink. Check it out here: https://www.famous-smoke.com/cigar-pairing 

The post Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Robusto appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The 1502 Nicaragua pays tribute to  the home country of Enrique Sanchez, Founder and CEO of Global Premium Cigars, in both name and blend. This Nicaraguan puro utilizes tobaccos from the four main tobacco growing regions of Nicaragua – Esteli, Condega, Jalapa, and Ometepe. Produced at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Nicaragua is available in a single robusto (5 by 50) vitola and sold in boxes of 30. Distribution of the 1502 brand is manged by the House of Emilio led by the one and only Gary Griffith, who handles distribution for well know “boutique” companies such as Ezra Zion and Nomad Cigar Co.

The Facts

Samples Provided by House of Emilio
Price: $6.50
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The 1502 Nicaragua is draped in a medium tan leaf that is full of character and has a reddish or rust-like hue. Small veins are webbed all over the leaf, a few medium veins, and some bumps are easily seen. However, to the touch, the wrapper feels velvety smooth. A medium aroma is found on the wrapper with a natural tobacco sweetness and muskiness. The “cigar lock” foot shows off notes of chocolate and wet earth.

The double-cap gets the job done. A very shallow cut opens up a perfect soft draw bringing forth thick notes of graham cracker, chocolate, cedar, and cherry. While I did not pick up much spice in terms of flavor, my lips are left with a tingle and a slight itch is felt in the back of my throat.

First Third

Putting a soft flame to the foot of the cigar, tons of oils begin to seep out of the leaf. Full, rich flavors are first to greet my palate. After a few minutes, the richness tones down allowing cedar and toasted notes through. A natural tobacco sweetness is providing a nice balance to the flavors. The smoke is thick in the mouth coating all surfaces. I am not finding as much spice as expected, but a black pepper flavor lingers on the palate, while cedar and pepper are showcased on the retrohale. Even with the a couple touch-ups during the first third and a flaky looking ash, the ash still held well.

Middle Third

Transitioning into the second third of the 1502 Nicaragua, the rich cedar is carrying the cigar along with a creamy mouth feel. Earthy/leather notes have arrived and the pepper spice is picking up in terms of flavor and heat. Smoke production is rocking, but the burn continues to struggle. So far the strength is sitting in the medium range, but, as I retrohale the smoke more often, I am beginning to feel a slight nicotine kick. In the middle of the cigar, a newly found dusty cocoa has join in, but mainly on the finish.

Final Third

As the cigars winds down, I am finding more toasted notes and pepper. The smoke continues to be rich and a small sip of water is necessary to reset the palate every few puff. The natural tobacco sweetness has diminished and a vanilla bean flavor surprises me just before I am about to put the cigar to rest. The vanilla flavors is similar to that which you might find on the nose of a spiced rum.

Wrap-up

The soft box-press on the 1502 Nicaragua robusto made this cigar seem smaller than it actually is. And being a fan of small ring gauge cigars, that is not a bad thing. The performance of the first sample I smoked was below par, requiring several touch-ups in each third and completely extinguishing at one point. However, I easily looked beyond the performance because of the exceptional flavors the 1502 Nicaragua delivered. And I am happy to report the same burn issues were not experienced in the second sample. Between the rich cedar, complimented by a medium spice and natural tobacco sweetness, full flavors, full body, and medium-high strength, this cigar hit my palate just right. For a price of $6.50, the 1502 Nicaragua is one of my favorite smokes this year!

The post Global Premium Cigars – 1502 Nicaragua appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Villiger, the Swiss cigar company, continues to turn out premium handmade cigars in addition to their machine-made cigars, and is making a strong push to get their products to a wider market in the U.S.  The Talanga is one of the newer blends, coming out a couple of years ago.  I reviewed the La Libertad last year, and liked it quite a bit, so I’ve been looking forward to trying out this Connecticut seed wrapped line.

The Talanga is made by Plasencia at their factory in Nicaragua, and consists of a Honduran wrapper, and binder and filler from Nicaragua.  The retail prices range from $7.35 – $9.50 and come in six sizes:

Selecto Corona Gorda:  5×46
Robusto:  5×50
Double Robusto:  5.5×54
Toro:  6×50
Churchill:  7×50
Lancero:  7×40

I was sent this particular Talanga by the folks at Famous Smoke Shop as a freebie with an order that I had placed a little while back, so this will be the first of the line that I will have smoked.

Wrapper:  Honduran Talanga Connecticut seed
Binder:  Nicaraguan Jalapa Seco Habano
Filler:  Nicaraguan from Esteli, Condega, and Ometepe
Size:  Toro 6×50
Price:  $8.50 MSRP
Smoking time:  One hour, thirty minutes
Pairing:  Deschutes Red Chair Pale Ale – 6.2% ABV

Pre-smoke

The Villiger Talanga comes draped in a rich golden tan wrapper with a nice sheen to it.  A few small veins are present, but do not stand out, and the wrap is virtually seamless, leading to a nicely appointed double cap.  The white, gold, and red bands are fairly simple and elegant, giving a very nice presentation.  This is a firmly packed stick, with little give when gently squeezed.  The wrapper smells of grass, faint sour barnyard, and very light cedar.  The foot gives off a scent of lightly earthy tobacco.  Cutting the cap leads to a fairly snug draw, so I give it an additional snip, which alleviates the tightness somewhat.  I can now taste a lightly sweet grassiness, earth, and tobacco.

First third

The Talanga takes a good long toasting to get going, and the first puffs reveal a slightly sweet and bitter herbal spice along with a smooth cedar.  The sweetness soon fades and the smoke takes on a dry, woody character.  After an inch, the cedar is the primary flavor component, backed by some of the herbaceousness.  It is so far mild and smooth, but not creamy, and just a tickle of pepper has shown up.  The burn has been great so far; not razor sharp, but even, as I tap off the first ash at 1-3/4”.

Middle third

As I enter the second third of the Villiger Talanga, the flavors have suddenly picked up, along with an added bit of pepper.  The cedar and herbal notes continue to drive the flavor, but there is now a sweet bread note lurking in the background.  The smoke has taken on a fuller, rounder texture, although it is still no more than a high mild.  Nearing the halfway point, the pepper has been playing peekaboo, and the smoke has approached the creamy stage as the cigar continues to burn beautifully.  It does churn out a pretty serious amount of resting smoke, though.

Final third

Into the final third of the Villiger Talanga, a slight bit of char has appeared, along with a touch of bitter coffee, but the wood remains the focal point of the flavors.  Surprisingly, in the final inch and a half, the bitterness has dropped out, making it so much easier to take it down to the last ¾”.

Final thoughts

I’m a little torn on this one.  The construction of the Villiger Talanga is top notch, and it’s a terrific looking cigar.  Once lit, I never had to even think about picking up my lighter, as it burned as well as you could ever want a cigar to burn.  On the other hand, I found the flavors to be wanting just a bit.  A little more of the sweetness and less of the bitterness would be greatly appreciated.  Being that this was my only experience with the Talanga, and reading other reviews of it, I would have to believe that my experience was somewhat out of the norm.  I do have a robusto sitting, so I’m looking forward to lighting that one up to see if the one I had was an aberration.  I can certainly see what they were trying to do with this cigar, matching the Nicaraguan filler and binder with Connecticut smoothness and sweetness, and I think that I will also be picking up on the smaller ring gauges (especially the lancero) to see if the greater wrapper ratio would make a difference in the smoke.  As always, trying to judge a cigar on a single experience can be misleading.  I’ve had many a smoke that didn’t do it for me on the first try that I have come to really enjoy.

Pairing

Not having had the Villiger Talanga before, I reached out to local Villiger rep Ed Ryan for a suggestion on what to pair with it, and he came back with pale ale, kolsch, or a wit.  So pale ale it is!

The Red Chair Pale Ale by Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon is a late winter/early spring seasonal that I have come to look forward to each year.  Smooth and malty with a clean finish, it goes down easily and is just plain enjoyable to drink.  The maltiness of the Red Chair is a fine foil for the Talanga, although I’m thinking that a sweeter and fruitier Weissbier, such as the Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier that I paired with the Bonita Smoke Shop Time Warp Big Ben, might be an even better match.  Of course, a sweetened coffee in the morning would also be a go-to pairing for this cigar.

The post Villiger Talanga Toro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

halfwheel.com reported on the Espada back in June:

Altadia U.S.A. is adding a new chapter to the storied history of its Montecristo brand with the upcoming release of Espada by Montecristo, a new collaboration between the company’s Grupo de Maestros and the Plasencia family.

The cigar is a Nicaraguan puro with tobacco coming primarily from the Jalapa region of the country. The wrapper is a Habano Jalapa Vintage 2010, while the binder is a 2009 vintage. The filler draws from a trio of 2008 vintage leaves: Habano Jalapa seco, Habano Ometepe viso and Habano ligero from Condega. The flavor profile is described as spicy, strong, bold and brave but that maintains a worldly sophistication.

The Espada by Montecristo will debut in three sizes: a 5 x 54 called Ricasso, 6 x 50 dubbed Guard and a 7 x 56 named Quillon. The vitola names all draw from terms used in swords and knives in keeping with the name of the cigar, which is the Spanish word for sword. A ricasso is the unsharpened part of a blade just above the handle, while quillon and guard refer to the bar of metal where the blade and hilt meet.

Each will come in ten-count suede covered boxes with single stick prices between $11.25 and $12.50 before taxes. The cigars are made by the Plasencias in Nicaragua.

The release date is scheduled for July 1.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Altadis U.S.A
Price: $11.75
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan – Habano Jalapa Vintage 2010
Binder: Nicaraguan – Habano Jalapa Vintage 2009
Filler: Nicaraguan – Habano Jalapa Seco Vintage 2008, Habano Jalapa Viso Ometepe Vintage 2008, Habano Condega Ligero Vintage 2008
Smoke Time:1 Hour and 10 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

Like the H. Upmann The Banker, the presentation of the Montecritso Espada is spot on with its triple band. The cigar feels solid in the hand with no soft spots to be found. The oils glisten off the medium tan Nicaraguan Habano wrapper that has only small veins. I am picking up very mild notes of cedar and cardboard off the wrapper, while the aroma off the foot of the cigar is much more appealing with raisin and chocolate notes.

The cap gets the job done but it is not the cleanest cap, making it hard to determine if a double or triple cap has been applied. But knowing how Altadis rolls, I am going with a double cap. My cutter has a difficult time clipping through this tightly packed cigar. Once cut, the draw is more snug than I would prefer, showing some rich cedar, chocolate and raisin and a small amount of spice is felt on my lips. Removing the middle band and foot band, I am now ready to fire up this Montecristo Espada.

First Third

The snug draw is resulting in low smoke production making me take multiple puffs to get enough smoke to discern any flavors. Pinching the middle of the Espada seems to open up the draw a bit more. The flavors in the first half inch of are pencil shaving-like flavor and coffee. The flavors are dark and somewhat bitter. Black, bitter coffee and cocoa sits on my palate for some time on the finish. The burn is thick and wavy but of no concern and the white, flaky ash is holding past an inch.

Middle Third

The second third brings along a similar profile as earlier, with a few minor tweaks. The dry cedar has shifted to a thicker oak flavor, some added citrus and sweetness has joined in, and the coffee is still holding strong. The sweetness is so faint that I am unable to identify what type of sweetness it is but it is rounding out the profile.  As I burn to the halfway point of the Montecristo Espada, the smoke production has significantly increased. This is right around the area that I was pinching earlier to free up the draw. With the smoke production increasing, the flavors seem to be moving from medium to full as well.

Final Third

The Espada Guard is burning rather quickly for a cigar of its size. The soft breeze passing by may be accelerating the burn rate. My mouth is feeling dry after each puff and a sip water is needed to refresh my palate. The pepper spice has picked up,  as well as the cocoa on the finish. Just below an inch and half, the flavors have become a bit charred letting me know it is time to put this Espada to rest.

Wrap-up

The Montecristo Espada has top notch branding and packaging. While removing three bands could be a bit irritating, they add more more than they take away from this cigar. I would give the performance of the cigar a B- with its snug draw, wavy burn at the start, and somewhat ugly and flaky ash experienced in the middle and final third. But overall, there were no touch ups and no real babysitting of the cigar. In regards to the flavors, I am a bit torn. The first third lacked in balance and had some bitterness. The faint sweetness that entered in the  middle third brought balance to the profile. The middle and final thirds flavors were enjoyable, but I don’t smoke a cigar to only enjoy two thirds of it. I think additional rest and aginng of the Espada may relieve the bitterness in the first third. I am going to put my last sample away and revisit in 6 plus months.

The post Montecristo Espada Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Over the past few years Joya de Nicaragua, a company who has always prided itself on it’s history, has undergone some incredible changes. While I was in Nicaragua visiting the factory a few years back I was able to see the transformation from the ground level. The factory itself has undergone plastic surgery with a refreshed look, new branding, and even a change of hands. Here is what the press release has to say about the new blend:

Meet JOYA RED, a new and exciting side of JDN. Some might even call it unexpected. Developed for the modern smoker by the youngest executive team in the industry, together with the most senior Master Blenders of Nicaragua.

Juan Ignacio Martínez (31), President of JDN since 2013, led a team of contemporary executives and experienced Master Blenders such as Leonel Raudez (62), JDN’s Factory Manager since 1992, to create this beautiful new blend.

The result? A vibrant smoke you will enjoy anytime, anywhere; classy, as always, but also a lot more fun.

If you want to get technical, we created this blend with tobaccos from our beloved home of Nicaragua. This time, we moved away from our abundant use of ligeros and thick wrappers to a blend with more visos and lower priming Habano wrappers. The binder and filler leafs were also grown in the rich and fertile lands of Estelí, Jalapa and Condega.

This combination of premium tobaccos resulted in a balanced cigar with medium strength and captivating flavors, all of which allow for an extremely pleasant smoking experience.

The Joya red will be offered in 4 sizes: the Short Churchill: (4.75 x 48), the Robusto (5.25 x 50), the Toro (6 x 52), and the Canonazo (5.5 x 54). The Joya Red will come in boxes of 20, running between $5.75 and $8 a stick.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, Esteli)
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.05
Pairing: Elevation Beer Company Apis IV (Belgian Quad 10.7% ABV)

Prelight: The Joya Red starts out with an absolutely beautiful wrapper. The leaf is a beautiful, blotchy medium brown with darker areas scattered throughout and lighter beige areas around the smaller veins in the leaf. The wrapper carries a good amount of tooth and a whole ton of oils which reflect every ounce of light it comes in contact with. The wrapper is laid seamlessly throughout the body of the cigar up to the round triple cap. As for just about any cigar that comes out of the Joya de Nicaragua factory, the construction is flawless. The Joya Red is tightly compacted, firm, and shows little signs of sponginess as I squeeze it between my fingers. The cigar is polished off with an absolutely beautiful, elegant, red gold and white embossed band with the words “Joya Red” spread across the font just above the gold Joya de Nicaragua emblem. The Band also states “Fabrica de Joya De Nicaragua S.A.” which of course is the factory in which these were made, “Hecho a Mano en Esteli” meaning “Made by hand in Esteli”, and “EST. 1968” which is the year the company was Established. When we were at the Joya De Nicaragua factory in Nicaragua 2 years ago they revealed to us the new marketing, design, color schemes, and direction that the company is headed in. I’m very pleased to see it all come together with this release.

Back to the cigar, the Joya Red’s wrapper smells of very strong honey, spice, and tobacco. So much so that I can actually smell this cigar from a few feet away as it rests on the table. The foot of the cigar has a more dormant spice along with more natural aromas. The cap cut very clean, and very easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was much of the same, lots of honey and sweetness with some scattered spice, and natural tobacco.

First Smoke: The Joya Red starts out with a nice blast of black pepper and spice. A few puffs in the pepper began to let up and some strong sweet honey, cedar, cinnamon, and natural tobacco flavors took center stage. The draw on the Red is absolutely perfect. Each little puff kicks out a mean cloud of thick, white smoke. The burnline is solid and razor sharp leaving behind a trail of solid white ash which held on for well over an inch before giving way. I have to admit, it was probably one of the most perfect samples of ash I have ever seen.

Halfway There: The pepper has finally dropped out of the flavor profile in this Joya Red while the cinnamon, honey, cedar, spice, and natural tobacco live on. Into the second third a really faint mint began to creep its way in along with some nice cocoa flavors. Both are pretty mild, but I pick them up from time to time. While the other flavors are pretty bold, I can’t get over how well they mash in together creating a incredibly creamy experience. The retrohale reveals a lot more spice than I was expecting along with a bold cedar coating. As I close out the second third the burnline is still dead even, and I don’t feel anything in terms of nicotine.

Finish: The Joya Red is still continuing very bold into the final third. The spice has nearly dropped out while the cocoa has ramped up along with the cedar and a great cashew flavor. The honey and cinnamon are still evident while that mint flavor hasn’t returned. The flavors are still creamy for the most part, but with the cocoa and cashew leading the way they have become a bit chalky at the end. Especially into the final inch. There was no harshness however and the cigar left me with absolutely no nicotine kick. The burnline got pretty wavy into the final third, but I never once had to break out my torch to touch it up, or relight. So win in that category.

Overview: Joya de Nicaragua’s blends are the epitome of a solid cigar. Each and every blend they produce is high quality and the Red is just another example of this. The cigar carries a flawless construction, great flavor profile, excellent experience, all at an affordable cost. The flavors in the Red are bold, complex, and enjoyable while not being overly powerful, nor so complex that they leave you dizzy. This cigar is perfect for the seasoned smoker who really wants a solid experience without the higher price tag, and I really thing the Joya Red is a cigar that most novice cigar smokers should really seek out as it’s the perfect example of a great, premium cigar that won’t break the bank. This cigar, as with most Joya de Nicaragua releases, is box-worthy and will always have a spot in my regular rotation.

Pairing: Having smoked the Joya Red, I knew the amount of honey, cocoa, and nutty flavors it carried along with it. With that in mind, I paired it with a beer that would not only compliment these flavors, but fill in a bit of the gaps as well. Elevation Beer Company’s Apis IV is a Belgian style Quadruple ale brewed with honey and spice. Coming in at 10.7% ABV this strong ale leads off with a ton of fruit and sweetness with a malty middle, and a great sweet honey aftertaste. The fruit really helped add a bit of complexity to an already box experience while the honey married in wonderfully with the already existing flavors of the Joya Red. The Joya Red is a pretty versatile cigar when it comes to pairing. Ideally, this would go great with tea, port, Marzen, a smoked porter, or any Belgian quad or dubbel.

The post Joya de Nicaragua – Joya Red Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: As I said, the Aquitaine Blockhead is a shop exclusive to Monte’s in Albuquerque and used to be only available at events. The Aquitaine blend itself is not an exclusive and made it’s debut at last year’s IPCPR. The exclusiveness pertains to the box-pressed format of the blockhead while the blend remains the same. The Aquitaine blockhead isn’t RoMa Craft Tobac’s first shop exclusive. Actually, it’s not even the first “Blockhead”. Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac had previously released a Blockhead version of the Aquitaine’s sister line, the Cromagnon (which I reviewed here) to Tower Pipes and Cigars in Sacramento, California and Tobacco Grove in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The Aquitaine starts off with an Ecuadorian Habano Ligero wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and 3 different Nicaraguan fillers each from Esteli, Condega, and Pueblo Nuevo which is a small town on the Northern border of Nicaraguan and Honduras. The blend is identical to the Cromagnon only replaces the Connecticut Broadleaf with the Ecuadorian Habano Ligero. The Aquitaine comes in 8 different sizes including the Box Pressed Blockhead (6 x 54), the Knuckle Dragger (4 x 52), the Mandible (4.5 x 60), the EMH Early Modern Human (5 x 56), the Anthropology (5.75 x 56), the Cranium (6 x 54), and two limited edition sizes including the Atlatl (7 x 38) and the Mode 5 (5 x 50 perfecto). The Blockhead runs $9 a stick and they had plenty in stock at Monte’s while I was there. For more information about Monte’s you can visit their site here, Facebook here, instagram here or twitter here. I always stop in whenever I am in town (El Paso isn’t too far from them) and they have always been great people.

Size: 6 x 54 Box Pressed
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan from Condega, Esteli, and a Ligero from Pueblo Nuevo
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.00
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales / Evil Twin Brewing Bible Belt (Imperial Coffee/Vanilla/Chili/Cacao Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight: The Aquitaine Blockhead is one badass looking cigar. We’ll start with the format in which the name “Blockhead” is obviously pulled from. It’s box-pressed to the max almost forming a perfect square. The corners and edges are real sharp and hard. Again, I’ve said it over and over I am a huge box-press fan and absolutely love this size. It’s very comfortable in both the hand and the mouth. Next we have the wrapper. The Aquitaine carries a very thick, incredibly toothy, and incredibly oily texture. It’s definitely one of the prettier wrapper leafs as the medium and dark brown color showcases the natural webbing in the leaf and carries only a few smaller veins. The Blockhead is rather firm and packed pretty tightly. It’s a heavier cigar but again the box-press makes it really comfortable to hold despite being a longer format. There are absolutely no soft spots or construction flaws. The cigar is capped off with a stoutly round, seamless, triple cap. The Aquitaine Blockhead is then polished off with the standard brown, and white layered, letterpressed bands with the word “Aquitaine” pressed into the front and the RoMa Craft Tobac logo in white on the back. I am a HUGE fan of these bands. Simple, elegant, clean, and they serve the purpose of distinguishing your cigars without the need to be overly flashy letting the cigar’s appearance speak for itself. I’ll put these bands up there with the Liga Privada, Most Tatuaje, and Illusione bands as my all time favorites.

The wrapper on the Aquitaine Blockhead lets looks a whole ton of syrupy, molasses, chocolate aroma mixed over some bold tobacco notes while the foot of the cigar is a bit more modest only showing some natural tobacco and spice aromas. The cap cut very clean and easily using my handy Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some strong syrup, and raisin notes with a bit of spice and tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Aquitaine Blockhead starts off with some modest black pepper backed by some sharp spice, raisin, espresso and some grassy tobacco flavors. As I smoked down the first inch the pepper completely faded away and a real nice brown sugar sweetness crept its way in. While the Blockhead is very tightly packed with tobacco the format makes it incredibly easy to get a nice, big, thick draw with every little puff kicking out tons of dense, white smoke. The burnline is a bit thick, but dead even forming a compacted medium and dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: As I venture into the second third of RoMa Craft Tobac’s Aquitaine Blockhead some really interesting charred meat flavors began to sneak into the flavor profile. Maybe I’m just hungry, maybe the heat is starting to get to me but it was actually pretty potent and mixed in well with the syrup, cedar, and spice while there was still a slight sugar and espresso on the aftertaste. The retrohale far more modest than I was expecting as it coats my nasal passage with some soft cedar, spice, and plum. I really enjoy the retrohale from the Aquitaine and find myself routing it that way quite often. The draw is still flawless and the burnline is perfect and I am feeling zero in the nicotine department.

Finish: RoMa Craft Tobac’s Aquitaine Blockhead really took off into the final third. The spice and espresso ramped up, the pepper came back, the brown sugar and raisin stayed strong, and even that meaty flavor stayed with it. This is a flavorful cigar and I found it pretty bold, but the one thing I enjoyed the most was how creamy and balanced the flavors were. They weren’t fighting for your attention, instead they complimented each other resulting in a complete performance. The burn and draw were perfect the entire time and I never had to take my torch back out of my pocket for any touchups or relights nor did I feel much in the nicotine department. It took me about 2 hours to smoke this bad boy down to the nub and I enjoyed every minute of it. I experience no harshness and the only heat I felt was from the sun on my head.

Overview: It’s not hard to tell how much I enjoy the Aquitaine blend. I always have. Jeremy and I actually had a conversation the other day about where we would rank each of Skip’s blend and both of us had the Aquitaine right up at #1 or #2. The Blockhead has to be one of my favorites in terms of formats for the Aquitaine. The boxpress is comfortable and produces a massive draw which really lets the cigar showcase how complex, yet balanced it’s flavors are. At $9 a pop these are priced perfectly and I am glad I picked a few up while I was at Monte’s. The shop is about 4 hours away from me, but I tend to visit Albuquerque quite often so it’s not too hard for me to get my hands on them and I plan on picking up quite a few more next time I make a trek up there. Hell, this is a box purchase for sure as these are the perfect addition to just about anyone’s rotation.

Pairing: This is the second time I’ve paired a cigar with Prairie Artisan Ale’s Bible Belt which they produced in collaboration with Evil Twin Brewing (see Espinosa’s 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster). Why? Two reasons: 1) It’s simply a badass beer which pairs perfectly with most bolder cigars and 2) Skip has been on a tear with these beers lately and I found it fitting to do an homage to him. Bible Belt is a hefty Imperial Stout weighing in at 13% ABV which is basically a mash up of Prairie Artisan’s popular Prairie Bomb! (which I paired with Viaje’s 2013 Christmas Tree) and Evil Twin’s Even more Jesus. The result is a crazy flavorful stout aged over coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and chili peppers. In contrast to the Prairie Bomb! the Bible belt is much more chili heavy which creates this awesome spice which pairs up perfectly with the spice in most cigar experiences while the creaminess, sweetness, coffee and chocolate do the rest of the work marrying up with the robust flavors of the Aquitaine creating a pairing that’s near flawless and impossible to replace. Knowing how often Skip smokes his own supply it’s easy to see why he’s been such a fan of this beer.

The post RoMa Craft Tobac Aquitaine Blockhead (Monte’s Exclusive) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

For more information and a list of participating retailers check out the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SINDICATO CIGAR COMPANY ANNOUNCES NATIONAL HEX DAY JANUARY 18TH

Boca Raton, FL – January 6, 20134

Sindicato Cigar Company, based out of Boca Raton, FL, has announced that January 18th will be “National HEX Day” in celebration of the release of their second Premium brand, HEX.  All consumers who visit participating retailers and repeat the phrase “HEX ME!”, will receive a FREE HEX cigar, while supplies last.

Participating retailers will have stick and box promotions for the day, along with limited edition HEX t-shirts for giveaways.

Consumers who buy 3 or more HEX cigars during the “I’ve been HEX’D” weekend will be automatically entered in the “HEX giveaway promotion”.  Winners will be announced on February 15th.  The Grand Prize winner, along with his retailer, will visit the Nicaraguan factory of Omar, Omar Jr., and Alexis Ortez, where HEX cigars are handcrafted in Condega. In addition to a visit to the Condega factory during this 3 day trip, the lucky winner and his retailer will visit the NACSA factory in Esteli, makers of Sindicato’s Affinity brand cigar.

The lucky winner will also visit the Aganorsa factory of Eduardo Fernandez, maker of the highly anticipated Sindicato brand cigar.  This Puro Nicaraguan beauty is blended by Master Blender Arsenio Ramos utilizing only the rarest and finest aged tobaccos of Fernandez’s farms in Jalapa, Esteli and Condega.

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, there will be prizes for a total of 10 consumers, who will each win a 25-count sampler of HEX’s 5 sizes.  The 11 total winners will also receive a 5-count sampler of the Sindicato Puro Nicaraguan cigar by Arsenio Ramos.

To find the nearest retailer selling HEX cigars, please visit out retailer locator at www.sindicatocigars.com.

The post Sindicato HEX release = Free cigar? appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Oliva’s Saison is a vintage style blend. Meaning, each year the blend may differ as it’s based on tobaccos grown during that year alone. As the years change so do the soil, sunlight, weather, and tobacco meaning each year could be different even if the same blend is used. The Saison is a limited blend that could be found only at Cigars International and here is what they have to say about it:

‘Tis the season for Oliva.

What happens when the Oliva family takes the best yield, from all their fields, from the same year? Amazing things….amazing things dubbed Saison by Oliva.

Saison by Oliva is the latest addition to their growing arsenal of standout Nicaraguan handmades. To create this blend, a silky, dark brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper was paired with a rich combination of long-fillers from Oliva’s farms in Somoto, Esteli, and Condega, Nicaragua – all harvested in the same crop year. This vintage ensemble is ripe with flavor, delivering a big, booming Nicaraguan personality that’s notably refined and well-balanced. Notes of leather, oak, pepper, earth, coffee, and a slight twang on the finish offer a perfect interplay and coat the palate with proficiency. It’s medium to full-bodied at its peak, but the density of flavor can hold its own against even the fullest of them. In a nutshell, this new handmade from Oliva has charm, character, and ample flavor. Plus, it’s yours in a box for around $4 apiece every day. ​

I tend to shy away from a lot of “mail order exclusives” as I am always too quick to judge them as seconds or just blends that simply didn’t make the cut. I can’t wait to see how the Saison measures up to the bar that Oliva has set for their blends, especially the more recent ones. As I stated earlier, you can order these directly from Cigars International. They come in four different sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), Torpedo (6 x 52), and Churchill (7 x 50). The cigars come packaged in boxes of 20 and will run you only $3.99 to $4.99 a stick.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $3.99
Pairing: Sixpoint’s Autumnation 2013 (American Wet-Hopped IPA – 6.7% ABV)

Prelight: The Oliva Saison starts out with a beautiful, webby, consistently medium brown wrapper that carries a few darker splotches as well as a few lighter areas around the larger veins running through the body of the cigar. The wrapper is very firm and extremely hard to the touch with some light oils. In fact, the entire cigar is incredibly dense and hard with no soft spots at all. The Saison is polished off with a perfectly round double cap. The band design is very similar to what we find on the Oliva Serie V. The first band carries a crest which says: “Saison by Oliva” while the secondary band simply says: “First Harvest 2009”. The wrapper on the Saison gives off a very rich, sweet, caramel aroma while the foot of the cigar screams of spice and natural earthiness. The cap cut very clean and extremely easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a bit tight producing a crazy sweet, caramel and candy like flavor mixed in with lots of earthiness.

First Smoke: It took a bit of convincing from my single flame butane torch to get this cigar going, but it was off to the races when it finally did. The Saison started out with a bang leading in with a great, white pepper followed up with a whole ton of cedar, a whole mess of caramel and sugars, all over a natural/earthiness. This cigar really starts out with a lot of flavor. I was a bit worried that the draw would be tight as it took a bit of effort to get anything during the cold draw, but I am happy to report it is spot on kicking out a bunch of thick smoke with every little puff. The burnline was razor thin and dead even leaving behind a perfectly consistent medium gray, compacted ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Into the second third of the Oliva Saison and the pepper is completely gone, but the cedar, which is already pretty pronounced is really ramping up. There is still a lot of spice, a ton of sweetness, and even a bit of ginger creeping over the earthiness. I’m impressed with how bold this cigar is. The burnline is still dead even and I am feeling absolutely no nicotine as I close out the second third.

Finish: As I venture into the final third of the Saison a very rich, black cherry flavor has crept into the mix. The cedar is still very bold, there is still a whole ton of sweetness, a ton of spice, and some nice natural tobacco. While it’s been pretty consistent, I liked the flavor profile so much that I wouldn’t really want it to chance. The Saison took me about a little over and hour to take down and it left me with absolutely no nicotine kick, and there was no harshness even as I entered the final inch.

Overview: As I touched on during the intro, a lot of times I am very quick to judge all these “Mail Order Exclusive” cigars as factory rejects, or seconds. Usually I feel that the cigars just won’t live up to the expectations of the other blends in each manufacturer’s portfolio. Was I wrong in the case of the Saison? Absolutely. This cigars surpassed any expectation I had for it. Not only was it a beast in the flavor department, but the flavors were incredible and the blend was exactly what I look for in a cigar. Now, toss in the $4 price point and how can you not love this stick? I strongly suggest you pick up a few of these, hell, even a box for the price of what you’d pay for just a few sticks.

Pairing: Keeping with the winter them, I decided to set the tone with a nice autumn pairing (ha, I know, right). Pairing the Saison with Sixpoint’s Autumnation was a wise choice on my end as the two paired up very nicely. Here is what they have to say about the brew:

Every year, the main-hops featured in the Autumnation Ale is chosen by Sixpoint fans. This year’s hops is Mosaic, a relatively new strain with huge potential. Copper in color, the Autumnation Ale clocks in at 6.7 %abv. The initial assertive but pleasant 74 IBU-bitterness is carried by a well-balanced malt backbone, accompanied by citrus, berry-like and pine flavors. The massive aroma of fresh hops features citrus, strawberry, stonefruit, berry and piney notes.

That being said, I didn’t really get as much of the berry flavors, but more of the grape, pine, hoppyness, and citrus. The berry I did get actually came from the cigar, but it mixed in with the flavors of the beer perfectly. The pine and citrus really mixed in well with the cedar and sweetness from the Saison. Usually I would have paired this cigar with an actual “Saison” or “Farmhouse Ale”, but believe it or not I didn’t have any on hand. I think the spice from a Saison beer would marry in very well with the cigar though.

The post Oliva – Saison Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: In 2011 Torano released two new blends. The Loyal, which was a value line, and the Vault. The Vault is said to be based on a blend that is contained in files that reference every blend Torano has ever experiemented with. The “Vault” is based off a blend created in 2000 called the A-008.  The A-008 contains a Shade Grown Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper, Honduran Jamastran Binder, and Nicaraguan Condega and Esteli fillers. After recreating and testing he blend, Charlie Torano decided to add an ingredient that wasn’t available at the time, a second Nicaraguan Ometepe binder.

The Vault comes in four basic sizes: The Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 50), Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52), and Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46). The cigar comes packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $6.80 to $7.95 a stick Though I do see these go on sale quite often. Big thanks to one of our great readers Jeff who sent this my way to get my thoughts. I’ve smoked a few of these prior to the review, but never got around to reviewing one.

Size: 5 5/8 x 56
Wrapper: Shade Grown Nicaraguan Colorado
Binder: Honduran Jamastran / Nicaraguan Ometepe (Dual Binder)
Filler: Nicaraguan Condega and Esteli
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $6.80
Pairing: Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche (Berliner Weissbier 4.5% ABV)

Prelight: Torano’s Vault starts out with a beautiful, chocolate brown wrapper. The wrapper is crazy consistent in color with only a few dark blemishes throughout the body of the cigar. There are a few very small, smooth veins and lots and lots of oil. The slender body leads up to a nice, round, double cap. The cigar has a few soft spots throughout the body of the cigar but the wrapper feels tough and firm. Let’s just hope those soft spots don’t lead to burn issues down the road. The Vault is polished off with an elegant silver and black band with the word “Blended from the VAULT” and the Torano crest on the front. The Vault also carries a salute to it’s parent blend with a small silver foot band with “Blend A-008” scribbled on it.

The wrapper on the Vault gives off only a very slight tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar lets out some soft sweetness, chocolate, and tobacco. The cap cup very easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was surprisingly full with very bold spice and an oaty/grainy type mixture.

First Smoke: The Vault starts out with some very sharp spice, a bit of citrus, lots of cedar and chocolate with just a pinch of black pepper. The pepper faded very quickly leaving behind even more sweet spiciness. The draw is very nice. I get a perfect amount of thick smoke with every puff. The burnline started out pretty crappy with two huge waves. It’s a bit gusty out so it may be due to the wind, or it may be those soft spots that I encountered in the prelight. Either way, I’m not going to touch this up just yet. The ash left behind is pretty flaky and dark gray and black in color only holding on for about a half an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: I’m not getting any of that citrus that I picked up in the first third now. Instead, Torano’s Vault has ramped up in terms of cedar and spice, introduced some nice coffee notes, and brought the black pepper back into the mix. This cigar is really starting to shine into the second third and I am anxious to see what we have in store for the finish. The retrohale is what I expected, lots of the sweetness and cedar with some pepper. It’s not bad, just not great. I’ll stick to keeping the smoke in my mouth. I am happy to report that the burnline has really started to correct itself with no attention from my lighter. Just as I had hoped it’s now only slightly wavy and I am feeling almost no nicotine from the cigar yet. My main complaint is the ash is so loose it’s falling all over the place.

Finish: The body flavors, and strength remained very similar in the final third. The pepper is still there, lots of chocolate/coffee, tons of sweetness, cedar and spice. I’m really impressed with not only the amount of flavor the Vault kicks out, but how well it kept it’s flavor without fading out. The draw has been perfect the entire experience. While I never had to touch up the cigar, the waves have returned in the final third making the burnline a bit crazy. I won’t complain about it too much, but I could see it being a nuisance. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experience only a very slight bit of nicotine towards the end, and absolutely no harshness at all.

Overview: This was a solid cigar. I found many of the Torano blends I have smoked in my time are very hit or miss, but just about all of the newest blends I have smoked have been great. The Vault has enough complexity to keep me entertained and the full body approach was great. I really wish I didn’t have to deal with so many burn issues. I encountered this on all the Vaults I have smoked and it might be something to do with the double binder. I’ll tell you one thing though, I much rather have the burn suffer instead of the flavors.

To Sum it Up: It’s a good cigar, at a decent price. This may sneak into my regular rotation from time to time, I just wish the construction was a bit better. The flavors are bold and it makes for a great evening, after dinner smoke while the strength remains on the medium end. This cigar is perfect for novices looking for a full-bodied experience without being knocked on their asses and the complexity is enough to satisfy the pickier cigar smokers. I’d buy it again for sure, but I don’t think I’d shell out for a box of these unless I found them at an unbeatable price (which happens often with this company).

Pairing: Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche has become a staple to their summer portfolio. While it’s labeled as a “Weissbier”, it doesn’t carry the same characteristics as most Weissbiers. In fact, I would consider this brew closer to a mild sour. Thin and smooth Festina Peche starts out with some sharp sourness leaving behind a sweet peach and citrus flavor. This beer is a bit one dimensional, but that’s great when you are just looking for something smooth and refreshing and the brew is just that. It’s one of those beers you’d love to take back after an hour of yard work. It’s also very light and comes in at only 4.5% ABV so it’s not going to fill you up or leave you with any sort of buzz. This pairing wasn’t perfect, as the sourness and citrus really only married up with the first third of the cigar, but it went perfectly with my mood, and the weather. Sometimes, that’s all that counts. If I had to choose another pairing for this cigar I think it would go awesome with a Marzen or even a sweet Brown Ale.

The post Torano – Vault (Blend A-008) Corona Gorda appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Heard of Reinado Cigars? If you are active on social media (check out Reinado on Facebook and Twitter) they are everywhere. I hadn’t heard of the brand until a year or so ago and every since then they have blown up the review sites with high-rated reviews and a ton of buzz. This isn’t brand I could find locally, but lucky for me our good friend Jay over at Cigarphoto.net made the connection between me and Antonio over at Reinado and he was kind enough to hook us up with a few samples of their newest release, the Grand Empire Reserve (GER).

The Grand Empire Reserve was released at last year’s IPCPR show and created a lot of buzz ever since. The Nicaraguan Puro is created in the Condega region, and only comes in one size, the Elegios which is a 5 x 55 box-press format. The cigar will come in boxes of 20 and run $9.95 a stick.

Here is what Reinado had to say about the blend:

Oradell, NJ, July 03, 2012 –(PR.com)– Following the success of the 92 rated Petite Corona known as the Habanito and the 91 rated Torpedo, REINADO will unveil the Grand Empire Reserve at the 80th Annual IPCPR Convention and International Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, in August, 2012.

The Grand Empire Reserve is a box pressed Robusto that incorporates a select Habano maduro wrapper and an additional aged Nicaraguan filler which leverages REINADO’s signature fermentation process to provide even greater depth, richer undertones, and enhanced overall complexity for both the casual and the distinguished cigar smoker.

“The flavor profile of the Grand Empire Reserve was developed after extensive sampling to deliver a truly exceptional blend,” said Antonio Lam, owner of Cubanero Enterprises. “We believe the flavors and balanced strength developed through extending REINADO’s unique fermentation process along with the inclusion of the aged Nicaraguan filler will distinguish the Grand Empire Reserve from all other cigars on the market,” said Lam.

A single size called Elegios meaning “chosen” is scheduled for release in August, 2012 followed by additional sizes.

“As demonstrated through the REINADO core product line and the introduction of the Grand Empire Reserve, we are dedicated to innovation and offering smokers quality choices of highly rated cigars,” said Lam.

The Grand Empire Reserve will be available through select retailers and, on a limited basis, directly through REINADO.

You can find out more about Reinado, their cigars, and retailer locations on their official website.

Size: 5 x 55 box-press
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Select Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $9.95
Pairing: Sixpoint 3Beans (10% ABV – Baltic Porter)

Prelight: The Grand Empire Reserve starts out with a beautiful, I mean beautiful, oily, toothy, dark brown wrapper. There are a few smaller veins throughout the box-pressed body, but the vast amount of oils and tooth on the wrapper are by far the stand-out Characteristics. The wrapper feels really firm, and thick, while the cigar doesn’t showcase any soft spots at all. The cigar is really firm all the way through. Again, again, again, I LOVE these soft-box pressed cigars. Reinado’s construction on each of the samples have been flawless, capped off with a beautiful, round, triple cap. The cigar is polished off with the simple, elegant Reinado crest and a secondary gold band stating “Grand Empire Reserve”.

The wrapper gives off lots, and lots, of sweet tobacco and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar screams of spice and pepper. The cap on this cigar clipped very easily and very cleanly using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a ton of black pepper, spice, and so much sweetness.

First Smoke: Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve starts out with a massive black pepper explosion right off the bat. I was expecting it since the cold-draw. As the pepper faded out slightly I was able to get a real grip of the crazy sweetness this cigar carries with sweet tobacco, raisin, deep oak, and an almost maple syrup flavor. This cigar starts out amazingly bold in both the flavor and the strength department. The Grand Empire Reserve kicks out a perfect amount of thick, white smoke with every puff. As you can tell by the change in the background scenery I had to retreat to my patio due to the high winds out today and even then, the smoke was so thick it stuck around for a while before dissipating.  The burnline is razor sharp, and despite a few early waves I didn’t have to tough it up at all during the first third. The ash is a medium and dark grey and held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Despite the trend in most smokes, the black pepper is still a dominant flavor in the Grand Empire Reserve’s flavor mix. There has been some nice chocolate notes moving in and colliding with the raisin, deep oak, spice, sweet tobacco, and that syrupy taste I picked up. The retrohale is crazy sharp, and so strong on the black pepper that I couldn’t find it in myself to do it too often. I am feeling a nice bit of nicotine at this point. This cigar isn’t “too” strong, in fact it’s strong but well balanced, just the way I like it. So many times I have been at a herf with a handful of friends and one person lights up a cigar that just smells so rich, so good, that it makes me jealous no matter how good the cigar I am smoking is. This is exactly what Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve does. My entire porch was filled with strong, sweet, deep oak. It smelled liked a mixture of light incense and firewood.

Finish: Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve took me a little over an hour to smoke and it was a flavor powerhouse from start to finish. The strength has began to pick up a bit more in the final third of the cigar while the flavors have just been relentless. The black pepper has now completely faded away just in the time create a smooth ending for this cigar while the syrup, sweetness, chocolate and spice are still going strong. The cigar finished slightly wavy but I never had to touch up, or relight the cigar the entire experience. The cigar left me with a nice little nicotine kick. Nothing that knocked me off my ass, but this cigar is very full in strength and body.

Overview: Can you tell how much I liked this cigar? If not, read again. In fact, as I was finishing it up I even messaged the Casas Fumando crew to tell them how much ass this cigar kicked (and it’s quite a bit). I was slightly skeptical about the Grand Empire Reserve for 3 reasons. 1) I was fearful that it was all the reviews had just over hyped it in my eyes. 2) This cigar is limited and Reinado’s cigars aren’t found in too many shops. And 3) the price is a bit steep for such a young cigar company. Now how did it do? 1) I can say that in my opinion the Grand Empire Reserve deserves 100% all the praise it has been getting. 2) despite the availably, if you are willing to purchase outside of your state or city these cigars can easily be found for shipping and 3) the prices is spot on for such a well manufactured, wonderful experience. This is a complex, strong cigar that won’t kick your ass. It’s perfect for the novice smoker looking to try a premium cigar as it serves as a perfect example of how great complex cigars can be. And ideal for any seasoned smoker looking for a cigar that will keep them on their toes the entire experience. This is a box worthy cigar for sure, and I know for a fact that I will be seeking more out.

Pairing: As I stated before, I have been on a huge Sixpoint kick lately. I really enjoy every single brew that I have found by them and I am glad that each week I find it in more and more shops locally. One of their most recent short run releases, the 3Beans has been making its way through said shops as of late. The beer is a Baltic (strong) porter brewed at the Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, clocking in at 10% ABV. The name of the beer comes from 3 different beans that are used in the brewing process of the beer. First, Coffee beans from Stumptown Coffee, Cocoa beans from Mast Brothers chocolate, and Sprouted Roman Beans which are similar to kidney beans. The Sprouted Roman Beans have actually been a documented supplement for barely by ancient brewers during times when barely was running low. Anyways, the beer is great. It gives off a nice chocolate, and coffee aroma with just a tip of alcohol. The aroma describes the flavors almost to a tee. Lots of coffee, chocolate, and malt. The coffee that I speak of is a really natural coffee, not just light notes. As you can tell these flavors pair wonderfully with the Grand Empire Reserve and that coffee just adds this amazing dimension to an already complex cigar. I can totally see why I read so many posts of smokers pairing this cigar with coffee.

The post Reinado – Grand Empire Reserve – Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.