The Good Stuff:

The Killer Bee line has evolved quite a bit over time. At this year’s PCA show James Brown, owner of Black Label Trading Co./Black Works Studio released the Shaolin, an extensively modified version of the Killer Bee. Created at the Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua the blend features all Nicaraguan fillers, Honduran Habano binder and a mixture of Mexican San Andrés Maduro and Connecticut Shade wrappers with Candela accents. The cigar comes in a single 5 1/2 x 46 belicoso format. The Killer Bee Shaolin comes packaged in boxes of 24 and runs $13.50 a stick with only 950 boxes released. I purchased a few over from Atlantic Cigar and my body JG hooked it up with the one I am reviewing today.

• Size: 5 1/2 x 46
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés, Connecticut Shade, and Candela
• Binder: Honduran Habano
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $13.50
• Pairing: The Bruery Sundae Sunday (Imperial Stout – 17.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Black Works Studio Killer Beer Shaolin starts out with the crazy looking wrappers we’ve come to expect from the brand. In the case of the Shaolin the tapered belicoso cap stars with a very deep, dark brown tightly spiraled around a lighter consistent orangish-brown leaf which widens out once you past the cap. The barber-pole style spiral continues through the cigar’s body down to the sealed, green, candela wrapper foot. Even with the complexities of the wrapper, it’s constructed perfectly as each leaf is seamless laid over another. There are almost no veins in any of the wrapper leaf. The texture is pretty toothy and gritty in the darker brown areas and silky smooth where the Connecticut shade is laid. The cigar is packed very tightly and is pretty damn heavy. The cigar is polished off with a black and gold band with the Killer Bee crest and artwork.

The wrapper on the Killer Bee Shaolin gives off a lot of sweet honey over some lighter spice notes while the foot of the cigar is mostly the same with a bit of earthiness from the candela. covering. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of honey, earthy grain, and soft spice.

First Third:

The Black Works Studio Killer Beer Shaolin leads with some soft black pepper over rich dark chocolate, honey, and musk with light notes of caramel, black cherry and a nice tartness left on my lips. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs out for a while even in the breeze before dissipating. The burn line is razor thin and mostly even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for about 3/4 of an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Black Works Studio Killer Beer Shaolin and the chocolate is just pouring on. Underneath are great tart cherry notes, musk, and honey with lighter notes of caramel, vanilla, spice and earthiness. The retrohale really piles on the spice and considering how sweet the flavors are in the standard smoking experience I don’t find find myself doing it too often. I close out the second third with a minor nicotine kick, but it’s noticeable.

Note: Into the second third a pretty big tunnel opened up. Luckily, this didn’t impact the experience too much and I was able to smoke through it pretty easily. I smoked 3 of these cigars total and it only happened to one. I add this as a note that these things happen since these are handmade items and even then, sometimes you’re able to smoke right through them.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Black Works Studio Killer Bee Shaolin and the flavors are mostly the same, and there are no complaints here. The cigar carries bold notes of dark chocolate, black cherry, and honey over lighter notes of musk, caramel, vanilla and spice. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke the Shaolin down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat. I had to relight the cigar once, which is no big deal, and despite the tunnel it burned great from start to finish.

Overview:

The Black Works Studio Killer Bee Shaolin is easily one of the better cigars I smoked all year. The flavor profile is absolutely beautiful, and matches exactly what I look for in a cigar. The complexity was great. The burn was flawless from start to finish even considering the tunnel that popped up about halfway through. It always surprised me how complex the manufacturing of a lot of Black Label cigars are, and how well put together the final product is. My only gripe, as you can guess, is that these are pretty much sold out absolutely everywhere. Happy Hunting.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s Sundae Sunday features Black Tuesday as a base, aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans and boysenberries. The 17.7% ABV beer leads with loads of tartness, black cherry/berry, dark chocolate, caramel, malt, and a heavy and very noticeable dose of vanilla with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more tart berry, dark chocolate, and vanilla. This is a big beer, that’s scarily easy to drink. The dark chocolate, caramel, and berry married up perfectly with the flavors found in the Black Works Studio Killer Bee Shaolin while the cigar added a nice bit of earthiness to the overall experience.

The post Black Works Studio Killer Bee Shaolin appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

This past year Nick Melillo and Foundation Cigar Company released quite a few new blends at the IPCPR show in Las Vegas. 2 of those blends are the value-based blends called the “Charter Oak”. The Charter Oak line features two different blends. We already looked at the Connecticut Broadleaf version, so this week we are concentrating not he Connecticut Shade version.

The Foundation Cigar Company’s website has a good amount of detail on the project:

 “I wanted to choose a name that represents the greatest symbol of my home state of Connecticut, the Charter Oak.” – Nicholas Melillo” 

Foundation Cigar President Nick Melillo announces the completion of his newest brand, Charter Oak, set for release at the 2016 IPCPR Show in Las Vegas.

Charter Oak also pays tribute to Melillo’s grandfather, who while earning a modest salary working for the Winchester Repeating Arms factory after WWII, smoked exclusively, broadleaf cigars manufactured by FD Graves on State St, while, no joke, Rick Ardito’s grandfather, a guard at Winchester, also smoked FD Graves biggest selling broadleaf, Muniemakers.

“I wanted to create an economy-minded, everyday smoke for connoisseurs; something tasty and delicious but didn’t break the bank”, says Melillo.

Charter Oak Cigars hail from the same fertile valley in Connecticut that Master Tobacco Blender Nick R Agua aka Nick Melillo was born and raised. Charter Oak Cigars feature some of the most prized and sought after Cuban seed leaf varieties from the exquisite Esteli and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. The cigars are then wrapped in either a silky, beautiful Connecticut Shade wrapper or a hearty and rich Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, leaving you with the perfect every day and every occasion cigar.

As for the brand’s signature graphic, historians estimate that this unusually large Oak tree began growing sometime during the 12th century on a plot located on what is now downtown Hartford. Native Americans, who by the way cultivated tobacco nearby long before settlers, held councils beneath its massive branches. The tree is actually mentioned in Dutch Explorer, Adrian Block’s journey guidebook in 1608. By the mid 1600’s the plot was parceled and a farm was built with the agreement that the local tribe could share this sacred tree. In 1662 King Charles II issued a Royal Charter to the Connecticut Colony granting an unusual degree of autonomy. However, when his successor, James II appointed an English Governor-General to reclaim the Charter, it was hidden in what became known as Charter Oak, one of our countries greatest symbols of American Independence.

The Charter Oak Shade features a Connecticut Shade wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Nicaraguan filler. Both of the Charter Oak versions are produced at the Tabacalera Fernandez S.A. factory in Nicaragua. Both blends come packaged in boxes of 20 which feature 5 formats: Petite Corona (5 1/4 x 42), Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50), Lonsdale ( 6 1/4 x 46), Toro (6 x 52), Grande (6 x 60) ranging between $4.80 and $5.80 a stick. I purchased a handful of these over from our friends over at Smoke Inn.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $5.50
Pairing: Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Argentum (Belgian IPA 7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Charter Oak Shade starts out with a very light, almost orangish-brown wrapper that’s incredibly consistent in color from the cap down to the foot. The cigar’s texture is silky smooth with a good amount of oil and almost no tooth while the wrapper feels extremely thin and delicate. The cigar as a whole its packed perfectly and there are no soft spots located throughout the cigar. There are a few smaller veins running the course of the cigar’s body up to the round triple wrapped cap. The cigar also features a covered foot where the wrapper is laid carefully over the exposed filler tobacco at the foot of the cigar. The cigar is polished off with the same manilla and black Charter Oak Band that we found on the Maduro version.

The wrapper on the Charter oak gives off a good amount of honey and cashew aromas while the foot of the cigar carries some cedar, honey, and dirtiness. The cap cut very clean and like butter using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some soft honey, sweetness, soft spice, and a ton of cedar with other natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Charter Oak Shade started out with a huge pepper blast that completely caught me off guard. After the pepper began to fade out a bit I was greeted with some great cedar, honey, and spice with a great floral and piney aftertaste. I wasn’t expecting this cigar to start off in the medium/full range, but it did. The draw is fantastic. Each puff kicks out a desirable amount of thick white smoke while the Charter Oak gives off a good amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty rough with quite a few waves and one large crevice that is burning much faster than the rest of the cigar. I haven’t had to reach for my lighter yet so I’m ok with that. The ash left behind is very dark and very flaky. It only held on for a little over a half inch before falling in my ashtray.

Second Third:

The pepper has completed it’s exit in the Charter Oak Shade’s flavor profile and all the flavors have really began to simmer down while the cigar falls solidly into the medium-body range. The main flavor is still the sweet honey and cedar backed by floral, cashew, very light spice and a real subtle creamed coffee. The retrohale helps add a bit to the body as it still carries some of the pepper with a good amount of cedar. The burn line has really started to clean itself up without any extra attention from my torch. I close out the second third of the Carter Oak with no signs of any nicotine at all. A note, the ash if very light and flaky on this cigar and fell more often then expecting. That’s not a bad thing, and changes almost nothing with the experience. Just something to keep in mind if you’re wearing black pants like I was.

Finish:

As I venture into the final third of the Charter Oak Shade, not much has changed. The flavor profile still carried much of the cedar, honey and cashew with a bit of natural tobacco flavors, but that’s about it. Everything else has really dropped out. The burn line completely corrected itself and I never one had to touch up the cigar despite the issues at the start. It took me an hour and a half to take this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness at all, not an extra heat build up however, a bit of sap/tar began to build up toward the very end of the experience so it didn’t really bother me as I was just about to put the cigar down anyhow.

Overview:

I’ve been very big on a lot of the new-style Shade cigars released lately and hoped that the Charter Oak would be the next hit on my list. While I enjoyed the cigar, and can find myself going back to it, it seemed like it was just missing something after the incredible flavors in the first third. After the first third the flavors just kind of fizzled out. It wasn’t a bad cigar by any means, I think I just got a bit excited and then was slowly let down a bit. Maybe a smaller ring gauge will help solve that issue. I plan on trying a few of those out then returning to this review. Either way, for the price, this is a great cigar to have around for this times you’re craving a milder smoke.

Pairing:

Delirium Argentum is a limited edition 7% ABV IPA brewed only once in 2014 by the Brouwerij Huyghe brewery in Belgium. One thing I have always loved about Belgian IPAs is they keep the bitterness while introducing a much more malty, sweeter flavor profile with less hops. Not that I don’t love me some hops, but Belgian IPAs usually make for much better cigar pairings since you aren’t overwhelmed by them. The Argentum leads with a great malty character with lots of sweetness, pear, and citrus with some slight hop and a very light mouthfeel before finishing crisp with more citrus and hop over a ton of malt and sweetness. This pairing was incredible and actually really helped add a bit of the missing elements to the cigar itself.

The post Foundation Cigar Company Charter Oak Shade appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: In some articles I’ve read they call this the NWC Short Run 2012, in others simple the Short Run 2012, either way you look at it, it’s the same cigar, with the same basic name. The name “Short Run” obviously implies that this cigar will only be available as a limited release. EP Carrillo has released a “Short Run” cigar each year since his separation from La Gloria Cubana, despite theory going around that there would not be one released this year. The Short Run 2012 is actually a Frankenstein blend composed of characteristics of two other EP Carrillo blends. The Short Run 2012 starts out with the same, Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper that he used in the New Wave Connecticut while the Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan/Dominican fillers are the same ones that he used in the Core Line Maduro. The Short Run 2012 will come in 3 different sizes: Exquisitos (4 7/8 x 50,) Invictos (5 7/8 x 52), and the Reinados (6 1/4 x 60). The cigars will ranger from $6.30 – $8.60 and there will only be 1000 boxes of 24 of each vitola released later on this month. These samples were graciously sent over to us by the EPC team.

Size:  4 7/8 x 50  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut  –  Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf  –  Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican

Prelight: Where to start with this EP Carrillo NWC Short Run 2012. The Wrapper, as is the standard New Wave Connecticut, is a very rustic, mean looking Connecticut. Instead of the standard smooth, and consistent light brown, the Short Run carries a very inconsistent, spotty, medium brown with lighter spots. The wrapper is very smooth and oily, sporting only a single, smaller vein towards the cigar’s round, triple cap. The Short Run in general is very soft and a bit spongy around the foot. The Short Run 2012 also carries the same white, yellow, red and gold band as the New Wave Connecticut only with the addition of a slim secondary white and gold band with the words “Short Run” and “2012” embossed on it. I have to say, I absolutely love EP Carrillo’s bands. They are smooth, simple, and elegant.

Moving on to the Aroma the wrapper of the Short Run is very timid, only showing my a very light tobacco and cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar boasts of strong spice, and lots of earthy tones. The cap cut easy, and not so clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. I think I just missed the filler mark, or my cutter is getting dull cause there was all sorts of mess under that cap. Either way, more than likely my fault and not anything that will hinder the experience at all. The cold draw lets loose this crazy deep, woodsy, sweetness. Something I wasn’t expecting from a Connecticut wrapped cigar.

First Smoke: The EP Carrillo Short Run 2012 started out with just a dash of pepper which faded after the first few puffs while the smoked transcended into a much sweeter, chocolate-filled malt, cedar, and nutmeg. It’s a very interesting mash-up of flavor. The draw is spot on, pumping out huge, HUGE clouds of thick white smoke with every puff. The Short Run 2012 gives off a whole ton of thick, cedar scented stationary smoke as well. It’s seriously just fountaining off smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The burnline started out a bit crazy, but started to correct itself leaving behind only a few larger waves, and a flaky white and dark grey ash. The ash held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Early into this second third of this EP Carrillo Short Run 2012 the flavors really started to blend together and smooth out. I didn’t think that the Broadleaf binder and filler would marry up as well as it did to the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, but that just proves that I know nothing about tobacco. I am still getting the great sweetness, chocolate, nutmeg, and even some cashew from the inner tobacco while the wrapper is laying a nice subtle cedar and honey over the filler flavors. The retrohale is really smooth coating only with a nice, smooth cedar and spice. The burnline has since corrected itself 100% and I am feeling absolutely no nicotine from this smoke.

Finish: If I had to list a complaint about this cigar, there would be one. And it’s just my pet peeve. There was way too much glue on the bands. Sometimes this doesn’t matter, but in the case of the delicate wrapper on the Short Run 2012 the glue actually tore the hell out of the wrapper when I tried to take the band off of the cigar. Not only did the main band do it, but the small secondary band as well. This happened on two of the three samples I had. Anyways. It didn’t really hinder the experience though. Since it was merely the wrapper, the binder stayed in tact letting the smoke flow smoothly through the cigar. The flavors stayed much the same as the second third, chocolate, nut, honey, cedar, and spice. The main changeup was just how incredibly smooth this cigar finished. I was able to take this cigar down to the nub with no harshness before I even realized just how fast I was smoking it. It took me a little over an hour to take this robusto down, and I felt absolutely no nicotine at all. If anything, I had a little buzz from the beer I decided to pair it with.

Overview: Obviously, EP Carrillo produced yet another notch in his already filled book of winning. The Short Run 2012 is a great experience, and even a nice departure from the standard New Wave Connecticut producing a smoother, more full cigar. Does it lapse the New Wave Connecticut? Not in my book. I hold that cigar pretty high, and although it’s a totally different cigar, I couldn’t help but compare the two. The Short Run is sweeter, and has more body, but those are two characteristics I don’t look for in a Connecticut. This is an amazing cigar, but I truly think I liked the New Wave Connecticut a lot more. Now in comparison to other Connecticut wrapped cigars, the Short Run 2012 blows the doors off of 90% of them. If you are a Connecticut fan, you will fall in love with this cigar. Get them while you can.

Pairing: I’ve been holding onto this beer for a few months, waiting for the perfect cigar to pair it with. Luckily I found it. Pairing with EP Carrillo’s Short Run 2012 I reached deep into my beer stash and grabbed my last bottle of Samuel Adams Infinium 2011. This beer was created as an interesting experiment alongside one of my favorite German breweries, Weihenstephan, the oldest Brewery in the world. Brewed under the “Reinheitsgebot” or “German Purity Law” of 1516, Infinium is a Champagne style ale brewed using only the following ingredients: Water, Barely, Yeast and Hops. Although this law is no longer in effect, many, if not most of the German Breweries still abide by it, brining their brews to a whole new level. Infinium is a 10.3% powerhouse, that tastes nothing like it has that much alcohol. In fact, the beer is very sweet, fruity, and smooth carrying some awesome notes of orange, lemon, cinnamon, and berry. Again, any smooth or sweet beer pairs perfectly with the New Wave Connecticut blends.

The post EP Carrillo Short Run 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Before diving into things, let’s clarify where this cigar comes from. There is a bit of confusion as to how this cigar came about, and who created it. Here are the details:

 “The Collaboration: “My UZI Weighs a Ton” by Subculture Studios and JDN is the first formal cigar blending collaboration between Drew Estate Tobacco  Company and Joya de Nicaragua.”

“The 411: The UZI story began on the very first final consumer blending session at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in late 2010 during a Cigar Safari tour with the B.O.T.L. group. After conducting blending sessions for the previous 3 years at the Drew Estate factory, we were amped up to extend the concept to JDN.  While the B.O.T.L. group crafted their blends, I worked with the JDN team utilizing DE tobaccos, including a San Andreas Negro Wrapper, Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade Binder and hearty Brazilian Mata Fina Filler, coupled with Nicaraguan fillers provided by JDN. The blend proved to be rich and earthy, with a bright, sweet undertone.”

“As months of blending passed, I felt this blend was most noble in the 6×60 format and began calling this cigar “The Uzi.” We all had a good laugh at the name, but when I went back to their factory to pick up the round of 50 sticks, I said, “Damn, My UZI’s Weigh a Ton!” – and the brand was officially born. The initial sizes are 5×60, 6×60, and 7×60 – with the infamous “Bait Shop” (4×44) to follow.” – Jonathan Drew

There you have it. One thing to note is the “Bait Shop” is actually now released and carries the name “Bait Fish”.

Size: 6×60  –  Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro  –  Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade  –  Filler:  Brazilian Mata Fina Oscuro, Nicaraguan Seco Jalapa, Nicaraguan Viso Condega and Nicaraguan Esteli Ligero

Prelight: Damn, this is one beautiful cigar. My Uzi Weighs a Ton starts with a very dark, incredibly consistent brown wrapper. This thing looks like a candy bar. The construction is perfect, only carrying a few smaller veins throughout the huge body of the cigar, before coming to a nice, stubby, round double cap. The band is just badass, I love the design and typography on it as it lays out the words “My Uzi Weighs a Ton, by Subculture Studios & JDN, XXL”. XXL of course, referring to the size of these cigars. I know it’s a larger format cigar, but even for it’s size, this cigar really does weight a ton. The Uzi also gives off a ton of resistance as I try to squeeze it between my fingers. This cigar is tough.

The wrapper is crazy oily, and you can see the oils reflect the light off the cigar from all angles. Despite its blown out character the wrapper only gives off a slight, sweet, chocolaty aroma while the foot of the cigar lets loose a modest tobacco along with earth tones.  The cap is easily cut on My Uzi Weight a Ton using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces a really mild, yet flavorful graham, and tobacco flavor.

First Smoke: The Uzi starts off with only a slight pepper punch, just the first few draws, and only really enough to tease my lips. After the pepper fades I am left with a very strong cinnamon, dark chocolate, cherry, and sweet tobacco flavor. The cigar definitely didn’t start off as powerful as I thought it would. The draw is awesome, it does take a few extra puffs to get going due to the larger ring gauge, but it’s a smokehouse once it’s off and running.  The burnline has a few smaller waves as it leaves behind a trail of semi-flaky, medium grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch, and I am sure it would probably hold on a bit longer, but its windy as hell outside and I didn’t want to risk it falling.

Halfway There: The flavors in this Uzi just keep ramping up, while the body remains smooth, and easy to smoke. The chocolate has really started to take over. Along with the chocolate so has the cherry while the cinnamon and graham faded out letting way for some really nice sweet tobacco. The retrohale is different on this cigar. Usually I get a lot of cedar and tobacco flavor while this cigar coats with this really malty, chocolate milk flavor. It’s strong too, so just be ready for it. The ash is still kind of flaky, but the burnline is rocking solid while leaving me with almost no nicotine kick at all at this point.

Finish: My Uzi Weighs a ton has really kept me on my toes while it changes up, and ramps up it’s flavor profile even into the final third of this massive cigar. Again, that dark chocolate is just a beast in this experience, the Cherry, which started out mild is a big contender as well while the graham has really crept back in and the sweet tobacco is still mixed in there. The burnline has started a few more small waves, but they didn’t bother me at all. I think the wind had a lot to do with them. It took me just under 2 hours to smoke this massive cigar while I experienced no harshness at all, it actually finished just as smooth as it started. Despite the wind and waves, this cigar also required no extra attention from my lighter throughout the entire smoke.

Overview: Don’t be fooled by the name, and the production, My Uzi Weighs a Ton isn’t the strongest cigar out there. In fact, I found it a perfectly balanced, medium/full cigar with a ton of character. This cigar is a flavor bomb with a really smooth palate of Chocolate, Berry, sweet tobacco, and graham cracker. It really packs the flavor in there, even for the larger ring gauge. I really want to get my hands on the new baitfish size now, as I would love to taste what the smaller format’s wrapper has to offer. This is a solid cigar through, and through and will delight the most experienced smoker as well as help that novice smoker experience the next level in premium cigars without breaking their stomachs, or the bank.

Pairing: Why another great Belgian beer? Yes Please. And this brew in particular is no stranger around these parts, in fact, I think this is the third time I have featured it in the pairing section of this site. Pauwel Kwak. This is a badass beer, and spoilers aside, I couldn’t possibly think of a better pairing with My Uzi Weighs a Ton. Pauwel Kwak is a 8.4% Belgian Strong Ale from Brouwerij Bosteels is Bugeenhout Belgium.  Kwak is a deep, amber ale with a fruity, malty, sweet character. The main flavors are a sweet banana tossed in with mild hops, caramel, and citrus. Seriously, mix those flavors in with the cinnamon chocolate and cherry from the Uzi and you have a knock out pairing.

The post Drew Estate / Joya De Nicaragua / Subculture Sutdios – My Uzi Weighs a Ton appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now onto the cigar… If you attended IPCPR back in 2010 or read articles about the event, you probably heard about the new blend from El Primer Mundo, called the Liga Miami. I recently stumbled across a few of these sticks at the bottom of my humidor and realized they’ve been sitting there since sometime last year (oops?). With the upcoming IPCPR 2011 in July, I figured it would be a good cigar to pick up and review.

The Liga Miami blend from Sean Williams(Twitter: @PrimerMundo) made some waves at IPCPR 2010, especially in the blogosphere where a lot of reviewers were impressed by the unique array of flavors this cigar offered. The El Primer Mundo website is currently under construction, but before it went down you could also read up on their previous blends, the Connecticut Shade and Habano Criollo Maduro. The Liga Miami has the same company band on it but also adds an additional goldish-brown and silver band with the words Liga Miami on it.

The cigar itself is produced in Miami at the El Titan de Bronze factory. Willy Herrera of El Titan de Bronze also has a hand in making them This is a big change from the other two blends which are made in Esteli Nicaragua. You’ll also nice there is no box press on this cigar like the other offerings from El Primer Mundo.

Along with today’s Robusto vitola, you can also find the Liga Miami in a Toro and Churchill size. The cigar has an interesting mix of tobacco including a double binder and some ligero used in the filler. So without any more babbling from me, let’s see how this cigar stacks up!

Cigar: El Primer Mundo Liga Miami
Drink: Waterloo Brewery Radlermass Lemonade Lager
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
Binder: Double binded Nigaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Republic (some Ligero)
Price: about $9
Burn Time: About 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Liga Miami has a very nice reddish colored wrapper surrounding it
• Slightly oily and rough, the wrapper has some medium sized veins running along it
• There was a nice spring to the cigar when squeezed, not enough to seem under-filled though
• The head of the cigar is finished with a very clean triple cap, definitely some attention to detail there
• The bands themselves take up quite a bit of real estate on this cigar, at least a good 1/3rd
• The foot looks the be moderately packed
• The cut was fairly easy and left a clean opening but made a bit of a mess in the ashtray

Burn:
• Toasting didn’t go so well, had some unevenness to it and I just couldn’t get it all lit properly without some assistance from a couple draws
• Despite the my failed toasting, the burn started off surprisingly well through the first inch
• Burn was razor sharp through the first half
• The cigar has burned nice and slowly the whole way through and allowed me to enjoy it slowly without ever feeling like it was going out

Smoke & Ash:
• Tons of smoke coming from the cigar straight from the start
• The ash has a very nice white color to it
• Despite the nice color, the ash is getting a little flaky very fast
• The resting smoke on this Liga Miami is consistent and has a very unique aroma, you get a bit of sweetness on the nose. Very pleasant.
• Ash managed to hang tight for close to two inches

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the Liga Miami has a nice sweetness to it, along with a bit of cedar
• The foot definitely brings more sweetness and a tasty mild spice, almost like Cinnamon Sugar
• The pre-light draw brought with it a heavy helping of woodsiness and a bit of earthiness
• The initial draws offered up more of he woodsy flavors with a subtle note of sweetness in there, still along the same lines of cinnamon sugar
• The sweetness is definitely building up in this cigar, almost adding a syrupy flavor to the mix
• Body has been mostly mild to start and the retrohale has the tiniest bite with a smooth and creamy finish
• Adding to the syrupy/cinnamon sweetness, the cigar has a very pleasant creamy finish
• The woodsiness is still hanging around, is that burning caramelized wood could smell like? lol
• Body built up to a nice medium around the half-way mark
• The sweetness has tapered off a bit now, it’s still there and I’m getting some nice nutty almond flavors
• Definitely seems like the ligero was saved for the last half of the cigar, I’m getting some leathery flavors in the mix now and a touch of spice
• With about 1.5inches left, the sweetness has mostly left the mix but the remaining flavors are balancing well and the body is still a comfortable medium
• The creamy finish has remained consistent, I think this can probably be attributed to the double binder along with a smooth wrapper
• The creamy finish and leather/woodsy flavors continued to the nub with no bitterness, this was a finger burning cigar!

Final Thoughts:
Now this was a surprisingly unique and enjoyable cigar. When I hear ligero I usually brace myself for a powerful cigar with a straightforward flavor profile. This was definitely not the case with the El Primer Mundo Liga Miami. The first half of the cigar was totally unexpected. Sweet, smooth, creamy notes with a superb burn. Very uncharacteristic of a ligero filled cigar and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The last half came closer to what I expected from this cigar but it still had a smooth and balanced creaminess I don’t usually find in ligero cigars. I’m curious if the extra age in the humi made a difference since I didn’t smoke one when I first got them. It’s easy to see there was a lot of care and planning that went into this cigar and the final result speaks for itself. These are something everyone should try and can go well as a mid-day or evening cigar.

Pairings:
Today’s pairing was from Waterloo Brewery, just a short 1 hour drive from my house. It is part of the Seasonal Collection and is called the Radlermess. It is a Lemonade Lager and has an interesting story behind it. The term Radlermess comes from Germany and was coined by a Innkeeper not far from Munich. The story says that he was overloaded with cyclists one day and was running low on beer so he took a risk and mixed his remaining beer with some lemon soda. It was a big hit! In German, Radler means cyclist and Mass means a liter of beer.
I took a bit of a risk with this pairing but based on the past few Liga Miami’s I’ve smoked I figured the sweetness from a lemonade beer would go nicely. I was worried the beer may have been too sweet but they did a good job balancing the lemonade and beer together. It actually worked out very well! The sweetness of the beer complimented the sweetness of the cigar at the start. As the cigar turned a little more into the woodsy/nutty/leathery flavors, the beer counteracted them, leaving a nice sweet aftertaste between draws. I think this beer would also go excellently with some connecticut wrappers. As for the cigar, an Amber lager would have gone well here too, as would my favorite tawny port. Maybe even a nice coffee with a bit of sugar to add some sweetness.

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