July & August 2015 Recap

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

1. E.P. Carrillo – Short Run 2015
2. Arturo Fuente – Casa Fuente
3. Crowned Heads – The Angel’s Anvil 2015
4. Illusione – Sin Cinta, Fox Cigar Bar Exclusive

Giveaway

To show our appreciation to all of our Casas Fumando readers and friends, we have partnered up with Famous Smoke Shop for a 6 cigar sampler and humidor jar giveaway! Enter HERE.

 July and August Cigar Reviews

Review Highlights

Jeremy’s Reviews
Selected Tobacco – Atabey

From the packaging to the experience itself, the Selected Tobacco Atabey is attractive, unique, and intriguing. Each third brought forth distinct flavors, while not losing site of its identity. The cigar centered around the earthy/diesel-like flavor, with transitions in more of subtle, background notes.

Perdomo Cigars – Double Aged 12 Year Vintage

Deep, satisfying, and rich flavors are showcased throughout the cigar, while easily noticeable change-ups are experienced in each third and sometime multiple times in each third. A satisfying amount of velvety smooth smoke poured out with each draw.

Oliva Cigar Co. – Serie G Belicoso

The Oliva Serie G is a great cigar when you desire a medium-bodied, medium-flavor smoke that delivers that Nicaraguan zing! Next time I visit a Serie G, I think I will reach for a parejo shaped cigar in hopes that it cuts down on the charred notes that I experienced in the final third.

Tony’s Reviews

Davidoff Escurio

The flavors are bold, tasty, and complex yet still the Escurio keeps it’s Davidoff character. There is just something in every Davidoff cigar that carries this great mossy flavor. I know, that sounds like a turn off, but it really isn’t and I’ve learned to appreciate it each time I light one up.

Crowned Heads – The Angel Anvil’s 2014

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2014 was a solid cigar. The flavor profile was great, although a bit mild for my likes. The burn experience was spot-on and each cigar I smoked was very consistent. I personally liked the 2015 more as I usually gravitate towards bolder, more full bodied cigars.

La Mission Du L’Atelier

L’Atelier has made some great blends in the past, but they have outdone themselves with the La Mission which has quickly become my favorite release by them to date. The cigar is bold, complex, and just all around enjoyable at a damn good price.

Quesada – Oktoberfest 2015 Double Bock Nicaraguan

Let’s just say it’s still early in the cigar year and I can already tell my “Best of 2015” list is going to be a tough one. The Quesada Oktoberfest Double Bock will be fighting for a spot, that’s for sure. The departure from the Dominican Republic was a success with the Double Bock blend. The cigar was complex, yet relaxed and made for a full body experience without being too overpowering. The price is perfect for the cigar and in my opinion, may even be less than I’d expect to pay for it.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

Quesada Selección España H-Town Lancero

I know the first two that I smoked were way up there in terms of enjoyment for me, with good transitions, flavors, and smoothness, as well as solid construction, all at a fair price. I did have to touch it up a few times and re-light it once, but those corrections were minor and didn’t affect the quality of the smoking experience, and it burned through that one goofy vein without any problems.

Punch Sucker Punch

I found the Punch Sucker Punch to be a pretty solid medium bodied smoke, and one that will provide a viable alternative to smokers who want a little more of an edge to the traditional Connecticut wrapped, mild cigar. Contrary to its marketing, it is not, in my opinion, an ass kicking strong smoke, but it does carry some slap to it. I would have liked a little more of the sweetness that a Connecticut stick usually provides and was a little surprised that the Cameroon binder did not for the most part provide that, but I still enjoyed it, and the price is certainly rather easy to take, especially since it can frequently be found on sale at Famous Smoke and on Cigar Monster at substantially lower prices.

The post Monthly Recap – July & August – Jeremy Hensley Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

It seems like just yesterday that Davidoff threw us all a curveball releasing their all Nicaraguan blend. A blend that featured more strength and body as well as a cosmetic makeover with all black packaging. This was quite a departure from the Davidoff norm, and a welcomed one. Well, they are at it again releasing another bold, “black” blend, the Escurio. The Escurio isn’t a puro, but features some great tobacco focused around Brazil. The blend starts with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around a Brazilian Cubra binder which is also found in the filler tobaccos along with a Mata Fina from Brazil, and San Vincente, Piloto, and Olor/Piloto Seco from the Dominican Republic.

The Davidoff Escurio is offered in 3 sizes: The Gran Toro (5.5 x 58), the Robusto (4.5 x 54), and the Petit Robusto (3.25 x 50).The two larger formats are packaged in boxes of 12 while the Petit Robusto comes in a box of 14 running between $8.50 and $17.90 a stick. One note is the Robusto format actually comes in singular tubos. I picked up a handful of these over from our friends at Smoke Inn.

Size: 4.5 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Brazilian Cubra
Filler: Dominican (San Vicente, Piloto and Olor/Piloto Seco) / Brazilian (Cubra and Mata Fina)
Body:  Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $15.90
Pairing: Evil Twin Aún Más A Jesús (Imperial Stout 12% ABV)

Prelight:

As stated before, I am smoking the robusto format which comes packaged in very dense, thick, aluminum tubes. Once out to the tube the Davidoff Escurio features of a very meat, rugged, rustic looking wrapper. It’s incredibly dense, hard, and carries a good amount of both tooth and oil. The wrapper is a medium brown with lots of darker areas as well as some lighter areas around the tobacco leaf’s webbing and the smaller veins running through the cigar’s short body. The Davidoff Escurio is polished off with a round double cap. The cigar carries a double band, one is the black and silver version of the classic Davidoff band, the second is a smaller band featuring the words “Escurio” and the cigars green and yellow eclipse logo.

The wrapper of the Davidoff Escurio gives off almost no aroma outside of a slight cedar while the foot of the cigar smells very mossy, with lots of earthiness and natural tobacco. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a really bold mixture of sweetness, oak, and honey with lots of mossiness.

First Third:

The Davidoff Escurio started out with a nice little black pepper bang that I’m not used to in Davidoff cigars. After the pepper subsided the cigar let loose some strong espresso, dark chocolate, malt, and that awesome grassy/mossy flavor that I have grown to love. The draw is a bit loose but still kicks out some massive clouds of thick smoke. There really isn’t much stationary smoke at all as the cigar rest in my ashtray. The burn line is dead solid and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white and light gray ash which held on for a little under an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Davidoff Escurio and the flavors remain real bold leading with a ton of espresso and dark chocolate which is backed by a bit of sweetness, oak, and the earthiness I find in all Davidoff cigars. As I smoked more, it seems the black pepper gets replaced with a cayenne pepper which shows up just long enough to tease my lips and mouth before disappearing again. It has happened a few times through the second third. The retrohale is a lot sharper than I expected coating my nasal passage with a deep oak and lots of spice and pepper. The draw at this point has tightened up and is flowing flawlessly now as the burn line continues it’s perfect streak. I close out the second third with no signs of nicotine although this cigar does have a bit more strength than I was expecting.

Finish:

As I close in on the final third of the Davidoff Escurio, the flavors and strength begin to really ramp up. The cayenne pepper is still coming in going while the Escurio leads with the espresso and dark chocolate, some soft spice, malt and a ton of oak and moss. It took me almost an hour and a half to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness or extended heat. I smoked this bad boy down until I could no longer hold it without burning the tips of my fingers and it left with me only a little nicotine kick.

Overview:

Davidoff shocked me with the Nicaraguan release. It was everything I loved about Davidoff plus everything that I craved with them. The Escurio follows along the same line and next to the Nicaraguan is probably my favorite blend they’ve made. The flavors are bold, tasty, and complex yet still the Escurio keeps it’s Davidoff character. There is just something in every Davidoff cigar that carries this great mossy flavor. I know, that sounds like a turn off, but it really isn’t and I’ve learned to appreciate it each time I light one up. The only draw back to this cigar has to be the price. It’s up there. But then again, so is everything that Davidoff makes. Would I smoke it again? Absolutely. Would I buy a box? Eh, that’s where I’d draw the line. I’d probably split a box, but it’s just a lot of coin to drop. Luckily some of these come in 4 count boxes which is much lighter on the wallet.

Pairing:

I knew going into this cigar that I had to pair it with a beer that was bold enough to keep up, as well as something that had a ton of complimentary flavors. That’s where the Evil Twin Aún Más A Jesús, my favorite gypsy “brewery” comes into play. The Evil Twin Aún Más A Jesús is a 12% ABV Imperial Stout brewed at Companyia Cervesera del Montseny SLL, Catalunya, Spain. The Aún Más A Jesús leads with a ton of espresso, malt, and chocolate with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with even more espresso and cocoa with a nice spice on the aftertaste. It seemed like these two were made for each other. The flavors were nearly identical, if anything beer added an extra level of sweetness to the cigar that I didn’t really pick up without it. This cigar would also pair great with any dark stout, smoked porter, or a cup of espresso.

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According to Davidoff:

Davidoff’s Millennium Blend celebrates a transition — a beautiful shift to to a new millennium filled with invigorating, fresh horizons. Years of expertise inform the selection of new types of tobacco and blends to create novel flavors that stimulate the aficionados of this new time.

Blended by Henke Kelner at TabaDom in the Dominican Republic, the Millennium Blend is produced in seven vitolas: Petit Corona (4 ½ by 41), Short Robusto (4 ¼ by 52), Robusto (5 ¼ by 50), Lonsdale (6 by 43), Toro (6 by 50),  Piramides (6 1/8 by 52), Churchill (6 ¾ by 48), and Lancero (7 1/4 by 40). The Robosto, which I will be reviewing today, carries a unique blend to the rest of the line with a higher percentage of Piloto tobaccos. Our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop provided the samples for today’s review. You can purchase the Davidoff Millennium Blend directly from HERE.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Price: $20.50/single, $58.43/ 3-pack, $389.50/ box of 20
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 ¼ by 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 25 minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

Oils glisten off the dark tan Ecuadorian Sun Grow wrapper leaf that has some color imperfections, its fair share of small veins, and a few bumps here and there. There is one soft spot in the middle of the cigar, while the rest of the stick feels somewhat spongy. Some unique aromas are identified off of the wrapper including seasoning salt, barnyard, and a faint sweet hay, while the foot shows some rich cedar  and manure.

The cap get the job done but not overly  pretty. A quick cut through the cap reveals a perfect draw delivering lots of sweetness and richness. The dry draw has notes of Caramel, cedar, and earth in the background. A cinnamon spice lingers on the palate and adds some warmth.

First Third

Unexpected full flavors liven my palate. There are some rich woodsy notes, along with some bitter earth and grassyness. At the half inch point, the bitterness completely exits the profile and the rest of the profile begins to mesh very well. There is a full amount of bright, white pepper that is showcased on the retrohale. A spice heat lingers on my palate between each puff and toasted coffee and cocoa are on the finish. A somewhat jagged burn line is leaving behind a beautiful light gray ash.

Middle Third

Rich, dense smoke continues to pour out of the 5 1/4 by 50 Robusto. The rich woodsy notes are accompanied by some cinnamon spice and a fresh bread-like flavor. There is also a new floral / perfume quality that has joined in. The spice has diminished with hardly any warmth to be felt. The finish remains consistent with the previous third and the strength is in the full arena. I am feeling quite a nicotine kick at this point of the cigar.

Final Third

Quite a drastic change in the profile is experienced as I make my way into the final third and a quick touch-up is required on one side of the wrapper that has been burning poorly for some time. Caramelized sugar, thick yeasty bread notes, and coffee now makes up the profile. The floral notes are now on the finish accompanying the coffee and cocoa. The cocoa on the finish is much sweeter than earlier.

Wrap-up

Over my 10 years of cigar smoking, I can probably count on one hand the Davidoff cigars I have smoked. The price tag has always deterred me. Most, if not all, of the ones I have smoked have been gifts. Naturally, a cigar with a $20.50 price tag set my expectations unrealistically high. And all I can say is that I am very happy that Famous Smoke Shop sent these my way.  The Millennium Blend delivered in all areas. Complex, balanced, full flavors and body, perfect draw, copious amount of smoke, and solid ash. There is no way that these would ever enter my weekly rotation or even monthly rotation, but I know the next time I celebrate a special event or milestone in my life, I will be considering the Davidoff Millennium Blend as my smoke of choice. I recommend you grab a 3-pack to keep on hand for those special moments in your life.

Happy Independence Day! 

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