Manufactured in Nicaragua at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua, the new Monte is available in four vitolas: Corona (4 by 44), Robusto (4 1/4 by 54), Toro (6 by 55), and Belicoso (6 1/8 by 54). The cigars come packaged in 20 counts boxes and will range from $10.50 and $11.25 per cigar.

You can purchase the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop. Use coupon code “CASASAVINGS” to get $15 off your order of $100 or more.

THE FACTS

Price: $11.00
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 55
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98
Filler:Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 and Dominican Piloto Cubano
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez is dressed in a medium brown Ecuadorian Habano leaf that is consistent in color. Some light oils and small veins can be seen on the box-pressed cigar. The cigar is very smooth to the touch and evenly filled from head to foot with only a slight give.

Bringing the wrapper of the cigar to my nose, I pick up an aroma of cardboard, earth, and sweet grass. The cardboard and earth are on the foot of the cigar with an added touch of black pepper. The lines on the double cap are nice and straight. Upon clipping, the draw has hardly any resistance as flavors of cardboard, rich cedar, and cinnamon greet my palate. A medium heat lingers in the mouth after the cold draw.

FIRST THIRD

The rich cedar from the cold draw translates right over to the smoke followed by some sweetness and a sharp pepper. There is also salt and citrus flavors. The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez is producing a crazy amount of resting smoke. Even though the flavors and spice are full, the smoke feels somewhat thin in the mouth. As I make my way through the first third, the wrapper struggles to burn with the rest of  the tobaccos.

MIDDLE THIRD

As I enter the second third of the Monte, the rich cedar has evolved to more of a pine flavor. The pepper is not as sharp and the sweetness has stepped down a notch. There is also charred flavor on the finish of the smoke. The citrus is still hanging around in the background of the profile and later in the third the sweetness creeps back around. 

FINAL THIRD

The burn has been jagged for the majority of the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez, but has been able to self-correct. The charred wood takes a more dominant role, with the pine flavor and black pepper trailing.

WRAP-UP

The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez was a tale of two cigars. Two completely different smoking experiences from one sample to the next. The sample smoked for the written portion of the review presented an off-balanced profile with a sharp spice and burnt flavors that began in the second third and held to the end. The sample smoked for the photos was more consistent throughout with well rounded flavors and, rather than the pine and char, I found a nice sweet wood flavor that tied all the flavors together. Both samples showed medium to full flavors with a decent amount of strength. The competition is fierce at $11.00 and I am not even sure if the good experience would justify the price.

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The La Galera 1936 Box Pressed was created to commemorate the year Tabacalera Palma opened its door, the factory the La Galera line is produced at. The 1936 Box Pressed is available in six vitolas: Chaveta (5 by 50), Pegador (5 ½ by 46), El Lector (6 by 54), Pilon (6 by 54), Cortador (6 ⅛ by 52), and Churchill 7 ¼ by 50. Packaged in 21-count boxes, the cigars range in price from $6.30 to $9.20 per cigar. 

You can purchase the La Galera 1936 Box Pressed  from our good friends at Fox Cigar. It doesn’t look like they are listed on their online store yet, but you can give them a ring at  (800) 730-2087.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.30
Vitola: Pegador
Size: 5 ½ by 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Criollo 98
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Criollo 98
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 5 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The La Galera 1936 Box Pressed wears a medium brown wrapper that is mostly consistent in color, but there is some dark, nearly black splotching. The veins are tiny and only a couple of scattered bumps are found on the leaf. The cigar is incredibly smooth and the wrapper is oily. 

Cocoa and crushed red pepper are on the wrapper, while a bigger notes of chocolate, crushed red pepper, and cedar come across on the foot. I find a perfect cold draw after cutting the cap with rich notes of cedar, clove, and chocolate.

FIRST THIRD

The 1936 Box Pressed opens with medium flavors of oak, dark red fruit, and spice. The flavors are meshing well together and well balanced. Even so, there is a nice spicy edge to the smoke and a hint of saltiness. Earth and unsweetened bumble gum characterize the finish.  The burn, which started off with a slight wave, is even after self-correcting itself. The carbon line is thick and a white ash is forming.

MIDDLE THIRD

Transiting into the second third, the profile is meatier as the spice and salt develop and take on a more dominant role, but the flavors from the first third can still be found in the background. As I reach the middle of the cigar, the secondary band removes with ease. It is at this point that charred wood and cocoa join the mix. 

FINAL THIRD

Pieces of the flaky ash are dropping all over me as I enter the last leg of the La Galera 1936 Box Pressed  The charred wood note is holding strong and  a mild natural sweetness is trying to fight off some bitterness that has snuck in. With a few minutes remaining in the smoke, I am beginning to feel some of the strength the 1936 brings to the table.

WRAP-UP

The small ring gauge, box pressed format, and the introductory profile is everything I want to in an elegant, classy cigar. A cigar that I would want to accompany me in a celebration setting where time may be a limited. When the flavors evolved in the second third, I felt like it lost that classy touch. The burn issues and flaky ash of the La Galera 1936 further affirmed that. There was no “bad” part of the cigar. But it just didn’t end as favorably as it had begun. I really like what Jochy Blanco is doing at Tabacalera Palma and with the La Galera brand. The Maduro is way up there as one of my favorite smokes I’ve had this year. And for a price of $6.30 for the 1936 Box Pressed, you can’t really go wrong trying a couple of these for yourself.

The post IndianHead Cigars – La Galera 1936 Box Pressed appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

As noted on the band, the La Galera Maduro is manufactured at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic. The cigar features a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper over Dominican internals. Available vitolas include: No. 1 (3 ½ by 50), Pegador (6 by 46), Chaveta (5 by 50), Cortador (6 ¼ by 52), El Lector (6 by 54), and Cabeza Caracol (7 ¼ by 50). And with prices ranging between $4 and $6.75, this cigar will be easy on your wallet. 

You can purchase the La Galera Maduro from our good friends at Fox Cigar. It doesn’t look like they are listed on their online store yet, but you can give them a ring at  (800) 730-2087.

THE FACTS

Price: $5.69
Vitola: Pegador
Size: 6 by 46
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Dominican Piloto Cubano
Filler: Domincan Criollo 98 and Piloto Cubano
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

La Galera Maduro wears a milk chocolate wrapper that has a couple stitch like veins running the length of the cigar and a crazy amount of fine tooth. It is as if I am running my fingers across a fine grain sandpaper. The aroma on the wrapper is of nutmeg and meat seasonings, while rich cedar, pepper, and brandy are found on the foot of the cigar.

The double cap gets the job done and gives way to a perfect draw once cut. Flavors of cedar, baking spices, and brandy freely move across my palate on the dry draw.

FIRST THIRD

With the La Galera Maduro underway, cocoa, pencil shavings, and earth kick off the journey. A sweetness is tied to the cocoa that is rounding out the flavors as rich and creamy smoke coats all areas of my mouth. The pepper spice is medium and really stands out on the retrohale. There is a yeasty, bread-like flavor on the finish of the smoke. The cigar is  burning even as a good looking white ash forms. You can easily see the tooth from the wrapper in the ash.  

MIDDLE THIRD

The yeast has taken center stage with the cocoa sweetness and pencil shavings trailing close behind. The flavors are medium to full and a dark fruit flavor has joined in, but its appearance was brief. As the cigar progresses, the sweetness continues to gain ground and is hitting the tip of my tongue with each puff. 

FINAL THIRD

I am sad that I am already in the last third of the La Galera Maduro. The cocoa note is impressive and continues to build as the cigar takes  on a more earthy and gritty quality, which I am absolutely loving. And the sweetness is carrying along without interruption as the yeast from the second third has moved to the background and is appearing only every few puffs. 

WRAP-UP

Tony originally had this cigar on his review list and I am sure glad that he passed this one off to me to take a stab at it. The La Galera Maduro is an absolute treat for under $6. It burned along with no hiccups and offered up some medium/full flavors that evolved through the smoke. I am a sucker for dark and rich flavors that are rounded out by some sweetness and that is exactly what this cigar delivered. This cigar is right up there with the best of them and you won’t break budget smoking these. Go for a box purchase. You won’t regret it!

GIVEAWAY WINNER:

Thanks to our good friends at Fox Cigar Bar, we have had 2 awesome giveaways in the last couple of week. Make sure to show some love to Fox Cigar by visiting their online store HERE. And the moment you have been waiting for, the winner of the 2 LFD Andalusian Bulls, Drew Estate Ashtray, Liga Privada Hat and Cutter is…….

Chase TexicanEight

Congrats! Please send your address to casasfumando@gmail.com. And those of you who didn’t win, stayed tuned. We already have planned many more giveaways with Fox Cigar Bar. Also, keep up with our reviews here as we will be partnered up with them to give you guys straight access on how to get many of these newer/rarer cigars directly from them.

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Produced at General Cigar Dominicana, Partagas Heritage is available in four vitolas: Rothschild (4 ½ by 50), Robusto (5 ½ by 52), Churchill (7 by 49), and Gigante (6 by 60). The Heritage features tobaccos from Honduras, Connecticut, Dominican Republic and Mexico with only viso leaves used in the cigar. The Honduran Olancho San Agustin Valley wrapper is a proprietary leaf grown by the Plasencia family only for General Cigar Co.. The wrapper leaf can be found on a few other offerings from the company.  

THE FACTS

Price: $8.49
Vitola: Rothschild
Size: 4 ½ by 50
Wrapper: Honduran Olancho San Agustín Valley
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler:Honduran Jamastran, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Mexican San Andrés
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Partagas Heritage is wrapped in a medium to dark brown marbleized leaf that has a deep red hue and black color splotches. A couple of medium to large veins run veins run down the bumpy wrapper. A nice amount of oils can be felt as I examine the cigar from head to foot on this evenly and firmly filled stick.

An aroma of vinegar and sweet cedar are found on the wrapper of the cigar, while a thick aroma of silk chocolate is found on the foot. A quick cut through the double cap opens up a free draw bringing forth cold draw flavors of potpourri and cedar and a light cinnamon spice is felt in the back of the throat.

FIRST THIRD

The cigar opens with a sharp metallic flavor as the smoke is thick and chewy in the mouth. There are additional flavors of sweet wood, salt, and a decent amount of pepper spice, followed by an earthy finish. The burn line is razor thin with a minor wave as a light colored, flaky ash is formed. The first ash dropped short of the one inch mark.

MIDDLE THIRD

Moving into the second third, the metallic quality has diminished and the cigar has gained in richness and spice. At the same time, the earlier flavors are now meshing well with an additional bit of sweetness that may be tied to a raisin flavor. Also, the more generic woodsy flavor in the first third is now a warm cedar. A copious amount of smoke is produced delivering a medium flavor profile as the cigar burns just about perfectly.

FINAL THIRD

The Partagas Heritage has become more enjoyable with each puff . Down to the last third of the cigar, the profile remains rich and the flavors well rounded. The saltiness has held strong for the entirety of the cigar and remains an intriguing part of the profile. A toasted bread flavor develops with only an inch remaining. The burn is a bit off track , but with so little cigar remaining it is not worth a touch-up.

WRAP-UP

The first sample smoked for review started off a little bumpy with the metallic flavor, but it quickly moved from a disjointed profile to one that was rather  balanced. Up until the last third, the cigar performed flawlessly. And even with the wavy burn in the final third, there was really no impact to the smoke. The second sample skipped right over the metallic flavor, but several burn issues were encountered over the course of the smoke. Even so, other than being a minor annoyance, the touch-ups didn’t interfere with the flavors. For a reasonably priced cigar, the Partagas Heritage presents a medium flavor and strength profile with some intriguing qualities.

The post General Cigar Co. – Partagas Heritage Rothschild appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

We all know Jose Blanco. He’s an amazing man as well as a huge contributor to the cigar industry. Most of us know him from his long time work with La Aurora which he left a few years back to join forces with Joya de Nicaragua for a few years before his newest venture, Las Cumbres Tabaco. The Senorial is Jose’s debut release with the new company. It’s a cigar that he produced alongside his cousin Jochi Blanco created at the Tabaclera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder from Esteli, and Piloto Cubano and Corojo filler tobacco grown on Dominican Republic farms owned by Jochi. The Senorial is offered in 5 sizes: Paco Robusto (5.25 x 52), Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46), Belicoso No.2 (6.25 x 52), Toro Bravo (6 x 54), and the Le Grand (6 x 60). The Senorial comes in boxes of 24 and will run you roughly $7.50 to $10.25 a cigar. I purchased a handful of these from our friends over at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 5.5 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Esteli
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Dominican Corojo
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.50
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales – Prairie Somewhere (Saison 7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Senorial starts out with a beautiful, medium brown wrapper. The wrapper show cases some medium-sized veins and lots of darker areas around the natural webbing in the tobacco leaf which gives the cigar a very natural/rustic look and feel. The texture is slightly toothy with some slight oils. The wrapper is a bit thin a delicate while the cigar has very little give when I squeeze it between my fingers. the Senorial is capped off with a beautifully round double cap and polished off with an amazing gold and cold colored band with an almost Monet style feel to it. The front of the band carries the Senorial badge just about the words “by Jose Blanco” while the back of the band simply states “Dominican Republic”.

The wrapper of the cigar gives off a very light, earthy aroma while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of musk alongside some spice and lots of tobacco scents. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on the Senorial produced some slight pepper, spice, and cashew over natural tobacco flavors with a fluid draw.

First Third:

The Senorial started out with a nice little pepper punch which quickly faded leaving behind some great spice, cashew, earthiness and tobacco with a nice little fruity/floral aftertaste. The draw on the Senorial is absolutely flawless. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke while the cigar produces very little stationary smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The burn line on the Senorial is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a perfect trail of tightly compacted, white ask which held on a bit over an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The flavors remain much the same into the second third of the Senorial. Spice, cashew, and earthiness lead the way with a trail of fruit and floral flavors chasing behind. I am also picking up this great butter/toffee flavor as the cigar continues to burn. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with some soft spice, and a lot of oakiness that I don’t really pick up during the smoking experience. The buntline is still dead even and I close out the second third feeling absolutely noting in the nicotine department.

Finish:

A bit of a ramp-up in the flavors here into the final third of the Senorial. The fruit and the butter toffee flavors are out in full force now while the spice, earthiness, floral, and cashew all remain in the mix. It’s impressive how smooth and balanced this cigar is. It took me a little over an hour and half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experience absolutely no harshness, nor did the cigar burn hot an any point. I never once had to reach for my torch to relight or touch up the cigar as it burned perfectly from start to finish leaving me with no nicotine kick whatsoever.

Overview:

It’s natural to think that just about anything that Jose Blanco creates is going to be solid, but the Senorial exceeded my expectations. The flavor profile is amazing, the construction was perfect, and the smoking experience rocked. This is a great cigar, at a great price and really leaves you wanted to see what’s in store for the future of Las Cumbres. This cigar is box-worthy, and will play a large role in my regular rotation for a while. It’s not the most complex cigar out there, but it delivers a great profile that the seasoned cigars smokers will love, as well as a mild, affordable one that will be perfect for a novice getting into premium cigar smoking.

Pairing:

Prairie Artisan Ales is an Oklahoma based brewery who’s been kicking out some great, experimental beers over the last few years. Prairie Somewhere is a Sour Farmhouse Saison which clocks in at 7% ABV. The Prairie Somewhere leads with a ton of sharp citrus and banana with a very light mouthfeel before finishing a bit sour, yet smooth with notes of lemon and spice with a very heavy banana aftertaste. This beer has refreshing summer awesomeness written all over it and I couldn’t wait for the right time to put this pair to the test, which obviously rocked. I could also see myself pairing the Senorial with some black coffee in the morning, and a sweet bourbon later in the evening.

The post Las Cumbres Tabaco Senorial by Jose Blanco appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

This is what I had to say about the two cigars in last week’s review:

In mid-March, General Cigar Company released the Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro, an internet and catalog retailer exclusive, along side its brick and mortar counterpart, the 1845 Extra Fuerte. The release of “two unique, channel specific collections” is not new to General Cigar Company as they took the same approach with the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli and Serie R Black.

The 1845 Extra Oscuro wears a Connecticut Havana Oscuro wrapper over a Dominican binder and Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers. While the 1845 Extra Fuerte showcases a Ecuadorian Habano Ligero wrapper, a Connecticut Habano binder, and Dominican Piloto Cubana and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos.

Cigar Coop released a news article in February providing some background on the Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte:

The Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte is based off the Partagas 1845 Heritage that was introduced two years ago.   While it contains a similar tobacco profile; the Extra Fuerte will utilize tobaccos from higher primings, contain extra ligero, and its tobaccos will have extra barrel aging and fermentation.

In a press release announcing both of these releases, Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar explains, “These new collections enhance the taste spectrum of Partagas 1845 which is one of the best-selling blends in our portfolio. We anticipate that the appeal of these new Partagas 1845 cigars will be shared equally among those who favor the heritage and craftsmanship of classic brands, and those who seek to expand their smoking repertoires with exciting new tastes.”

The cigars will be packaged similar to the original Partagas 1845 Heritage.

The 1845 Extra Fuerte and Extra Oscuro are produced in the same vitolas, except for the Rothchild vitola that is only available in the Extra Oscuro line.  Here are the available sizes of the Extra Fuerte: Robusto Gordo (5 ½ by 52), Gigante (6 by 60), Supremo (7 by 58), and Double Corona (7 ½ by 54).

The Facts

Samples Provided by General Cigar Company
Price: $7.49
Vitola: Robusto Gordo
Size:  5 ½ by 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan
Drink: Water
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 50 Minutes

Pre-light

The 1845 Extra Fuerte wears a medium brown wrapper that is mostly consistent in color, but has a few greenish color imperfections. Veins ranging from small to medium in size web across the wrapper leaf. Between the veins and the bumps, this is one rugged looking stick. The wrapper aroma is very pleasant, with some warm cedar and mild manure notes. The foot gives off rich cedar notes, a damp forest smell and a peppery spice.

Unlike the Extra Oscuro reviewed last week, this cap is nothing to write home to mom about, but, like most caps, it gets the job done. The cold draw is right on, neither too firm nor too free, showing off a ton of that cedary richness. And as is common with most rich cigars for me, I am finding a bit of clove.

First Third

At the Start of the 1845 Extra Fuerte, I am finding some dry cedar or pencil shavings-like flavors as the smoke first arrives in my mouth. The flavors quickly deepen on the finish of the smoke to earth and black coffee. Some spice is causing a warmth in my mouth, which is keeping my palate alert and the retrohale highlights the cedar and pepper. The smoke is leaving my palate somewhat dry but not bothersome  and certainly not anything a quick sip of water cannot fix. The profile is softer than expected and coming in at the low medium range in the flavor department. The burn-line remained edgy throughout the first third.

Middle Third

The spice is picking up, the cedar has stepped back, and some oak and toasted-bread notes are now in the flavor make-up. Up to this point, the profile is balanced with no dominating flavors or sharpness. Some floral or possibly citrus sweetness is moving in and out. The layered, black and white ash is holding past an inch.

Final Third

A quick touch-up is warranted as I pull into the final third of the Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte after an hour and a half. The flavors have finally crept up to a solid medium, with an increase in the intensity of the earthy flavor being the most noticeable. The earth flavor has become diesel-like on the finish of the smoke. The floral notes were short lived in the middle third. The pepper and cedar are still holding strong making up the core of the profile. A little nicotine has sneaked up on me as I prepare to put this cigar to rest.

Wrap-up

The Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte provided a balanced, medium flavor and strength experience (I perceived much more strength in the other sample). While there were not too many change-ups in the flavors, the flavors remained pleasant throughout. The floral or citrus sweetness I picked up on in the middle third was intriguing but never pushed its way to the front of the profile and quickly faded. Overall, the construction, performance, and flavors were all solid. The price tag under $8 should land this cigar in the sweet spot of most cigar smokers. Additionally, with the wide spread distribution of General Cigar Co.’s products, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte at a shop near you. Give this stick a try and let us know what you think.

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