#10 Caldwell – Blind Man’s Bluff

Caldwell’s Blind Man’s Bluff is another great cigar from the company. They came flying out of the gate and haven’t slowed down. Add the price of this cigar in comparison to the other cigars in Caldwell’s portfolio into the equation and it’s easy to see why this cigar has been so popular amongst the cigar community. The flavors, full body, marketing, and price all lured me towards this cigar. Not to mention Caldwell’s track record, and it impressed me out of the gate. This may be a bit too full bodied for the novice cigar smoker, but it would fit in perfectly with one who wants to venture into full-bodied premium cigars without breaking the bank. On the flip side, and seasoned cigar smoker looking for a great, solid, reasonably priced cigar should be all over these. I plan on picking up a box as this is something I could easily see being a long-time contender in my daily rotation.

Full Review Here

#9 Foundation Cigar Company – El Güegüense

I’ve smoked a handful of these and have been impressed each run. The flavor profile is awesome, solid, and consistent while the price point is right where it should be. This is a perfect cigar for novice cigar smokers looking for a great full-bodied cigar that isn’t too powerful nor will it break the bank. It’s also perfect for those seasoned smokers looking for a solid, full-bodied stick to add to their regular rotation. Box worthy for sure.

Full Review Here

#8 Drew Estate – Undercrown Shade

In the last few years some great Connecticut wrapped cigars have crashed into the cigar world, the Undercrown Shade is amongst the best. I was once very wary of Connecticut wrapped cigars, but the manufacturers have really done a bang up job creating blends utilizing this wrapper that remain bolder, yet balanced and the Undwecrown Shade is a perfect example of that. While it’s on the very mild side of medium/full, the cigar showcased some great flavors, a perfect burning experience, all at a great price. Not really much more you can ask for there. This is perfect for the novice smoker looking for a premium cigar that won’t overpower them with strength or body. And us seasoned smokers ca really appreciate the cigar as well. I’ll be sure to keep quite a few of these around for those times when I’m looking for something that delivers on flavors, but isn’t quite as strong as some of the other cigars in my rotation.

Full Review Here

#7 Quesada – Oktoberfest 2015 Double Bock Nicaraguan

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. This is a perfect cigar for a novice looking for some great work without breaking the bank, and of course us seasoned cigar smokers looking for a great full-bodied cigar that won’t knock us on our ass will love it. Box worthy for sure.

Full Review Here

#6 La For Dominicana – La Nox

La Nox is quite a departure from what we normally expect from La Flor Dominicana, and it served as a breath of fresh air. Not that LFD’s stuff is bad by any means, I quite enjoy their offerings. What I mean is, it’s nice to see them step out of their element a bit, and they killed it. La Nox is a deep, rich, bold, flavor bomb that hits on all marks. The fact that it’s full production makes it that much more desirable. The price is a bit steep, but I can honestly say that it delivered and the price is well worth it.

Full Review Here

#5 RoMa Craft Tobac – Neanderthal

Skip has just added to an already stacked arsenal. Out of the gate I expected the RoMa Craft cigars to have a bit more bite than they had when they first launched (mostly due to Skip’s love for full-bodied, full-strength cigars), but was surprised with the more mild approach. It’s not a bad thing by any means as I’ve been a huge fan of each of the past sticks in their portfolio, but they delivered a powerhouse cigar with great balance, and bold flavors with the Neanderthal. This cigar comes out of the gate firing on all cylinders and doesn’t give up until your fingertips are burning. At $12 a pop it’s not the most affordable cigar out there, but it’s more than justified and very box worthy. Being that the Neanderthal is a full-production line I can see it having a permanent place in my regular rotation for a very long time. The Aquitaine has been my favorite RoMa Craft Tobac stick for a very long time, but it now has some competition. Now if we could just get them in a shop here locally, that would be great.

Full Review Here

#4 Illusione ~eccj~ 20th

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If I was forced to smoke only one brand for the rest of my life it would have to be Illusione. The ~eccj~ is a great example of an absolutely great cigar experience. The bold, complex, yet complimentary flavors provide an amazing profile with great construction and flawless burned all delivered at a decent price point. Yes, it’s one of the more expensive cigars in Illusione’s portfolio but it more than satisfies and I’d pay it time and time again. While the ~eccj~ is limited, it’s still widely available and this is a box-worthy purchase for sure as it would hold a place in my regular rotation for a very long time.

Full Review Here

#3 Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Sobremesa

This is exactly what I expected as an introduction cigar by a very meticulous man who knows his shit. The Sobremesa delivers a full-bodied, medium/full strength cigar that doesn’t overpower you in any one direction. Add that with a very enjoyable, unique flavor profile and it’s easy to call Saka’s re-introduction a success. The price of the cigar isn’t too bad either making it an easy box-worthy decision. While they are a bit hard to obtain right now due to demand, expect these cigars to keep popping up in shops across the nation, and don’t hesitate to grab them when they do. You won’t regret it.

Full Review Here

#2 The Crowned Heads – Las Calaveras 2015

Let’s face it, The Crowned Heads are a force to be reckoned with. Here they are again kicking out yet another amazing blend. I was a big fan of last year’s Las Calaveras, but the 2015 blew last year’s out of the water. I know it’s still very, very early in the year but this is the best new release that I have had so far. I’m a big fan of bold cigars, and I am even a bigger fan of bold cigars that create amazing flavor profiles without being overloaded with strength. The Las Calaveras did just that. This is a great cigar that for a novice cigar smoker looking for a bold experience without breaking the bank, and a perfect cigar for those seasoned vets looking for a complex, bold experience. At a very affordable price point the only bad thing about this cigar is the availability. Believe me, I have quite a few on hand now and will be on the hunt for more. Get your hands on these while you can.

Full Review Here

#1 L’Atlier  – La Mission Du L’Atlier

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. L’Atelier has become increasingly easier to track down as well. This is a perfect cigar for a novice looking for a perfect bold, premium cigar that won’t break the bank, and the seasoned cigar smoker who enjoys more full-bodied cigars, especially those who tend to pair their cigars with wine.

Full Review Here

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The Good Stuff:

Year after year Drew Estate has kicked out solid release after solid release. This year, the company decided to take a bit of a different approach by taking the ever-popular Undercrown and adding a no-so-popular wrapper on it, thus the Undercrown shade was born. The Undercrown Shade is amongst a slew of premium cigars to hit the market lately using a Connecticut Shade wrapper. While I wasn’t a big fan of this movement some time ago, I, as well as many others out there have really come to appreciate all that Connecticut Shade has to offer. The fact that this was blended under the skillful eye of master blender Willy Herrera only adds to the excitement as he’s produced some of the best blends I have ever smoked. While the name may suggest that Drew Estate simply took the existing Undercrown and added a new wrapper, that’s not the case. The cigar was reblended with the wrapper in mind starting with the Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Sumatran binder, and Dominican Criollo 98, Nicaraguan Criollo, and Nicaraguan Corojo fillers. It’s easy to see that the two cigars are very different beasts. The Undercrown shade comes in six sizes: Belicoso (6 x 52), Corona Doble (7 x 54), Corona (5 5/8 x 46), Gordito (6 x 60), Gran Toro (6 x 52), and the Robusto (5 x 54). Each size comes packed in boxes of 25 and runs between $7.50 and $9.95 a stick. Big thanks to Drew Estate and crew for sending these our way.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Dominican Criollo 98, Nicaraguan Criollo, and Nicaraguan Corojo
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.25
Pairing: Fremont Spring Elixir (10.5% ABV Imperial IPA)

Prelight:

The Drew Estate Undercrown Shade starts with an absolutely stunning, consistent medium to very light brown wrapper. Like many cigars produced by Drew Estate the wrapper is absolutely soaked in thick oil. The texture on the wrapper is silky smooth with little to no tooth, and many smaller veins running their course through the cigar’s body. The wrapper on the Undercrown Shade is very thin, and delicate while the cigar itself is actually packed very tightly resulting in a good amount of weight, and no soft spots through the cigar. There is some very slight yellow areas scatters throughout the natural webbing in the wrapper leaf which lead up to a beautifully round double cap. The Undercrown Shade is polished off with the standard Undercrown band except the blue is replaced with white making for a very elegant feel and they have added a foot band that simply states “Shade”. You know, just in case you somehow get these mixed up with your standard Undercrown blends. Kidding aside, I really like the look of the packaging on these.

The wrapper on the Undercrown shade gives off a very bold cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries some sweetness, honey, and spice. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw exhibits a bit of tartness, honey, soft sweetness, and natural earthy flavors.

First Third:

The Undercrown Shade stats out with a nice little black pepper punch that I wasn’t expecting. After a few puffs this reduces in power as some strong cedar, honey, sweetness, cashew, and earthiness come to the forefront. There is a little bit of pine that keeps poking through every few puffs or so as well. The draw is absolutely perfect on the Undercrown Shade. Each tiny little puff kicks out massive clouds of very thick, white smoke which linger around for quite some time. The burn line is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a beautiful trail of thick, white, tightly compacted ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

While the first third of the Undercrown Shade lingered in the mild/medium category, the body has started to amp up a bit into the second third landing it in the solid medium area. The flavors are still pretty bold for a Connecticut Shade cigar leading with the honey, cedar, and cashew backed by some slight coffee, earthiness, and spice. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with some great cedar, spice, and dare I say it gingerbread? Whatever, it’s good and I find myself going back to the retrohale often. The draw is still perfect, while the burn line has some slight waves now, but nothing too concerning. I close out the second third with nothing in the nicotine department, no touch ups, no relights.

Finish:

Right out the gate the Undercrown Shade has consistently increased in body and is now tiptoeing on the very edge of medium/full where I’ll call it. The flavors are very similar to the second third, lots of cedar, honey, and cashew with the coffee and spice backing, and a bit of the pine coming back in the final third. It took me an hour and forty five minutes to take this cigar down to the nub. It burned real slow and finished nice and creamy with no harshness or extra heat. I never once had to reach for my lighter to touch up, or relight.

Overview:

In the last few years some great Connecticut wrapped cigars have crashed into the cigar world, the Undercrown Shade is amongst the best. I was once very wary of Connecticut wrapped cigars, but the manufacturers have really done a bang up job creating blends utilizing this wrapper that remain bolder, yet balanced and the Undwecrown Shade is a perfect example of that. While it’s on the very mild side of medium/full, the cigar showcased some great flavors, a perfect burning experience, all at a great price. Not really much more you can ask for there. This is perfect for the novice smoker looking for a premium cigar that won’t overpower them with strength or body. And us seasoned smokers ca really appreciate the cigar as well. I’ll be sure to keep quite a few of these around for those times when I’m looking for something that delivers on flavors, but isn’t quite as strong as some of the other cigars in my rotation.

Pairing:

IPA season my officially be over fort he United States, it’s always IPA season at the Casas Residence. One of my favorite IPA’s I’ve had all year was Fremont’s Spring Elixir which came to me courtesy of our good pal Jeff up in Seattle. The 10.5% Imperial IPA is brewed at the Fremont Brewery in Seattle, Washington. Jeff had a bit of info on the brew:

“The Fremont/Bartell Drugs 125th Anniversary Spring Elixir Imperial IPA was made to commemorate Bartell’s 125th year in business in Washington state, making it the oldest continually family owned drug store in the country.”

The Spring Elixir leads with some great bitterness, soft hop, citrus, malt, and sweetness with a very light mouthfeel before finishing with even more sweetness, soft hop, and malt with a bit of grapefruit on the aftertaste. Raw hop increases as the beer warms. I love how this beer resembles a Belgian style IPA by really toning down the hop and increasing the bitterness and malt which made for an absolute perfect pairing with my Undercrown Shade. Again, bit thanks to Jeff for sending a few of these my way.

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