The Good Stuff:

The Tatuaje Escasos is not to be confused with the Cazadores line. while they share similarities in look and blend, they are different cigars. While the release details are a bit dark, the Escasos had made brief appearances in the past few years as very limited US and European releases. Pete Johnson explains that he will release the Escasos in very limited 50 box runs from time to time. The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with an Ecuadorian Rosado Habano Claro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan Filler. While on paper, the Cazadores line features a similar blend, Pete Johnson has confirmed that the Escasos blend is slightly different. The cigar is offered in six different formats: HC (6 3/8 x 43), U (6 1/8 x 52), N (5 1/8 x 48), T (7 5/8 x 49), E (7 1/2 x 38) and the R (5 1/2 x 50). The letters spell out “HUNTER”, much like the first letter in each name in the Cazadores line. Hunter is none other than Pete Johnson’s dog. Gotta love that dog love. Each format comes packaged in boxes of 25 ranging between $10 and $14 a stick. Big shout out to JG who passed a few of these over my way as I am not sure these are available in the US at this point.

Note: Just after posting this I read the Halfwheel article found here where Pete Johnson has added two new sizes to the Escasos line: the Robusto Especial and Toro Especial. They also mentioned that the Escasos line is going through a blend change that replaces the Ecuadorian Rosado Habano wrapper with Corojo 99 on any Escasos cigars with a box date of April 2020 or later. The cigars smoked in this review in fact have a box date of April 2020 so I have updated the blend below to reflect the corrected change.

• Size: 5 1/8 x 48
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $10
• Pairing: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (Abbey 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with a very rustic, patchy looking wrapper that’s mostly a mixture of light brown and off-orange colors with darker browned scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very smooth and silky with only light tooth, and a good amount of oils. The wrapper itself feels very thin and brittle while the cigar as a whole feels light yet nicely compacted. There are a few very minor veins and naturally tobacco webbing in the wrapper leaf as it’s laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigars round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard brown and white band we find on the Miami/Cazadores blends along with a gold and black secondary band with a scripted “Escasos” crest embossed in the front.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje Escasos gives off very little aroma with only hints of natural tobacco while the foot of the cigar releases only light musk scents. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw surprisingly releases a ton of cinnamon, musk, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with a quick, immediate black pepper burst which only last through the first few puffs allowing the cigar to showcase some great musk, pecan, and light black coffee over dry herbal/earthy flavors with a very light floral undertone. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke which hangs around for a considerable about of time before dissipating while the cigar itself releases a whole mess of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted light gray ash which held on for about and inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje Escasos and the body of the cigar has really ramped up. The pecan and musk are still in charge here backed by a ton of earthy flavors over light cinnamon and floral flavors. The retrohale brings out some spice that seems to be buried deep within the smoke and I find myself doing it quite often as it adds a step of extra complexity to the experience. The burnline is still dead even and I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Tatuaje Escasos and not a whole lot has changed here. the Pecan and musk are still the dominant flavors backed by a very dry mixture of earthiness, hay, oat and floral flavors. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor any extended heat. There was a bit of sap towards the end which just reminded me to slow down my smoking speed. I close out with only a very light nicotine kick.

Overview:

To me the Cazadores line always had this nice sweetness to it, but the Escasos is a much more dry experience in a very special way. The cigar is complex, and the flavors are very enjoyable. While the blend is similar in some aspects to the Cazadores, the experience is not. This blend actually seems like they took a more Cuban spin on the Cazadores line, which may be why it’s been circulated more in Europe as they tend to smoke more Cubans that us Americans do. Either way, its a great, special cigar and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

Pairing:

St. Bernardus Christmas ale is my favorite winter beer and one I drink at least a few time every year. This 10% ABV Belgian Abbey ale leads with tons of apple, pear, caramel, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more pear, caramel, and a bit of yeastiness with an overall sweet composition. I love this damn beer and it made for a great pairing with the Tatuaje Escasos as it really helped the dryer cigar move into a more sweetly-balanced pairing without overpowering the cigar.

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The Good Stuff:

To say that Davidoff has really stepped their game up the last few years is an understatement. They have been kicking out fantastic new cigars left and right with little signs of slowing down. An extension to the AVO Syncro series called the AVO Syncro South America Ritmo is one of the newest offerings the brand has shipped to retailers. The goal of the Ritmo was to utilize tobacco from seven different countries to reach the highest, most intense flavor offered within the AVO portfolio. The cigar features an Ecuadorian wrapper, Mexican Binder and fillers from Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru, and Nicaragua. The cigar is offered in four size: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 54), Special Toro (6 x 60), and the Torpedo Largo (7 x 54). Each size comes packaged in boxes of 20 and runs between $10.90 to $13.90 a stick. I purchased mine over from our friends at Ford on Fifth.

Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Brazilian / Dominican / Honduran / Peruvian / Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.90
Pairing: Alesmith Grand Cru (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo starts out with a gorgeous, dark brow and orangish brown wrapper. The cigar is covered in rustic looking inconsistencies in color along with some areas of very dark brown splotches scattered through the wrapper leaf. You can see some nice dark natural webbing in the leaf as well as a few mild veins running through the course of the cigar’s body. The wrapper feels very thin a brittle but carries an incredible amount of both grainy tooth and oils. The cigar features a soft-box press format with a nice round double cap. The cigar is polished off with a gorgeous teal, orange, white and black wrapper that carries the standard AVO crest as well as the words “South America” on it. There is also a secondary team band that simply states “RITMO” across the front. The cigar feels very heavy and extremely tightly packed which I hope doesn’t result in any plugging.

The wrapper on The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo gives off a lot of earthy, mossy, natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a bit more spice and oak over mostly the same earthy, natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and like butter using my Palio XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of sweet spice, honey, earthiness and a great mixture of naked woods.

First Third:

The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo starts out with vanilla, oak, honey, sweet spice, a bit of tartness of my lips and tongue as well as a little bit of black licorice. While I was expecting the draw to be tight, it was as fluid as it could get. Each tiny puff kicked out massive clouds of thick, white smoke which quickly dissipated as it reached my ceiling fan while the cigar itself released a standard amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty even, and razor sharp leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of light and medium gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo and the tartness has started to overtake the cigar, but not in a good way. I just hope it doesn’t last too long as I really enjoyed the flavors that developed early on. Underneath the tartness is still some oak, vanilla, and spice, but anything else is pretty much lost at this point. I really hope that the flavors can come back in this thing cause I was really digging how this cigar started. The retrohale helps though as it coats my nasal passage with the sweetness and spice I picked up early on. The cigar is still burning beautifully as I close out the second third with a tiny little nicotine kick.

Finish:

As I wished for the tartness to fade out in The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo it just kept pouring it on and it has now completely took over the experience. I still get a bit of vanilla and a bit of oak, but that’s just about it. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and quite frankly I thought about putting it down about 20 minutes ago. I just wanted to hold out just to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

Overview:

I really wanted to like The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo. I have been on a huge AVO kick lately but this one just didn’t perform on par with some of the previous Syncro releases. The flavors started out incredible, but quickly took a turn for the worse when the overwhelming tartness took over the flavor profile. It almost seems like the tartness was the outcome of faulty blending but I smoked 3 of these cigars, all of which ended up the same. I can’t say I’d really recommend these cigars, but what I will do is stash a few away and see if aging them a bit helps the tartness fade out.

Pairing:

I decided to pair The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo with a beer that is heavy on the sweetness and very bold body in an attempt to help the cigar out. Alesmith’s Grand Cru is an 10% ABV Belgian style strong dark ale brewed at the Alesmith brewery in San Diego, California. The beer leads with a ton of sweetness, cajeta, caramel, malt, a bit of hop, slight bitterness, and some rich apple flavors with a very light mouthfeel before finishing crisp with more apple and sweetness, spice, and malt. This is such a good beer and it did in fact help lend a hand to the The AVO Syncro South America Ritmo experience but in the end it just wasn’t enough.

The post AVO Syncro South America Ritmo appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

Launched in 2016, Daddy Mac was created in homage to Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars founder Steven Bailey’s father, Mac.  The Bailey family has been involved in tobacco growing in Virginia since the 1860’s, and the Cornelius in the company’s name comes from Steven Bailey’s great-great grandfather.  While the company’s first release, the Cornelius, was produced by El Titan de Bronze in Miami, the Daddy Mac is made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and comes in four sizes – Corona Gorda 5.5 x 46, Robusto 5 x 52, Toro 6 x 50, and Gordo 6 x 60 – packed in boxes of 20, with prices ranging from $8.50 to $11.

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Brazil
Binder:  Ecuador
Filler:  Nicaragua
Size:  Corona Gorda 5.5 x 46
Price:  $8.50
Smoking time:  One hour, twenty minutes
Pairing:  Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale (ABV 8.5%)

Pre-light:

The Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac comes draped in a medium brown wrapper with some darker splotches dispersed throughout the lightly oily and slightly toothy cover.  Any veins are very fine and the pack is solid down to the foot, where it gets a little softer.  The band of gray, black, gold, and eggshell white looks great against the hue of the wrapper, and is complemented by a “Daddy Mac” secondary band in black and gold.  The aroma off of the wrapper is something that I haven’t experienced before – a meaty, almost beef jerky-like scent over an earthy background.  The foot gives up rich tobacco, meat, and smoky oak.  I’m really intrigued by this, and looking forward to seeing what this stick gives up in flavor.  A shallow clip of the cap allows for an ideal draw that surprisingly shows little more than light, sweet spice on top of natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac toasts up quickly, even in the light breeze out today, with initial flavors of earthy natural tobacco, light leather, and moderate but lingering pepper.  The retrohale deepens those notes while bringing in a bit of breadiness.  The burn is sharp and just little wavy, giving me no concern, and the ash gives way at about ¾”.  I am picking up some sweet oak and hints of musk and spice as the pepper smoothes out on the palate, but continues to smolder on the retrohale.  By the time I’ve gotten past the first inch, the texture of the smoke has become smooth and almost creamy.   The earthy tobacco, leather, and sweet woodiness have continued to propel the cigar, and the other flavor interweave with them.  The Daddy Mac winds up its first third at a low-medium in body, but rich in flavor and low in strength.

Middle third:

The Daddy Mac has begun the second section by bringing in a sweet citric tang to complement the base flavors.  The earthiness and leather have both dropped back, while the bread notes have moved up.  The pepper has dissipated from the palate, but is still very present on the retrohale.  A short section (1/4”) tunneled on me, but once past that, it picked up where it left off, gaining a bit more musk and spice and even bringing in a light savoriness.

Final third:

The final third of the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac shows a deepening of flavors, with smoky oak becoming a bigger player, along with a re-emergence of pepper and a sprinkling of sweet nuttiness.  The musk has departed along with most of the spice, but wisps of citrus remain to keep me entertained.  While the body has mostly remained at a solid medium, the richness and complexity of the cigar have made it seem fuller than that.  The Daddy Mac winds down to a peppery nub; firm and cool, imparting little in the way of nicotine strength, and without any harshness.

Final thoughts:

I found the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac to be a flavorful stick with enough complexity to keep my interest and keep me coming back for more.  In fact, I was a little disappointed when it ended, wanting to continue enjoying it for a while longer.  The little tunneling hiccup was not a deal breaker at all, as the one I smoked previous to this one didn’t have any such problem and it didn’t impact the remainder of the smoke.  Overall, construction and burn were excellent and the price is definitely in line with the quality.  This is a cigar that I could smoke just about any time of day.  I’m a sucker for medium bodied, richly flavored cigars, and would certainly recommend picking up on some of these to try out.

You can pick up the Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac from our friends at Cuenca Cigars here.

Pairing:

I’ve been on a bit of a Founders kick since they recently have become more widely available in my area, and the Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale has become a fairly regular addition to my basket while beer shopping.  With a low-medium body, smoky sweet malt, dark stone fruit and slight citrus notes, and a hoppy finish, it paired up extremely well with the Daddy Mac.  I could also see going very well with a rich, sweet Imperial IPA, a strong ale or brown ale, and for a matching spirit, would love to pair it with a nice aged rum or Highland Scotch.

– Review by Jeff Oda

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The Good Stuff:

The Gaaja Maduro is the follow up release of last years natural version of the Gaaja (you can read my review of that one here) with made it’s debut at the 2016 IPCPR trade show. The Gaaja Maduro started shipping to retailers across the country last week. Mel Shah, owner of Bombay Tobak states the the only difference in tobaccos used in the Maduro version is the Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. While the are no new tobaccos in the Gaaja Maduro, some of the blend proportions were modified to reach desired tastes. That being said, the Gaaja Maduro features a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, Ecuadorian Binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, and Paraguay. The Gaaja Maduro will launch in only two formats, a 6 x 54 Toro and 6 1/2 x 54 Torpedo. Both run $15.50 a stick.

Size: 6 1/2 x 54
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian, Paraguayan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Pairing: Liefmans Goudenband (Flanders Oud Bruin 8% ABV)
Price: $15.50

Prelight:

The Bombay Tobak Gaaja Maduro starts with a gorgeously consistent, dark brown wrapper with only a few darker areas around the natural webbing on the wrapper’s leaf. The wrapper sports a few medium veins, while its laid seamlessly over itself. The wrapper’s texture is rather smooth, with a good amount of oils residing on the leaf’s exterior. The wrapper is very thick, and very dense while the cigar itself is pretty heavily packed resulting in a very hard, heavy cigar. This particular Gaaja format sports a soft box press and a long, tapered torpedo style cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard gold, blue, and red band we saw on the natural Gaaja, and the first departure from the bands we had grown to expect on the Mbombay releases.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off some slight tart, and natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries some good amount of spice, pepper, cedar, and natural earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some light spice, sweetness, and a nice little tart on the tip of my tongue.

First Third:

The Gaaja Maduro starts out with some very subtle pepper, muted spice, bold sweetness and tartness with some great cedar and pecan flavors. The flavors started out a bit mild but started to ramp up as the cigar heated up. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which lingers quite some time before dissipating. The burn line is pretty wide, and pretty wavy, but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight so no complaints there. The ash is semi flaky, medium and dark gray, and very light. The first ash held on for about 3/4 of a inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Gaaja Maduro and the flavors haver really started to become more pronounced. The flavor profile leads with some coffee, pecan, cedar and spice backed by brown sugar, tartness, and a bit of tartness. The cedar really lingers on the aftertaste. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with even more of the cedar and lots of the spice. I rather enjoy it and find myself retrohaling this cigar pretty often. The burn line has completely cleaned up and is not razor thin and dead even. I close out the second third with almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the Gaaja Maduro and the flavors have continued to impress me as they lead with cedar, spice, and pecan coated in maple syrup with some light coffee and brown sugar. The cigar was in the medium body range through most of the experience but has jumped into the medium/full arena here in the final third. The burn line has been flawless since the second third and I never once had to reach for my lighter to either touch up or relight. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat even into the final inch of the cigar. I close the cigar out after about an hour and a half with absolutely nothing in terms of nicotine.

Overview:

I wasn’t huge on the natural Gaaja. I felt it just needed something, and the Mata Fina wrapper was just the thing. The flavors in the Gaaja maduro are complex, balanced, and well-formed. Plus, they fit my desired palate really well. I always love of all the Bombay Tobak cigars tend to concentrate on flavor over strength. The price on these cigars are pretty steep, but not high enough for me not to consider having a few of these on hand for whenever I am looking for a great, flavorful experience without getting knocked on my ass.

Pairing:

The Liefmans Goudenbnad is a Flanders Oud Bruin straight out of Belgium. Coming in at 8% ABV this treat of a beer starts out with a ton of sweetness, brown sugar, caramel, apple, and spice with some slight hop and a very light mouthfeel before finishing clear with more sweetness, tart, caramel, apple, cinnamon, and a bit of hopiness. This is one of my favorite beers and a perfect example of the style. It’s often easy for this beer to overpower a cigar, especially due to the amount of sweetness but in this case not only did the Gaaja Maduro hold it’s own, but it made for a perfect compliment for the beer.

The post Bombay Tobak – Gaaja Maduro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Bombay Tobak’s MBombay lines are no stranger here on Casas Fumando. Today with take a look at the Mora Lancero with is one of five standard production lines in the  MBombay portfolio. The Mora line made it’s debut in 2014 with line expansions each year after. The line now features eight different vitolas. The No 4 (5.1 x 44), Robusto Larga (4.5 x54), 585 (5 x 58), Saloman (6 x 58), Torpedo No 2 (6 x 52), Toro (6.5 x 52), Lancero (8.5 x 38), and the A (9 x 47). The blend features a Dominican Republic Corojo wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and fillers from Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Each lancero runs $13.30 a stick and are available at retail stores across the U.S. now. Big thanks to the MBombay team for sending a few of these our way for review.

Size: 8.5 x 38
Wrapper: Dominican Republic Corojo
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $13.30
Pairing: Unibroue La Resolution (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The MBombay Mora Lancero is an absolutely stunning cigar. It starts out with a very deep, consistent, dark brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture carries a decent amount of tooth, some smaller veins, and a whole mess of thick oil that rubs off on my fingers as I inspect the cigar. The wrapper is very thick and dense while the entire cigar feels nice and firm considering the smaller ring gauge. The Mbombay Mora Lancero carries a gorgeous unfinished, shaggy foot, and a pointy, round double cap. The construction and overall look of the cigar is incredible. Lastly, the cigar is polished off with a standard red MBombay band.

The wrapper on the MBombay Mora Lancero gives off a great amount of spice, cedar, and sweetness while the foot of the cigar is much more natural with tobacco, earthiness, and even more spice. The cap cut extremely clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a wonderful spice, floral flavors, and a great sweetness over some natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The MBombay Mora starts out with a very nice black pepper blast that only lasts for the first few puffs before settling down revealing some great spice, ginger, cedar, and plum. Once I burned through the unfinished foot and hit the wrapper a good amount of sweetness and cocoa entered the mix. The cigar is starting out with a great amount of body already. The draw is flawless while the burn line is razor sharp and surprisingly solid. Usually I have issues at the start of cigars with unfinished feet. The ash left behind is pretty flaky and a dark gray in color holding on for about 3/4 of an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

As I smoked through the second third of the MBombay Mora the subtle cocoa I picked up in the first third really starts to take lead in the flavor race with cinnamon and spice right behind backed by the ginger, cedar, and plum. The retrohale showcases a bold spice along with some nice mellow oak. The burn line is solid, and sharp while the cigar does tend to want to go out if I don’t give it attention, but I have yet to reach for my torch so I’m not complaining. I close out the second third with absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

And now into the final third of the MBombay Mora Lancero the spice has really ramped up and is leading the charge backed by sweetness, cinnamon, plum, cocoa, and cedar. The cigar took me 2 hours to take down to the nub and I loved every second of it. I close out the cigar with no harshness, no extra heat, and a decent little nicotine kick although the beer may have a lot to do with that one.

Overview:

We’ve been fans of MBombay since they hit the market, and so has just about every other blog out there. The Mora Lancero was no different, and in all honestly probably my favorite offering I have had by the company. The bold flavors were incredible, the changeups were great, the cigar was complex, and not overpowering while it burned like a dream. Not much more to ask for in a cigar. The price is a bit steep, but the cigar burned forever, plus it was as long as my arm.

Pairing:

Unibroue is a Belgian style brewery housed in Quebec, Canada and is by far my favorite Canadian brewery. La Resolution is a Belgian style spiced, strong dark ale which comes in at a whopping 10% ABV. The beer has been available in Canada but only recently hit the United States in very limited quantities. The beer starts out with some great tartness, plum, cherry, bold spice, cinnamon, and caramel with a very light mouthfeel before finished crips with even more cherry, apple, strong spice, cinnimon, sweetness and all around deliciousness. This is a damn good beer. It’s easy to see why I chose it to pair with the MBombay Mora too, the sweetness, plum, cinnamon, and spice married up brilliantly with the flavors in the cigar. This was a match made in heaven.

The post Bombay Tobak – MBombay Mora Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

After smoking and reviewing the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 back in February, I was very impressed with my experience, and compelled to try out some of the other lines produced by Pure Aroma Cigars, Inc.  The D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage was originally introduced at the 2009 IPCPR trade show and the line has grown to include seven sizes:  Robusto 4 7/8 x 50, Bullet (Belicoso) 5 1/8 x 58, Taino 5 7/8 x 54, Trabuco 5 1/8 x 60, Canonazo 5 7/8 x 52, Genio 5 1/8 x 55, and Wide Toro 5 1/8 x 58.  The Imperium Class Vintage utilizes a Costa Rican grown wrapper that the company calls Habano Criollo Especial.  The Robusto’s wrapper is designated as Maduro, while the others are called Centro Gordo, which is a term for the second layer of leaves on the Corojo plant.  Prices run from $10 to $14 each in boxes of 25 uncellophaned sticks.  I picked up a handful of the Robustos from our friends at Cuenca Cigars.

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Costa Rican Habano Criollo Especial Maduro
Binder:  Ecuador
Filler:  Costa Rica and Dominican Republic
Size:  Robusto 4 7/8 X 50
Price:  $10
Smoking time:  One hour, fifteen minutes
Pairing: Columbia Crest 2013 H3 Merlot (14.5% ABV)

Pre-light:

There’s no getting around it – the D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage is an extremely handsome cigar, coming draped in a dark reddish-brown leaf with even darker mottling, a slight toothiness and a nice oily sheen.  A couple of fine to medium veins are present and a nearly rock-hard roll culminates in a nicely applied triple cap.  Although it is obviously well packed, it is not particularly heavy in the hand.  Since it comes without a cellophane enclosure, the scent off of the wrapper is not pronounced, showing only a very faint tobacco, while the foot adds some sweet spice.  The cold draw is a just a bit snug, but well within tolerance, and exhibits sweetly spiced tobacco.

First third:

The sweet spice picked up in the cold draw immediately hits the tip of my tongue, followed by earth, bread, and pepper pungency without the heat.  The smoke is extremely smooth all the way through the retrohale, where a bit of leather emerges.  The burn is sharp, albeit a bit wavy to start out, leaving behind a solid dark gray ash.  In the latter portion of this section, the sweetness drops back in favor of light oakiness and refined tobacco flavors, as the Imperium Class Vintage closes out the first third at a low-medium body.

Middle third:

As the D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage ventures into its central portion, I’m picking up a spice component that’s not quite nutmeg or cinnamon as the flavors have suddenly deepened.  The burn continues to waver as I give it a quick and easy correction.  Toast, nuts (toasted nuts?), and light muskiness are now evident, as peppery heat begins to pop up in the retrohale.

Final third:

The final section of the D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage ushers in a sweet coffee note to complement the week and earth, pushing the body of the cigar to just past medium.  I’m really enjoying the way the cigar has continually intensified in flavor without diminishing its smoothness or introducing any harsh notes.  There is even a bit of cinnamon in the aroma of the smoke as I draw on it that doesn’t show on the palate, which adds to my interest.  Toasted nut again moves into the mix as the Imperium Class Vintage closes out at medium-plus in body and at a low-medium on the strength scale, smoking cool and just a bit soft with no harshness.

Overview:

Overall, I really enjoyed the D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage.  It provided top-notch construction and a decent burn (see below for details) to go along with great flavors and complexity.  I know that my tasting notes are a bit short, but the experience was a lot more satisfying than that might indicate, and the few quick corrections to the burn were pretty much inconsequential.  The price puts it in the realm of a lot of other very good cigars, but for those looking for a refined and relaxing smoke, this could very well prove to be one that will merit having on hand at all times.

However, I must add a word of warning:  Of the five Imperium Class Vintage robustos I purchased, the first smoked well and showed the promise of the blend, whereas the second one was fraught with burn problems, not wanting to stay lit and tunneling, which made for a less than desirable experience.  It seemed that the thick wrapper had absorbed too much humidity, so on that hunch, I dry boxed the next one for a few days, and it smoked much better.  I contacted D’Crossier owner Santana Diaz, and he responded, agreeing that this cigar does indeed have combustion issues due to the wrapper, and should be smoked at 60%RH.  Luckily, I happened to have an empty humidor that I put the remaining cigars in, maintaining it at 58-59% for about five weeks before I finally lit one up for this review, and the results speak for themselves.  I want to stress that I am not pointing my finger at Santana when I say this, as he was very open about the burn issue, but it would be of great service for manufacturers to inform consumers (and retailers) in their descriptions of their cigars about issues that require care and storage that deviates from the norm; in this case the much lower than usual ideal humidity that the Imperium Class Vintage needs.  An informed consumer is much less apt to be a disappointed one, and that can only be a plus for the cigar maker.  

Pairing:

I decided to go with a red wine to pair with the D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage, and the widely available and affordable Columbia Crest 2013 H3 Merlot seemed to be an ideal match.  H3 stands for the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in Columbia Valley area of Washington state, and produces grapes for some of the state’s most sought after wines.  This wine exhibits a profile that is on the more elegant side, although it is not the most complex of sippers.  Medium bodied, with ripe, but not overly ripe berry fruit, earth, and a firm acidic backdrop, it might be a candidate for a bit of cellaring, as when I poured a second glass through my Vinturi wine aerator, it brought out a lot more sweet fruitiness that helped it to better mingle with the flavors of the cigar. Looking back on it, I think a fruitier red such as a good Australian Shiraz or Spanish old vines Garnacha might be a better foil for the Imperium Class Vintage.  I could also see a nice Cognac or not overly sweet port being a great pairing for this cigar.

The post D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The La Palina Goldie is a series of cigars celebrating Goldie Drell Paley who is the wife of Samuel Paley, La Palina’s founder and grandfather to Bill Paley, the current owner. The Goldie is rolled by a single, extremely talented cigar roller at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Florida. That roller is Maria Sierra. In 1967 Sierra launched her lasting career in the cigar world in Cuba working under Avelino Lara rolling Cohibas at Laguito. Sine this was before Cohibas public brand release the cigars Sierra was rolling were enjoyed exclusively by Fidel Castro and his government, friends, and guests.

The La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial is the third installment in the annual Goldie series. The first release of the Laguito No. 2 (6 x 38) was one of my favorite cigars during it’s debut in 2012. Only 1,000 boxes were ever produced of the No. 2. Last year, La Palina released the Laguito No. 5 (5 5/8 x 54) as La Palina upped their box production to 2,500. This year, La Palina carried the trend by releasing 2,500 boxes of the Laguito Especial. Much like the rest of the Goldie series the Laguito Especial carries an Ecuadorian Habano Wrapper, Ecuadorian Binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial will run you $16.50 a stick and are pretty much already depleted unless you happen to stumble across them in a random shop. I picked up a box of these from our great friends and Smoke Inn.

Size: 7 x 40
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $16.50
Pairing: Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux (Saison 9.5% ABV)

Prelight

I said it before, and I will say it again the Goldie series is one of the absolutely most perfect looking cigars out there. Maria Sierra is a badass and her craft really shows with how flawless the construction are in these cigars. The La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial starts with an incredibly consistent, medium brown, thin wrapper. The wrapper carries some soft oils over its silky smooth exterior. There are only a few smaller webs in the body of the cigar and some very minor veins. Each level of the wrapper is laid seamlessly over the next making it difficult to detect where one layer ends and the other begins. The body of the cigar is very slender and long leading up to a beautiful round, triple cap polished off with a nice fantail that we have grown to expect in all the formats in the Goldie series. The cigar is very firm and lightly compacted while the wrapper feels incredibly thin and delicate. There are no soft spots at all throughout the entire body of the La Palina Laguito Especial.

The wrapper of the La Palina Laguito Especial gives off some soft cedar and natural tobacco aromas while the foot sports some soft spice and pepper over more natural flavors. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw gives off some strong cashew and malt flavors with a bit of spice.

First Third:

The La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial starts off with some subtle spice and pepper over some strong cedar, malt, cashew and honey. It’s a great fall-time mixture especially in combination with the beer. The draw on the Goldie is spot on, each little puff kicks out a thick cloud of smoke which is a good thing, cause as with all the Goldie selections this is a cigar that you really want to take your time and enjoy. Smoking it too fast will really hurt the experience. The cigar gives off almost no stationary smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin with some slight waves, but nothing really concerning leaving behind a trail of bright white ash which held on for about 3/4 of a inch before falling into my lap.

Second Third:

I’ve noticed a good amount of pine starting to creep in as I venture into the second third of the La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial. Along with the pine the cedar has really started to take over with the honey and spice as strong backing flavors as well as some light malt, citrus, clove and cashew. The pepper was gone after only a few puffs. The retrohale is incredible as it coats my nasal passage with a whole ton of sweet cedar adding a lot of sweetness to the experience that I would have not otherwise picked up. The burn line still has some slight waves, but they aren’t affecting the experience at all. I closed out the second third with absolutely no nicotine hit at all.

Finish:

As I enter the final third of the La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial the cedar became much more of a sweet oak/woodiness providing some excellent flavor paired with the strong honey that has been consistent throughout the experience. The spice is really be drawn out of the flavor profile as well while the pine, malt and cashew are all still there, but quite subtle. The burn line has some slight waves as it had he entire experience but I never once had to reach for my lighter to touch up or relight the cigar. I really took my time on this one so I wasn’t shocked by how awesomely smooth, creamy, and cold it finished, and I smoked out down to the absolute nub. It took just under an hour and a half and I left the Goldie feeling absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Overview:

It’s easy to see just want I love the Goldie series. They are incredible cigars from the packaging and construction down to the burn experience and the amazing flavor profile. In comparison to the No. 2 I’d say the Laguito Especial is rather similar. If anything I think the flavors were slightly more pronounced in the No. 2, but other than that they preformed the same and that’s a good thing cause the Laguito Especial lasted quite a while longer than the fast burning No. 2. As I stated earlier in the review, you really need to take your time with this cigar. It’s easy to puff away on it and ruin the experience with char and burn. Let it simmer and you’ll be alright. I’d be shocked if this cigar wasn’t included in my top list of 2014. Even with the very high price tag this is a cigar that I love having around for special occasions, or when you’re just really in the mood for something extraordinary. Box worthy for sure and if you ever do stumble across these I urge you to buy as many as you can carry.

Pairing:

Dupont’s Avec Les Bons Voeux is one of the Belgian winter season beers that are always on my list. Dupont is the king of Saison style beers and Les Bons Voeux is one of their best. Brew at the Brasserie Dupont in Belgium this saison comes in at a whopping 9.5%. The Les Bons Voeux sports strong banana, clove, thyme, citrus, and soft hop notes with a very light mouthfeel before finishing very smooth with creamy spice and sweetness which create an ideal pairing for the La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial. The citrus, clove, and spice all paired perfectly with the Laguito Especial while the sweetness in the beer added an extra level to the cigar experience. This cigar’s ideal pairings would include black coffee, a strong Marzen, a Belgian Dubble, or a Belgian Tripel.

The post La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Casa Cuba is one of the first new cigar brands that we have seen from the Fuente Family in a very long time. Made at the Tabacelera A. Fuente y cia. Factory in the Dominican Republic the Casa Cuba is a homage to the blending tradition that Fuente Sr, who blended the Casa Cuba, had carried with him since he was a child. The Casa Cuba was set to be released almost a year ago, but just started hitting shelves of specific retailers during the final quarter of 2013. I got mine from the great team over at Bonita Smoke Shop. The blend starts off with a Ecuadorian Havana wrapper laid around a Dominican Binder, filled with a mix of Cuban-seed Dominican Fillers. The Casa Cuba comes in 4 sizes each named after Cuban Dominoes: the Doble Tres (5.5 x 44), the Doble Cuatro (4.5 x54) the Doble Cinco (5 x 50) and the Doble Seis (6 x 52) and will range between $8.75 and $10 a stick. Each size is made by a single cigar roller inside Fuente’s factory in the Dominican Republic.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Body: Mild/Medium
Strength: Mild/Medium
Price: ~$9.00
Pairing: Sixpoint Global Warmer (Imperial Red Ale 7.0% ABV)

Prelight: The Casa Cuba is not only blended in an old style, but the cigar is designed to look and feel like an vintage cigar. This starts with the simple, muted band. The band is real simple with black, gold, beige and red ink with a simple crest on the front and the words “Casa Cuba – Flor Fina” printed around it. I was surprised not to find any Fuente markings along the band. Even the wrapper looks like a rustic tobacco with lots of dark brow webbing and veins running through the medium brown body. The body on the Casa Cuba is relatively spongy with a few harder spots throughout the cigar. The wrapper is pretty dense and feels as if it wouldn’t be torn very easily. The cap is finished off with a pretty sloppy double cap. I’m not sure if the caps on these cigars are purposely made to look sloppy or if they are actually poorly done, but I can say that I haven’t had an issue with cutting, or peeling on the cap so I’d vote for the purpose. Not only that, but Fuente seldom skimps out in terms of construction.

The wrapper on the Casa Cuba gives off a very strong woodsy, cedaresque aroma while the foot only gives off a mild tobacco scent. The cap cut clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a pretty mild set of cedar, honey, and spice. I really had to reach for those flavors too.

First Smoke: The Casa Cuba started out with a bit of unexpected black pepper. I didn’t pull any from the prelight or cold draw. After the first few puffs the pepper quickly faded away and I was left with a very woodsy, creamy, tobacco filled flavor profile. Not much in the flavor department, lets hope that changes as the cigar progresses. The draw is slightly tight but after a puff or two I get the draw I’m looking for. The burnline is razor sharp and has a few very minor waves. The ash is very tightly compacted and bright white and held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Halfway through the Casa Cuba and the flavors haven’t really impressed me. The cigar is very smooth and creamy so it has that going for it, but the lack of dimension and bolder flavors may just cripple this experience. The main flavors are still cedar, tobacco, and now a bit of spice has crept in. The retrohale is nothing to write home about either coating my nasal passage with nothing more than cedar. The burnline is still a bit wavy but very sharp while I am feeling absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish: Astonishingly enough there was a brief ramp up in flavor into the final third of this Casa Cuba, but not enough to overcome the first two legs of the experience. The main flavors are still tobacco, cedar and spice but the spice has really taken off in the final third. I really wish there was a bit more thrown in, maybe some sweetness or coffee flavors would do wonders for this smoke. All in all it took me about and hour and a half to take this cigar down. The burnline was great the entire time and never required any additional action from my torch. I felt absolutely nothing in terms of nicotine, nor were there any harshness even into the final inch.

Overview: Overall, I wasn’t very impressed with the Casa Cuba. Especially coming from A. Fuente. The flavors just seemed muted. The experience boring, and the lack of depth and dimension really put a damper on things. On the bright side, the cigar burned like a champ and was probably one of the creamiest cigar I have ever smoked but that could have been due to the lack of any real dominant flavors. With the higher price tag I would have to pass on recommending this cigar or picking up any more of them. I mean, it is what it is, an old school mild cigar but you can’t throw this out in today’s market with a new school price tag and expect people to fall in love with it.

Pairing: I knew the Casa Cuba was lacking in the flavor department so I decided to pair this cigar with a beer that I had hoped would help bring the body up without overpowering it. Sixpoint’s Global Warmer is a seasonal Imperial Red Ale brewed at the Sixpoint Brewery in New York. Coming in at 7.0% ABV this bad boy packs some great fruity, caramel, and spice flavors with a nice hoppiness on the finish. Interesting enough it actually did add a lot to the cigar experience by filling in some of the flavor gaps, but a beer can’t work miracles.

The post Arturo Fuente – Casa Cuba Flor Fina appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Regardless of that, I spent some time working from home this week and took advantage of the great weather to sit outside and scribble down a review for your reading pleasure. Today’s cigar is going to be the Quorum Classic in the Churchill Vitola. The Quorum’s are made by none other than JC Newman and there are a few varieties in the same namespace, this one is simply known as the “Classic”

Now the Quorum Classic is budget friendly bundle cigar that is also handmade. It’s marketed towards people seeking handmade quality and a very affordable price point, and they don’t disappoint on that with Churchill sized sticks selling for less than $1.50 each! Most of the construction of this cigar is from Nicaraguan leaves with only the wrapper coming from Ecuador.

Now there are always a lot of negative thoughts that come to mind with many of the bundle cigars out there. I came into these with an open mind and actually did no research on them before I lit up my first few (more on that later). So let’s jump right in, the weather is awesome and I’m ready to spark this baby up!

Cigar: Quorum Classic
Drink: Victoria Teas and Coffees Snickerdoodle Coffee
Vitola: Churchill (7 x 48)
Wrapper: Sun Grown Ecuadoria
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$1.50 each
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Quorum has a very rough exterior with some medium sized veins running through it, also has a bit of toothiness
• The double cap has a clean finish to it
• The foot appears to be fairly well packed
• From cap to foot the whole cigar has a nice little squish to it
• Cut was pretty easy but I’m left with a pretty tight draw even after 2 cuts, hopefully that clears up
• The draw never really opened up but it wasn’t overly snug either

Burn:
• Toasting was pretty easy and even, got the foot glowing nicely with no effort
• Right off the bat though I’m getting a wavy burn, hoping that will correct itself
• Although it has stayed wavy through the first half it has been somewhat under control and has not required any touch ups at all
• Burned down right to the end with no touch ups needed at all, pretty impressive for a stick at this price point
• It never did get quite razor sharp or pretty but that didn’t bother me as long as I didn’t need to touch it up

Smoke & Ash:
• Due to the tight draw it’s requiring a little extra effort to get some smoke out and it’s still not that full
• Ash so far is keeping clean, getting a tad flaky but nothing too worrying
• It still doesn’t look too sturdy to me so I tapped it off just before an inch
• The colors of the ash are mostly light grey with some dark grey accents
• Resting smoke is almost non-existent here, very light
• All of the ashes ended up being about the same, slight short of an inch and looking kind of weak but still clean

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper is giving off a definite barnyard type of aroma
• From the foot I’m picking up more barnyard aromas, a bunch of cedar and just small touches of spice
• Pre-light draw gives more cedar and barnyard flavors
• Initial flavors are mostly of dry wood and some subtle spices so far
• An inch in and the flavors are mostly unchanged
• Getting some nutty flavors in the mix now, adding a nice new dimension
• Not too eventful until I passed the midway mark and now I’m getting some light coffee notes
• So far the whole cigar has been pretty mild with almost no bite on the retrohale and a bit of a dry finish
• The coffee ramped up a bit into the last third adding a nice layer to the flavors

Final Thoughts:
Coming into a cigar and knowing it’s price does create some expectations. If it’s expensive, you expect a lot, if it’s cheap, you’re a little more forgiving. When I lit up my first Quorum Classic I didn’t look into what the price was, I knew it was budget friendly but I didn’t know they were below $1.50! Needless to say, my notes from my first few sticks were about the same on flavors but I was a little harsh on overall satisfaction. Reason being is that the cigar didn’t change up a whole lot. The flavors were enjoyable and other than a little bit of dryness there was nothing off-putting here either. Maybe it’s just the vitola is too long for the flavor profile for me? But on the otherhand, this would make a perfect cigar to take into the yard when you’re cutting the grass or something. So all-in-all I was pretty happy with these cigars but I may opt for a Toro or Robusto size if I got to purchase some more, you definitely can’t go wrong for the price point though!

Pairings:
My wife and I found Victoria Teas and Coffees a long time ago during one of our trips down to Niagara-on-the-lake, a cute little town surrounded by wineries not far from the tourist trap of Niagara Falls. They have an incredible selection of Loose Leaf and Bagged Teas and whole variety of coffees ranging in country, strength, type and then of course the flavored stuff (Here’s the website link, they do ship if you wanted to try some of their stuff). Their flavored coffees are amazing and there’s always a new one around for the season. The Snickerdoodle flavor is a staple and next to Cinnamon Bun is probably my favorite. In case you don’t know what Snickerdoodle is, it’s a common cookie recipe and very tasty(It’s NOT a type of dog! ). This coffee was a great pairing since it added some cinnamon and baking type spices to the mix and complimented the cigar flavors quite well.

The post Quorum Classic appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The full name of this cigar is the Montecristo Epic Premium Selection ’07 and it was released about announced about a year ago in June 2012. Tony also did a full review on it not too long ago, read his thoughts over here. I’ve had the chance to light up a few of these so I thought I’d take the time to jot down some of my own notes on it as well and share it with our fine readers.

Now I’ve been a long-time critic of Altadis’ cigars in general but the last few newer releases have started to sway my opinion to the better side. The dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper on this cigar does help it’s case, it is super oily and toothy and looks awesome. The aroma of the Montecristo Epic gives a nice cedar note on the nose and just a touch of spice in there. It’s topped off with a super clean cap and a well packed foot.

Lighting the cigar was a breeze and I had a nice glowing foot in no time at all. Smoke production on this bad-boy was also pretty hefty, pumping out some pretty big plumes through a nice and even draw. The flavors started out pretty exciting and interesting with lots of cedar backed by some peppery spices and a sort of dark fruity note. As the smoking continued, the fruity and spicy notes seemed to fade away and I was left with the cedar and some new instances of leathery notes.

I had a few burn issues I needed to tackle but none were major and didn’t ruin the experience much. Body stayed at around medium and the retrohale started off with a nice bite to it but ended up being mostly bland near the end with a bit of a cedar finish. As I stroll into the last 3rd I’m getting some espresso notes sneaking in here and the body is definitely jumping into the full range. I was able to get the Montecristo Epic down to a good sized nub before I put it down.

I’d have to say that the Montecristo Epic started out with a lot of promise and excitement but it slowly faded away into a decent, but not overly-impressive finish. I didn’t get the extreme tartness that Tony mentioned in his review and I wonder if the extra age had something to do with that. I ended up pairing it with a Mill Street Brewery Tankhouse Ale which is a tasty and malty American Pale Ale. I think I should have gone with something a little more bold to pair with this cigar though, perhaps some port or nice scotch. While the Montecristo Epic is one of the better cigars in Altadis Montecristo line-up, it wasn’t quite up my alley. But I do think there is a large group of people this will appeal to so give it a try and let us know what you think!

The post Quick Draw Episode 16 – Montecristo Epic Premium Selection ’07 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today I have a review from a brand we haven’t really seen too much of lately since they release the OSA SOL a while ago (which I reviewed here). The brand is CAO and if you remember they were also purchased by General Cigar. Today’s new addition to the lineup is known as the Concert.

The Concert is intended to be a throwback to the roots of the CAO brand in Nashville, Tennessee. The musical parts of this cigar are pretty darn easy to spot. Not only does the name give musical reference but the band actually looks like a guitar and pick. Also on the side of the guitar is written “Perfect Harmony” in some fancy script.

Rick Rodriguez of CAO is the mastermind behind this blend and the leaves used here seem pretty interesting. I’m a big fan of Rosado cigars when they are done right but to have a Broadleaf binder is very different, I guess we’ll have to see how that plays out in the flavors. The cigars in this line are also all 5.5 inches long and only vary in their ring gauge starting at 46 and going up to 60. In line with the rest of the cigar, all the vitolas have music related names such as Roadie, Amp and Stage. Today up for review is going to be the 50 ring gauge version called the Solo!

Cigar: CAO Concert
Drink: Crown Royal Maple Finish
Vitola: ”Solo” Robusto (5.5 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rosado
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Price: About $6
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• A nice looking cinnamon brown wrapper surrounds the cigar
• I found one crack in the wrapper just below the halfway mark of the cigar
• It has a pretty firm consistency from cap to foot
• The single cap is applied very cleanly and looks well done
• The foot is well packed for the most part with just a couple spots that had a bit of a gap

Burn:
• Toasting was even, quick and easy with no problem spots to worry about
• The crack in the wrapper is causing it to unroll a bit as I burn closer to it
• Other than that crack the cigar has been burning razor sharp and even through the first 3rd
• The cigar started to expand a bit causing the crack to get even worse and grow, starting to cause some burn problems now and I needed to give it a quick touchup
• The crack continued to cause problems until I finally passed it in the last third
• I still needed a couple touchups nears the end though

Smoke & Ash:
• Even with a slightly tight draw, I’m getting a ton of smoke each time
• There’s also a good amount of resting smoke coming off the cigar as well
• The ash is coming along really nicely in the early stages, looking strong, tight and clean
• The color on the ash is also quite nice with alternating light grey and white tones
• To prevent the ash from falling onto my laptop I tapped it off around 1 inch but I think it could have easily made it to at least 1.5 inches
• Even with the messy wrapper and re-lights the ash still continued to be strong holding on for 1 inch each time
• Smoke also continued to be full right through to the end

Tasting Notes:
• There wasn’t much aroma coming off the foot here, maybe just a bit of spice and woodsiness
• From the foot, I’m getting a fresh woodsy aroma with the same touch of spice
• Lots more of the fresh wood flavor and even some earth now on the pre-light draw
• The initial few draws had a defined burnt undertone to them but it seem went away
• After the burn notes went away I was left with a bit of a pepper spice flavor profile with some notes of wood mixed in there
• The flavors have stuck in the woodsy and slightly spicy range through the first half with just a bit of leather getting mixed in now and again
• On the retrohale, I’m picking up more of the spice in the bite and a dry spice on the finish as well
• Body has been mostly in the medium range up until now, we’ll see if it changes coming through to the end
• The last half has stuck with the wood and spice main notes, the leather is peeking in more often now and I’m getting a bit of coffee notes here and there
• More leather flavors as I burn down the the end here with just a touch of soft spices hanging around

Final Thoughts:
This turned out to be a pretty nice smoke overall and I enjoyed it for the most part. The cracked wrapper definitely caused some burn issues but they luckily didn’t affect the flavors much and it was probably just a one-time thing since no other Concert sticks I’ve smoked had the same problem. Now there wasn’t anything over the top here but it was a good solid medium smoke with some nice flavors. Not too much change in the profile though so I don’t think I would opt for anything bigger than a robusto. Definitely worth lighting one up though so give it a try, good to see CAO is still turning out some good sticks even after their recent ownership change.

Pairings:
Just in case you missed the name of my pairing before it is Crown Royal Maple Finished. Yes, that’s right, MAPLE! And damn does this bottle pack some serious mapley-goodness! My wife actually said it smelled like pancakes when I opened the bottle. IF you’ve had Crown Royal before you’ll know it’s got a pretty smooth texture to it but a lot of people tend to mix it with coke. The Maple flavor added here makes it perfectly enjoyable just on ice. And it made an excellent pairing for the cigar too, the sweetness can be a little overpowering at first but it settles down after a couple sips. Just don’t try pairing this with any soft or mild sticks cause they might get lost. +1 for Maple!

The post CAO Concert appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Rodrigo cigars is probably a brand you haven’t heard too much about but it is a brand that has been making some appearances over the last year or so. George Rodriguez started his venture into the cigar world very recently in 2010. The story on the Rodrigo Cigars website is actually a pretty interesting one, take a read through it here.

At the moment, Rodrigo cigars has 3 different blends in it’s inventory. The Habano Classico, the Boutique Blend and today’s featured cigar, the La Fortaleza. All of the blends have filler from the Dominican Republic, where George first began his cigar making adventure, and each blend comes with a different wrapper.

The La Fortaleza line is claimed to be the full bodied and full flavored. It comes in 4 different vitolas and all have interesting names such as the Absoluto, Forte, Elegante and the Cinco 5. All of the cigars are also made at the Tabacalera Ventura factory down in Dominican Republic. 3 of the vitolas come in boxes of 24 but the Cinco 5 comes in an odd numbered box containing 55 sticks. There is an obvious link to the name here

Let’s dive in to the Rodrigo La Fortaleza Cinco 5 and see how it turns out!

Cigar: Rodrigo La Fortaleza Cinco 5
Drink: Pocas Special Reserve Tawny Porto
Vitola: Cinco 5 (6 x 56)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: About $6.75
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A very nice, velvety smooth wrapper surrounds this cigar
• It does have a very appealing reddish-brown wrapper on it
• The squeeze shows an even firmness from cap to foot with just a bit of springiness
• There are only very small veins to be seen on this wrapper, they don’t look to have any potential problems with the veins
• The cap is cleanly finished and looks to blend into the rest of the wrapper nicely
• The foot looks nicely and cleanly packed with lots of filler leaves and all are a nice consistent color

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and easy and even, had a nice amber foot with very little effort
• Shortly after, the La Fortaleza started canoeing on me thanks for a giant tunnel/gap in the filler
• I touched it up but it started to happen again right after, hoping with one more touch up and we’ll be at the end of the tunnel
• Weird burn continues with more touch ups and canoeing
• This cigar needed touch-up after touch up to keep it burning properly
• Finally in the last bit, I got some decent burn without touch ups but it was a constant battle throughout the whole cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• The smoke is medium in body, not quite full and billowing
• It’s also taking me a couple draws to get a decent amount of smoke out
• The ash is coming along as very light grey, almost white
• Problem is the ash isn’t lasting very long with the tunneling and touch ups
• I keep tapping the ash off just short of an inch, it looks pretty weak and flaky, especially with all the touch ups
• Smoke continues to be pretty light throughout the cigar, would have been nicer to have a little more density to it

Tasting Notes:
• The notes on the wrapper seem to be mostly of mild cedar, not much else here
• I still get the mild cedar on the foot but now I’m picking up some tiny hints of spices, more baking spices rather than pepper
• The pre-light draw was very woodsy with just a touch of mild spices
• Initial few draws are telling a similar story of woodsy flavors backed by some cinnamon and also some leathery notes in there
• The cedar flavors are really shining through with a nice medium body to back it all up, also picking up some light coffee flavors
• The retrohale has a tiny little bite and is full of flavorful spices with a nice woodsy finish
• The body has been pretty mild, almost medium so far
• The constant touch ups from burn issues are continually making the flavors charred and harsh, it’s hiding the potential of the cigar
• I’m still picking up hints of good flavors such as coffee and cedar, maybe even some nuts or almonds but the charred flavors introduced from constant touch ups is ruining this cigar
• Throughout the whole cigar, the body never really passed medium making for a good early day smoke
• The last inch or so probably had the most flavors since I didn’t need any touch ups so the potential of this cigar really showed, no harshness here either
• I have to note that even though the cigar claimed to be really full bodied, I barely felt much past medium so I was pretty surprised.

Final Thoughts:
This is a tough one to judge and I have to say I will need a few more to make up my mind. The burn really ruined the experience since the constant touch ups negatively affected the flavors I was getting. I got very nice hints of flavorful cedar, coffee, cinnamon and almonds but they were always being overpowered by the charred notes. The Rodrigo La Fortaleza Cinco 5 is something that will leave me wondering “what could have been?”. I really wanted to like this cigar and I’m definitely going to seek out a few more, perhaps a different vitola and for sure a different box to see if the burn issues are persistent or if I just had a bad batch. Has anyone else had similar issues? I’d love to get some feedback on that!

*Sorry no ash pic here, the wind actually kept blowing the ash out of my ashtray so there was nothing left to take a picture of. The wind stole my band too… Some dog is probably chewing on it right now…

Pairings:
I had just a little bit of this port left so I decided to pair with it one more time, it’s gone now so you won’t see it again! lol. The Pocas Special Reserve Tawny Porto pours very very light and has some very fruity notes on your nose. The flavors follow those same lines with a very light flavor, fairly fruity, lots of oak flavors and not bold at all. It did offer a bit of saving grace to the charred flavors of the cigar today. The sweetness really helped to cleanse my palate after those touch ups. It would have been an excellent pairing without that set back though so I’d definitely pair this cigar with port the next time I decide to light one up.

The post Rodrigo Cigars La Fortaleza Cinco 5 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today, I will be taking a look at the 1502 Ruby.  The 1502 brand derives it names from the year Christopher Columbus “discovered” Nicaragua and the cigars are produced by Global PremiumCigars noted by the “GPC” on the back of the band.   Since I don’t know much about Global Premium Cigars, and the 1502 brand, I decided to do a little research (is the word research now interchangeable with googling?). GPC’s site has this to say:

“Global Premium Cigars is a tobacco company Proudly Nicaraguan, which owns the most renown and prestigious brand 1502. Truly a Nicaraguan treasure.

In our Premium brand 1502, you will find three tobacco lines with the highest quality, where the sowing process, harvest, curing, aging and selection of each tobacco leaf is our major concern. It takes more than five years from the time of its sowing until the time you can enjoy one of our fine cigars; this is why patience is one of our greatest virtues in the art of tobacco production.

In our brand 1502, you will find three lines totally different from each other, being 1502 Emerald the “Fina Fuerte” (Fine Strong), 1502 Ruby of medium strength and 1502 Black Gold with strongest character. Three spectacular bindings that exclaim the Nicaraguan flavor, which will delight at all times and will make an unforgettable experience.”

On September 24, 2012 it was announced that Emilio Cigars would be handling the distribution of 1502 Cigars.  Emilio Cigars has not only  made a footprint in the cigar industry by the excellent cigars they have put on the market but also through the distribution of several boutique brands. Emilio Cigars manages the distribution for Ezra Zion (Tony’s review here), Epicurean, Rodrigo, Herederos de Robaina, and Guayacan.  Gary Griffith, owner of Emilio Cigars, has such a passion for the industry that bleeds through in all he does. Here is quote from Gary in a recent press release:

“I am fully dedicated to the mission of bringing an array of quality boutique cigars to a broader market, whether under the Emilio Cigars mark, or the mark of other equally dedicated and passionate manufacturers.”

The Facts

Price: Samples provided by Emilio Cigars
Format: Box Pressed Torpedo
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: Approx. 1 hour and 25 minutes

Pre-Light

As I do my pre-light inspection, I notice a few prevalent and minor veins running the throughout  the cigar.  However, I have never been one to worry about the impact of veins on the overall smoking experience  The Ruby sports a maroon band, with the trim, the words “1502” and “Ruby”, and center emblem all in gold.  The emblem is similar to the Crusaders’ cross.  The wrapper has minimal oils and is velvety  to the touch. When squeezed, the cigar feels somewhat spongy.  The wrapper hangs over the foot of the cigar, but not as drastic as other shaggy foot (I feel like I should use the word “feet” instead) cigars.  The wrapper is mostly uniform in color with slight imperfections and water spots letting me know this cigar has not been artificially colored.   The foot appears under filled.  As I bring the cigar to my nose, I note sweet earth and barnyard on the wrapper, while the foot reveals a bourbon like sweetness.  The head clips easily as I prepare to light up the cigar.

First Third

I am loving the free draw and amount of smoke that fills my mouth which each small puff.  Pepper and spice are in the forefront.  Beautiful dark, heavy flavors of espresso and earth are in the flavor make up, and a peppery sting is on the retrohale. The spice lingers in the back of my throat for a good amount of time.  The burn line is quite wavy but I’m going to wait it out and see if it will correct itself before doing any touchups. The ash is extremely flaky but holding on as I smoke in a cool afternoon breeze.  I don’t think I would like to smoke this through one of El Paso’s windstorms but I really don’t ever feel like smoking in windstorms unless I am settled in at the local lounge.   As expected, the 1502 Ruby has begun to tunnel but it has not taken away from the flavor department.  Flavors are very much full, with strength on the low side of medium.

Middle Third

After a minor touch up, I am into the second third of the 1502 Ruby.  Spice in the back of the throat resides, or maybe I am just numb to the burn, but the pepper holds strong.  The earth notes become much more prevalent, while a toasty, nuttiness hits the edge of the palette. I am starting to hope for a little sweetness to balance out the profile. The draw and the amount of smoke this cigar is producing is just awesome.  The flavors are still delivering at the same level, while the strength has crept up. The strength has been picking up since the start of the 1502 Ruby.  I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.  On the first sample I smoked, the cigar became extremely spongy about 1.5 to 2 inches from the burn line but the smoke never became too hot to enjoy.  That issue was not encountered on this cigar.

Final Third

The flavors remain consistent with the first and second third but the Ruby is now leaving a bite on the tongue.  The smoke is also drying out my mouth in the same fashion a walnut does.  A small sip of water and my palette quickly restores itself.  Some cocoa notes enter into the mix but fade just as quick as they arrive.  I would have loved for the cocoa to stick around a little longer.  The strength did move up to the high-end of medium, and the burn remained wavy till the very end.

Wrap-Up

The draw and the copious amount of smoke the 1502 Ruby produced was exceptional.  While I did come across a few construction issues, none them took away from the overall smoking experience.  The same construction issues (burn, sponginess and tunneling) were encountered in both samples.  The flavors were rather consistent in its entirety with only a view variations.  I found myself craving more complexity, and, at the least, some sweetness in the profile.  Also, I paired this cigar with water.  A drink that provides some sweetness would be a nice compliment to this profile, such as a big Red Zinfadel.  A local winery has an excellent Red Zin that I could see fitting this cigar perfectly.  I know I will be revisiting this cigar and try pairing it with the 2010 “Rising Star” Red Zinfandel from Zin Valle Vineyards which is located just outside of El Paso.  If you stumble across the 1502 Ruby or can find them online, grab a couple and give it a whirl.

The post 1502 Ruby – Guest Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The RC233 is part of Tatuaje’s Reserve lineup and is essentially the bigger brother of the RC184. And this is definitely the BIGGER brother, measuring up just over 9 inches and a 55 ring gauge. That’s a lot of tobacco! This particular cigar is rolled at the El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Florida, which is headed up by the infamous Don Pepin Garcia. So you know you are getting a high quality cigar here from some of the best people in the business.

You might be wondering where this name came from? It’s actually an Acronym of “Retro Cuba” followed the length measurement of the cigar in millimeters. Also, these are not a one-time limited production cigar. They are produced regularly but the quantities are fairly low so tracking them down can be a bit of a challenge.

It’s pretty easy to tell by the sheer size of this cigar that I’m going to be in for a long smoke here, so if you do happen to light one up make sure to have enough time to enjoy the whole thing. I for one can’t stand re-lighting a cigar that’s been sitting for awhile. So I picked out this cigar today because it is probably that last warm day of the year here and I wanted to enjoy the weather. So here we go!

Cigar: Tatuaje RC233
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Cobblestone Stout
Vitola: Perfecto (9.125 x 55)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $22.00
Burn Time: 2.5 hours

Construction:
• A fairly clean tapered cap with one large leaf that blends into the rest of the cigar
• The has a deep golden brown color to is with some definite oily shine to it
• The part under the foil was different though, it didn’t have that same golden glow but more of a dull deep brown
• There is a definite soft texture to the whole cigar when squeezed and it’s pretty darn consistent from edge to edge
• The foot is too tapered to tell how packed in the filler is
• I’m surprised to see there are so few veins on this massive cigar, definitely took some top quality wrapper leaves to put this together
• The cut was nice and easy and left me with a very nice draw despite the very tapered foot

Burn:
• The tapered foot is very easy to light up since it’s so small so the toasting was super fast
• As with most tapered foots like this, the burn always goes a little lop-sided right at the start so I needed to do some corrections
• Through the first couple of inches, the burn is a little wobbly but it holding strong
• The Tatuaje RC233 sorta stopped burning around the midway mark so I needed a bit of touch ups to help nudge it along
• After about an hour, I’ve hit the halfway mark and the cigar is burning nicely with only 2 small touch ups so far
• Burn continued going strong right on to the end with no more touch ups needed, a pretty darn great burn considering the size and complex shape of the cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• This cigar is an absolute smoke factory right from the start, tons of thick some coming off of each draw
• The ash started off a bit messy, probably due to the relights at the foot
• Color-wise, the ash is pretty much dark grey with some lighter grey spots and holding clean so far
• I tapped the first ash off after about 1.5 inches but I think it could have even held on a bit longer
• Second and third ash were just about the same length showing some good construction here
• There were lots of ashes on this cigar and they were all easily passed the 1 inch mark, great construction here throughout
• The draw stayed perfect right to the end with no issues at all

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper had a fairly woodsy aroma to it, lots of cedar
• The foot brought a little more spice to the table along with the woodsy aromas
• From the pre-light draw, the spices were really standing out with a tingle on my lips
• The initial draws brought a hefty burst of pepper out, some thing I always get from Pete’s cigars
• The pepper notes settled down a bit but are definitely still hanging around along with lots of cedar notes and a bit of a meaty taste
• I’m starting to pick up some light espresso notes as the cigar keeps burning nicely
• There is definitely some strength to this cigar right from the start, easily in the medium range already and I predict a ramp up towards the end
• The retrohale has a nice bite to it but a smooth cedar finish, very nice
• As I approach the halfway mark, there is some leather mixing in with the coffee, cedar and meaty flavors and they are all balancing out nicely
• The espresso flavors are really developing nicely with a bit of a nutty flavor making an appearance too
• The spices started to make a big comeback in the last 3rd and the body is getting into the full range as well
• Spices and cedar took over in the flavor department near the end, making this one strong stick, be sure to have a good meal and pairing on hand!
• The strength at the end was very full but surprisingly I didn’t get the nic-kick I was expecting from this behemoth of a cigar

Final Thoughts:
Now I’ve had my ups and downs with Tatuaje cigars and that’s expected, not all profiles will appeal to all people. But today, the RC233 was definitely a bug up in my books. This cigar had a ton of flavors that kept changing and they were always tasty. The quality was definitely top notch and construction was excellent with only a couple minor touch ups the whole way through. I had high hopes for this rare (and massive!) cigar and it did not disappoint. It did have some age on it which I think really helped with the whole experience. If you do happen to have one hiding in your humidor I think it’s an excellent time to bust it out and enjoy, or if you stumble across one somewhere, make sure you grab it! There are still many around if you look, but they aren’t super widely available from what I can tell.

Pairings:
Mill Street Brewery is probably a name you’ve seen in some of my reviews before. They are situated right in downtown Toronto so I love to support the local businesses whenever I can. They have some pretty high yield batches but they still seem to maintain a craft brew flavor to a lot of their varieties. The Cobblestone Stout is one I hadn’t found in the store before so when I saw it I knew I had to grab it. This is a classic stout with lots of deep malty and smoky flavors and even a touch of coffee, but not too much. It’s got a ton of head when you pour it and a bit of a dry finish. It paired well with the Tatuaje RC233 but I think a Port would have gone great to combat the full flavor and strength of this cigar.

The post Tatuaje Reserva RC233 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now I have to apologize for a HUGE fail on my part… I had taken a bunch of pictures and absent mindedly deleted them from the camera before I moved them to my computer! What a super fail! So not too many pictures today, sorry!

“What the heck is the Vallejuelo?” some of you might ask. It seems that a lot of people simply haven’t come across this cigar before but it’s actually got quite a big following for two reasons. It’s commonly held as a well manufactured medium body cigar, and secondly, it comes in at a very fair price of just around $4 if you buy by the box.

The Vallejuelo brand comes from a factory called Intercigar in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The owner, Maurice Antonius Koks, comes from Holland where his roots there were also in the Tobacco industry. He is also the blender of the Vallejuelo. This cigar has got quite a lot of hype as one of the best budget cigars so I’m excited to see what it offers me. So let’s dive right in and see if the Vallejuelo stacks up to the hype people have created for it.

Cigar: Vallejuelo
Drink: Innis & Gunn Highland Cask
Vitola: Robusto Gordo (5 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
Price: $4.00 – $4.50
Burn Time: Just over an hour

Construction:
• The milky brown wrapper on this cigar has a wonderful oily sheen to it
• There are some veins here and there with one major one down the back but it doesn’t look to be a problem
• The single cap has a very clean finish to it, very well constructed
• The Vallejuelo is fairly firm and consistent from end to end, there is only a touch of spring to it
• Glancing at the foot you can easily see why it’s firm, this thing is packed to gills with tons of leaves
• The cut was easy and even but I’m left with a pretty tight draw, let’s hope it opens up a bit here

Burn:
• The toasting was a good at first but the burn quickly climbed the edge of the wrapper and charred it a bit before the foot was glowing. I find this happens often with delicate wrappers, sometimes affecting the first few puffs a bit but nothing major
• The burn got off to a nice even start and is going well through the first third
• The burn is staying nice and straight through to the halfway mark, no corrections needed and it’s smoking nice and slowly too
• Spot on burn straight through to the finish, no corrections needed at all!

Smoke & Ash:
• Since the draw is a bit tight it is taking a few attempts to get a good amount of smoke flowing here
• There’s a bit of resting smoke when I put the cigar down, slow but consistent
• The ash on this cigar looks super strong and firm, probably due to the serious packed in filler
• The color is mostly darker tones of grey with some lighter ones but no clean or neat zebra striping here today
• The ash held strong until I tapped it off at around the 1 inch mark, no flaking at all
• Ash stayed strong and lean with easy 1 inch pieces every time right to the end

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has an almost nutty aroma to it, a first for me I think
• I got a bit of a tingling sensation from smelling the foot, definitely some spices in there, perhaps a bit of white pepper and still some nutty notes
• The pre-light draw brings more white pepper spice but now it’s backed with some woodsy and licorice type notes
• The initial draws have a bit of a charred flavor, probably due to the awkward toasting but I still am picking up some cedar and licorice notes
• The charred flavors quickly disappeared and I’m left with a sort of roasted woody and almond type of flavor with some licorice to back it up
• The licorice flavor is really shining through around the halfway mark and adding a bit of sweetness to the mix as well, very nice
• The pepper has died down and the flavors are balancing nicely
• The Vallejuelo has been in the mild category so far with only a soft sweet finish on the retrohale thats quite enjoyable
• The body is picking up a bit into the medium range as I pass the halfway mark and some of the white pepper spice is making a comeback
• The cigar picked up surprisingly strong in the last third. Body jumped into the fuller range and the pepper and woodsy flavors made a strong comeback
• The sweet licorice notes are mostly gone now which is disappointing because they were really good
• A nice medium finish to this cigar with just a touch of harshness, I still nubbed it!

Final Thoughts:
All in all this was an interesting cigar. It had a lot of change ups and some distinct flavors. I would have liked the sweet licorice to stick around more but I really enjoyed it when it was there. The burn was top notch and was also nice and slow which are big bonuses for me. I think I’ll want to seek out some other vitolas to see how the blend changes, maybe a corona size or so? I think this could really shine in a smaller ring gauge. Definitely worth picking some up and giving them a try if you haven’t had one before. A big thanks to Jeff for hooking me up with this and letting me try a brand a might not otherwise have picked up!

Pairings:
Yet another brew from one of my favorite breweries, Innis & Gunn. It’s another limited batch called the Highland Cask and I stumbled on it in the beer store earlier this year. This interesting batch is aged for 69 days in barrels that once contained 16 year old Scotch. Now that’s pretty cool if you ask me! It comes in another fancy box with a cool story and has a Best Before date of December 2012 so I’m guessing there won’t be too many more left on store shelves now. It’s got more of the awesome oaky, malty and toffee notes I’ve come to love from Innis & Gunn but also adds a layer of Scotch type of flavoring. It’s quite subtle and not in your face so don’t be afraid to try this even if you aren’t a Scotch lover. It definitely paired well with the Vallejuelo and another choice pairing would have been coffee here, I think that would have made a very interesting.

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