The Good Stuff:

Last week I got a surprise package from my favorite Cigar people in Fox Cigar in Arizona. We’ve worked with Fox for about 8 years now, covering events, checking out their exclusive releases, and just all around hanging out and having great times with the awesome people over there. Back to the package, which was an awesome new collaboration between Fox and one of our favorite manufacturers Black Label Trading Co. The Araposa Negra is a new, exclusive cigar that will only be available for purchase at Fox Cigar.

“Araposa is dark, rich and extremely well balanced. This cigar has bold flavors and just the right amount of spice on the retro hale. The flavors of black cherry, anise and bitter cocoa let you know this is a Black Label cigar. The Nicaraguan fillers are topped with an Ecuadorian Habano binder and wrapped in both Mexican San Andrés and Ecuador Corojo,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

Created at the Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua the Araposa will come in a single box-pressed 5 x 54 format. The blend features a dual, barber pole-style Mexican San Andres / Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and all Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. They will come packaged in soft packs of 10 and will only be available at Fox Cigar Bar starting THIS FRIDAY, September 24th and should run around $11 per cigar.

• Size: 5 x 54
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres and Ecuadorian Corojo
• Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: ~$11
• Pairing: Perennial Artisan Ales Black is Beautiful (Imperial Stout 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Black Label Trading Co. Araposa Negra’s obvious standout characteristic is it’s stunning wrapper. The dark San Andres wrapper is laid seamlessly over the Ecuadorian Habano resulting in a gorgeous barber-pole looking cigar. the wrapper itself feels very thick and dense with some gritty tooth and a ton of thick oils coating the cigar. The cigar as a whole feels heavy and hard and I am a huge fan of the soft-box pressed format as its just so comfortable both in hand and mouth. The cigar carries only light veining as it leads up to it’s round, double-wrapped cap. The Araposa is then polished off with a beautiful black and white band with the expected fox wearing a great silver crown along with silver markings carrying the cigar’s name.

The wrapper on the Black Label Trading Co. Araposa Negra’s wrapper gives off a huge amount of cinnamon, spice, and cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much of the same aroma only with a little more earthiness and natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw carries lots of black pepper, spice, cinnamon, cedar, and dark berry.

First Third:

The Black Label Trading Co. Araposa Negra starts out with some great deep cedar, dark chocolate, brown sugar sweetness, black cherry and black coffee over light black pepper and an awesome musk that really sticks around on the aftertaste. Note: My tasting notes are very similar to the tasting notes posted by the James Brown above. This was not intentional. I actually wrote this review before adding the notes above. Just got lucky on my tasting notes . The draw on the Araposa is flawless as every little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke which really hangs around for a while before dissipating while the cigar itself releases only a minor amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a compacted trail of white and light-gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the The Black Label Trading Co. Araposa Negra and the flavors are just pouring in. The dark chocolate, cedar and black cherry still lead the charge backed by black coffee, spice, musk, and brown sugar. There are also these great floral notes that seem to come and go. While the pepper is completely gone from the experience, the retrohale brings it right back out while intensifying the spice at the same time. The burn is still flawless, and draw is brilliant. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Not a lot has changed between the second and third portions of this Black Label Trading Co. Araposa and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The complex flavor profile is still weighted heavily on the dark chocolate, cedar, and black cherry over brown sugar, spice and coffee. It took me about and hour and a half to take this cigar down to the nub and I didn’t want it to end. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat and I finished the cigar out with only a very minor nicotine kick. I always love when I lear through an entire full-bodied cigar and it still finishes in the medium-strength arena.

Overview:

All bias aside, this is easily one of the best cigars I smoked all year. The Araposa’s flavor profile was incredible and easily kept my palate happy and busy with it’s complexity. The construction was flawless, and gets extra points for the soft-box press format. I’m really stoked to see such a great collaboration between two great parties. Again, this will go on sale THIS FRIDAY, September 24th at Fox Cigar and will sell out extremely fast. Make sure you get them while you can.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Perennial Artisan Ales brewery in Missouri, Black is Beautiful is a blend of 20% barrel-aged imperial stout and 80% fresh imperial stout. Comprised of a couple 23 month old Knob Creek Single Barrel Series and a couple 19 month old Rittenhouse Rye barrels, then blended with our base stout. Coming in at 12.5% ABV the beer leads with dark chocolate, sticky toffee and molasses, sweet cinnamon and spice along with a nice light malty body with a very heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter and smoother with more chocolate, vanilla, and toffee over some very light barrel character. This beer is dangerously smooth with a great sweetness that showcases the beer’s great adjunct-free base stout. The cinnamon, chocolate, and sweetness went beautiful with the Araposa while the cigar itself added some great spice to the pairing.

The post Black Label Trading Co Araposa Negra Fox Cigar Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

This time around, I bring to you a review of another cigar by Roberto P. Duran Cigars, the Azan White Premium in the Toro de Luxe size.  The weather here in Seattle has been pretty consistently crappy, with rain, rain with high winds, and more rain, with a scant few breaks in between.  Although today’s weather was originally predicted to be rainy with a chance of snow, it has instead turned out to be sunny, but with strong and cold wind gusts, thus chasing me inside for this review.

Anyway, the Roberto Duran White Premium line of cigars was launched at the 2013 IPCPR trade show, but this year, they introduced a new size to the line, the 6 1/2×54 Toro de Luxe, priced at $9.  The other sizes in the line include the Campana 5 1/2×52, Robusto Extra 5 1/2×52, and the Robusto 4 7/8x 50 and run between $6-$8.

The Azan name has an interesting background among old Cuban brands.  Kwan Ben Sen and his two brothers migrated to Cuba from China in 1870 and adopted the name Azan.  They started manufacturing cigars in 1928 and the company continued to do so until the revolution of 1959 when the government took possession of it.  The Roberto Duran White Premium line under this name has an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper surrounding a binder from Nicaragua, with a filler blend of Nicaraguan Jalapa and Estili and Brazilian Mata Fina.

I have previously reviewed the Neya from Roberto Duran – you can read my review here – and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was eager to give the White Premium a go.

I received these cigars for review from the good folks at Cuenca Cigars, although they don’t seem to have them listed online as of this writing.

Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan Jalapa and Esteli, Brazilian Mata Fina
Size:  Toro de Luxe 6 1/2×54
Price:  $9
Smoking time:  Two hours, ten minutes
Pairing:  Deschutes Jubelale (6.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The Roberto Duran Azan White Premium comes draped in a fairly oily medium brown wrapper that shows some darker mottling, leading to a nicely applied double cap.  The roll is very firm with no soft spots and is rather bumpy despite minimal veining.  I rather like the simplicity of the band – a white background with gold and brown lettering and logo.  The wrapper gives off a tangy scent on top of natural tobacco and light earth, while the foot shows some spicy tobacco and earth.  A slight snip of the cap reveals a rather open draw showcasing light cedary tobacco.

First third:

Well, at least being inside allows for a nice leisurely toasting of the foot, and immediately, bright sweet cedar jumps out at me, joined by a bit of earth, rich tobacco, and a smoky umami savoriness that I can’t quite place.  There is some pepper in the retrohale, but the cedar is really what is carrying the flavors so far, although not in an obnoxiously strong way.  The burn line is a bit thick with just a slight waviness and is producing a pretty solid looking ash that lasts for a good inch.  Earthiness soon steps forward and the sweet cedar and pepper have backed off to show smooth savory tobacco driven flavors in a medium bodied presentation.

Middle third:

As the Roberto Duran White Premium enters into the second portion of its length, some bread notes have come into play, along with some sweet spice lingering in the aftermath of the retrohale.  The rich tobacco continues to be the main force along with the woodiness, and that lightly smoky savoriness remains in the background.  Just past the halfway point, the cigar has gone out on me, and I’m forced to give it a re-light, something that wasn’t required of the two that I had previously smoked, but it’s off and running again, with no negative effects from the re-light.  Pepper has re-emerged, and the breadiness has grown stronger, as the body has moved a bit beyond the medium point.

Final third:

After an hour and forty minutes (!), I’m just getting into the final third of the Roberto Duran White Premium.  The flavors have remained pretty much the same, but are getting a bit deeper, making the smoke very enjoyable.  The strength has moved up to medium with just a bit of nicotine kick.  The rich tobacco, cedar/oak, earth, bread, and light sweet spices continue to the smooth smoking and medium-plus bodied end, and despite suffering from a bit of exhaustion from the long smoke time, I’m having a hard time putting it down with an inch remaining.

Conclusion:

While not the most transitionally complex smoke around, the Roberto Duran White Premium’s portfolio of flavors is certainly complex enough to be a thoroughly enjoyable smoke.  Although I did have to re-light it once and give it a couple of quick touch-ups, that did not occur with the first two I smoked, so I would judge the construction and burn characteristics to be very good to excellent.  The time it took me to smoke this one rather astounded me, so the $9 MSRP is a great value.  I will certainly check out the other sizes in this blend, and recommend that those looking for a cigar in this range try out this line as well.

Pairing:

The Jubelale winter seasonal ale from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR is one that I’m sure to pick up each year as it comes out.  This year’s version seems a bit thicker in the mouth than the ones that I’ve had in the past, and what the reddish brown color would indicate.  Roasty malt on entry is backed by smoky coffee along with a bit of dark fruit and caramel.  I loved the way that the smoky, roasty flavors reflected those in the White Premium, and the fruit and caramel intermingled nicely.  I think that a strong ale or a malt-forward Imperial IPA would be a great match for the Roberto Duran White Premium cigar, as would a smooth Highland Single Malt Scotch or a deeply fruity red wine.

The post Roberto Duran Azan White Premium Toro de Luxe appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Back in February, General Cigar Company announced the latest edition to their Punch brand, the Punch Signature. Produced in Danli, Honduras by Master Blender Agustin Garcia, the Punch Signature is available in four vitolas: Rothschild (4 ½ by 5), Robusto (5 by 54), Torpedo (5.8 by 62), and Gigante (6 by 60). Singles range in price from $5.39 to $7.39, but heavy discounts can be easily spotted online with a quick search. A blog post over at punchcigars.com provided the back story on the creation of the blend:

Development of the Punch Signature blend began in 2012. Agustin and his team found a small batch of Ecuadoran tobacco they wanted to use, but had to ensure that they would be able to have enough to make Punch Signature a full-time addition to Punch.

So they started working with a grower to cultivate this special Ecuadoran Corojo wrapper which we had grown exclusively for this cigar. The hardcore cigar lovers among you will be happy to know that the wrapper is related to the original Cuban Corojo seed. The Punch blending team in Honduras aged and sorted the tobacco, and prepared them for launch three years later.

The Facts

Samples Provided by General Cigar
Price: $6.79
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 by 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 35 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The white band is eye catching against the dark brown Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper that has its fair share of small veins, bumps, and oils. As I roll the cigar under my fingers, the abundant oils on the leaf can be easily felt.

Off of the wrapper, I find notes of barnyard and faint vanilla sweetness. The foot shows off notes of cherry, chocolate, and cedar.  A quick cut through the double cap opens up an easy draw with just the right amount of resistance. Rich cedar followed by cherry and chocolate greet my palate on the dry draw. Additionally, there are some potpourri-like spices.

First Third

The Punch Signature is opening with full flavors and a decent amount of spice. Each draw produces a copious amount of thick, chewy smoke with flavors of cedar, earth or leather notes, and a bit of a char taste. The burn, which began jagged, is straightening out. The spice is sharp as it passes through the sinuses and leaves a lingering sting. I think I’ll be keeping the retrohales to a minimum. At about the one inch mark, the heavy flavors begin to mellow out, along with the spice.

Middle Third

Entering the second third of the Punch Signature, the flavors noted earlier are becoming much richer and an unidentifiable sweetness is peaking through in the background. The mouth feel of the smoke remains full, coating all areas with its creamy texture. A small amount of chocolate, joined with more earthy notes, are picked up on the long finish. The burn has a mind of its own switching from wavy to jagged to just about perfect.

Final Third

Burning down to the last two inches of the Punch Signature, the spice has calmed, almost making a complete exit from the profile. The cedar is developing, the sweetness (maybe vanilla-bean) is rounding out  the profile, and a dark fruit flavor arrives with just over an inch and a half remaining. The strength is medium/full as the Punch Signature comes to a close.

Wrap-up

Punch has been one of my favorite brands in the extensive General Cigar Co. portfolio. The Punch London Club Maduro, a 5 by 40 Petit Corona, was my go-to smoke a few year back and I still enjoy them here and there. Between the price-point, exceptional construction, and just good ole’ flavors, it is hard for me to complain when it comes to Punch. And most of that has not changed after smoking the Punch Signature. No touch-ups were required on this wacky burning cigars, the flaky ash held firm, and the smoke production exceeded expectation. After the char flavor departed in the first third, I found myself enjoying the stick much more. The richness, sweetness, and the dark fruit created a nice combination of flavors, especially in the middle and final thirds. For under $7, the Punch Signature is worth a shot. For me, the Punch Signature is few steps behind the London Club and Rare Corojo.

The post General Cigar Co. – Punch Signature appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Prior to the release of the cigar in December, halfwheel reported on the La Hoja Edicion Clasica 1962:

The La Hoja Edición Clasica 1962 is actually the rebranded version of the Hoja de Flores Autentico Maduro, which the company said was one of its better selling lines and choose to keep the cigar with new packaging. It uses an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, Dominican binder and Dominican piloto cubano and Nicaraguan fillers.

The Facts

Samples Provided by La Hoja Cigar Co.
Price: $13
Vitola: No. 9 (Toro)
Size: 5 ¾ by 56
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Filler: Dominican
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Cubano & San Victor) and Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 35 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The Edicion Clasica 1962 sports a medium to dark brown wrapper with a deep rust-like color. Marked with dark waterspots and veins running the length of the cigar, the Edicion Clasica wrapper leaf is coated in oils that can be easily seen and felt. Big notes of cedar, wet earth, and pepper are found on the wrapper aroma, while the foot aroma is very refreshing with notes of fresh cut spearmint, cinnamon, rich cedar, and pepper.

A shallow cut through the triple-cap opens up a decent draw that presents flavors almost identical to the flavors noted on the cold draw of the Edicion Maduro 1962 with big notes cinnamon, apple cider, and clove.

First Third

From the first puff, my palate is met with full, rich flavors of cedar, coffee, pepper, and an unidentifiable sweetness. The coffee lingers on the finish of the smoke before it transitions to a Dubble Bubble gum-like flavor. While the flavors are full, the smoke feels thin in the mouth. At the one inch mark, the sweetness has subsided, the darker flavors of coffee and pepper are now dominating the profile. A thick, wavy burn line is leaving behind a white ash, with large pieces of pure black, burnt wrapper leaf that did  not fully burn.

Middle Third

A quick touch-up with my Zippo Z-Plus! gets the burn back in-line in preparation for the second third of the La Hoja Edicion Clasica 1962. The profile has found a great rhythm with some minor variances in flavors, but some more drastic changes in the balance of those flavors. The cedar has come back, some earthy, dirt-like notes have arrived, and the coffee has developed with some added richness and sweetness. I am glad to see the return of the sweetness as it rounds out and compliments the darker flavors. The thick corojo wrapper leaf continues to burn wildly.

Final Third

Diesel and dirt-like flavors are at the front of the profile as I burn my way into the final. The same flavors linger on the finish for a good length of time. A sharp pepper is highlighted as I pass the smoke through my sinuses. Closing out the cigar, toasted notes join in with an inch and a half remaining, with marshmallow sweetness and some dusty cocoa. Not to disappoint, an additional touch-up was required in the last third.

Wrap-up

Unlike the Edicion Maduro 1962, the Edicion Clasica 1962 samples were consistent in both flavors and performance. While the price is a bit high for my liking (yes, I can be cheap), the dark, rich flavors fit my palate and were well balanced. However, the performance was not to par for a $13 cigar. Multiple relights and touch-ups were required over the hour and half of smoking. After smoking my first sample, I decided to leave the second sample outside of the humidor for several hours to alleviate the burn and combustion issues. As noted above, the second sample smoked very similar to the first. Being no tobacco expert, I am not sure what helps or hinders the burn. With the La Hoja Edicion Clasica 1962 showing a lot of potential in the flavor department, I hope some rest on these cigars will improve the performance.

The post La Hoja Cigar Co. – La Hoja Edicion Clasica 1962 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The G.A.R. line of cigars is currently only offered in the Original or White Label. There were two other blends in the G.A.R. lineup called the Lux and the Vanguard but both have been recently discontinued. I heard a little “rumour” that there may be a new addition to the G.A.R. lineup very soon so be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the Gran Habano website! G.A.R. stands for it’s creator’s initials, George A. Rico, who is the mastermind behind Gran Habano Cigars. Be sure to check out some of our other Gran Habano reviews, including the new Azteca, Gran Reserva #3, Corojo #5 or the Connecticut #1 which was part of this Blind Review post. There is also a ton more information about the company in each of those reviews if you were curious to learn more about Gran Habano and it’s history.

The G.A.R. line was blending by Mr. Rico to be a full-bodied and full-flavored cigar that promises to be complex throughout. It is currently offered in 4 vitolas and today I will be lighting up the Robusto Grande size. One interesting thing about this blend is the use of a mild Connecticut leaf as the binder underneath the more powerful Corojo wrapper. Sounds like it could be a nice creamy compliment to the spicy and full offering, we’ll see how it plays out as I burn through the cigar.

Cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico. White Label / Original
Drink: Quinta do Tedo Fine Tawny Port
Vitola: Robusto Grande (5.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $6
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A very even and round looking cigar wrapped with a wonderfully oily and dark cinnamon brown wrapper
• A triple cap tops off this cigar with a mostly clean finish
• The wrapper is mostly vein-less and smooth except for two large veins running the length of the cigar
• The cigar has a perfect soft spring when squeezed that is consistent from cap to foot
• The band holds it together at the foot which appears to be well packed
• The cut cut off as clean as could be and with minimal effort

Burn:
• Took quite a bit of time to get the foot glowing and even then it wasn’t even, but after a quick draw everything was back in order
• The burn started off promising but then needed a correction within the first inch
• The cigar kept burning a little uneven and eventually it needs a slight re-light every so often
• It is burning quite slow and letting me enjoy it without extra attention
• Cigar began to tunnel and burn a bit hot near the end

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is offering up a full mouth of smoke
• Resting smoke is very minimal and gives off a woodsy aroma
• Ash is a very light grey color, almost white, and appears to be holding strong
• Tapped off the first ash just past an inch, it could have held on longer but my re-lighting seemed to affect it’s structural integrity
• All the other ashes were still around the one inch mark or less

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a light sweet tobacco aroma
• The foot has a similar sweet tobacco aroma but paired with a faint fruity-coffee mixture
• The pre-light draw offers up a kick of spice and cedar that you could never guess from the aromas
• Initial draws smack you in the face with a ton of tasty woody flavors
• The retrohale at this point is also full of woodsy flavors and lacks any bite
• A nice mellow bready flavor kicked in, nice
• After about an inch I’m getting some nice mild coffee flavors
• As I approach the middle I’m getting some clove flavors and a slight tartness to the mix
• The retrohale still has no bite and the same woodsy finish
• The body has held steady around the mild/medium and is continually giving me a nice creamy finish
• The coffee, bready and clove flavors are all still present as I reach the last third, they are each developing slowly on their own and taking turns as the dominant flavor
• I find that the clove flavor is developing the most and also mixing in a white pepper like flavor, I believe this is the Corojo wrapper starting to shine near the end
• The body started to pick up a bit more as I passed the past third
• The G.A.R. ended with more coffee and clove notes and subtle hints of pepper, very little harshness

Final Thoughts:
This was a tasty smoke with a good variety of flavors to keep you on your toes as you smoke through it. None of the flavors were overpowering or off-putting. My only complaint on this cigar would be the number of touch-ups it required. The touch-ups usually tend to change the flavor for at least a few draws and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Some of these burn issues could also be attributed to the cold temperature out here today, I find that below freezing temps can easily affect a delicate wrapper. But aside from that issue this is a cigar worthy of trying. It promised to be more full bodied then I found it to be, but that might have been because of the Port that I paired it with. It also promised to be complex and full-flavored and I fully believe it lived up to that. It’s offered at a fair price which can make it a good option to be included in your regular rotation.

Pairings:
Sorry for the lack in uniqueness in my pairings lately, I haven’t gone shopping for beer in awhile and I picked up two bottles of this port because they were on sale. If you’re one our wonderful faithful readers you’ll recognize this Quinta do Tedo Tawny Port from a couple of my recent reviews including the Monte Pascoal and the Miraculous Templar Maduro. Please check out those reviews for more details on this Port. The fruity flavors here are pairing well with the cloves and coffee. The higher sugar content of the Port is also helping to any nicotine effects that this cigar may have offered. I think a nice Scotch would have been a great choice here or a tasty bold coffee.

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