The Good Stuff:

Each and every year since 2014 The Crowned Heads have released the “Las Calaveras” which is a cigar created to pay tribute to those who are close to us which we have lost and each year has been special to me as I lost so many great people in my life over the past few years. If you want to catch up, you can reach each of my reviews on each different release below:

• Las Calaveras 2014
• Las Calaveras 2015
• Las Calaveras 2016
• Las Calaveras 2017
• Las Calaveras 2018
• Las Calaveras 2019
• Las Calaveras 2020
• Las Calaveras 2021
• Las Calaveras 2022
• Las Calaveras 2023

Manufactured at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua, this year’s blend features an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over, Nicaraguan binder and fillers grown by the Garcia family. The 2024 edition comes in four sizes: LC48 (6 x 48), LC52 (5 x 52), LC54 (6 x 54), and the Belicoso Fino ( 5 1/2 x 52) which only comes in the 4 cigar sampler. Only 39,000 of each format is being produced with the exception of the Belicoso Fino which only 3,000 will be produced. I purchased mine over from our friends at Small Batch Cigar.

• Size: 5 1/2 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $14.25

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 starts out with a brilliantly dark brown wrapper. The color is mostly consistent however the cap of the cigar carries a shade lighter than the foot. The wrapper’s texture is gritty and toothy with a whole mess of oils coating it. The wrapper feels very dense and hard while the cigar is packed well. The foot is a bit softer than the rest of the cigar which is pretty normal. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself while it displays some larger veining running through the cigar’s body leading up to its pointy, belicoso-style cap. The 2024 carries the same band we’ve found on all previously releases only this version’s is black, white, and an awesome pink. There is also the added gold “Crowned Heads” foot band on the 2024 version as well.

The wrapper on the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 gives off bold raisin and musk aromas while the foot of the cigar is more earthy and very floral. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces strong notes of sweet raisin, wood, and musk.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 starts out with a huge cayenne pepper blast I wasn’t expected. It left both my lips and tongue burning for a few seconds. After the first few draws the pepper faded allowing the cigar to release notes of sweet raisin and molasses over herbal notes that remind me of black tea, oak, and earthiness with an awesome musky aftertaste. The draw was a bit tight at the start but opened right up after a few minutes. Out of the 3 I smoked (different sizes) this was the only one that started off tight, and to be fair it only lasted a few minutes so I am harping on nothing really. Moving on! The burn line was dead even and razor thin leaving behind a very tightly compacted trail of white and light gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Some really bold dark chocolate notes really started to take over the flavor profile in the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 backed by raisin and musky wood with lighter notes of that herbal black tea. The sweetness has dropped out at this point and has been replaced by a pretty sharp spice. The retrohale it very spice forward and I don’t find myself doing it too often. I close out the second third with a minor little nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 and both the body and the strength have really ramped up. The flavor profile is now bold dark chocolate and musk over spice and cedar while that herbal tea is still hanging on. The sweetness has completed dropped out. The strength is now full in the “Full” arena. I wasn’t expecting such a drastic change in body and strength but I also very much enjoy it. The cigar burned perfectly form start to finish. Never once did I have to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. The cigar burned very slow. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke it down to the nub and I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and a good amount of nicotine.

Overview:

Every year I look forward to the Las Calaveras release. Not only to remember those we lost, but also, they are usually damn good cigars and the 2024 version is no exception. It’s been one of the more memorable Las Calaveras releases to date. Complex, full body, and full flavor. While it might be a touch more powerful than something a novice cigar smoker would enjoy, us vets love it. I usually grab a box of these to keep on hand and slowly smoke throughout the years and I will absolutely be grabbing more of these.

The post The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Each and every year since 2014 The Crowned Heads have released the “Las Calaveras” which is a cigar created to pay tribute to those who are close to us which we have lost and each year has been special to me as I lost so many great people in my life over the past few years. If you want to catch up, you can reach each of my reviews on each different release below:

• Las Calaveras 2014
• Las Calaveras 2015
• Las Calaveras 2016
• Las Calaveras 2017
• Las Calaveras 2018
• Las Calaveras 2019

The year the Las Calaveras blend features a Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. As with the rest of the previous releases the 2020 Las Calaveras is produced at the My Father Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua and comes in four vitolas: LC48 (5 1/2 x 48), LC 52 (5 x 52), LC56 (6 x 56), and the torpedo (6 1/8 x 52). Each of the first three sizes come packaged in boxes of 24 ranging between $10.95 and $12.95 a stick while the Torpedo is only available in a 4-count sampler which features each of the 3 main sizes as well as the torpedo for $49.95. I purchased mine over from our great friends at Fox Cigar Bar who have them in stock now and offer free shipping, no minimum.

• Size: 5 1/2 x 48
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $10.95
• Pairing: Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation (Imperial Stout 13.55% ABV)

Prelight:

The 2020 Las Calaveras starts out with a chocolatey brown wrapper that is semi-consistent in color with only a few lighter brown areas splotched throughout the leaf. The wrapper’s texture is extremely firm and dense with a good amount of tooth and grit as well as a ton of oils that transfer onto the tips of my fingers as I inspect the cigar. The Calaveras feels very firm and tightly compacted as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with the standard “Las Calaveras” band and crest only this year they chose a brilliant purple color which makes it stand out a bit from the rest of the releases. The new purple band is accompanied by a gold foot band with the “Crowned Heads” logo embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2020 gives off a ton of rich cedar and sweet brown sugar aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more spice focused with bold notes of natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great cedar, brown sugar, coffee and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2020 starts off with a pretty potent cayenne pepper bang which left my tongue and lips tingling for quite some time. After the first few draws the pepper began to wear off and I was left with bold notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar, blackberry soft spice and musk. The draw is a tiny bit on the tight side from the start, but as I progressed into the first inch it began to open up. The burning has some very slight waves while remaining very thin as it leaves behind a trail of tightly compacted light and medium gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2020 the dark chocolate has really began to take over the flavor profile backed by bold musk, light spice and blackberry along with some soft brown sugar notes. Pairing this with such a sweet beer with vanilla it really added this creamy texture to the cigar that I didn’t get the first few times I smoked it when I paired it with water or iced tea. The retrohale brings out a ton of the spice that is very faint in the standard experience. The has been no touchups, or relights as the cigar has been burning flawlessly. I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Las Calaveras 2020 and the flavors remain much of the same from the second third. The chocolate is leading the charge backed by musk, spice, and soft brown sugar. While the blackberry has dropped out of the experience there is a nice chamomile tea flavor that has crept its way in. The cigar started in the full-flavor full-body arena but has balanced out to a more full-medium/full experience towards the end. It took me almost 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I really appreciated being able to sit back and enjoy a great smoke and beer after a long hiatus. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat and never once had to touchup or relight the cigar.

Overview:

This year’s Las Calaveras release simply put, is fantastic. It seems a bit of a departure in flavor from previous releases as the flavors seemed more on the sweet/chocolatey side vs more organic tobacco flavors. The construction is flawless, and the price point as always, is very affordable. This was one of the better cigars I had this year, but I still don’t believe it competes with last year’s release as far as the flavor profile goes which is strictly subjective. I even smoked them back to back to make sure my bias against how much I enjoyed last year’s wasn’t leading my decision and I still choose last year’s release over this one. I can’t stress this enough, that doesn’t mean this cigar isn’t on par by any stretch, it certainly is.

Pairing:

This week’s paring is one of my all-time favorite beers, Bottle Logic’s Fundamental Observation. Brewed at the Bottle Logic brewery in Anaheim, California Fundamental Observation is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout aged with Madagascar vanilla beans. The beer starts off with a whole mess of sweet vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel and malt with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing sticky-sweet with more vanilla and milk chocolate over light toffee. Its easy to see why I paired this beer with the Las Calaveras 2020 as the flavor matched up extremely well and the more pronounced sweetness in the beer really brought the sweet character out of the cigar.

The post The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2020 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

For as long as I have been smoking cigars My Father cigars by the Pepin family have always been the basis of comparison to every Nicaraguan cigar I have smoked. They have continuously produces some of the best, highest quality cigars out. I am particularly a big fan of the standard My Father releases so when word spread of the La Promesa hitting shelves this year, I jumped right on it.

The blend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and both Nicaraguan binder and fillers grown soles on the Garcia’s own farms in Nicaragua. The My Father Cigars La Promesa is offered in five sizes: Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48), Lancero (7 1/2 x 38), Petite (4 1/2 x 50), Robusto Grande (5 1/2 x 54), and the Toro (6 x 52). Each format comes packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $7.80 and $10 a stick. I got mine over from our awesome friends at Fox Cigar Bar who have them in stock now and always offer free shipping on all orders, no minimum.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $9.20
• Pairing: The Bruery Icky Thump (Imperial Stout 11% ABV)

Prelight:

The My Fathers Cigar La Promesa starts off with a beautiful medium brown wrapper with a hint of orange. The color is semi-consistent with lots of darker areas splotched along the cigar’s body. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and coated with a thick layer of oil. The wrapper feels very thick, and dense while the cigar is packed tightly as a whole resulting in a very hard, heavy cigar. The wrapper features some very small veins as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round double cap. The cigar is polished off with the crazy intricate My Father band design we have all come to love with the addition of a similarly designed secondary band with the “La Promesa” crest in teal, as well as an orange foot ribbon.

The wrapper on the La Promesa gives off great spice, cedar, and natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar is a bit more tame with only a bit of dirt and musk. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces an incredible mixture of musk and cedar with a bit of spice at the end of the taste.

First Third:

The My Father Cigars La Promesa leads with a decent amount of cayenne pepper which left my mouth tinging for sometime before fading back allowing the cigar to release heavy cedar and musk flavors backed by pecan, spice, espresso, and malt. As I continue on an awesome floral flavor has been added to a mixture resulting in an incredible flavor profile. The draw is flawless and each little puff kicks out a good amount of thick white smoke while the cigar releases a good amount of stationary smoke while the cigar rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a very tightly compacted trail of white smoke which held on for a little less than an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the My Father La Promesa and the flavors are just pouring on. The musk and cedar still lead the charge backed by cocoa, espresso, and that great floral flavor is still hanging in there. The retrohale brings out a lot of the spice and pepper I experienced at the start of the experience so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The cigar is still burning brilliantly and I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

The floral and musk have really taken over the flavor profile into the final third of the My Father Cigars La Promesa. I really enjoy this flavor profile as the floral and musk are backed by pecan, cedar, coffee and cocoa. The cigar started off full-bodied and finished full bodied all while barely creeping into the medium-full strength category leaving me with only a mild nicotine kick and that’s hard to do. It took me almost two hours to take this cigar down the nub and I loved every second of it. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and I never had to reach for my torch to touch-up or relight the cigar.

Overview:

This is just another reason why My Father cigars and the Pepin family are held to such a high standard. La Promesa delivered. We’ll start with the flavor profile which, while very subjective, was one of the best profiles I have had in a cigar experience in some time. The burn and construction was flawless, the cigar wasn’t overpowered by strength, and it all came in a nice, affordable package. I don’t think you can want more in a cigar and I look forward to keeping many La Promesa on hand for my regular rotation.

Pairing:

For this weeks pairing I turn to the Bruery who did a collaboration with Mikerphone brewing to bring us Icky Thump. Icky Thump is an 11% Imperial stout brewed with copious amounts of Tugboat coffee. The beer leads with loads of cold-brew coffee, soft chocolate, soft cream, and light vanilla with a very heavy, sticky mouthfeel before finishing with even more coffee and cocoa. This beer is as close as you can get to cold-brew coffee. As I am a huge fan of black iced coffee this really hit the spot and it paired perfectly with the cocoa and heavy coffee flavors found in the La Promesa.

The post My Father Cigars My Promesa appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Each year since 2014 The Crowned Heads releases the Las Calaveras cigar, and cigar that was created to celebrate those who we hold close to us and have lost that year. I have been lucky enough to smoke each of the releases to date:

• Las Calaveras 2014
• Las Calaveras 2015
• Las Calaveras 2016
• Las Calaveras 2017
• Las Calaveras 2018

This year the Las Calaveras blend features and Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapped (this is the first time they have used this wrapper since my favorite, the 2014 edition) over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan filler. The Las Calaveras 2019 is offered in 3 limited edition sizes: LC46 (6 x 46), LC50 (5 x 50), and LC54 (6 x 54) which all come packaged in boxes of 24 running between $10.50 and $12.95 a stick. Only 1,700 of each format will be released. In addition to the 3 core sizes the cigar is also offered in a four count sampler which features an exclusive Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52) format. 2,000 samplers will be released running $49.99 a sampler. We got ours over from our great friends Fox Cigar, who have all sizes in stock now with free shipping, no minimum.

• Size: 4 x 46
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $10.50
• Pairing: Turning Point #BREAKFASTBROS (Imperial Stout 12% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2019 features a very consistent, orange tinted, dark brown wrapper. The only darker areas as scattered around the cigar’s cap. The wrapper carries a pretty toothy/gritty texture with some slight oils covering the outside of the wrapper. The wrapper feels very dense, and hard while the cigar itself feels very well packed and quite heavy showcasing no soft spots or problem areas. There is some nice natural webbing and very slight veins running through the cigar’s slender body leading up to it’s round, double wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard Las Calaveras band, only this time it’s red and absolutely stunning. This year’s band features the initials “CO” for Cano Ozgener, the founder of CAO which Jon Huber and much of the Crowned Heads staff had worked with, who passed away earlier last year. This year the cigar also features a gold foot band with the Crowned Heads logo embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2019 gives off little other than a light musky aroma while the foot of the cigar releases a whole mess of spicy scents along with natural wood, and earthy aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great musky/woody flavors.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2019 starts out with a nice blast of black pepper which quickly fades after the first few puffs releases some great, bold musk, oak and dark chocolate flavors backed by oat, cinnamon, a dash of sweetness and some subtle earthiness. The more I smoke, the more prominent the sweetness gets as it forms into a brown sugar/caramel mixture. The draw is beautiful as each little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, white smoke which hang around for a considerable amount of time before dissipating while the cigar releases only trace amounts of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of medium gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Las Calaveras 2019 and the flavors are really starting to develop into pure awesomeness. The cigar leads with a ton of oak, cinnamon, sweet caramel and dark chocolate with notes of musk, oat, and earthiness. The retrohale really brings the spice and musk out and I find myself doing it more often than I do with most cigars. The cigar is still burning dead even as I close out the second third with nothing to report in the nicotine department.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Las Calaveras 2019 and this incredible floral/cologne flavor has started to really make its presence known. I didn’t pick it up anywhere else in the experience. Along with that, the cinnamon, musk, and oak lead the charge now backed by dark chocolate, oat, and earthiness. This is a hell of a flavor profile. The cigar burned liked a champ from start to finish. I took this cigar down to the nub, as far as I could, and used my Redeemer (Thanks Jason) to take it down even further. I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat. I just didn’t want it to end. I close out at about 2 hours with only a minor nicotine tilt.

Overview:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2019 is everything you would hope for in a cigar. Complex, yet not-overpowering profile with a more modest strength rating. The cigar burned like a dream from start to finish while the price point is something I would pay over and over again (and plan to). I can confidently say that this was my favorite Las Calaveras release to date. I was curious as to how it holds up against the original 2014 release so I smoked these both in a same night earlier this week. Granted, the flavors have fallen off a bit in the 2014, but damn that was still an incredible cigar. That being said, the 2019 I smoked after offered more sweetness and musk which really fit my personal flavor profile perfectly.

Pairing:

Brewed in Bedford, TX by two of my favorite Texas breweries, Turning Point and Celestial,#BREAKFASTBROS is a 12% ABV Imperial stout brewed with cereal, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. The beer leads with a very heavy malt presence backed by notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, and roastiness with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with sticky toffee, cinnamon, chocolate, and more vanilla. This is a sweet bomb and in most cases would overpower most cigars, but with a very similar profile, and an abundance of flavor the Las Calaveras 2019 match up beautifully with this beer.

The post The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2019 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

One of the most highly talked about releases at this year’s IPCPR show in Vegas was Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje 15th Anniversary. The 15th Anniversary comes in 2 blends, both with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The difference comes in the form of the wrappers. One sports an Ecuadorian Rosado Claro wrapper, and the one we are looking at today is wrapped in an Ecuadorian Habano Oscar leaf. While this may be the first time the public has really gotten chance to try this cigar, halfwheel.com reported that both blends were originally released in 2004 and sold exclusively at Grand Havana Room until 2006. Both 15th Anniversary blends are released in two different sizes, Blicoso Fino (5 1/2 x 52) and Torpedo Grande (6 1/2 x 52). Each come packaged in boxes of 10 running $19 and $21 a stick respectively. I got mine over from our good friends at Cuenca Cigars who still have plenty in stock and ship directly to your door. 

Size: 5 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $19
Pairing: Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary Ale (Imperial Stout 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje 15th Anniversary Oscuro starts out with a very deep, dark brown wrapper. The color is consistently dark brown with only a few areas of darker webbing running through the wrapper’s leaf. The texture on the wrapper is very, very toothy and gritty. The wrapper feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole feels nicely packed, and pretty heavy. The wrapper on the foot of the cigar is carefully folded over itself covering the foot, as the cigar leads through it’s beefy body up to a tapered, round, torpedo style cap. The cigar is then polished off with an extremely beautiful, and elegant white and gold band with the Tatuaje logo and 15th anniversary crest. 

The foot of the cigar gives off lots of spice, sweetness, natural tobacco and a bit of tart. The wrapper on the cigar, well, its pretty much the same considering the cigar’s wrapper covers the foot. 

First Third:

The Tatutaje 15th Anniversary starts out with a massive blast of cayenne pepper that left both my lips and tongue tingling. After a few puffs the pepper began to take a step back as the cigar released some great sweetness, brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, spice, and a whole lot of tartness. The draw is a bit tight on each of these that I smoked, but manageable. The burn line is slightly wavy leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted medium gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje 15th and the cigars is still pounding away on the flavors reaching into the full-bodied arena. Lots of tartness, currant, dark chocolate, spice, and some subtle brown sugar sweetness. The retrohale really brings out the pepper and some great oak that isn’t found in the traditional experience. The burn line is starting to correct itself with only some minor waves now as the draw is beginning to open up as well. I close out the second third with a very minor nicotine click. 

Finish:

Into the final third of the Tatuaje 15th Anniversary Oscuro the and dark chocolate has really taken over the flavor profile. Backed by oat, tart cherry/currant, soft oak, and just a tad of sweetness. As I got down to the final inch and a half the pepper made a reappearance, but it was much more subtle. I close out the cigar with no extra harshness nor extended heat. While the cigar burned a bit wavy at times I never once had to reach for my torch to touch-up or relight the cigar so no marks taken there. The Tatuaje 15th Anniversary left me with a nice little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Tatuaje 15th Anniversary is a great celebration of 15 strong years in the cigar community. The cigar is bold, complex, with great flavors and great balance. The experience and construction is great, while the price point is just a bit high I don’t see that stopping me from grabbing more of these to keep in my humidor for those great nights when I am craving an extra special treat. I really enjoyed the flavor profile and the fact that the cigar burned so slowly taking me 2 hours to smoke down to the nub so you definitely get quite a bit of bang for your buck.

Pairing:

By now you should all be familiar with the Firestone Walker Anniversary series. Each year to celebrate Firestone Walker releases a blend of their Barrel Aged series beer. This particular blend was released about seven years ago. This particular blend consists of 31% Double Double Barrel Ale, 29% Stickee Monkey, 27% Parabola, 7% Velvet Merkin, 3% Good Foot, and 3% Black Xantus. Coming in at 12.5% this heavy beer leads with tart, dark chocolate, espresso, fig, caramel, and roasted malt with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with a whole mess of sweetness, decent boozy barrel, more tart dark chocolate, and caramel. The tartness, Dark Chocolate, caramel and malt paired wonderfully with the flavors in the Tatuaje 15th Anniversary while the cigar helped add a nice layer of spice to the beer. I would also pair this cigar with a nice tawny port, Belgian quad, or heavy barrel aged stout. This is a fantastic beer and I have to apologize to my buddy Jason who brought this over for a share some time ago. I just needed to take it down sooner or later and sorry we didn’t get to it last night!

The post Tatuaje 15th Anniversary Habano Oscuro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Late Hour is the newest addition to Davidoff’s highest selling Winston Churchill line. This is one of the few cigars we’ve seen Davidoff create in recent times containing barrel-aged tobacco. The Last Hour uses tobacco that has been aged for six months in Scotch singly malt whisky casks. The cigar starts out with an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder covering filler tobaccos from Dominican Republic and Nicargua. One of the Nicaraguan fillers, a Condega Viso was the specific tobacco that was aged in Speyside scotch barrels. The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour is offered in three different sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and the Churchill (7 x 48) which all come in boxes of 20 ranging between $17.50 and $20.10 a stick. I purchased a few of these over from our friends at Atlantic Cigar Company a while back, and then was gifted one by Jeremy’s sister on my birthday. I can’t remember which formats I got from where so I figured I’d mention both. Thanks Amy!

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Dominican Republic (Olor, Piloto, San Vicente) / Nicaraguan (Condega, Esteli)
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $17.50
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Bomb! (Imperial Stout 14% ABV)

Note: Thanks goes out to halfwheel.com for the wrapper/binder/filler breakdown

Prelight:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour starts out with a beautiful dark brown wrapper. Probably one of the darkest wrappers I’ve seen on a Davidoff off cigar. The color is semi-consistent with a good amount of darker splotches scattered throughout the cigar. The wrapper carries a good amount of tooth and grit and a stunning amount of oils which actually rubbed off a bit on my fingers as I inspecting the cigar. The wrapper feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole is incredibly firm and heavy. I really hope that doesn’t cause any issues as I get into the smoking experience. The wrapper carries a few mild veins as it leads up to the cigar’s round, double wrapped cap. The Late Hour is polished off with a beautiful black and gold band with elegantly showcases a silhouette of Winston Churchill himself, the Davidoff Logo, and the Winston Churchill branding as well as a secondary black band with simply states “Late Hour”.

The wrapper on the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour gives off a whole mess of different aromas. Starting with plum, spice, oak, and mud while the foot of the cigar is much more spice-driven with backing notes of sweetness, peat, and earthiness. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some nice plum notes with honey, spice, oak, and moss.

First Third:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour starts out with an unexpected cayenne pepper blast. Once the pepper begins to wear off I am greeted with lots of pine, moss, peat, honey, plum, cinnamon, and a bit of cocoa. I am really really digging how this cigar is starting out. The draw is perfect as each puff kicks out a desirable amount of gray smoke which dissipates rather quickly. The burn line is razor thin and wild but I haven’t had to touch it up so I’m not complaining. The ash left behind is slightly compacted and medium gray in color. It held on for about an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour and the flavors I usually identify Davidoff with are really starting to come out. The cigar now leads with the peat and moss, earthiness, and oak over great splashes of spice, honey, sweetness, vanilla, and a nice little booze bite at the end of the taste. The retrohale helps reinforce the peat, spice, and booze and I am enjoying doing it quite often. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour and the flavors are still pouring it on. Leading with peat, moss, earthiness and spice backed by vanilla, honey, and a bit of a scotch kick that became more noticeable in the final third. It took me almost 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I wish it would have lasted even longer. While the burn line was a bit wavy at times I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar. I experienced no harshness, not any extended heat as I closed out with a decent little kicking kick.

Overview:

I have really enjoyed the trend of more full-bodied cigars coming out of the Davidoff factory and the Late Hour tops that list. What a fantastic cigar that kept true to the Davidoff palate. The cigar is complex, yet easy smoking sticking true to it’s roots. Its rather expensive, but it’s Davidoff so that’s expected. This is a great cigar for those full-bodied smokers out there who have stayed away from Davidoff due to it being too mild for them. I would say this would have a place in my regular rotation but I just can’t do that with a $20 cigar. But this is something I’d spring for when I want something special especially around the holiday season when I’m drinking more stouts.

Pairing:

Prairie Artisan Ales is probably one of my most featured beers on Casas Fumando. For this week’s pairing I went with the Pirate Bomb which is an Imperial stout brewed with Cacao nibs, Coffee, Vanilla and Chiles aged in Rum barrels. The Tulsa, Oklahoma brewed beer comes in at a whopping 14% ABV. This stout leads with a whole ton of of sweetness, cocoa, vanilla, malt, heavy creamed coffee, and spice with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing very sweet with a good amount of booze, spice, cocoa, and vanilla with an awesome Chile flavor on the aftertaste. I love the Bomb series and I venture to say that the Pirate and Christmas bomb are probably my favorite from the bunch. Its so easy to pair these with just about and dark, sweet cigar and it showed with the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour. The beer added some great cocoa to the cigar which was probably the only thing I thought was missing.

Giveaway Winner:

And the winner of the 3 pack of Tatuaje Michael is:

Ken Fellenstein!

Congrats! Send your address to casasfumando[@]gmail.com and I’ll get these in the mail! And a big thanks goes out to everyone who entered! Keep a look out as we have been on a roll with Fox Cigars giving away cigars like crazy so I am sure another one is right around the corner.

The post Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour + Giveaway Winner appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

In 2014, Crowned Heads came out with Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2014 to widespread critical acclaim, including by our very own Tony Casas.  The following year, the company responded to requests for a regular production of the cigar by releasing a re-branded version of Las Calaveras called La Imperiosa, named after a defunct Cuban brand from the early 1900’s.  Although the blend is (supposedly) the same as Las Calaveras, the La Imperiosa line comes in four sizes distinct from the original.  La Imperiosa comes in Magicos 4½ x 52, Dukes 5½ x 54, Corona Gorda 5¾ x 46, and Double Robusto 6⅜ x 50, with prices running from $8.26 for the Corona Gorda to $9.76 for the Dukes in boxes of 24.  In addition to these sizes, a limited winter seasonal release of a quicker smoke, Minutos 4⅜ x 42 ($6.30 in boxes of fifty), was made available in 2016.  As with Las Calaveras, La Imperiosa is manufactured by My Father Cigars in Nicaragua.

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Size:  Double Robusto 6⅜ x 50
Price:  $9.26
Smoking time:  One hour, fifty minutes
Pairing:  Sierra Nevada Ovila Belgian-Style Abbey Quad with Cherries (ABV 9.2%)

Pre-light:

The La Imperiosa comes draped in a uniformly dark chocolate brown wrapper which shows a couple of medium veins among a few much finer ones, a slick oily sheen, and fine but obvious toothiness.  The cigar is packed as solid as a wooden dowel from cap to foot, with extremely tight seams leading to the expertly applied triple cap.  The band is a radical departure from the original Las Calaveras label, opting for gold and white lettering and graphics on a light turquoise background.  As I sniff the wrapper, I am greeted by a smoky, meaty earthiness and light barnyard, while the foot shows deep, rich tobacco and a hint of cocoa.  After clipping the cap, I am greeted by a very snug draw that shows sweet spice and cedar.

First third:

Right off the bat, the sweet spice of La Imperiosa hits the palate, followed by cedar, leather, and natural tobacco.  The retrohale features a smooth earthiness and nice balance of pepper.  The aftermath of the exhale leaves a pleasant sweet-sour tanginess on the palate.  The burn is not quite razor sharp and is just a bit wavy, and what appeared to be a solid ash fell unexpectedly into my lap at ¾”.  Orange citrus notes have appeared on the scene to add more complexity and terrific balance, and the sweetness has moved from the front of the palate to a more central position.  La Imperiosa has became a very smooth, medium bodied mouthful, with a great countering bite on the retrohale, and by the end of the first third, the burn has completely evened itself out.  The draw, while still just a bit snug, has opened up and smoke production has not been a problem from the get-go.

Middle third:

La Imperiosa dropped its second ash just before the beginning of the second third and continues to pump out great smooth flavors.  Cocoa has now joined the mix of tobacco, wood, spice, pepper, and fruitiness, while the leather has long since departed.  For a short period, the sweetness had turned almost cookie-like, but is now back to spice and citrus.  The strength, meanwhile, has bumped up into the medium range, but the flavors still have the upper hand, by far.  Earthiness soon makes a forward move, but is still held in check by the sweet/tart flavors, and the cocoa has turned more coffee-like.

Final third:

Entering the final phase of La Imperiosa, the sweetness has taken a step back, allowing the earthiness to move up more.  The wood is now more oak than cedar, and the whole experience is now more savory than sweet.  The cigar is now in the medium-full range, with the strength clocking at medium-plus.  Further down, the sweetness makes a last charge as La Imperiosa smokes absolutely cool and firm down to the nub.

Final thoughts:

I absolutely loved this cigar.  From the spot-on construction to the great complex flavors, it delivers.  I have to admit that my only experience with the original Las Calaveras 2014 was a single cigar that Tony generously gifted me, and my memory of it is a little clouded by now, but that did not enter into my evaluation of the La Imperiosa anyway, since the vitolas are all different and the tobaccos used are likely from different crops.  If I had to quibble, the band color is too reminiscent of the “It’s a Boy!” cheapie smokes (and I’ve heard from others who feel the same way), but since I’m not smoking the band, I can easily overlook that.  It’s well priced for the quality you get, and I highly recommend it to both seasoned smokers and newer smokers who are looking to move up to a stronger, but not overwhelmingly so, cigar.  I really liked the size of the La Imperiosa Double Robusto, too – it felt more like a 48 ring gauge than a 50 and was extremely comfortable to hold and smoke.  I would love to have this one around at all times.

You can get La Imperiosa from our friends over at Cuenca Cigars here.

Pairing:

This is my first experience with Sierra Nevada’s Ovila with Cherries, but having read Tony’s take on it, I had a good feeling about this pairing, and it did indeed turn out to be a great match for the La Imperiosa.  Ovila with Cherries presents sweet, tart fruity flavors with deep maltiness and even a little bit of cola with a sticky, viscous, medium-full bodied mouthfeel, all of which played tremendously well with the flavors present in the cigar.  A Belgian strong ale, sweet rum, or a big tawny port would also be a great way to go with La Imperiosa.

The Crowned Heads La Imperiosa

The post The Crowned Heads La Imperiosa appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Blended by Pete Johnson and the rest of the L’Atelier crew, all of the cigars in the Surrogates brand are manufactured at My Father Cigars in Esteli, Nicaragua, which contains Skull Breaker, Bone Crusher, Tramp Stamp, Satin Glove Crystal Baller, Animal Cracker, and Cracker Crumbs. The Cracker Crumbs launched at the 2014 trade show alongside the L’Atelier Travailleurs, El Suelo Vuelos, and Trocadero Ruelles.  Each of these releases come packaged in soft-packs containing five 4 ½ by 38 cigars. The most similar packaging I have seen to this is the J. Fuego Originals. And I absolutely love it! The blend of the Cracker Crumbs in based on the Surrogates Animal Cracker.

THE FACTS

Price: $14.50 per 5-pack
Vitola: Petite Corona
Size: 4 ½ by 38
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 55 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Surrogates Cracker Crumbs wears a medium to dark brown wrapper that has some color variations and is rustic in appearance. The leaf is covered in veins, bumps, stretch marks, and oils. The cigar feels solid as I examine it for any soft spot, but I can feel the contours of the underlying binder leaf. As I bring the cigar to my nose, mild aromas of cedar and earth are first to greet me, followed but a very light syrupy sweetness, while the foot aroma is mainly of rich cedar. The pre-cut Cracker Crumbs has an open draw, maybe too free, showing off a mild cedar and a spice heat lingers on the lips and in the mouth.

FIRST THIRD

Right of the bat, this little cigar comes out kicking with a full amount bright spice against a sweet generic woodsy flavor as each draw brings forth a mouth-full of smoke. Due to the level of spice that is hitting the back of my throat, it is necessary to exhale some of the smoke from my mouth prior to retro-haling. But with that said, the retrohale is a must as it shows off a different dimension of the spice. Closer to a cayenne pepper. The Surrogates Cracker Crumbs is burning remarkably well as a light gray ash is formed.

MIDDLE THIRD

Being still early in the cigar, I am caught off guard by the amount of strength the Surrogates Cracker Crumbs brings to the table. The flavors appear to have settled, most noticeably in the spice department, and  the sweetness in the first third has calmed allowing for more  of an earthy flavor to move in. There is a somewhat sour quality to the smoke that comes across every so often. Near the midway point, a small section of the wrapper is lagging behind the rest of the burn, but I expect it to self-correct. In addition to the lopsided burn, the ash is not nearly as pretty as earlier

FINAL THIRD

As move into the final inch and half of the Surrogates Cracker Crumbs, this Petite Corona is coming across much richer but with less body than earlier. The cigar remain pretty consistent with the second third and the nicotine is really hitting me. As expected, a touch-up was not necessary as the burn self-corrected. 

WRAP-UP

Coming in at less than $3 a cigar, the Surrogates Cracker Crumbs by L’Atelier Imports is the perfect little cigar to accompany you on a commute or fill in those limited time slots during the day that won’t allow for a larger cigar. But don’t let the size trick you. This 4 1/2 by 38 Petite Corona packs a punch in spice and strength. It may be best reserved for later in the day.

You can order yourself some Cracker Crumbs from our good friends at Ford on Fifth HERE .

The post L’Atelier Imports – Surrogates Cracker Crumbs appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

On the heels of my review of Padilla’s Reserva San Andres, I now bring you another of the company’s newer and lower priced lines.  Like the San Andres, La Pilar is intended to bring to the smoker an affordable, yet high quality cigar.  Utilizing an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, they come in three box-pressed sizes:  Robusto 5 x 54; Toro 6 x 52; and Churchill 7 1/4 x 57.  Prices run between $5.50 and $7.10.  Hopefully, Padilla will get its website up one of these days or at least post an email contact, so I don’t have to search all over the internet and/or contact retailers for accurate info.  I obtained a handful of the Robusto size from our friends over at Cuenca Cigars, and want to thank Ana Cuenca for confirming the sizes.

The basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder:  Nicaragua
Filler:  Dominican Republic, Nicaragua Jalapa and Esteli
Size:  Robusto 5 x 54
Price:  $5.50
Smoking time:  One hour, eighteen minutes.
Pairing:  Unibroue Don de Dieu (ABV 9%)

Pre-light:

The Padilla La Pilar No. 4 is draped in a medium brown wrapper with reddish orange cast and streaks of darker brown throughout.  A few very small veins are apparent, the fairly smooth surface has a light oily sheen, and the boxed roll is firm but not hard.  For some reason, though, the cigar feels like it’s more of like a 52RG than 54.  I suppose that’s just the way it goes with box pressed sticks.  The rather large primary band is bright gold and red on a white background, while the secondary band is gold on black and reads “No. 4 Craft Batch Series”.  The wrapper scent is of light barnyard with a bit of tang, while the foot shows mossy earth and natural tobacco.

First third:

The Padilla La Pilar immediately gives up a good mouthful of smoke, showing wood, earth, and pepper laden spice.  The pepper quickly recedes and there is a brightness on the retrohale that I can’t quite place, along with something akin to a smoked roasted nut.  The burn has started out pretty thick and wavy, requiring a quick and painless touch-up, and the ash, while a bit flaky, holds on for a good inch before dropping into my ashtray.  The nutty flavor has backed out, and some light roasted coffee notes come and go.

Middle third:

Entering the center portion the cigar, the La Pilar is holding to a solid medium body with no nicotine strength.  The burn line continues to waver, but any corrections are very quick and easy.  Wood and earth still the main flavor components, while black pepper pungency (but not the bite) and a bit of yeasty bread show on the retrohale.  A slight amount of char is also showing, which seems to be a recurring theme in many of the cigars I’ve been smoking lately, so that’s probably more a reflection of my palate than the cigar.  As the cigar moves toward the latter part of this section, the body has risen beyond medium, but not quite to medium-full.

Final third:

Into the final third of the Padilla La Pilar No. 4, the pepper has begun to make a comeback, both in flavor and on the lips and tongue, while the other flavors have pretty much remained static.  At this point the cigar has displayed a tendency to want to go out and I notice a bit of tunneling.  That doesn’t last long though, and it is soon back on track, and a brighter, almost citrus note has emerged to mingle with the darker flavors.  The La Pilar smokes cool and firm down to the nub with little harshness, ending up at a medium-full body and just a very slight nicotine kick.

Overview:

I very much enjoyed the two La Pilars that I had smoked prior to this one, and although this one wasn’t quite up to the level of those, it was still a solid smoke.  I didn’t have the burn problems with the others that I encountered on this one, and I actually picked up some added sweetness and depth in those that weren’t present I this particular cigar.  For $5.50, it’s not the most complex cigar around, nor would I expect it to be, but this is a slam dunk to pick up on and try out, and I will certainly be getting more of them after I get through the two that I have left.

Pairing:

It’s been quite a while since Unibroue’s Don de Dieu has been featured here at Casas Fumando, but this is an outstanding Canadian brewed triple wheat ale that sports a great combination of sweetness, citrus fruit, malt, and overall balance in an effervescent mouthful.  Don de Dieu means “gift of God” in French, and refers to the name of the ship that Samuel de Champlain was on board when he arrived to establish the city of Quebec in 1608.  Its presentation hides the 9% ABV sneakily well, and it’s a great companion to just about any medium to medium-full bodied cigar, so the match-up was everything I expected of it.  The Padilla La Pilar No. 4 would also go very well with a strong ale or Scotch ale, a red wine, a fruity bourbon, or sweet rum.

The post Padilla La Pilar Series No. 4 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Espinosa Alibi is the first of a new series called “The Backroom Series” which shipped to 3 lucky Espinosa retailers who feature Espinosa Lounges in December. The Alibi is a 6 x 48 cigar which features a Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper along with some undisclosed binder and fillers produced at the La Zona factory in Nicaragua. The Alibi comes in a single size, packed in boxes of 10 running $90 a box with only 200 boxes produced. The 3 retailers who carry the Alibi are Casa Belicoso in Walnut Creek California, Cordova Cigars in Pensacola Florida, and Smoke Inn VI in Margate Florida with more to be expected as Espinosa Lounges are established across the country. (Thanks to Halfwheel for the info) Samples were sent to us from our friends at Espinosa for review.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Founders Backwoods Bastard (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale 10.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The Espinosa Alibi starts out with a very dark, very beautiful toothy, veiny, web wrapper. Seriously this thing feels like it’s wrapper in sandpaper. The wrapper is very a very dark, very consistent brown and feels very dense with little give as I squeeze it between my fingers. the long body leads up so a shallow, round, double cap. The Alibi is polished off with a simple, elegant beige band with the word “Alibi” on the front, “Backroom Series” on one side, and “Espinosa Lounge Exclusive” on the other while the foot sports a simple black band that blends in with the darkness of the wrapper.

The wrapper on the Alibi gives off tons of pepper, spice, and raisin while the foot of the cigar lets looks a generous blend of spice and tobacco. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some really bold raisin, spice, sweetness and a whole mess of pepper left my lips tingling.

First Third:

As I expected the Espinosa Alibi starts off with a strong black pepper boom which leaves both my tongue and lips with a tingling sensation. The pepper began to simmer down a bit after about a half inch in and the Alibi’s flavors began to take shape with a really strong raisin leading the pack backed by some dark cheery, leather, spice, and sweetness on the finish. The draw is a bit loose but I can dig it as each little puff produces a ton of thick smoke. The burn line has a few slight waves, but nothing too serious as it leaves behind a trail of medium gray, compacted ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The black pepper is still quite resident into the second third of the Espinosa Alibi. The raisin is still rocking solid with the cherry and sweetness backing while the spice has ramped up quite a bit. The Alibi started in the medium category but is now venturing into the full-bodied zone. The retrohale is very sharp and much to spicy/peppery for my liking. The burn is still slightly wavy but hasn’t needed any extra attention from my lighter while I am feeling a slight bit of nicotine while closing out the second third.

Finish:

The pepper has finally cleared way for the other flavors in the final third of the Espinosa Alibi. The flavors are pretty consistent leading with the raisin and cherry backed by sweetness and spice with a ramp up in leather and oak. The draw is been a bit wavy the entire time but I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar so I’m not complaining. It took me about an hour and forty five minutes to smoke the Alibi down to the nub and while the strength really stepped it’s game up towards the end, there was no harshness or heat finishing very bold and proper with a beautiful little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Espinosa Alibi is a solid cigar in every category. I usually gravitate towards full-bodied cigars and this is the perfect example on full-bodied done right. The flavors are bold, yet balanced while I wasn’t overpowered by the higher strength this cigar yields. The size chosen is incredible as I usually go for smaller ring gauges as I feel the wrapper, in most cases, delivers more of the flavors I look for. This probably isn’t going to be something that novice cigar smokers are going to be chasing down but I think it’s perfect for the seasoned smoker looking for a great full bodied experience. My only gripe is the availability but that was the whole idea behind this series.

Pairing:

Yeah, this pairing rocked. Simple as that. The first time I smoked the Alibi I knew that I would be choosing Founders Backwoods Bastard as it’s partner. The Backwoods Bastard is a 10.2% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale and one of my favorites in the Founders portfolio. This particular bottle was from a 2013 haul I brought in. The beer leads with some strong Bourbon and caramel with a very heavy and thick mouthfeel finishing strong with lots of sweetness, malt, and cajeta with a good amount of booze. This cigar would pair perfectly with any wee heavy, spiced rum, our tawny port.

The post Espinosa Cigars Alibi – Backroom Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Well, I’m back with a review of another Nomad cigar, this time the C-276. I had previously reviewed the Nomad Dominican core line in the Vagabond size. The C-276, the latest of Fred Rewey’s creations, was released at this year’s IPCPR trade show, and has been getting a good amount of positive press. It is the fifth line that Fred has produced, and the third Nicaraguan made blend, after the limited Estili Lot 1386 and the S-307. According to the Nomad website, the blend consists of a five leaf filler, including Ometepe leaf, a Nicaraguan binder, and is cloaked in an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper. In explaining the naming of the cigar, Fred says:

“I really wanted to push myself on this blend. I kept trying to add layer upon layer of complexity all the while making sure the flavors married well with each other.

The name C-276 also has a back story. The “C” is for Concepción, one of two volcanoes on Ometepe Island. “276″ is the square kilometers of the island.

Matter of fact, Ometepe was such a key ingredient at one point in the blending – I named the cigar after the mysterious island.”

The C-276, like last year’s S-307, is manufactured at AJ Fernandez’ Tobacalera AJ Fernandez factory, but Fred tells me that although AJ recommended that he look into the Ometepe leaf for his project, he was otherwise not involved in the blending. It is available in five sizes, all box pressed: Toro (6×50); Robusto (5×50); Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52); Toro Grande (6 x 58); and Corona (5.5 x 46).

This is the only Nomad C-276 I have smoked, and was gifted to me by my great Louisville buddy, Chris Tivnan aka @TheChris213, who happens to be one of the world’s biggest Nomad tramps. Just kidding… sort of. Big thanks to Chris!

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, including Ometepe and two ligeros
Size: Torpedo 6 ½ x 50 box pressed
Price: $8.75
Smoking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Pairing: Silver City Fat Woody Scotch Ale

Pre-light:

The Nomad C-276 sports a classy looking black, red, and silver band that is nearly identical to that of the S-307, save for the small designations for each line on the side. The cigar itself is handsomely rolled in a rectangular box press culminating in a sharply pointed cap, and is firm throughout when gently squeezed. The wrapper is an oily and rich dark chocolate brown, uniform in color with a couple of minor veins. Smelling the wrapper, it exudes a sourish barnyard and tobacco aroma, while the foot shows more of a tobacco, cedar, and light white pepper character. The cold draw brings sweet spice and grassiness.

First third:

The cap cuts rather easily and leads to a slightly snug draw, but it doesn’t seem like it will be a problem. After lighting, the first draws present an oaky wood, earth, and unsweetened cocoa with a touch of leather and a very light sweetness that lingers on the tongue. The smoke texture has a nice oily slickness to it. The retrohale adds a nice peppery sting, but soon calms down to a smoother experience. The body of the C-276 is at a pretty solid medium starting out. The burn is somewhat wavy, but is not a problem at this point, while the ash is a brownish hue rather than the more usual gray or white. As I smoke further into the first third, the wood has turned towards cedar and the cocoa has morphed into more of a coffee flavor, while displaying a little more sweetness in the aftertaste. An inch in, the ash begins to show some weakness, so I easily tap it off. Some light floral notes weave in and out, adding even more complexity.

Middle third:

Moving into the second third of the C-276, the smoke texture has become very smooth while continuing to present the same enjoyable flavors, and the intensity of the pepper has quieted down a little more, although it is still quite noticeable. The burn continues to be wavy, but every time I start to think that I need to pull out my lighter and do a correction, the cigar seems to pick up on my thoughts and begins to self-correct. By about the mid-point of the stick, the earth has dropped off, to be replaced by some slightly charred notes and fleeting glimpses of nutmeg and musk, while the cedar has come to the forefront and the coffee remains in the picture. The experience keeps getting smoother, sweeter, and richer while maintaining its medium profile. The C-276 seems to have lost its gift of telepathy at this point and I’m forced to give it its first correction – not a big deal.

Final third:

The last third of the cigar brings a ramp-up in body, getting into the full range and the pepper has stepped up, especially on the tip of the tongue, while the strength has tipped over to the plus side of medium and continues to rise. The flavors have become a little muddled by the power of the stick, or maybe my mind is being affected a bit by the escalating strength and the 9.2% ABV of the beer, and it’s finally time to put it down with just over an inch remaining.

Overview:

The Nomad C-276 is a great cigar, especially for those who are into the fuller bodied and stronger smokes. The flavors are distinct and complex, and the construction is solid. Although I did eventually have to correct the burn a few times, it was not an aggravation, and did not affect the flavors. Fred did an outstanding job in blending this stick, and the inclusion of the Ometepe leaf takes it a step beyond the S-307 that I had previously enjoyed, in terms of additional flavors and balanced complexity. The price is more than reasonable for a cigar of this quality and flavor, making this a terrific addition to the Nomad lineup. Now my problem is that my local Nomad retailer is in the process of moving to a new location, and has let his stock of cigars dwindle down to virtually nothing, with no Nomads to be had, so I will be forced to turn to other sources to procure more of these.

Pairing:

The Fat Woody Scotch Ale from Silver City Brewery in Bremerton, WA is a variant of the Fat Scotch Ale I had previously paired with the 601 Green Label. This is the same 9.2% ABV strong Scotch ale, but has been aged in American white oak, giving it a smoother character with chocolate, plum, vanilla, and a strong malty sweetness. It’s a perfect pairing for the Nomad C-276, matching up with the cigar’s flavors, and filling in the gaps with complementary flavors of its own. I think a barley wine would also be a great way to go with the C-276.

The post Nomad C-276 Torpedo Guest Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.