The Good Stuff:

Firewalker is the latest release in CAOs Arcana portfolio which features limited runs of cigar produced with rarer tobaccos. Last year’s Arcana Mortal Coil was one of my favorite cigars I smoked all year. The Firewalker features an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper over Nicaraguan Binder and Filler. The fillers actually go through a very unique and ancient process called Chincagre. The filler comes from the Mastepe region in Nicaragua. Once the tobacco is stacked in pilons, those pilones are then buried in volcanic soil for two months to ferment. Once ready, the tobacco is removed and then goes through another round of fermentation for 9 months at the factory. This painstaking process is used by tobacco farmers in western Nicaragua to trap in the sweetness and aromatic flavors of the tobacco that could be lost in open-air fermentation. The Arcana Firewalker comes in a sign 6 1/2 x 56 format which comes packaged in 20-count boxes running $11.99 per stick. Only 5,000 boxes will be produced. Big thanks to CAO for sending a few of these our way for review.

• Size: 6 1/2 x 56
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $11.99
• Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Double Barrel Brand Toasted Barrel Stout (Imperial Stout 16% ABV)

Prelight:

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, this thing has a HUGE band much like the Mortal Coil did. Underneath the band is a very rough, rustic looking wrapper that is mostly medium brown with scattered reddish, light brown, and orange tints. The wrapper’s texture carries some light toothy and loads of oils. The wrapper itself feels very thick and sturdy while the cigar as a whole is very hard and heavy. I think I could beat someone down with this thing. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s large, round, double-wrapped cap with just a tiny little tail sticking up. Then of course, the band. It’s a dark gray with black and red embossed ink which covers about 2/3 of the cigar’s body. The Arcana and CAO crest can be found printed on the front and back while “FIREWALKER” runs down the side.

The wrapper on the Arcana Firewalker gives off a great amount of sweet tobacco and gingerbread while the foot of the cigar is mostly musk and earthiness. The cap took a little convincing from my Xikar XO double bladed cutter, but once clipped the cold draw releases notes of musk, tartness, and earthiness with some subtle sweetness.

First Third:

The CAO Arcana Firewalker starts out with a quick blast of black pepper which didn’t stick around too long before the cigar began to release bold notes of dark chocolate and raspberry over wood, gingerbread, pecan, and loads of earthiness. The opening profile is fantastic. The draw is perfect. Each little puff kicks out loads of thick, gray smoke while the cigar releases a huge amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line started a bit wild but has now corrected itself as it’s burning solid and even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of white ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the CAO Arcana Firewalker and I am getting the bold dark chocolate and raspberry still over lighter notes of wood, pecan, sweetness and musk while a great floral/cologne type flavor is found on the aftertaste. The retrohale brings out some toasted spice notes that I don’t get during the standard smoking experience. The cigar is still burning flawlessly and I close out with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Here we are into the homestretch of the CAO Arcana Firewalker and this thing is still firing on all cylinders. The bold chocolate and raspberry are still the dominant flavors here with notes of pecan, wood, sweetness and musk. This is such a great flavor profile. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I really enjoyed every minute of it. There were no burn issues, no extended heat, no harshness and very little nicotine.

Overview:

Last year the Arcana Mortal Coil caught me by surprise with how great it was which led to high expectations for the Firewalker, and it delivered. The flavors were balanced and complex while still being incredibly enjoyable. There is a sweet-spot for me where a cigar is bold in body and flavor while not being overpowered by nicotine. The Firewalker fell in the mid-range for strength which was perfect. I don’t know that I liked it more than the Mortal Coil, but I didn’t need to. They are very different cigars which both offered a very unique experience and I can really appreciate the work that went into the tobacco process for this cigar.

One note: I hate these Chinese finger trap bands. They tend to do more harm than good as they always tug and tear on the cigar’s wrapper. Not to mention you have to take the band off so early in. Also, it hides the beauty of the cigar.

Pairing:

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Double Barrel Brand Toasted Barrel Stout is their standard Bourbon County Brand Stout aged in Elijah Craig small batch bourbon barrels, then aged in Elijah Craig Toasted bourbon Barrels. The result is a boozy little 16% Imperial stout. The beer leads with heavy sweetness, caramel, vanilla, roasted malt, pecan and a great black cherry flavor I don’t normally pick up in Bourbon County. The mouthfeel is incredible thick and sticky while the beer finishing with more vanilla and caramel over some sweet barrel flavors and a lasting bourbon bite. This is such a great example of the perfect treatment of this beer. I’ve had so many of it’s variants that just didn’t do much for me however this is the first one in a while that really got my attention. The flavors paired perfectly with the musk, pecan, and sweetness from the Firewalker while the black cherry note added a whole other dimension to the pairing.

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The Good Stuff:

Southern Draw has partnered up with Cigars International to bring us yet another great addition the exclusive brands the duo has produced together. From the Cigars International website:

On this Veterans Day, we wanted to show support for some veterans that currently operate in the world of cigars. Southern Draw is a small boutique company out of Texas that’s owned and operated by a family of veterans. Headed by two US Military vets, Robert and Sharon Holt, this company is committed to being socially responsible and charitable to those in need. So it’s only fitting that we show them some support today and everyday.

Not just good people, Southern Draw makes some damn fine cigars that have been growing in popularity rapidly the past few years. And today, I’m pleased to announce their newest release that can only be found right here at Cigars International. Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta comes crafted in a lovely 5.5”x54 box-pressed belicoso shape with only 1,000 mazos made available. The name of the cigar and artwork on the packaging pays homage to Holt’s time at Ft. Gordon in Augusta, GA.

As for the cigar itself? Crafted at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Factory in Nicaragua, you know you’re in for a flavorful treat. A double fermented Ecuador Habano wrapper greets the eye with Mexican and Nicaraguan Tobaccos underneath. The Habano wrapper leaf, paired with dark tobaccos underneath provides a sweet and spicy, medium-bodied experience with notes of roasted nuts, cocoa, and caramel. These cigars were rolled way back in May 2014, giving them a healthy 5 years of age, and now it’s their time to shine.

• Size: 5.5 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Mexican San Andres
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $9.99
• Pairing: The Bruery Elvis Mash (Barleywine 10.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta starts out with a gorgeously consistent, milky-brown wrapper. I’m hard-pressed to find any color inconsistency in this. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy with a whole mess of oils coating it. The wrapper itself feels very thick and dense as the cigar as a whole it very heavy, then a little soft to the touch. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading form the cigar’s foot up to it’s tapered torpedo cap. The soft-box-pressed format makes the cigar incredibly comfortable to hold both in hand, and in mouth. The cigar is polished off with a Maroon version of the Souther Draw band we’ve come to expect from the brand with the addition of a secondary band sporting the “Augusta” crest embossed in gold.

The wrapper on the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusts gives off good amount of floral and earthy notes while the foot of the cigar is much more moss/dirt based with notes of soft spice. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of pecan notes over a good amount of earthiness.

First Third:

The Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta starts out with a nice little black pepper greeting which faded from the experience after the first few puffs, but not before leaving my lips tingling a bit. Once the pepper faded the cigar began to release a ton of the pecan flavor I picked up during the cold draw over caramel, bold earthiness and some slight floral flavors with a dash of.. what I can only describe as banana. That’s a reach for sure, but I swear there is this subtle sweetness on the finish that reminds me of banana bread. Anyways, the draw is flawless as every little puff whips out a ton of thick smoke that doesn’t hang around for very long before dissipating while the cigar releases a decent amount of stationary smoke as it it rests in my ashtray. The burnline started with a pretty wide wave but has quickly started to fix itself as it leaves behind a trail of compacted dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling in my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta and everything is still going great. The Pecan, caramel and earthiness still lead the chard with lighter notes of floral, banana bread, and now some slight cocoa. The retrohale really brings out the spice and a bit of the pepper I picked up at the start of the experience. The cigar is still burning great and close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Southern Draw Firethorn Augusta and not a whole lot has changed since the second third, and I am all for that. Pecan and Caramel are the dominant flavors over earthiness floral, and yes, banana bread which surprisingly has stuck around for the long haul. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. One note, in a few of the cigars I smoked prior to this one I experienced a good amount of sap build up, as the cigar may still be very young. I really took my time smoking this one and experienced none of the sap so it’s likely I was smoking too quickly before.

Overview:

Forgive the lack of ash in my ashtray, it was breezy out so the wind too care of that. Southern Draw has been sneakily creating some world-class blends over the past few years and the Firethorn Augusta is no exception to that. The complex, and extremely pleasant flavor profile showcases just what this cigar brings to the table. The burn was flawless and the price point is very affordable considering the experience this cigar offered. You can’t really ask for more. This is something I will grab more of and add to my everyday rotation while they are still available.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s Elvis Mash is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine brewed with bananas, peanuts and salt. Coming in at 10.9% ABV this barelywine leads with loads of sweet brown sugar and strong natural banana flavors, which is a very hard flavor to achieve in such a big, barrel aged beer. Under the banana and sweetness are great notes of peanuts, malt, and caramel with a very heavy, sticky mouthfeel before finishing with even more brown sugar and banana over lighter notes of vanilla and malt. I have a thing for banana in beer and this beer had loads of it. The only thing really missing here is the barleywine, I was expecting more bitterness and hop instead of all the sweetness, but once I got through that shock I couldn’t get enough of it. As soon as I lit up the Souther Draw Firethorn Augusta for the first time I knew exactly what beer I wanted to pair it with. The toffee and banana notes blended in perfectly with the beer while adding a bit more complexity to the beer with the earthy overtones.

The post Southern Draw – Firethorn Augusta appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

Cigars blended and/or manufactured by Abdel (AJ) Fernandez have certainly not been ignored here at Casas Fumando, as there are too many reviews of them in the archives to list or link to.  Suffice to say that we are all fans of what he has put out ever since he burst onto the scene several years ago.  The Enclave follows on the heels of the New World that he and his father Ismael introduced last year, and is a tribute to the community of cigar smokers the world over.  Although I have yet to try the New World (I know, shame on me), the premise of the Enclave was too much for me to pass up on it for a review before I could get around to the New World.  With all of the vitolas of the Enclave being of a 52 ring gauge, it is right up my alley in terms of size.  Those sizes are Robusto 5×52, Toro 6×52, Figurado 6.5×52, and Churchill 7×52 and fall within the $6 – $7 range.

The cigars for review were once again provided by Cuenca Cigars.

The Basics:

Wrapper:   Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder:  Cameroon
Filler:  AJF Select Nicaraguan and AJF Piloto Cubano
Size:  Figurado 6.5 x 52
Price:  ~$6.80
Pairing:  Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (7.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The AJ Fernandez Enclave presents itself in an oily wrapper, uniformly medium brown in color and sporting a couple of medium sized veins.  It is for the most part firmly packed with a few slightly softer spots, starting with a blunt foot and culminating in a sharply pointed cap.  The main band is primarily blue, red, white, gold, and sepia, and depicts a Native American astride a horse, while the secondary band of red, blue, and gold reads “A.J. Fernandez”.  The wrapper displays scents of tobacco and light earth.  The foot gives off tobacco, earth, wood, and light coffee.

Snipping the cap, I’m greeted by a snug draw, but that may be the effect of the nearly closed foot, so we’ll see how that progresses.  The flavors on the cold draw are light cedar and tobacco with a touch of sweetness.

First third:

Despite the slightly tight draw, the Enclave produces a decent of smoke featuring sweet cedar and just a hint of white pepper.  Earth and leather become apparent, more so on the retrohale.  Although I needed to make a quick correction due to the shape of the foot (i.e. my iffy lighting technique), the Enclave is now burning with thin and even line.  The ash which is part white and part gray (again, most likely due to the shape) looks solid, save for a crack about ½” down, and sure enough, it falls on me ¾” in.  The smoke output has increased and inch or so in, and the body has likewise gone up to a solid medium, bringing in a bit of musk and fleeting bread notes.  It has become nice and smooth on the entry, while leaving a bit of lingering tickle on the back of the tongue and throat.  Sweetness has become more apparent in the wood flavor, with bread on the retrohale.

Middle third:

Entering the second section of the AJ Fernandez Enclave, the cedar, earth, and leather continue to drive the flavors, while some bitter coffee and herbaceousness has come into play.  The sweetness has backed off and the body continues to climb.  With bitterness creeping up, I have given the stick a quick purge, and the sweeter notes immediately come rushing back.  Since my initial touch-up, the Enclave has been burning beautifully, with a razor sharp and even line, although the ash still wants to drop off unexpectedly.  The flavors have become earthier, and the woodiness darker.

Final third:

The Enclave continues to smoke smoothly, picking up more pepper, and the body is now at medium-full and climbing, and so is the strength.  There is a certain brightness that has entered the mix that helps to balance the darker flavors, and the sweetness has again come back into the picture.  At the two hour mark, with the strength kicking at me and the body at nearly full, I put the cigar down, although it is still smoking cool and without harshness, even at this point with an inch left.

Overview:

The AJ Fernandez Enclave turned out to be a solid smoke, which while not the most complex around, provided a good range of flavors with enough transitions to keep me interested in it.  Construction and burn were top-notch, it smoked nice and slow, and the price is absolutely consumer friendly.  Mild smokers and those who have an aversion to strong smokes might want to build up to this one, but for those who like their cigars on the stronger side, this would be a good one to pick up and try. It’s a worthy salute to the brotherhood/sisterhood of cigar smokers at a great price point.  I’m now interested to see how it shows itself in one of the Parejo shapes.

Pairing:

After smoking my first Enclave, I decided that I wanted to go with something on the sweeter and smoother side, so I went with the Claymore Scotch Ale by Great Divide.  While it does have a good amount of malty sweetness to it, it also is not so sweet as to be cloying.  Medium bodied and balanced out with a touch of tartness, it proved to be a good match with the cigar, helping to bring out more of the sweetness of the Enclave, while not overpowering it.  A strong ale or dark Belgian would also make for a great pairing.

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The Good Stuff:

Starting last year, the Crowned Heads have been releasing an annual limited edition blend they call Las Calaveras (you can read last year’s review here). Las Calaveras is a cigar created each year to honor those who have passed. Here is some detailed information from Jon Huber, co-owner of The Crowned Heads about the project:

Crowned Heads Las Calaveras was inspired by “La Calavera Catrina,” a zinc etching by Mexican printmaker and illustrator, Jose Guadalupe Posada.

The image depicts a female skeleton dressed only in a hat, and has become an icon of the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  The holiday focuses upon gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember those who have died.

Beginning with the Edicion Limitada 2014, Las Calaveras will be an annual release that is a respectful homage to those who have passed away in the year before, and is intended to be a celebration of their lives and remembrances, rather than a mourning or a symbol of sadness and death.  Each year, we all lose a friend or loved one, or know of someone who has endured that same loss. In today’s fast-paced world, it is all too easy to forget the fragile nature that is life.  Often, in the race to gain material success, we lose sight that our true legacy are the lives we touch and the love we leave behind once we pass on.  It is in this spirit that Las Calaveras pays tribute to those who have touched our lives and shared their love.

With each year’s annual limited release, the blend and presentation of Las Calaveras will be altered.  What will remain the same, however, is the spirit behind the cigar.  We hope that with this annual remembrance, we will choose to celebrate–rather than mourn–the lives of those who have so graciously shared their legacies with us.

The blend features an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper (last year’s blend carried a Habano Oscuro wrapper) with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigar, like some of the Crowned Heads releases is manufactured at My Father Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras is offered in three sizes this year: The LC50 (5 x 50), the LC52 (6 x 52) and the LC46 (5 5/8 x 46). The Las Calaveras come packaged in boxes of 24 with a limited run of 1,250 boxes of each vitola produced which run between $8.95 and $10.95 a stick. These hit retailers this past week and WILL sell out extremely fast so get them while you can. I pre-ordered a bunch of these over at Cigar Federation and got them shipped right over.

Size: 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.95
Pairing: Brouwerij Van Steenberge – Gulden Draak Brewmaster’s Edition (Belgian Strong Ale 10.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras features a gorgeous, medium brown wrapper. The wrapper features some natural darkening around the webbing in the leaf, a mild tooth, and a whole mess of caked on oils. There are a few larger veins running through the cigar’s slender body with lead up to a perfect, round, triple cap. The wrapper feels very thin and delicate while the most of the cigar has a slight sponginess to it which is more evident around the foot. The Las Calaveras is polished off with the same style band we saw on the 2014 release, except the red is replaced with a nice, elegant cream color. The band features the “Las Calaveras” crest in the front along with “Esteli, Nicaragua” and “EL 2015” embossed in gold metallic ink along with two more gold crests around the back of the cigar with the initials “P.S.” and “K.B.” which I can only assume honor individuals were very are close to the Crowned Heads.

The wrapper screams sweetness, honey, and cedar as I take a few whiffs while the foot of the cigar carries a more natural, spicy aroma. The cap like butter using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw already showcases how much flavor this cigar packs with notes of cherry, spice, cedar, and deep natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras starts out with a quick little black pepper blast which quickly faded into some very, very strong sweetness, brown sugar, deep cedar, cherry, and natural tobacco. It’s a flavor bomb right off the bat, but the flavors are really complimentary and well balanced. The draw is perfect. Each little puff gets the right amount of thick smoke while the cigar gives off almost no stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty thin, and very even leaving behind a trail of mostly compacted medium to dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras and more of the cherry/plum flavor has been brought to the center backed by the strong sweetness, spice, deep cedar, and natural tobacco. The retrohale is real smooth coating my nasal passage with a ton of cedar and spice. The burn line has been rocking dead even since I’ve lit the cigar up and I close out the second third with absolutely no nicotine kick.

Finish:

Early into the final third the black pepper made it’s resurgence backing up the sweetness, cherry, cedar, spice, and natural flavors. The flavor profile has been pretty consistent but the flavors themselves would ramp up at different times creating a unique experience that kept me on my toes. The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras took me about an hour and a half to take down to the nub and I experience no harshness, no heat, and only a little nicotine kick.

Overview:

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

Pairing

Brewed at the Brouwerij Van Steenberge brewery in Belgium this strong ale comes in at a whopping 10.5% ABV. The Gulden Draak Brewmaster’s Edition is the same Gulden Draak we have grown to love, aged in whiskey barrels making for a very smooth, yet bold finish. The beer starts off with some great bitterness, sweetness, cherry, and citrus with a light mouthfeel before finishing strong and clean with a bunch of booziness, whiskey, cherry, and malt. This is a perfect pairing as the sweetness and cherry paired great with the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras. I would also pair this cigar with any Belgian strong ale or quad, some sweet bourbon, or some nice iced tea.

The post The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2015 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.