# 5 Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona

Vitola: Petite Corona | Size: 5 by 42 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $4.95

I was introduced to this cigar by my good friend and Casas Fumando’s guest contributor, Jeff Oda. Somehow it slipped by me as I was trying to keep up with all the IPCPR coverage in July, but ,within a month of the show, Jeff had a review up here on the site. The Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona is manufactured by the Plasencia Family in Esteli, Nicaragua and is the only puro to make the list this year. The box-pressed format and small size makes this an extremely comfortable cigar in both the hand and mouth. The Fonseca Nicaragua surprised me with a profile that I was not expecting from a cigar under the Fonseca brand. The cigar delivered earth, some woodsy notes, and a good amount of pepper as the cigar increased in body and strength throughout. For under $5.00 this is the best bang for the buck cigar I smoked in 2016.

You can find Jeff’s review HERE.

#4 Casa de Entrada – Entrada

Vitola: Corona | Size: 5 1/2 by 44 | Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $8.20

Entrada is made by Casa Fernandez for Casa de Entrada based out of Omaha, Nebraska and landed the #5 spot on Tony’s list this year. Here is another cigar that runs on the smaller side and is also box-pressed. Something about that just gets my heart beating a little faster. From first light to final puff, the Entrada is a bold and rich cigar showing off some great sweetness that balances out everything and leaves that palate wanting more between each puff. The awesome packaging makes the cigar that much better.

You can find Tony’s full review HERE.

#3 Espinosa Cigars – Laranja Reserva DeSocio

Vitola: Perfecto | Size: 5 5/8 by 54 | Wrapper: Brazilian | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $10.50

For the past several years, La Zona made cigars have landed on mine and Tony’s top 10 lists and this year is no exception. The price is on the high-side for what I feel comfortable paying for any cigar, but well justified with this smoke. The profile of the Laranja Reserva DeSocio is very unique, especially when compared to the rest of the cigars that made the list. This is what I had to say about the cigar all the way back in June:

Leather and citrus are not flavors I often find in cigars and the Laranja Reserva DeSocio delivered those flavors in remarkable fashion. This may be my favorite Espinosa Cigar and, quite possibly, the best cigar I have reviewed here at Casas Fumando in 2016!

You can find the full review HERE.

#2 Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Mi Querida Ancho Largo

Vitola: Ancho Largo | Size: 6 by 52 | Wrapper: USA Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $9.45

This is mostly likely the cigar that consumers were expecting for Steve Saka’s first release, but he went off the beaten path by releasing Sobremesa in 2015, a cigar well received by the cigar community as a whole, but somewhat unexpected. Well, at the 2016 IPCPR, Steve Saka released Mi Querida that not only satisfied his Connecticut Broadleaf cravings, but one that is worthy to be in all humidors of Broadleaf fans who enjoy a bold, heavy smoke. Mi Querida pours out a thick, chewy smoke and delivers flavors of coffee, dirt, cocoa and that unique tartness only found in Broadleaf tobacco.

Mi Querida Fino Larga took the #4 spot in Tony’s Top 10 of 2016.

You can find the full review HERE.

#1 Duran Cigars – Neya Texas Tactical Lancero

Vitola: Lancero | Size: 7 by 40 | Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo Maduro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $8.00

Duran Cigars is not a company I would have expected to land the #1 spot in 2016, let alone a top 5 (or 10). I have burned through several lines from Duran Cigars, and while I found them to be good smokes, they never set me back in my chair. That was until I lit up the Neya Texas Tactical Lancero. I am sure glad I came across this cigar at a B&M on an unplanned trip to Ohio. As I mentioned in the review, the lancero format and pig-tail cap won me over at first sight and the rich, bold, spicy flavors that this lancero delivered held me captive for nearly two hours.

You can find the full review HERE.

It is worth mentioning that this is the second year in a row that a Texas themed cigar claimed the #1 spot on my list. Crowned Heads’ Yellow Rose was #1 in 2015. Texas certainly hold a special place in my heart.

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The Good Stuff:

There isn’t a ton of information out there about Casa de Entrada’s Entrada, so I decided to slack out and let them do the talking. Here is the information about the cigar found on the Entrada Website:

en·tra·da

noun \ə̇nˈträdə, en\ : entry; an expedition; a journey.

Entrada has been our purpose for this journey.Passion is the fire that lights this journey. Passion for the leaf and it’s history as a form of trade, commerce, pleasure, memories and as an accomplishment by man.

“Respeto de los que vinieron antes de mí.” – Respect for those that came before us. We believe in the farmer, the field hands, the sorters, rollers, blenders and many others who are instrumental in the development and growth of an industry that we are very fortunate to be a part of.

We believe that when purpose, passion and talent are combined they work together and the end result is a masterpiece: Entrada.

“The virtue of a good cigar man is patience,” says Arsenio Ramos, a 4th generation tobacco master. Patience in the hands that first planted the seed in rich Nicaraguan soil and in the workers who carefully tended the fields, harvesting the full, vibrant tobacco plant only at the precise moment when it was ready. Patience in the Casa Fernandez artisans who crafted a blend that hits only the right notes, then rolled it in its wrapper not so it would be good enough, but so it would be perfect.

We only ask that you have the patience to slow down, savor this rich flavorful cigar, and breathe in this moment. Because life is too short to smoke a cigar not worthy of your time.

ORIGINS

The Entrada cigar was hand crafted exclusively for Casa de Entrada by Casa Fernandez. Using Cuban seed in their fertile Nicaraguan fields, Entrada is born from over three decades of experience. Entrada was specially blended only for Casa de Entrada by the master himself, Arsenio Ramos.

As a vertically integrated business, Casa Fernandez is able to control every step of the cigar making process ensuring that every time you light up an Entrada, you will get a consistently delightful smoke. From the authentic Cuban-sourced seed, seedlings are transplanted to fields and nurtured by hundreds of skilled tobacconists to harvest. In every inhale of Entrada, you will notice the care and love that went into the production of your cigar.

A pamphlet that I received from the company states that the cigar was the work of Chaz Kline who is the founder of Casa de Entrada based in Omaha, Nebraska. Matt Zimmerle is the General Manager of Casa de Entrada while Rusty Mcaulay and Arsenio Ramos were the men behind the Entrada blend.

I’m a huge Casa Fernandez fan so I’m very much interested in how this cigar pans out. The Entrada comes in four sizes: a 6×60 Gordo, a 6×54 Toro, a 5×52 Robusto, and a 5 1/2 x 44 Corona. All of which come packaged in boxes of 20 which run between $8.20 and $10.60 a stick. The company states they are currently working on releasing other vitolas as well including a lancero, which I’m always a fan of. (EDIT: as I read through another site, I noticed the Lancero is actually already available as well). Huge thanks goes out to the Casa De Entrada team for sending a few of these our way for review.

Size: 5.5 x 44
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo, Viso, Corojo
Body: Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.20
Pairing: Descutes The Stoic 2015 (Belgian style quad 10.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Entrada starts out with a very rough, rusting looking wrapper that’s consistently dark brown in color with a few lighter brown areas around the smaller veins found throughout the cigar’s body. The texture of the wrapper is extremely toothy, and almost as gritty as sandpaper with a very hard/firm feel. The cigar is very slender, but is rock hard giving nothing as I press it between my fingers. Leading up through the small, box-pressed body the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself before coming to a round double cap. The cigar is polished off with 2 bands, the first is a white, and red stamp designed band with the Entrada crest and logo as well as “Hecho con El Amor de Trescientas Manos” which means “Made with the love of 300 hands”. The second band rests on the foot and simply states “1st Edition”. It’s worth noting that I absolutely love the band design on this cigar.

The wrapper on the Entrada is faint in aroma giving off nothing more than some soft spice and tobacco scents while the foot of the cigar is a totally different story boasting of strong pepper, spice, cedar, and grain. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw is much of the same as the foot aromas kicking out a ton of spice, cedar, pepper, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Entrada starts out with a whole mess of molasses, bold cedar, sweetness/brown sugar, spice, and vanilla. What an absolutely stunning flavor profile right off the bat. It’s bold, yet contained. The draw on the Entrada is flawless. Each little puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke while the box-pressed cigar fits perfectly in my hand and mouth. The burn line is razor thin and dead even. Even thought he dark/medium gray ash looked pretty compact, it fell into my lap about a half inch in which is why I didn’t get a good shot of the first ash as I usually do.

Second Third:

The flavors remain consistent going into the second third. Lots of sweetness, spice, vanilla, cocoa, cedar, and some great berry flavors started to creep into the mix. The retrohale showcases a much more cedar-heavy, spicy profile which coats my nasal passages. The burn line has started to get slightly wavy, but nothing too concerning as I close out the second third with absolutely nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

The flavors are still ramping up into the final third of the Entrada. The cedar leads with charge backed by bold spice and berry with subtle sweetness, cocoa, and vanilla. The flavor profile in this cigar has been amazing. The burn line is all cleaned up and I never once had to reach for my torch to tough up or relight the cigar. As instructed, I really took my time with this cigar. It took almost 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I never once experienced any harshness or extra heat build-up.

Overview:

For some reason, Casa Fernandez-made cigars are very distinct, and I can always pick them out, it reminds me how Padron, and Davidoff all carry certain district flavor profiles. Anyways, maybe it’s just me. The Entrada by Casa Entrada is a great cigar with falls in line with everything you would expect a Casa Fernandez-made cigar would be. The flavor profile is very bold right from the start, and pours on the flavor until the nub. While complex, all the flavors marry in very well with each other. The strength never peaked over medium, and the burn was flawless. This is a solid cigar for the price and once that I would love to have in my regular rotation.

Pairing:

The Stoic (not to be confused with “Not the Stoic”) is a Belgian style quad brewed in Bend, Oregon by Descutes brewing, which is no stranger to Casas Fumando. This 10.9% Quad is a hefty little beer and one I stock up on every time I see it. It’s a “Tony” beer through and through. The beer starts with some bold booziness, lots of spice, dried fruit, sweetness, and cinnamon with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing a bit tart with more booziness and heavy spice leaving behind a very sweet, honey/molasses aftertaste. Honestly, its like they too the Entrada and turned it into a beer and the Stoic was the outcome. It’s very easy to see why I paired this cigar with this beer, they are almost identical and it made for an incredible pairing.

The post Casa de Entrada – Entrada appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.