# 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.

The post Top 5 Cigars of 2016 – Jeremy Hensley Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Espinosa Laranja Reserva line is no stranger at Casas Fumando. I first reviewed the Corona Gorda back in 2014 and it also made my top 10 list in the same here. Recently, Jeremy took a look at one of the formats in the line extension called the DeSocio. Now here I am taking a look at the another one of those recent additions to the Laranja line, the Caixa.

The Laranja Reserva Caixa carries the same blend as the rest of the cigars, starting with a Brazilian wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filer tobaccos. Here is an excerpt from one of our recent reviews with a bit more detail on the blend:

Espinosa Premium Cigars has been on a roll lately as many of you know. Much of his success has come from the La Zona factory in Nicaragua which is the same factory in which the Laranja is manufactured. The name “Laranja” means “Orange” in some Portuguese. Aptly named, the Laranja Reserve carries a Brazilian wrapper from the Recôncavo region in the state of Bahia which is known for it’s orange hue. Erik Espinosa wanted to do something different this year as he started to experiment with different tobaccos he was drawn to this orange Brazilian wrapper. Erik states:

“It is the color of enthusiasm, creativity, determination and success, that’s what we are all about here”

The Laranja Reserva now comes in four sizes: The Caixa: (6.5 x 48 box pressed), The Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46), the Robusto Extra (5.5 x 54), the Toro (6 x 52) and the DeSocio (5.625 x 54 Perfecto) which all come packaged in boxes of 20 running between $9.90 and $11.50 a stick. Thanks goes out again to the Espinosa team for sending samples our way.

Size: 6.5 x 48
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $11.50
Pairing: Santa Fe Ever Changing Series: Chairway to Hell (Spice Porter 8.1% ABV)

Prelight:

The Laranja Reserva Ciaxa starts out with an absolutely gorgeous, rustic looking wrapper. The wrapper is a medium brown with lots of darker brown splotches scattered across the cigar’s body and a nice little orange tint as promised. The wrapper is laid seamlessly while the cigar shows only a few very minor veins running through the cigar’s long, slender, box-pressed body. The wrapper’s texture is pretty toothy with some slight oil and is decently hard and thick. The Laranja Reserva Ciaxa is polished off with a round triple cap. The cigar carries the standard white, orange, and gold Laranja band as well as a secondary band with the word “Ciaxa” across the front. The cigar also features the standard orange ribbon around the foot that we’ve grown to expect from the Laranja line.

The wrapper on the Laranja Reserva Ciaxa gives off some soft honey, spice, and grassiness while the foot of the cigar is much more spice-forward with some pepper and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a great mixture of oat, honey, sweetness around natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Laranja Reserva Ciaxa starts out with a decent black pepper boom which quickly fades after the first few puffs to reveal some great spice, sweetness, honey, roasted cashew, cedar, and musk. The flavor profile is kicking right off the bat. The draw is perfect. Each little puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke as the cigar gives off very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of decently compacted medium to light gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Laranja Reserva Ciaxa and the flavor profile is just killer. Leading with bold spice, sweetness, cedar, and honey backed by roasted nut, clove, and natural tobacco flavors. It hasn’t switched up too much, and it doesn’t need to. The retrohale really brings out the clove and the cedar in the cigar. The burn line is still razor thin, while it’s gotten slightly wavy. I close out the second third with almost nothing more than a very slight nip of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Laranja Reserva Ciaxa and it’s been a great ride. The flavors are still heavy on the cedar, sweetness, spice, and a ton of musk moved back in while the clove and roasted nut have been gradually fading out. The burn line has corrected itself and has burned almost flawlessly down to the very nub. It took me two hours to take this cigar down and each minute was very much enjoyed. I experienced absolutely no harshness, no extra heat and never once had to reach for my torch to relight, or touch up the cigar. The Laranja Reserva Ciaxa left me with little more than just a nice, subtle, little nicotine kick.

Overview:

So is this cigar still top 10 worthy 2 years after it’s release? Absolutely. I can’t say it enough times, this cigar rocks. The flavor profile is right up my alley which is both bold, and complex. The cigar isn’t overpowered with strength and the price point is worth paying time and time again. It’s easy to see why this is a box-worthy cigar. I think that any seasoned cigar smoker would agree, while its a great basis of comparison to the novice cigar smoker looking to get into the premium cigar market.

Pairing:

Every so often Santa Fe Brewing releases a limited, exotic, experimental beer as part of it’s “Ever Changing Series”. Some of these beers are incredible, others are just fun to try. Either way I get excited to give them a go. Brewed at the Santa Fe Brewery in Santa Fe, New Mexico the Chaiway to Hell is a 8.1% Chai spiced baltic porter. The Chaiway to hell leads with a ton of sweetness, vanilla, clove, chai, spice, and roasted malt with a medium mouthfeel before finishing with even more sweetness, spice, clove, honey and vanilla. The sweet flavors definitely dominate the roastiness of the porter that lies underneath. I knew right away I needed to pair this with a cigar that could hold it’s own, and the Laranja Reserva Ciaxa did just that while the honey, spice, and sweetness mashed up ridiculously well.

We often post pairings here on Casas Fumando and have always been advocates on finding the right pairing for your cigar smoking experience. Our friends over at Famous Smoke Shop recently released a very easy to use tool which helps you choose the right pairing for your cigar or drink. Check it out here: https://www.famous-smoke.com/cigar-pairing 

The post Espinosa Laranja Reserva Caixa appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Produced in Esteli, Nicaragua at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory, the Laranja Reserva DeSocio features the same blend as the rest of the Laranja cigars with it Brazilian wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. But the 5 5/8 by 54 Perfecto can only be purchased through Alliance Cigar.

Tony reviewed the Laranja Reserva back in 2014 and provided some additional details on the wrapper leaf:

the Laranja Reserve carries a Brazilian wrapper from the Recôncavo region in the state of Bahia which is known for it’s orange hue. Erik Espinosa wanted to do something different this year as he started to experiment with different tobaccos he was drawn to this orange Brazilian wrapper.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Espinosa Cigars
Price: $1050
Vitola: Perfecto
Size: 5 5/8 by 54
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 40 Minutes

Pre-light

The Laranja Reserva’s Brazilian wrapper is gorgeous with all of it character – fine tooth, crazy amount of bumps, and visible veins. The color is a dark tan with a touch of orange. The Laranja Reserva DeSocio wrapper shows off some chocolate notes and a natural tobacco sweetness with an underlying pungency.

The small nipple foot makes it difficult to pick up anything new. Maybe a faint earth and some woodsy notes. The cigar comes to a close with a tapered head that ends in an impressive point. The draw is firm. Hopefully, once the cigar burns down it will open up and the problem will be resolved. The flavors are very light and almost airy with mild rich cedar and potpourri spices. A medium spice heat can be felt on the lips.

First Third

The Laranja Reserva DeSocio’s draw remains firm once lit and the flavors come across light on the palate. Progressively, the cigar begins to open up with  a leather, citrus, woodsy notes, and a natural tobacco sweetness that is rounding out the profile. After a few minutes, it is a completely different cigar. The draw is perfect and a copious amount of smoke is produced with each draw. The pepper comes across on the finish with a medium spice heat in the mouth.

Middle Third

Pulling into the second third, the Laranja Reserva DeSocio continues with a similar profile as earlier that is centered around the leather and citrus. The pepper has stepped up in the retro-hale causing my nose to tickle and a yeast flavor has joined in. The texture of the smoke is thick in the mouth with full flavors and medium/full strength.

Final Third

Both earth and sweetness gain ground as I work my way into the final third of the cigar, with the flavors even more noticeable on the finish of the smoke. For the first time, the burn is a bit out of whack, but no touch-up will be necessary as only a few minutes remain in the cigar. 

Wrap-up

I will just get to it. The Laranja Reserva DeSocio blew me away and I now understand why the Laranja Reserva secured the #2 spot on Tony’s top 10 list in 2014. 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!

The post Espinosa Cigars – Laranja Reserva DeSocio appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The contest will run from today until Saturday evening. I will choose a winner and post the results on Monday morning. Up for grabs is a sampler including:

1 – La Palina Goldie Laguito Especial
1 – Crux Passport Lancero
1 – Illusione Fume d’Amour Clementes
1 – Espinosa Laranja Reserva Corona
1 – Joya de Nicaragua Joya Red Robusto
1 – Tatuaje Tattoo Caballeros
1 – Crowned Heads Jericho Hill .44s

The rules are simple. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and one winner will be chosen at random. You must live in the USA or Canada, and must be 18 years or older to enter.

That’s it! Now get to it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Top Cigars of 2014 Sampler Giveaway! appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.