The Good Stuff: Like I said, Abe and Smoke Inn have been busy the past few years putting together a crazy portfolio of Smoke Inn Exclusive microblends with some of the world’s top manufacturers. Smoke Inn started with the Tatuaje Anarchy, followed by the Padron 1964 Si-15, the My Father El Hijo, and now the A. Fuente Solaris. They describe the details behind the blend best on their site:

“For this Microblend installment Smoke Inn played no part in the creation of the size or blend. When Smoke Inn Proprietor Abe Dababneh approached the Fuente Family about making a Microblend, they decided this would be a perfect project for a small batch of cigars made over 6 years ago. Carlos Fuente Sr. had produced a small batch of belicoso cigars made from Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper that was uniquely light in its complexion. The cigars sat and aged for over six years. When smoked, we found the flavor mellow yet complex. One could definitely taste the quintessential Fuente flavor profile behind the elegantly aged smoke. Solaris will delight the palate of Fuente fans and collectors; especially those who like to age their cigars.”

There you have it. The Solaris only comes in one size, 6 x 49 belicoso and will run you $89.50 for a box of 10. There will only be 550 boxes of the Solaris ever made. You can pre-order these directly from Smoke Inn’s site here. Shipping will start on the cigar’s release day, May 28^th, 2012.

Size: 6×49  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown  –  Binder/Filler: Unknown

Prelight: As expected with anything Fuente, the Solaris starts off with absolutely spot-on construction. The tightly wound, medium orangish-brown wrapper showcases it’s oil as the sun reflects off the wrapper. The cigar is very, very firm and heavy with absolutely no soft spots. There are some very minor sporadic veins running the length of the cigar up to its nubby little belicoso style cap. The Solaris sports the traditional Red and Green Fuente fan. I have often wondered why some of the blends had a red and green band while others had a red and black band. I stumbled across this article on Cigar Aficionado’s website which Carlos Fuente himself answers the question:

 “Fuente: The classic Arturo Fuente, the red-and-green band, comes from my grandfather’s day. He had a red band, but there was a green tax seal placed under the band, and so the ring of green showed around the red band. When the tax seal practice ended after the embargo, we created a red-and-green band for the classic Fuente brand, which was the Flor Fina 8-5-8, which is the flagship of Arturo Fuente cigars. And the reason I say the flagship, it is because it was the blend that my grandfather created after the Cuban embargo. That was his personal blend. But it’s sad, because my grandfather never saw that blend for sale on the market. It wasn’t until after my grandfather passed away that my father brought out that blend in my grandfather’s honor. The reason he named it Flor Fina 8-5-8 was because my grandfather was 85 years old when he passed away and my father wanted the name to represent something from beginning to end. It represents the heritage and the tradition that my grandfather left us through his lifetime. 

CA: What about the red-and-black band? 

Fuente: The red-and-black is different from the Flor Fina, or classic, Arturo Fuente blend. It’s a little bit heavier and the tobaccos are aged just a little bit longer. “

Along with the standard red and green band the Solaris also sports a secondary black and gold band that simple states “SOLARIS” with a little bit of sun-ray action coming from the “O”.

The wrapper on the A. Fuente Solaris gives off a very strong, musky, cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar kicks out a straight up earthy tobacco aroma. My Palio double bladed cutter clipped through the cap like butter. The cold draw from this cigar produced nothing more than a mild cedar and cinnamon flavor. Nothing wrong with that, but considering the strength of the pre-light aromas, I just expected much more flavor from the cold draw. Let’s just hope that doesn’t carry over into the actual experience.

First Smoke:  I was a bit shocked to find that the A. Fuente Solaris actually started out with a blast of black pepper. I wasn’t expecting it at all, however it did only last through the first few draws before fading away and letting the cigar’s real flavor profile take over.  Cedar lead the way here, with some nice honey-sweet flavors along with some earth tones, subtle spices, and even a bit creamed coffee. The draw on this Solaris was spot on which is great due to how much tobacco was packed into this stick. Each little puff filled my mouth with thick, white smoke. The cigar gave off almost no stationary smoke at all while the burnline was pretty thick, and even at the end of the first third despite having a few waves going in. The ash was a light and dark zebra-striped grey and tightly compacted as it held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: That honey and sweet tobacco I picked up in the first third really ramps up during the second third while the cedar and coffee take a step back. This cigar is very smooth and mild. The retrohale on this Solaris is awesome as it coats my nasal passage with straight up cedar, each time I take a draw. I don’t retrohale my cigars too often, but this is one that I find myself doing it over and over. The burnline is still rockin’ dead even at the end of the second third as I am feeling absolutely no nicotine what-so-ever.

Finish: The final third of this A. Fuente Solaris was pretty much a carbon copy of the second third. Lots of sweet tobacco and honey, with some subtle cedar, coffee, and tobacco notes. The pepper seemed to come back very slightly, but only in the final inch. There was absolutely no signs of harshness, or heat, even down to the final inch. What did surprise me though was the speed at which this cigar smoked at. It took me just about an hour to take down this entire toro-sized torpedo cigar. Although there were some very slight waves in the final third, for the most part the Solaris’ burnline remained dead even and required absolutely no help from my trusty lighter. I felt absolutely no nicotine during the entire experience. One thing Fuente can work on, it not using so much glue on their bands. The “Fuente” bands on both of the samples Smoke Inn sent me had quite of bit of excess glue on them. I have this trouble with Fuente a lot. The good news is, despite tearing off a bit of top-level wrapper, I experienced absolutely no change in the smoking experience. You got away with it this time Fuente.

Overview: As far as Fuente’s go, the Solaris is spot on. Starting with the flawless construction, great burn, and good flavors. That being said, I’m not the biggest Fuente fan out there. Only a few of the bolder blends really capture my attention. The Solaris to me, seems like just an extension of their portfolio. Now is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. A. Fuente is one of the leading manufacturers for a reason. Reason being is they sell a lot of cigars, cause people love the hell out of them. Add another great blend to the mix, that fits perfectly in their portfolio, and then make it exclusive to Smoke Inn retail shops, and Abe has yet another winner on his hands. Although this cigar might not find it’s way into my regular rotation often, I can see it being a huge hit. It’s got all the characteristics of a great cigar at a price that is both affordable to the everyday smoker as well as the novice looking to take a dive into the pool of super premiums. If you are a fan of Fuente or Mild/Medium cigars then the Solaris is a must try. If you are looking for something bolder than the Solaris may not be your cup of tea.

Pairing: I paired this A. Fuente Solaris with a beer I have been wanted to try for quite some time now, Unibroue’s Ephemere. Big thanks to my buddy Nick for hooking it up with this beer, right at the right time too. Without giving too much away, I couldn’t think of a better pairing for this cigar and the crazy hot summer weather we had here in El Paso this weekend. Ephemere is a 5.5% ABV ale brewed in Quebec Canada. What makes this beer special is the apple juice, coriander, and curacao peels that are added to the brewing process. Basically, this is a stronger wit beer, heavy wheat, with some really sweet apple, and cinnamon style spices. Tell me that isn’t refreshing especially after a hard day’s work out in the yard. Anyhow, the beer is very light, mild, and sweet, much like the A. Fuente Solaris. I don’t think I need to elaborate much more on how awesome the pairing was. The beer really complimented everything the Solaris had to offer.

The post Arturo Fuente Solaris – Smoke Inn Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I am still aiming to get this review as well as my last blind cigar review from Brooks done this week, but I am actually undergoing surgery on Tuesday for my Umbilical Hernia I have had since I was a kid. It screwed up pretty bad on me the last few years, especially the last month and I am glad to finally get it over with. So depending on my recovery I may, or may not get to the last blind review this week. Wish me luck!

The Good Stuff: The Casa Miranda is among two new releases that Miami Cigar rolled out this year at IPCPR. Along with the Limited Release of the Nestor Miranda Gran Reserva, the Casa Miranda made it’s debut last month and have been circling the internet-waves ever since. The Casa Miranda is one of the only cigars in Miami Cigar’s portfolio that is not rolled by Pepin. In fact, the Casa Miranda boasts that it is a 100% USA made cigar, even down to the box. This does not mean that the tobacco is grown here in the US, it just means everything was constructed here.

The Casa Miranda is blended by Willy Herrera of ETB Cigars/Drew Estate and hand rolled on Calle Ocho in Miami by only Level 9 certified rollers. Willy has been on a hot streak lately and made news when he announced his new found partnership with Drew Estate about a month or so back. Expect good things from this guy.

The Casa Miranda is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar will be released in three sizes; The Robusto, The Toro, and the Belicoso ranging from $10 – $12 a stick. I got these from Bonita Smoke Shop. She always has the good stuff so head over before they sell out!

Size: Toro 6 x 52  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: Just by taking one look at the artwork on the band you can tell this is a different type of Nestor Miranda cigar. The band on the Casa Miranda is a very elegant, almost wine-label looking design. Creamy gold and beige accents surround a small cottage with the words “Casa Miranda – Chapter One” in scripted on the front and “Hand crafted in Miami” on the sides. The band sits elegantly on this stunning looking cigar. Willy is a stickler for perfect construction and the Casa Miranda is no exception. The wrapper starts off with just a perfectly consistent, toothy, medium brown color. There are a few vein in the thick body leading up to the seamless, round, double cap.  This cigar has a hell of a lot of weight to it and gives a whole lot of resistance when pressed between my fingers. The cigar bears no soft spots and in fact, gets increasingly more firm as I approach the cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a really mild woodsy aroma with just a slight bite of spice at the end where as the foot of the cigar boasts almost nothing but a strong spice with some woodsy aromas laying underneath. The Casa Miranda was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on this cigar was interesting. The Casa Miranda gave out this really neat woodsy, honey, and strong tobacco flavor that left a little burning sensation on my lips from the spice. In the cold draw, really?! We’ll have to see just how spicy this cigar is once we start smoking it.

First Smoke: As expected, the Casa Miranda started off with a blast of pepper right off the bat. What I didn’t expect was for the pepper to fade so quickly, just after the first few draws. Once the pepper suppressed I was left with a really bold, woodsy flavor with some nice spice, honey, and this citrusy-lemon taste. The draw is just ridiculously easy, but not too loose, kicking out a nice cloud of smoke with every puff. The stationary smoke on this Casa Miranda is great, lots of it and it seriously smells like a burning fireplace. The burnline has some very slight waves, nothing too concerning, and leaves behind a trail of almost perfect, compact, white ash. The ash held on, despite the wind, for well over an inch before giving way. And by “giving way” I mean falling into my shoe. No joke.. ughh…

Halfway There: Much more of the wood flavors have come into play during the second third of this Casa Miranda. I’d like to say they are cedareasue but the spice that accompanies the woodsy flavors puts a neat little spin on them making for a much more deeper flavor. The honey has faded at this point and the spice is still there as well as some of the citrus notes, but I’m also getting this strange little maple flavor on the aftertaste. The retrohale on this cigar is absolutely wonderful coating with a very smooth, creamy woodsy prime. I am not really feeling much nicotine from this cigar, but the body is up there and a bit more than I am used to when it comes to Nestor Miranda cigars. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t needed to touch it up at all.

Finish: As the body ramps up a bit into the final third of this Nestor Miranda Casa Miranda, the flavors start to level off and become much smoother and creamier. The main flavor is still the woodsy flavor while the sweetness and most of the citrus has dropped off leaving nothing but a faint spice mixed in with a little bit of espresso. These wasn’t any harshness built up in this cigar, even going into the final inch. I do however feel just a nice little nicotine kick from it.

Overview: You won’t hear me say this often but I think some age on this cigar will do it wonders. It’s a great cigar as it is, but with a little age it may just add that little somethin’ something’ that will really bring this cigar to a whole new level. It was an interesting departure smoking a non-Pepin blended Nestor Miranda and I think they made a very wise decision having Willy blend this cigar for them. He’s been making great things lately and the Casa Miranda is just another notch in his belt. Well balanced with an overall creamy flavor profile, plus the increased body really made this cigar an enjoyable experience with me. This is very box worthy, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be in high demand. Again, if you are looking for these Jackie over at Bonita Smoke Shop already has them, and like I said before, she is one of the best in the business and will get you taken care of.

Pairing: I decided to go for another risky pairing. This Casa Miranda was paired with Ichtegem’s Grand Crew Flemish Red Ale. Brewed at the Brouwerij Strubbe in Belgium this Flanders Red Ale style beer comes in at a modest 6.5% ABV. Most people have no idea what a Flander’s Red Ale style beer is. Basically it’s a sour beer and with it comes a very unique, but acquired taste. The beer pours a dark, reddish brown but tastes much like old orange, apple, and lemon roasted over caramel malt. It’s not for the faint of heart. There more woody flavor profile in the Casa Miranda gave an amazing balance with the sour notes of the beer and really brought the cigar to another level. This cigar would go great with apple juice, a strong brown ale, or some nice scotch.

The post Nestor Miranda – Casa Miranda Toro Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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