#10 – Casa Miranda by Miami Cigar Co.

Miami Cigar was on a huge roll last year and turned out a bunch of good cigars, one of which made our #1 in 2010.  New releases slowed down a little bit in 2011 but the quality did not!  The Casa Miranda is a smooth medium bodied smoke that is wonderfully well balanced with flavors of coffee, cedar and a touch of spice with some added sweetness and tart flavors.  The creamy finish on this cigar is sure to impress all kinds of cigar enthusiasts.

#9 – Drew Estate Liga Privada Undercrown

It’s no secret that one of us here at Casas Fumando is a huge Liga Privada Fanboy. When word got out that Drew Estate was working on a new, affordable, non-exclusive version of the blend, we did whatever it took to track a few down. This cigar was actually created by workers at the Drew Estate factory when the company decided they needed to hold back consumption on more of the Liga Privada cigars in order to get more to the consumers. This sweet, complexed, and incredibly balanced blend has made huge waves amongst the cigar community this year. Affordable, easy to find, and tasty. What more could one ask for?

#8 – Camacho – Room 101 Namakubi

Camacho has been relatively quite lately, with the exception of a little sleeper cigar that took this year’s IPCPR show by storm. Matt Booth and Camacho teamed up a while back in collaboration to release the Room 101 brand. One of this year’s Room 101 releases really caught the attention of not only the attendees at the release show, but us as well. The Namakubi is a very complex, and different style cigar that keeps you entertained from start to finish. It’s got some body, some unique flavors, and some interesting artwork. Hopefully we see more like this from both Camacho and Room 101 in the near future.

#7 – Quesada Oktoberfest

A blend created for the sole purpose of German beer pairing? It almost seems like Quesada was reading our minds when it created yet another masterpiece. This trophy of a cigar was introduced for the first time this year to accompany the german Oktoberfest celebration. To be honest, we celebrate each time we light one of these bad boys up. Strong, full body, with just enough flavor to marry in perfectly with your beer, without overpowering it. Needless to say  Quesada is on a roll this year and it will be interesting to see where they stand this time next year.

#6 – Tatuaje Wolfman – Monster Series #4

Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars has another winner is his amazingly popular Monster Series of cigars that come out every Halloween.  In his 4th addition to the Series, Pete opted to wrap the Wolfman with a tasty Sumatra wrapper and leave an interesting shaggy foot on the cigar.  The cigar started off with lots of cedar and some spice you would expect from a Tatuaje cigar.  Interestingly though, the Wolfman turned out to be a smooth experience as the peppery spice tapered off and were replaced by cloves, nutmeg, leather and a touch of sweetness in the last half.

#5 – E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut

There are tons of Connecticut cigars out on the market and it takes a special blender to make one that stands out amongst the rest.  Well, E.P. Carrillo turned out a winner with his New Wave Connecticut this year which made waves(pun intended!) in the cigar world.  Everything you would hope for in a Connecticut cigar can be found here and at a price that is easily digestible.  Smooth creamy notes with touches of sweetness such as coffee and caramel all wrapped together with a soft cedar blanket.  This is a fantastic cigar to gift to someone new to the cigar world or even someone looking for a smooth morning treat.

#4 – San Lotano Oval

A.J. Fernandez is another name that has been tearing up the cigar streets as of late with his newly created, B&M exclusive San Lotano line. Amongst that line is a stand alone cigar that blew us away. The Oval is unique not only in blend, but in shape as well. This cigar packed some of the most complex, interesting, smooth, and enjoyable flavors into its strange, yet comfortable Oval formatted cigar. At a welcomed price point, we would be surprised if this cigar didn’t sneak into other’s top 10 list as well.

#3 – Tatuaje La Casita Criolla

Connecticut Broadleaf, now that’s a term I wish we heard more often. As soon as Pete Johnson announced that he and Jaime Garcia of My Father Cigars would be creating a 100% Connecticut Broadleaf cigar, we jumped all over it. From the wrapper, to the filler, this complex yet smooth cigar aims to please. With a sweet, chocolate and cedar profile, this cigar really is the epitome of a perfect cigar. One other huge point that helped nudge this cigar so far up our list is the price point. One would think a Tatuaje, coming from My Father’s Factory, composed completely of expensive broadleaf would carry a hefty price tag. But the $7 range on these sticks just make them too hard to pass up.

#2 – Quesada Seleccion Espana

Quesada threw out a few curve balls this year in the ways of tasty cigars, that is for sure.  The Seleccion Espana is definitely one of those.  It’s a rare treat and we are both glad we were able to try it.  The Seleccion Espana was actually created for the Spanish cigar market with a definite throwback to class Cuban cigars.  The cigar entertains your palate with a mix of cedar, tart sweetness and the classic saltiness you find on some Cuban cigars.  The flavors are rounded out by a touch of spice and nuttiness with a smooth medium finish.  If you manage to track a few of these down, buy them and enjoy their super slow burning goodness down to the nub!

#1 – Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011

Well what can we say, the number 1 cigar is definitely a tasty one and we both enjoyed each and every inch of them.  The My Father factory turns out some awesome cigars and the Limited Edition of the Jamie Garcia is no exception.  We both really enjoy the original Jamie Garcias so we got very excited when we heard about this cigar coming out.  Tony jumped at the chance for a box purchase and did not regret it one bit.  The price is a little bit high but it is a limited edition after all and neither of can say no to a wonderfully toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper! haha.  So what can you expect form this cigar?  Well, you will get subtle nuances of spice, a thick chocolate coating on your palate and tons of espresso notes.  Add to that some pleasant cedar, a touch of berry sweetness and some nuts and you will be in cigar heaven!  Get your hands on these before they disappear, you will not be disappointed!

Honorable Mentions:

There were a TON of good cigars that came out this year and it’s extremely hard to make a top 10 list without have a few that were right on the edge of #9 or #10.  So to compensate, here’s a couple honorable mentions that just BARELY missed our list.

The Maldonado Dynasty – The Mogul
I’m sure you’ve seen this name around the site before, and just recently Paul Maldonado donated a box to Daniel’s Movember Campaign.  But aside from being an all-around nice guy Paul also has a tasty cigar on his hands.  From the attractive oily wrapper to the smooth cedar aroma, “The Mogul” is a cigar that does not disappoint.  In the flavor department, you can expect to find coffee, cedar, a touch of spice and some interesting dried fruit.  Make sure to grab a few of these and give them a try.

Illusione ~MK~ Ultra

I know, I know, there is no review for this cigar. There is a reason behind that, and probably the only reason why this cigar didn’t make our top ten. I had a hell of a time tracking down this cigar. Even when I did, I was only able to chase down one, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The MK Ultra is based on Dion’s first release of the ~MK~. It’s basically the same blend, on crack. Much stronger and more robust. I already liked the ~MK~ as is, but the added strength and body blew me away. If you are a fan of the ~MK~ or Dion’s stuff in general, then this cigar is for you. Let’s just hope future supplies will meet demand.

The post Tony and Daniel’s Best Cigars of 2011 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Tonight I’m revisiting a cigar I got as part of a Mobster Movie blind review series not too long ago. If you take a look at that review you’ll see that I wasn’t overly impressed with the cigar. After talking to a few people it seems there are some mixed feelings about the Illusione ~mj12~ and I wanted to give it a full out review to see if my experience would be any different. So here it is finally, I made sure to let the ones I have rest and acclimate properly before this review since the blind stick might have been a little fresh from transit.

So after smoking a few more I’m lighting up one of the Illusione ~mj12~ cigars for review tonight. Now I’m a pretty big Illusione fan and I’ve also enjoyed a few of his other lines including the Cuchillos Cubanos and the Cruzado’s (Tony actual posted a review of the Cruzado Dantes awhile back). In case you didn’t know, the person behind the Illusione brand is Dion Giolitto. We also have a few reviews up for the Illusione line such as the ~88~, ~888~ “Slam”, Epernay Le Elegance, ~mk~, and Singulaire Phantom. Now you’ll see from those posts that both Tony and I really enjoyed the cigars. Knowing that, I have to admit I’m coming into this review with mixed expectations. I have high hopes due to other Illusione’s I’ve enjoyed but I also have concerns because of my experience with the blind version of the ~mj12~.

If you haven’t visited his website before I’d highly suggest checking it out over at www.illusionecigars.com. He has a great section called “The Illusione Story” where he talks about his personal history and a little bit about the meaning of the names behind each of the cigars. It makes for an interesting read. Now I was slightly disappointed to see that Dion did not include a little blurb about the meaning behind the ~mj12~ name. All I can find was it’s nickname which is “The Majestic”. On the section of the website for the ~mj12~ specifically the only information it offers up is the following paragraph:

“A classic connoisseurs’ cigar revealing hints of leather, cinnamon and a long finish.”

So of course I started scouring the web to see what else I could find cause I love learning more about the sticks I review.

What I did find was somewhat limited but still interesting. The cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro and the specific seeds used are Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 finished with a Cafe Colorado wrapper. Each of the cigars is also handmade in the Raices Cubanas factory which is located in Nicaragua of course. The cigars come in boxes of 20 and are surrounded by an interesting silver foil wrapper. Warning: You are supposed to remove the foil before smoking! Wanted to get that out there just in case, you never know sometimes!

Now being the little investigator that I am, I curiously typed “MJ12” into Google and came upon an interesting Wikipedia article. Apparently, “MJ12”, or “The Majestic 12” is “the alleged code name of a secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, supposedly formed in 1947 by an executive order of U.S. President Harry S. Truman”. Now I’m not one for conspiracy theories or anythign so I’ll leave it at that, but interesting nonetheless!

Ok so enough of my detective work and blabbering away, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the review before Tony comes back and cracks the whip!

Cigar: Illusione ~mj12~ “The Majestic”
Drink: Southbrook Wineries 2006 Triomphe Cabernet Merlot
Vitola: Toro Gordo (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $10
Burn Time: A little under 2 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this cigar has a wonderful dark chocolate brown tone with just a slight oily shimmer to it
• I did notice a few cosmetic imperfections such as a small knot and water spots but no major veins that look concerning
• Near the cap and foot, the cigar is fairly firm while being almost mushy in the middle. The softness there worries me and could produce some tunneling or a hot burning cigar
• The triple cap on the head of this cigar is applied with extreme precision, it is super smooth and blends right in
• From the foot’s perspective, all you see is well packed tobacco leaves
• The cap was pretty firm when clipped with my double bladed guillotine but it still left a clean cut

Burn:
• Toasting was a surprisingly long process but left me with an evenly glowing foot
• Unfortunately, the perfect toasting did not lead to a perfect burn, I’ve already had 2 canoeing issues within the first 1.5 inches
• Sadly, I’ve had 2 more relights before reaching the halfway mark
• More and more burn issues that needed correction throughout the cigar, looks like it did not differ much from the blind stick I received
• A little past half way the cigar actually went out completely, I took that opportunity to give it a nice complete re-light and lets hope we get a better burn now
• My hopes for a better burn were shattered quickly as it almost immediately started to tunnel…
• More constant relights as I get to the nub of this cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• Tons of smoke from each draw right from the start of this cigar
• The ash is looking to be moderately strong and holding together
• Fro a visual standpoint, the dark grey color of the ash is not very pleasing and it’s probably related to all the relights
• I was surprised to see very little resting smoke on the cigar, it all but disappears within seconds of laying it down
• The first ash lasted nearly 2 inches before I tapped it off
• Second ash got near 2 inches as well before tapping off to relight

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar has a super attractive bitter cocoa aroma to it
• The foot on the other hand carries more of a barnyard scent with a kick of spice on the nostrils
• The pre-light draw brings a little of the barnyard flavor but it mixing in some coffee adn woodsy notes
• The first few draws were not impressive to me at all, I got a heavy tobacco taste from them but luckily that went away quickly
• Afterwards, the profile is mostly in the burnt woodsy area with a touch of leather
• After about 2 inches the cigar is still mostly woodsy and leathery, I’m starting to pick up a touch of peppery spice now and then
• Retrohale is bringing a wonderful cedar finish and a small little bite, very nice
• Just like most Illusiones I’ve had the retrohale is always significantly more enjoyable than the smoke, I stand by my previous comments that if you don’t retrohale an Illusione you are probably missing out on a lot
• After each re-light I’m getting the expected harshness for a couple draws, it’s ruining the experience for me
• As I pass the halfway mark the profile is mostly the same although I am picking up a bit of sweetness when I’m not fighting the relight harshness
• For the most part this cigar stayed in the medium bodied range although it seems to be picking up a bit in the last third
• The sweetness I was picking up is turning into a sweet coffee type flavor which is a nice addition to the wood and leather, hoping it develops a bit more
• The only thing that really developed towards the end was a little more bite on the retrohale, which is still super good
• The rest of the cigar tapered off in sweetness and built up some harshness to the end, mostly due to the relights I’m sure
• Had to set the cigar to rest early, the harshness and relighting just got to be too much

Final Thoughts:
Let me start by saying I REALLY wanted to enjoy this cigar. It has a wonderful visual appeal to it and I’ve enjoyed mostly every Illusione I’ve had. Sadly though the ~mj12~ yet again failed to meet my expectations. I know it has potential though, the profile when I wasn’t relighting was pretty tasty. And the retrohale was very enjoyable. It’s the terrible burn that lost all the points on this cigar. It made it difficult to enjoy and ruined the flavors for the first couple draws after a relight. If I had this cigar without burn issues I probably would give it a glowing review but I’ve smoked through about 5 of these from different batches and I had the same issues every time. Maybe it’s just my luck cause I know a lot of people really enjoy them, but for me, I’ll stick to other vitolas in the Illusione line before looking at these again.

Pairings:
On the flip side, I happened to discover a wonderful wine last time I took a road trip to Niagara. The Southbrook name was actually a farm not far from my house many years ago. They used to do the typical fruits and vegetables with awesome fresh baked pies and a hay maze for the kids in the fall. Pumpkin picking too of course! When they closed the farm they opened a winery out in the Niagara region so I had to visit them. The wine I’m pairing with tonight is from 2006 and is a blend of a Cabernet and Merlot, which are 2 of my favorite wines from this region. It has a fantastic smooth flavor to it and a nice medium body. It’s got a surprising amount of fruity notes, in particular I’m getting black cherries and blackberries mostly. It also has a smooth oak finish to it from the barrel aging process that comes through very nicely. This is a great cigar pairing wine and would hold it’s ground against a variety of medium and full bodied smokes. It did very well with the Illusione ~mj12~. Other pairings with this cigar could be a coffee with milk, an brown ale and of course, Port!

The post Illusione ~mj12~ ‘The Majestic’ appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I’m splitting this into 2 separate postings, so look forward to the other one next week! Keep in mind that I know NOTHING about these cigars. I really like these blind tastings because it completely removes any biases towards a brand or particular cigar, so it’s 100% honest. I think we all create some kind of bias to brands based on past smoking experiences so I’m throwing those out the window and going into this with an open mind. Let’s see what happens…

“The Godfather”

This is a massive cigar, probably one of these new fancy 6×60’s that everyone seems to be making. It appears to have a nice clean wrapper and even construction at first glance. The cut and lighting were super easy and I was soon on my way.
Initial draws were fairly bland, getting just your basic tobacco flavor with a hint of woody or earthy, but mostly just tobacco. The draw is also fairly open at this point.
After about an inch, a bit of sweetness started appearing now and then making this a little more enjoyable, let’s hope it sticks around.
The burn through the first half has been pretty good with only one minor touch up but the cigar is leaving me a bit dry, although the sweetness is a nice touch. Body for the most part has been on the edge of medium and the retrohale has a nice bite and a smooth woodsy finish.
Despite the good burn in the first half, I’ve had to retouch the cigar multiple times in the second half and that’s not helping the flavors at all… The retrohale continues to be amazingly enjoyable.
Cigar got a little bitter near the end and needed to set it down early, probably due to the relights.
The ash was always nice and clean and lasted at least an inch every time. I found it very odd that the retrohale was much more enjoyable than the normal draws, haven’t really experienced that disconnect before.

Reveal: Illusione ~mj12~

Post Reveal Notes: Wow! Big surprise! Although this was still a decent smoke, I remember the one I had a while back to be awesome. I think this may have been a bum stick or maybe I didn’t let it rest in my humi long enough to acclimate. I have one more from a box pass to compare to. After discussing this with Tony he mentioned he has come across the occasional dud in the ~mj12~ as well, so I’ll chalk this one up to that!

“Casino”

A very nice looking Toro sized cigar, maybe 6 x 54 or so. The wrapper has a very nice oily sheen to it with a few medium sized veins. Construction looks excellent and cigar feels pretty hefty in my hand, it’s also fairly firm through the whole length.
Toasting was a cinch and the foot glowed easily with no effort. Initial draws are packed with cedar and light peppery spices with a bit of leather and saltiness. I might even venture an early guess that this is a young Cuban of some kind?? But I quickly change my mind because the wrapper and construction looks too clean and neat for a Cuban.
Getting some nice coffee flavors developing with the cigar as the spice takes a backseat. Burn line is awesome through the first half and the ash is staying strong, clean and solid.
The cigar has been mostly in the medium range and the retrohale has a nice little bite and a smooth woodsy finish. The spices seem to be making a little comeback as I progress past the halfway point and the profile has had a nice creaminess to it throughout. I’m going to go with a second guess here that this is an AJ Fernandez stick of some kind.
Spices and espresso-like coffee flavors made for a nice final third of this cigar. The body increased a bit, but just barely at the edge of full. There is a nice mix of pepper and maybe a bit of paprika near the end and the creaminess is sticking around too.
A tiny bit more buildup in body and intensity of flavors near the nub, but no harshness. A very tasty finish!

Reveal: A La Aurora Broadway Series!

Post Reveal Notes: I didn’t think I was gonna get to try this since it’s a New York exclusive so I’m glad I got to. I was WAY off in my guess. This cigar had a lot more spice than I would expect from La Aurora. I looked up the MSRP of these, at $12 I would be hard-pressed to buy many more. They are good, but not $12 good. Apparently they can be had for about $8 which is a much more reasonable price point. Yet another cigar that keeps my interest in the La Aurora brand!

I will have a couple more to review next week so keep your eyes peeled!

The post Mobster Movie Themed Mystery Cigar Roundup – Part 1 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.