The Good Stuff:

We all know Jose Blanco. He’s an amazing man as well as a huge contributor to the cigar industry. Most of us know him from his long time work with La Aurora which he left a few years back to join forces with Joya de Nicaragua for a few years before his newest venture, Las Cumbres Tabaco. The Senorial is Jose’s debut release with the new company. It’s a cigar that he produced alongside his cousin Jochi Blanco created at the Tabaclera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder from Esteli, and Piloto Cubano and Corojo filler tobacco grown on Dominican Republic farms owned by Jochi. The Senorial is offered in 5 sizes: Paco Robusto (5.25 x 52), Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46), Belicoso No.2 (6.25 x 52), Toro Bravo (6 x 54), and the Le Grand (6 x 60). The Senorial comes in boxes of 24 and will run you roughly $7.50 to $10.25 a cigar. I purchased a handful of these from our friends over at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 5.5 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Esteli
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Dominican Corojo
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.50
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales – Prairie Somewhere (Saison 7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Senorial starts out with a beautiful, medium brown wrapper. The wrapper show cases some medium-sized veins and lots of darker areas around the natural webbing in the tobacco leaf which gives the cigar a very natural/rustic look and feel. The texture is slightly toothy with some slight oils. The wrapper is a bit thin a delicate while the cigar has very little give when I squeeze it between my fingers. the Senorial is capped off with a beautifully round double cap and polished off with an amazing gold and cold colored band with an almost Monet style feel to it. The front of the band carries the Senorial badge just about the words “by Jose Blanco” while the back of the band simply states “Dominican Republic”.

The wrapper of the cigar gives off a very light, earthy aroma while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of musk alongside some spice and lots of tobacco scents. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on the Senorial produced some slight pepper, spice, and cashew over natural tobacco flavors with a fluid draw.

First Third:

The Senorial started out with a nice little pepper punch which quickly faded leaving behind some great spice, cashew, earthiness and tobacco with a nice little fruity/floral aftertaste. The draw on the Senorial is absolutely flawless. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke while the cigar produces very little stationary smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The burn line on the Senorial is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a perfect trail of tightly compacted, white ask which held on a bit over an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The flavors remain much the same into the second third of the Senorial. Spice, cashew, and earthiness lead the way with a trail of fruit and floral flavors chasing behind. I am also picking up this great butter/toffee flavor as the cigar continues to burn. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with some soft spice, and a lot of oakiness that I don’t really pick up during the smoking experience. The buntline is still dead even and I close out the second third feeling absolutely noting in the nicotine department.

Finish:

A bit of a ramp-up in the flavors here into the final third of the Senorial. The fruit and the butter toffee flavors are out in full force now while the spice, earthiness, floral, and cashew all remain in the mix. It’s impressive how smooth and balanced this cigar is. It took me a little over an hour and half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experience absolutely no harshness, nor did the cigar burn hot an any point. I never once had to reach for my torch to relight or touch up the cigar as it burned perfectly from start to finish leaving me with no nicotine kick whatsoever.

Overview:

It’s natural to think that just about anything that Jose Blanco creates is going to be solid, but the Senorial exceeded my expectations. The flavor profile is amazing, the construction was perfect, and the smoking experience rocked. This is a great cigar, at a great price and really leaves you wanted to see what’s in store for the future of Las Cumbres. This cigar is box-worthy, and will play a large role in my regular rotation for a while. It’s not the most complex cigar out there, but it delivers a great profile that the seasoned cigars smokers will love, as well as a mild, affordable one that will be perfect for a novice getting into premium cigar smoking.

Pairing:

Prairie Artisan Ales is an Oklahoma based brewery who’s been kicking out some great, experimental beers over the last few years. Prairie Somewhere is a Sour Farmhouse Saison which clocks in at 7% ABV. The Prairie Somewhere leads with a ton of sharp citrus and banana with a very light mouthfeel before finishing a bit sour, yet smooth with notes of lemon and spice with a very heavy banana aftertaste. This beer has refreshing summer awesomeness written all over it and I couldn’t wait for the right time to put this pair to the test, which obviously rocked. I could also see myself pairing the Senorial with some black coffee in the morning, and a sweet bourbon later in the evening.

The post Las Cumbres Tabaco Senorial by Jose Blanco appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Without further adieu, let’s get right into it shall we?

Day 3

After a very restful evening (the staff gave us all extra pillows cause we are special) and a wonderful breakfast (seriously, you will gain about 20 lbs. on this trip) we were back at it. This time, we were spending the day with the Drew Estate team touring their facilities and learning their processes.

We started out by visiting one of Drew Estate’s tobacco bodegas. One of many. In fact, Saka actually told us they have about 7 spread out through Esteli. He also went on to explain that land in Esteli is getting more expensive and harder to come by. They would love to consolidate and expand, but it’s tough due to cost and location. Drew Estate is about to take their bodegas from 7 down to about 2. I’ll touch more on that later though.

The bodega was a simple, crude building filled with millions of dollars in tobacco. Not joking, millions. As I talked about in the previous post, tobacco is stored here in pilons for a number of years while the tobacco ferments. As the tobacco generates heat it is then broken down and rotated. This process happens over and over and over until the tobacco reaches a storing point where it is no longer fermenting and can go on to be used in cigars or stored for future use. Here is an example of the detail in the process. The following picture illustrates a number of pilons, their daily temperature reads, and when the pilon had been rotated.

We headed to a facility next door where there was a number of women sorting tobacco leaves which was ready to go on to other processes. One note is that you see mostly women doing the sorting as well as the rolling while men handle the bunching. This is due to the idea that women tend to have a gentler, more matriculate composure making it easier for them to be more accurate. Again, tobacco here was sorted by type, weight, size and texture.

After that we were brought to the newest addition to the Drew Estate family. Basically it’s a massive, MASSIVE, project under development. Once done (later this year) the facility located directly across from the Drew Estate factory will house 6 out of 7 of the previous tobacco bodegas. Big right? My first thought was “Yay more room! That means, more production!”. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Saka went on to explain that even with the addition of this facility, since they would be combining bodegas, it really wasn’t going to be adding more room or space for production. In fact, Saka went on to tell us that they are pretty much maxed out as far as production and storage goes at the moment. That’s great for the company. Basically every single brand that they have right now is growing in profit each year. Even brands as small as Ambrosia are turning profit. Keep it up guys.

After a quick stop at the new facility we headed to the Drew Estate factory. This factory too has changed quite a bit since the last time we visited. An outdoor cafeteria area that I remember walking through last year now houses a rolling room where eager rollers master their craft before hitting the production floor. The cafeteria has since been moved to the new facility across the street.

We didn’t spend too much time at the factory as the guys knew we had all already seen it so we took a quick tour and went straight into blending. We hit the factory floor to observe bunching and rolling, then took a stroll through their tobacco storage and sorting operations. It’s worth mentioning that even now Drew Estate houses the largest production floor that I have ever been on. Not only that, but the employees are encouraged to enjoy a smoke, rock out to music, laugh and talk. You don’t see that too often.

Before stopping at the blending room we took a quick stop at the new rolling room and tried our hands at the process. Needless to say, mine were terrible. These chubby, stubby fingers just do not understand how to roll a cigar. It was fun though and I think the rollers had a good time laughing at our expense. We also got a quick lesson on the difference between standard bunching/rolling and the entubado technique (rolling each leaf into small tubes while bunching) which Willy is famous for.

The blending session was great. Drew Estate hooked it up with new, awesomely designed tobacco menus which give detailed descriptions of each of the tobaccos we could use. The room also contains huge bins with each different leaf sorted so that you can smell, burn, and some each different leaf before you make your decisions.

From there, it was a quick stop over to see Jessie Flores the Heart and soul of Subculture Studios and pretty much all of Drew Estate’s look and feel. This man and his team are responsible for the marketing, merchandise, and design that you see coming out of the factory. Jessie showed us boxes they were screen printing (that’s right! They screen print some of their own boxes), shirts they were pressing, stickers and magnets they were creating. It’s basically and artist’s dream workshop. A lot of the Subculture Studio was actually blocked off as they were working on this year’s booth set up for IPCPR and if you have ever seen one of their booth’s you will know just how crazy those get.

 That evening we spent some time together in the lounge with Steve Saka, Jonathan Drew, and Jose Blanco. It’s always a bit sad to know that you are going home the next day and that it will be a long while before you see everyone again. We shared stories and heard many more before receiving out personal blends and saying our goodbyes. We headed out early the next morning.

If you have not ever been on a Cigar Safari tour I cannot stress how amazing it is. The culture, the land, the views, and the knowledge you take in is incredible. Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua are generous hosts and my deepest thanks goes out to them and their crew for inviting us to come along on yet another adventure.

Dates for the 2014 Cigar Safari Tours will be released soon. You can keep up with the tour as well as book your own here: www.cigarsafari.com

Again, the following gallery may be a bit cumbersome. You can view the entire photo set over at our facebook by clicking this link (no need for an account).

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The post Drew Estate Cigar Safari 2013 – Day 3 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I am going to do something slightly different this time around. Instead of splitting it up between 3 separate posts I am going to try to generalize the trip and pack it all into two different posts, combining a few of the days. I hope you guys are ready to read!

This trip included:

Me
Dan Reeve from Cigar Press
Jay L. from Cigar Photo
Ben Lee from Stogie Review
Brian Hewitt from Stogie Review
Stace Berkland from Leaf and Grape
William Cooper from Cigar Coop
Craig Vanderslice from Cigar Craig
Stephen Ross from Tobacconist Magazine
And Johnny Brooke’s little brother, the Vet.

Day 1:

The first day was travel day. Since I was flying in a bit further than the other guys I had stayed in Houston the night prior. I met up with Ben Lee at the airport. We shared a romantic breakfast before our 4 hour flight to Managua. We were scheduled to get in before the rest of the guys flying in from Miami, but we were delayed and they were all already there along with Pedro, our Drew Estate tour guide, waiting. Within minutes from landing in Nicaragua we were packed into the bus, handed Liga Privadas and on our way!

We had lunch at this incredible outdoor restaurant. Steak, potatoes, plantains, veggies, salad, and lots of Tona (Nicaraguan beer). We were met there by Jose Blanco of Joya de Nicaragua, Dr. Alejando Cuenca from Joya de Nicaragua, Steve Saka from Drew Estate, Willy Herrera from Drew Estate, Johnny Brooke from Drew Estate, and Jessie Flores from Subculture studios. The food was excellent and the conversation and company were even better. After a long lunch we were off to Esteli.

Esteli is about 2 – 2.5 hours north of Managua. The bus ride is interesting as it gives you plenty of time to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of Nicaragua. Rain season is just around the corner so many of the roads had small fires going just off to the side of them. Most of these fires were created to burn trash and debris before the moisture moved in. The Nicaraguan roads were also covered in kids playing soccer, locals selling fruits, and tons of stray cattle and dogs.

Upon our arrival to the Drew Estate factory we were sent off to settle into our rooms ( I shared mine with Jay ) before eating a nice, hearty dinner and a relaxing evening at the Drew Estate poolside lounge. Steve Saka, Jose Blanco, and Pedro joined us. We also had the pleasure of participating in a rum tasting showcasing each different blend of the Nicaragua created “Flor de Cana” rum. I’m not much of a rum guy but I really enjoyed getting to try each blend. The 12 year had to be my favorite. After a nice relaxing evening we all went to bed early as we knew how big of a day we had a head of us tomorrow.

The following photo gallery may be a bit cumbersome. You can view the entire set over on our facebook (I don’t think you need an account to see them). 

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Day 2:

Anyone who has been on this trips knows how important it is to get a good night rest, which I still feel bad for. Seems like I kept Jay up with my snoring the night prior, but we all woke early and after having a nice breakfast, headed out to Oliva Tobacco Company’s farm, “Finca la Joya” or The Jewel Farm. Last year we didn’t get to see much of the farms so we were all pretty excited. Oliva Tobacco Company is not to be confused with Oliva Family Cigars. Oliva Tobacco Company is actually one of the largest tobacco growers in the world alongside ASP and the Plasencia Family.

We spent the first leg of the tour checking out their curing barns. Basically when tobacco is pulled from the plant it gets transported to these huge barns where they are then sorted by texture and size before being hung in twos across large rods. Workers then take these rods and hang them from the ceiling down to about 3 – 4 feet from the ground (Note: They will never touch the ground during this process). The tobacco stays in these barns for a number days while the tobacco begins to cure and dry out. We actually got to see a barn that contained tobacco that was above the humidity desired for the curing process. In this barn there was small pits dug into the floor which contained large amounts of burning charcoal which is used to draw the humidity out of the leaves.

After the curing process the tobacco is packed up and sold off to various companies or stored to carry forth through other various processes. One interesting fact I picked up while we were at the field was that during the tobacco off-season the farm actually plants red beans in place of the tobacco. These plants release nutrients into the soil which then carry over to the next batch of tobacco the following season.

From the farm we headed to Oliva Tobacco Company’s sorting and fermenting facility. This place is HUGE. After months (and sometimes years) of storage, tobacco is taken here where it is fermented, sorted, and then sold off or stored.

Once the tobacco comes in the door it is sorted yet again by size, type, and texture. They are then bunched into “hands” of tobacco (containing around 10 leaves) and then stacked into massive stacks called “pilons”. Pilons are about 3 feet wide and about 4 feet tall weighing around 5000 lbs. each. Inside the pilons the tobacco with start to generate heat causing the tobacco to ferment. The fermentation process is a tedious one. The pilons are monitored for temperature daily and once the tobacco reaches a certain temperature (different depending on tobacco type and desired outcome) the pilon is then broken down and resorted, and rebuilt disbursing the heat to other leaves in the stack. This process happens many, many times.  It’s insane how hot the tobacco gets while it’s fermenting. In some cases well over 100 degrees. This process is actually known to spontaneously combust creating large fires if it isn’t handled properly.

Once the tobacco is ready it’s then sorted yet again, packaged up, and ready to sell or store before being rolled into the cigars that we all love. After a break for lunch we headed back out on the town. This time, visiting our friend over at the Joya de Nicaragua factory. You may remember this visit from last trip, but the factory was so different this time around. Joya de Nicaragua is in the midst of a huge change and it was insane seeing just how much they had changes over the last year.

First of all, if you look at the photos from last year you can see that the front of the factory was a bright yellow. This year we were greeted with a beautiful red brick. During a presentation at the factory we learned that the yellow paint was actually carefully chiseled off to showcase the original brick underneath. Not only was it pretty, but it held significance as well. Once you get closer to the brick you can actually see that much of it showcases burn marks and bullet holes. During Nicaraguan revolution Joya de Nicaragua was actually burned down as it was in the center of all the commotion. Since then the factory was completely rebuilt from the inside out.

Letting the true colors show is only one step to the regeneration process. The company recently picked up the master blender Jose Blanco and Joya de Nicaragua has also changed hands and is now in the hands of Dr. Cuenca’s son, Juan Martinez. Juan’s professionalism and young blood is being strung through the factory, the marketing, and pretty much every factor of the company. We got to spend some time with Juan and his marketing team and I can personally say that I love the direction this company is heading. Keep your eye on them.

The Joya de Nicaragua factory tour was conducted once again by Jose Bland and Mario Perez, the head of production at the factory. As stated earlier, the tour started out with a presentation by the staff that demonstrated Joya de Nicaragua’s roots and where the company is headed. We also got to take a sneak peek at a room we didn’t see on our last tour. This room was filled with every blend, exclusive, and historical release that Joya de Nicaragua has gotten then hands on including a box of Joya de Nicaragua from 1970.

We then took a look at the production floor. Why the floor looked similar to the way it did last trip, with the exception of new paint and touch-ups as well as a raised roof with lots of new natural light being brought into the building. After the production floor we quickly toured the sorting facility which is combined with their packaging department.

After the tour we were brought to an outside facility for one of Jose Blanco’s world famous blending seminars. Jose had us smoke multiple “puro” cigars (cigars made with only 1 tobacco type) while sharing out thoughts on the blend, burn, body, strength, and even guessing the ago, tobacco type, and country of origin. Needless to say, I bombed that. No matter how much we think we know about cigars, it’s always humbling to be part of these seminars. We finished the Joya de Nicaragua factory tour off with a “Nicaraguan shot” which was basically a shot of Nicaraguan rum chased with mango dipped into spicy chili and salt. The rum was good, but I went a bit crazy with the salt. It’s all I could taste for a few hours.

We headed back for dinner at the Drew Estate Factory and was greeted by the presence of Jonathan Drew. We were also surprised with a full pork roast (apple in the mouth and everything) and live Mariachi’s. We had a few drinks by the pool before calling it a night. We had another early morning ahead of us.

The following photo gallery may be a bit cumbersome. You can view the entire set over on our facebook (I don’t think you need an account to see them). 

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The post Drew Estate Cigar Safari 2013 – Days 1 – 2 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Jose Blanco has been one of the biggest supporter of new media, and social media since day one. He’s been our cheerleader, and a great friend. We all got a little worried when he announced a while back that he would be leaving his postion at La Aurora, but he fell right into place as the Senior Vice President over at Joya De Nicaragua. I like Jose, and I love Joya de Nicaragua, so naturally I was excited about the move. I got to spend some time at the Joya de Nicaragua factory with both Jose Blanco and Alejandro Cuenca and I must say, they run an awesomely stand-up operation. We’ve all been on pins and needles awaiting the first Joya de Nicaragua’s blend with Jose’s touch, and the time has finally come. This year Joya de Nicaragua released the Cuenca y Blanco, a Mild/Medium cigar with a ton of flavor. The Cuenca y Blanco starts out with a Ecuadorian Habano wrapper tossed around Dominican Republic – La Canela Region Piloto Cubano binder, and then filled with Peruvian and Nicaraguan tobacco from the Ometepe and Esteli regions. The cigar will come in 5 sizes: Lonsdale Club (6.5 x 44), Corona Real (5.5 x 46), Robusto Deluxe (5.25 x 50), Torpedo Especial (6.25 x 52), and the Toro Supremo (6 x 54). They come in boxes of 21 and run around $7.25 – $10.50 a stick. As I patiently wait my local shops to accuire their shipments I was able to set up a trade with a great BOTL “Donny Payne” to get my hands on these. Big thanks goes out to Donny!

Size: 5.25 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Piloto Cubano
Filler: Nicaraguan/Peruvian
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: ~$8.35
Pairing: Schneider & Brooklyner  Hopfen Weisse

Prelight: The Cuenca y Blanco starts out with a beautiful wrapper and a near perfect construction. Yes, another cigar with great construction. This seems to be the trend lately, and one that we as cigar smokers can really embrace. The wrapper is a deep, dark brown with some lighter orange and brown webbing. There are quite a few smaller veins running through the body of the cigar, but nothing that should interfere with the overall experience. The wrapper is very hard, and thick and just screams of oil. The Cuenca y Blanco is polished off with a beautiful, round, triple cap. One thing I love about this cigar visually is the band. It’s beautiful. It’s basic with an elegant “Cuenca y Blanco” crest in gold and red surrounded with more light blue, red, and gold accents.

The wrapper on the Cuenca y Blanco doesn’t give off much but a very moderate spice, and cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar boasts of pepper, sweetness, spice, and tobacco. The cap cut very easily and clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. Wow, even in the cold draw this cigar kicks out a ton of flavor. Cashew, spice, sweet tobacco, sugar, cedar, all mixed in around some black pepper. I can’t wait to fire this baby up.

First Smoke: The Cuenca y Blanco starts off with a bang. Seriously, this cigar packs some crazy flavor. Trying to break it down is actually a bit difficult, but what I can pull out is some really organic earthy, grassy tones, lots of cedar, spice (nutmeg, cinnamon), some black pepper, what tastes like spearmint, and even a bit of honey and vanilla. Jose states over and over that this cigar is packed with flavor and I can’t stress just how right he is. The draw on the few that I smoked is slightly tight, but nothing that will get in the way of the experience. In fact, after a puff or two the Cuenca y Blanco fills my mouth with this extremely thick, lingering, white smoke. This is probably the slowest moving, thickest smoke I have seen from a cigar in a long while. The cigar gives off almost no stationary smoke as it sits in my ashtray. The burnline is beautifully even and razor sharp leaving behind an amazing looking bright white, tightly compacted ash.

Halfway There: Man, the Cuenca y Blanco is no joke in the flavor department. This cigar is still firing on all cyclinders kicking out a creamy cedar and sweet tobacco, brown sugar, honey, black pepper, some coffee notes now, lots of organic earth flavors, and still a neat little spearmint aftertaste with lots of pleasant spice. I’m surprised the pepper is still rockin’ in there. Despite being a flavor bomb, this cigar  is crazy smooth, and creamy in character. The retrohale was a lot sharper than I had expected coating my nasal passage with a strong cedar, lots of spice, and lots of pepper. While the burnline is still dead-on I am feeling absolutely no nicotine kick as I finish the second third of this Cuenca y Blanco.

Finish: The black pepper in this Cuenca y Blanco has mellowed out a bit, but is still there. Remarkable. The flavors have finally started to subdue slightly. When that happened the honey, coffee, and cedar took center stage to the creamy, earthy, spice-filled profile. Along with the smoothing out of the experience, the strength of the cigar has ramped up slightly, but still nothing more than medium. All in all the cigar took almost 2 hours to smoke, that’s right, 2 hours. The cigar burned extremely slow and had no harshness at all into the final inch.

Overview: A few months ago I got to spend a few days with the crew over at Joya De Nicaragua. This included both Jose Blanco and Alejandro Cuenca. When asked about this new blend all Jose could say was “it’s great, mild, and just a nice cigar with a whole ton of flavor”. I don’t think I can explain it better than that. The Cuenca y Blanco is the epitome of a mild/medium cigar with just a ton of flavor. Despite being a flavor bomb the Cuenca y Blanco finishes off extremely smooth and well balanced. Factor in the length of smoke, modest price tag, perfect construction, and supburb experience and it’s easy to say they have another home run on their hands. This cigar is by far VERY boxworthy. The complex, deep flavors are perfect for the seasoned cigar smoker while the price, mild stature, and smoothness is ideal for the novice smoker looking to dip their feet into the premium market.

Pairing: Springing for another great German brew, this Cuenca y Blanco was paired up with Schneider & Brooklyner’s Hopfen Weisse Ale. In case you aren’t family with the name, this is actually a collaboration between the German Brewery Schneider & Sohn and USA’s own Brooklyn Brewery. Strange, I know, but I have always been a fan of both and the product the two have came out with is phenomenal. This 8.2% weizenbock style beer is brewed at the Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn is Germany. This is the Schneider & Sohn version of the brew (I’m not a big fan of the vice versa) using Brooklyn’s ingredients. The ale is very heavy, and yeasty starting off with lots of citrus, orange and lemon flavors while it finishes off with a very wheaty, bitter yet smooth group of flavors. Another great summer beer and it went absolutely great with the Cuenca y Blanco. Because the Cuenca y Blanco is packed with so much flavor, it’s the perfect cigar to pair with your more flavorful/powerful brews.

The post Joya de Nicaragua – Cuenca y Blanco appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

We were greeted by Jose Blanco and Mario as soon as we arrived. The first thing you notice about the JDN factory was how old, yet well taken care of the factory is. There is a lot of history there and it shows. After a brief introduction Jose and Mario took us inside. Right away I was surprised by just how small and quaint the factory is. It seems as if this is the little factory that could. Once we got out to the production floor I couldn’t help but get a sense of pride from all the workers. It was a totally different feel than any other factory I had toured in the past. The factory is set up very different too. There are two main floors, production goes down on the top floor while storage and packaging take place on the bottom floor. Once you climb the stairs you are thrown right into the rolling floor. Surrounding the rolling area are the sorting, tobacco storage, and quality assurance areas. One neat conversation I had with Jose Blanco was concerning the quality assurance process of the Cabinetta serie cigars. I was watching a lady roll only the maduro portion onto the cigar. You see, the cabinettas are rolled with the natural wrapper just like any other cigar, then a separate roller adds the maduro section. Jose was telling me that they limit their rollers productivity. They get paid per piece, but most are limited to about 325 cigars a day. There reason they do this is so that the roller doesn’t try to speed through their cigars to make more money which could possibly produce bad quality cigars. The idea is to pace yourself and do every cigar right. I then asked if that goes the same for that one roller who only had to place the maduro cap section on the Cabinetta, and surprisingly it did. They train that roller to be extra precise with that one portion. We even timed her with the roller rolling full sized cigars next to her and sure enough, they were working at the same piece. What this means is, each Cabinetta made actually costs Joya De Nicaragua almost twice as much in man-power cost, yet they commit to keeping the cost of that cigar low. Nicely done JDN.

Anyways. After touring the entire production floor we headed downstairs to take a look at warehousing and packaging. Again, this factory in all aspects is a well oiled machine. They have about half the people pumping out just as much product. The employees there really seem to know what they are doing. One thing I didn’t ask was what the average length of employment was for each of the workers there. I would imagine with the history of the company it would be pretty lengthy.

After the tour Jose and Mario brought us out back to an open, covered patio for some coffee and our Joya De Nicaragua blending session. The blending session here was really straight forward. We were schooled on the types and differences of the tobacco that they carry at Joya De Nicaragua. We were given tips on how to mix them, and what to pay attention to as we felt the texture of the tobacco, smelt the aromas, and even rolled a few leaves up and smoked them. Thor obviously new how to roll his own, but Mario Takeyama had some problems. I don’t have a picture of it, but I know some of the other guys there snapped a few. Basically, he made what he called the “Mawio Cigaw Buwwito”. It was almost the size of my arm. Man I love that guy.

After the blending sessions we headed back to Drew Estate to enjoy a relaxing lunch before checking out Jessie Flores’ subculture studios. Bascially, Subculture studios is the place where all the artwork for all the crazy Drew Estate projects gets thrown down. The company started with Jessie doing all the work. He actually explained that he hooked up with Jonthan Drew as a mere graffiti artist who ran into him at a gas station. The two hit it off and became good friends. As time went on, Jessie realized that Jonathan spoke very poor Spanish, and his translator sucked so Jessie went on to assume that role. The two became very close and as time went on Jessie soon became the artist behind all things Drew Estate.

Jessie now employs a handful of people under him who ensure that all things Drew Estate are hip, artistic, and plentiful. Serious this kid has so much raw talent it’s scary. You should really check out the pictures at the end of the post to see more of his artwork.

We headed back out on the road, this time on our way to visit the My Father factory. It was interesting to see how close the Nicaraguan factories are both in terms of distance, and relationships. Joya, Drew Estate, Oliva, Perdomo, and My father were all within a few minutes of each other

The rain had been hitting hard all day. We were actually there during the rainy season which means it was incredibly sunny one minute, pouring rain the next, the back to sunny, back to rain, and the cycle continued. Kind of like that clip in Forrest Gump. Anyways. What the rain did was it actually caused part of the My Father factory to lose power. Pete Johnson from Tatuaje greeted us at the door and took us on our tour. The first leg was the 4 buildings that were sans-power; the tobacco receiving, storage and sorting areas. It was different than most factories as each of these areas were housed within their own buildings. I wish I could have gotten more pictures there, but most of them didn’t come out due to the fact that it was pitch black.

After we toured the smaller buildings we headed inside while making a quick stop at the box storage area. My Father actually has a full box manufacturing facility on site, but it was closed and locked when we too the tour so sadly, we didn’t get to see that. Either way I was very impressed with the massive amounts of ready made boxes they had on hand. We proceeded through the tobacco bodega, then onto the rolling floor. Much like Drew Estate, My Father is a huge factory with a ton of rollers. Every at that, I don’t think that they had more than Drew Estate did. One awesome addition was a double table roller set put up in front of the rest of the rollers. You can see in the picture below who these two seats belong to.

After the production tour we hit the packaging department. Again, this area was huge. There was a ton of neat little projects going on. We actually got to take a first, hands on look to the much anticipated “Little Monsters” series by Tatuaje.

We ended the tour with a few minutes with the man, Jaime Garcia. The air in any room feels different when you have Steve Saka, Jaime Garcia, Pete Johnson, Jose Blanco, and Willie Herrera in it. It was a shocker and I think we were all impressed at the amount of talent and knowledge in that room.

After the My Father factory the Cigar Safari team lead us to a quick tour of the Oliva factory. After being in so many factories we were brisked through this one. The first thing I noticed about the factory was it was rather primitive. They weren’t using some of the same technologies or procedures some of the larger factories did. Again, this factory was just more of a hands on machine. This isn’t to say the company doesn’t produce top-quality smokes, we all know they do. It was just interesting how they seemed to put less money in the factory which ultimately shaves off the cost of their product. Oliva has always produced quality, cost effective cigars.

The most impressive part of the Oliva tour was the massive amounts of tobacco they have stored. Seriously, there were tons. Another great experience at the factory was we got to meet the legend himself, Gilberto Oliva, a.k.a. “the chick magnet”. Ok, they don’t call him that, but they did go on to tell us on how much a of a flirt he was. Look at the dude, he’s got charm written all over him!

The last leg of this expedition was a tour through the Drew Estate tobacco bodega. This was basically a crash course led by Steve Saka on how they store, ferment, and ready their tobacco for processing. I’ve never actually been involved as much with the hands on fermentation of tobacco so I soaked up a ton of knowledge from this experience. For those of you who don’t know, tobacco is fermented by being stacked in huge “pilons” about 4 feet tall. I have no idea how to spell that word, but you get the idea. Anyways, the stacking of the tobacco causes a reaction within the leaves that heats up the tobacco to temperatures as high as 160 degrees. No one knows for sure if it’s a chemical reaction or biological, but Steve Saka and Jose Blanco seem to think it’s more chemical. As the tobacco heats it releases the natural aroma into the air. They track the tobacco on a daily basis and rotation the fermentation as needed. We got to actually stick our hands inside a pilon to see just how hot it gets, ant it’s hot! Saka said that if you leave it unattended long enough it could actually combust and catch fire. Luckily, fire is the only disaster Drew Estate has yet to face (knock on wood).

From the tobacco bodega we headed back to Drew Estate for a much needed rest, and dinner. Burrito dinner to be exact with some of the best BBQ I have had. After dinner we hung out on the patio for some time before Jose Blanco started his blending session. This session was much more intensive. We started out by smoking a cigar that had 4 different wrappers. We had to guess which tobacco was used. I actually went 3-4 on that. He also went into everything from taste, texture, body, strength, and construction. One huge subject that came up was flavor in which Saka and Jose agreed with us bloggers that taste is related to memories of items that we have actually enjoyed. For instance, when we say chocolate and coffee, this is just our taste buds picking up flavors that remind us of coffee and chocolate which enables us to describe these flavors to you all. This is a subject that comes up often and I am glad that someone was finally on our side.

And that was that, the end of the trip. A few of us spent that night smoking and drinking late into the evening. Steve Saka eventually joined us and told us all sorts of stories from his past, his family, when he was a blogger, and the start of his career. It was really nice to hear from him on such a personal level. I swear, that guy needs to write a damn book on his experiences. One thing that I loved about the trip was Jonathan, Saka, and Jose’s love for not only what they do, but for us. Not many companies see new media as a valid form of media. Although more and more are coming around, these guys really see the power in what we do, the passion behind it, and the work we put in and respect it and us. We felt loved. At least I did.

In closing, I just want to thank everyone involved in this trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I urge any cigar enthusiast to enjoy a Cigar Safari trip. You get to meet amazing people, experience a wonderful country, and get schooled on the cigar manufacturing process. Again, Thank you Steve Saka, Jonathan Drew, Pedro, Allejandro, Pedro, Jessi, Jose Blanco, Gary, Pete Johnson, Dave Lafferty, John Brooke, Willie, and everyone else that joined us, and welcomed us.

Check out more pictures from the day: (click each image, once you are done hit “back” on your browser to return to this page. Annoying, I know, but the only other quick option was stupid flash.)

Click Here if you rather see the image via my personal Flickr slideshow.

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 1

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 2

The post Drew Estate – Cigar Safari 2012 – Blogger Trip Day 3 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

After a full night’s rest we enjoyed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then it was off to Esteli. It was roughly a two and a half hour bus ride to Esteli. I started the morning off with a Joya De Nicaragua Cabinetta, possibly one of my favorite morning smokes. I was quickly chased off that cigar while Jonathan Drew shared some “Thank You” prototype cigar they had created with us. I don’t know too much about the blend or it’s purpose, but it was badass. Really badass… Anyhow, the bus-ride took us through the city of Managua, the countryside, and the city of Esteli. I was blown away by the amount of loose cattle along the way. The highway was full of drifting cows and horses, not to mention people who just crashed out and napped under random shade trees. The ride was long, and scary at times as we were doing 80mph up a twisty mountain-side highways, but we arrived at the Drew Estate factory in Esteli in one piece.

The city of Esteli is actually quite pretty. Modest, and on the lower class end, but the people where happy as they hustled through the colorful streets. Almost every corner had a mess of kids playing soccer or running through the streets. We hung out at the resort-side of the factory for a few hours. Checked out the pool, the rooms, the patio, and an awesome clubhouse all overlooking a river valley.

After the brief introduction to our home for the next two days we settled down for some lunch. I can’t quite remember what we ate that afternoon, but everything we had at the Drew Estate facility was just ridiculously delicious. Serious. Five Star, professional Chef-style. Along with out food we were introduced Drew Estate President Steve Saka, Alejandro Martinez Cuenca – the man behind Joya de Nicaragua, as well as two new cigars I hadn’t heard of pre-Cigar Safari. The Liga Privada “Black Rat” and the “Big Black Rat”. Saka basically said the blend was based off the Dirty Rat with a slightly tweaked blend including a much darker, lower priming wrapper. The interesting thing is as we were smoking them together, we had all talked about how the cigar tasted much more similar to the No. 9, and less like the dirty rat. Saka agreed. He agreed so much that the next night he actually handed us a few more of the same blend, only with a new name “LP 9 Pequeno”.  I’m not sure if these cigars will ever hit the market, but we can only hope. One thing that’s hard to overlook at the factory is the crazy artwork at every turn. Seriously, every corner, crown, baseboard, wall, everything has crazy amounts of artistic attention.

Anyways, after lunch we took a tour of the Drew Estate factory hosted by Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka. Despite being a big scary guy, I must say, Saka is a sweetheart and one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met. Not just about the cigar industry, but about all things. He’s like a big, nerdy, sweet, teddy bear. Anyhow. We started in the board room where they guys passed out another new blend, the “UF-13 Dark” and told us all about the Drew Estate history. A few things that I totally admired about the company was the incredible way they treat their employees. They told us about a benefit that all Nicaraguans receive at work called the “13^th Month Bonus”. Basically, once you complete 12 months of employment you receive a bonus month of pay. That bonus decreases over time and by the 8^th month, it is no more. Most employers in Nicaragua get around the policy by firing their employees before their 12^th month just to re-hire them. At Drew Estate, not only do they pay them the full 13^th month bonus, but the pay them that every year no matter how long they have been with the company. Along with that, they offer lots of other benefits unheard of in the country, such as life insurance. Not to mention they actually have disabled workers in the factory. One guy didn’t have any arms, and we spotted a blind gentleman loading cigar boxes into bulk packages to be added to containers. They really are out for the best interest of the city and rightfully so, Tobacco is one of the top 5 items that carry the Nicaraguan economy.

The first two things that caught my eye on the tour was the massive amount of cigar rollers they have going at the factory. Seriously, there must have been at least 300 going at any given time. (a side note on this, Saka actually explained that just about all of his rolling staff enters the company fresh. They don’t like to get rollers that have worked at other companies before as they are likely to carry over habits they learned. Every factory does things differently and Drew Estate is interested in teaching their employees their way from the ground up)  Secondly, the entire staff was much younger that I expected. Saka actually pointed out that there are condom stations in the facility to promote safe sex. Needless to say the one we saw was dead empty, even though it was filled earlier that morning. Another thing I noticed was the employees were so happy, laughing, smoking, joking. It’s not something I had seen before. Another interesting note was there were very few bunchers using Liebermans (press machines used to assist in the bunching of cigars). They actually try to ween them off the machine until each and every cigar is rolled 100% by hand. This isn’t the case in most factories, but it helps in the Quality Assurance area as it forces more accountability on the bunchers. We watched the rollers roll quite a few cigars including the infamous EGG and Medusa. We even got to smoke newly bunched feral pigs before being put into molds, pre-wrapper. What a difference. Seriously. The cigars was crazy loose, pepperbomb powerhouses. I couldn’t even get halfway though mine.

Next we headed into the Quality Assurance rooms. Drew Estate actually enlists a computerized system that includes bar-codes that get scanned every step of the way. This way they can track each team of rollers and bunchers to address any problems that they have. These bar codes actually follow each bunch of cigars all the way though the creation process until they hit the color sorting tables. If there is a problem they can track it down to each and every employee that touched that bunch of cigars. This enables Drew Estate to crack down on inconsistencies quickly and address them. Pretty high tech.

We visited room after room of cooled cigar storage rooms. These areas are cooled so that the cigars will get a change to de-humidify a bit before being packaged. As we learned in the sorting process, the tobacco has to be wet and shaken out in order to separate the leafs before sorting. This also helps remove any excess ammonia left in the leaf. Needless to say the tobacco will stay pretty moist from that point forward. We also spent some time in packing. Basically, we got a tour from the time the raw tobacco hits the factory, and the finished, packaged cigars leave. We even got a look into the blending process as we took a detail-oriented blending seminar with Jonathan and Saka in which we got schooled on the different regions, tobaccos, farms, and even blended our own cigars. I haven’t tried mine yet as I have been way too sick, but I can only imagine it’s pretty terrible.

After the tour we had dinner, then headed up to the clubhouse for some drinks. We were then joined by some very special guests, Pete Johnson from Tatuaje Cigars, Gary Griffith from Emilio Cigars, and Jose Blanco along with his fiancé. I tried to troop it out, but after a few hours and a few drinks I hit the sack. I know some of the guys actually stayed up until 4:30 that evening. I just couldn’t hang.

Check out more pictures from the day: (click each image, once you are done hit “back” on your browser to return to this page. Annoying, I know, but the only other quick option was stupid flash.)

Click Here if you rather see the image via my personal Flickr slideshow.

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 1

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 3

The post Drew Estate – Cigar Safar 2012 – Blogger Trip Day 2 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

So for today’s giveaway we are being sponsored by our good friends over at Joya De Nicaragua! Now Joya de Nicaragua is a very well known company producing a few landmark brands that have carried them successfully through over 40 years in the cigar industry. You can see our reviews of the Antano 1970, Antano Dark Corojo, and one of my favorites, the Cabinetta Series. They also make a blend called the Celebracion as well as the Clasico which was the first Nicaraguan Puro as well as the official cigar of Nicaragua. Pretty impressive to have a national cigar, all we have here are Beavers and Moose!

Now you may have heard some news a few months ago that a well respected cigar industry veteran joined Joya de Nicaragua. That person is Jose Blanco and having had the chance to meet him I can say he is a great person to share a cigar with. I had the opportunity to take part in one of his blending seminars that he holds and I would highly recommend attending one if you can. If you think you are a know-it-all when it comes to cigars and tobacco, Jose’s sessions will definitely surprise you with his insane depth of knowledge and experience, and he still claims to be learning everyday! I can’t wait to see the impact he has on Joya de Nicaragua and I will definitely be attending his next seminar when he makes a return trip to Toronto.

So I got in touch with Jose and he generously offered up a tasty box of Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 Robusto cigars for us to giveaway. These are darn good cigars and pack lots of flavor, a definite requirement in any humidor. So now you ask, how do you win yourself this awesome box of cigars?

We’ve been having such an awesome response with our simple “Add a comment to win” method that we’ll keep that style going. All I want you to do is write a comment below detailing your best cigar moment ever. This could be about a cigar you shared with a celebrity or family member, a memorable location, a funny event that occurred, whatever! We will pick one lucky winner from the comments to take home this prize.
 

Now onto our winners from Contest Day #7 – Miami Cigars

 
Tony and I were floored by the amount of detail you all put into your stories to win a box of La Sirena cigars. There were definitely some funny ones and I have to add a few honorable mentions to highlight some of these awesome entries.

Honorable Mention 1 – Tom

A few years ago my ex-wife, best friend and all our kids were on vacation in York Beach Maine.
We went to dinner at a nice seaside restaurant, with a beautiful patio over looking the Atlantic ocean. When we arrived we were seated outside.
We had passed through a screen door that open in to the restaurant. After a fine meal I asked if I could smoke outside, the waiter and manager both said “sure!” Excited I jumped up from the table to fetch a cigar from my car. When u got to the door, I kind of hop skipped through it because it looked like the door was open!
Nope, the screen door was gone and the sliding glass door, with no markers, and perfectly clean glass was skys in place. I damn near killed myself slamming into that door. I hit the floor flat on my back laughing like hell! Why you ask? Well,, before I hit the floor, all I could see on the other side of that glass door was a lady spitting her lobster into her husbands face! I think the impact oh my 200+ pound body scared her just a bit
I did get to have my cigar and the manager Tony took care of the check and was very sorry for what happens.

I honestly cracked up laughing at this one and will still pay if you find some video! haha

Honorable Mention 2 – GICIGAR

My most embarrassing memory on vacation is probably when my wife and I visited the Amazon in Peru, just before heading out on our hike our guide stopped us at a termite mound, asked us to stick our hands on it and let the termites climb on. Then the guide instructed us to squish them to release the sweet aroma and oil of eucalyptus tree that the termites feed on, then asked us to spread the oil on any area of our bodies that weren’t covered by clothes as the smell and oil act as a natural insect repellent. I thought about the 3 hour hike that lay ahead which made me squish a considerable amount of termites thinking that it would last me the whole 3 hour journey. As we begin to hike I noticed a termite that must have escaped my death grip and I squished him. We walked a few more yards then noticed another so again I snuffed it out. Then from nowhere I felt my body starting to get Goosebumps and in a rush hundreds maybe thousands of termites invaded my body, after scrambling around and yelling like a mad man I discovered the source of the attacking hoard, my backpack, which I guess they climbed when we were at the termite mound. Embarrassing for me because we were not the only ones in the group, so I had to endure the rest of the long hike as the guy that made a scene. Till this day my wife is the only one that knew about that, and now all of you know it too.

That would drive me crazy! haha, good on you for toughing it out the rest of the hike!

Honorable Mention 3 – Jake

Vacation – 2006.
Location – South Dakota.
While standing in a Harley-Davidson store, surrounded by a HUGE amount of Harley-Davidson devotees, my then 8-year-old daughter (in her normal ‘I-HAVE-NO-INDOOR-VOICE’) asks me, “Are there really this many people that are into this stuff?” I look around, making eye contact with at least 6 people that have heard her question, and smile. “Yeah,” I tell her, “it’s a way of life for a lot of people. Some of them feel pretty strongly about it.” “Oh,” she responds, “well they just need to GET A LIFE!!”
OhmygodI’mgoingtodie.
I look around again to find that absolutely no one is still smiling as earlier. At this point I try to cover for her. “Sorry. She has Tourette’s,” I say to no one in particular, all the while heading this child towards the nearest exit.
Did I mention we were in a Harley-Davidson store?
Did I mention that said store was in STURGIS, South Dakota?
Y e a h . . .
Outside, where even more people were standing around, I tried to make her understand that these people wouldn’t be upset with her for saying things like that, but that they would be upset with her Daddy. “You wouldn’t want that, would you.” I asked. “No,” she said softly. “But all these Harley people are GAY and need to GET OVER THEMSELVES!”
YupI’mdefinitelygoingtodie.
I explained again about her Tourette’s while covering her mouth with my hand and placing her in the car where I informed her she was no longer allowed to speak until she saw a sign that said “Wyoming”.
From the mouths of babes, huh?

I’m glad to see you made it back alive, I’m sure you left a few treadmarks in your underpants! lol. Props for quick thinking on the tourettes! haha
 

And of course, here is our winner of the La Sirena Prizepack!

 
*** TODD ***

Anyone who knows me knows I love to eat. I love buffets more than John Pinette and have put four all-you-can-eat steak houses out of business. Well, I also love sushi and have even been embarrassingly “cut off” in front of my Pastor. Well, I wasn’t prepared for what happened when I learned about eating one particular type of fish! I found a place which proudly stated in it’s window that they had all-you-can-eat sushi, so I had to try it out! I went in and was thrilled to find out that they served one of my favorites, commonly called “white tuna.” Well, I hadn’t eaten breakfast and was starvin’! I normally eat about 60 pieces of sushi but this time I probably ate 100, and made about half of that “white tuna.” I was completely stuffed and decided to go shopping to walk it off. Suddenly in one of the aisles I uncontrollably let out a huge smelly “wet one,” and I noticed everyone and everything stop and stare directly at me. I then noticed while I walked faster, a strange cold wet feeling, and I decided to go the the restroom for some inspection. I was absolutely horrified and embarrassed when I looked in the mirror and saw the entire back of my shorts, (and white Polo shirt which was draped over my shorts), had a HUGE orange circle on it, like a bulls-eye on my backside! It blew through to the shirt! I tried to wash it the best I could in the sink and raced out of there, and sped home without sitting. I hurried to the computer, and after some investigation, found out that I ate escolar (it’s not tuna), and it’s even banned in Italy and Japan because it causes people to “expel yellowish-orange drops of oil” (aka keriorrhea), I still eat “white tuna” and love to see it at a buffet, but I unfortunately have to eat a whole lot less of it! Can you shed a tear for me?

The embarrassment of this alone wins the prize. Note to everyone, don’t go out for sushi with Todd! hahaha!

Congrats to Todd, please email your name, and address to “casasfumando@gmail.com”. Thanks again for every one who entered! Keep the entries coming!

The post Contest Day #8 – Joya De Nicaragua (and Day #7 Winner!) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

How to win:

 Entering is simple. Simply leave a comment on this post. Simple as that. If you want another entry just leave a comment on any of the reviews coming later this week. We will then choose 10 winners at random to receive a 2pk of La Aurora Para Japon so that they can join in the virtual event.

 Winners will be chosen, and contacted this Friday Evening (4/22). PLEASE do me the favor and fill out the email you would like to be contacted at, I will need to get a list of names and addresses over to Miami Cigars by Saturday evening. 

One quick note. You are free to enter ANY or ALL of the contests that are being ran by any of the Para Japon supporting sites, however you can only win once. If a name is picked more than once by alternate blogs then another winner will be chosen by Miami Cigars. 

Thanks for the support! Please read the following press release with more information on the Para Japon project as well as a list of all the supporters!

A short history of the “Para Japón” concept: 

In March 2011 La Aurora hosted a media event at their factory in the Dominican Republic. Invited to this event were many members of the online cigar blog community who have become a vital part of the cigar industry today. During an evening discussion at the hotel where the attendees were staying the topic of the recent devastation in Japan came up. Cigar Explorer founder Mario Takayama (a native of Japan) described the area of Japan most impacted by the earthquake/tsunami, and just how much this destruction of that region will set back the country as a whole. As most conversations of this manner play out, the idea of “what can we do to help?” arose. Guillermo quickly came to the decision that he really had to do something, so the idea for a cigar (Now know as “Para Japón”) will be produced, and all the proceeds from the sale of the cigar will be donated to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief fund thought JAPAN TOBACCO IMEX CO. LTD, La Aurora Distributor in Japan.

 Details of the Virtual Release Party 

The Virtual Release Party will be a live online event hosted by Team of Project Para Japón that is open to anyone who wishes to join in on this significant occasion. The event will be streamed live via UStream (Link will be on ParaJapon.com) and Guillermo will be on hand to answer any questions about the Para Japón cigar, or any of the La Aurora products. Also attending the event via UStream Chat, Twitter, and Facebook are all of the cigar bloggers who attended the La Aurora media event in the Dominican Republic. These bloggers will share stories from the trip, and give their opinions on the “Para Japón” cigar. 

For more details on the La Aurora Para Japón cigar please visit ParaJapon.com

Project Para Japón Original Supporters 

Guillermo Leon – La Aurora – @GuillermoLeon_

Jose Blanco – La Aurora – @joseblanco809

Amaury Abreu – La Aurora – @LaAuroraCigars

Jason Wood – Miami Cigar Company – @MiamiCigar

Barry Stein – A Cigar Smoker’s Journal – @nyisles

Tony Casas – Casas Fumando – @tonycasas

David “The Doc” Diaz – Doc StogieFresh – @Doc_StogieFresh

Ben Lee – Nice Tight Ash – @NTA_ben

Steve Valle – Smoking Stogie – @SteveVLiLo

Brian Hewitt– Stogie Review – @brianhewitt

Jerry Cruz – Stogie Review – @jcruz

Tom Ufer – Tampa Cigar Examiner – @cigarsmokingman

Charlie Minato – The Cigar Feed – @thecigarfeed

David Jones – The Tiki Bar Online – @dmjones1009

About La Aurora 

La Aurora is the first Dominican Cigar factory. It was established in 1903 and is own by the León family whose roots in the tobacco industry trace back to the early 19th century. The factory is part of Grupo León Jimenes Corporation, the largest industrial group in the Caribbean. La Aurora brands are among the most well known cigars, with sales in more than 50 countries around the world. 

www.laaurora.com.do

http://rediscoverlaaurora.com/

http://www.glj.com.do 

About Miami Cigar and Company 

Miami Cigar & Company, founded in 1989, is the sole U-S distributor of La Aurora brands, Ducados and worldwide distributor of Tatiana, Don Lino and the Nestor Miranda Special Selection. 

www.miamicigarandcompany.com 

About Cigar Explorer 

Cigar Explorer is a production company injecting excitement to the cigar community, with revolutionary tools, to discover and explore the world of cigars. It creates content that helps cigar community strengthen its passion for cigar culture at CigarExplorer.com in Columbus, Ohio, USA. 

CigarExplorer.com | Experience the Discovery. 

Contact: 

Jason Wood, Director of Marketing

Miami Cigar and Comapny

305-599-3395

jwood@mccusa.net 

http://www.parajapon.com

The post La Aurora – Para Japon Release Virtual Party and Giveaway appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The scenery may look a bit different as I am actually doing this review from my favorite local shop, Tobacco Rd., which has always been a huge supporter of the site as well as a close friend. (Yes I brought my ashtray from home, so what?!)

The Good Stuff: Here is the press release La Aurora released. It basically covers everything to a tee:

La Aurora Unveils Broadway Series for New York State only

The Affordable Cigar Debuts Monday December 20 at Cigar Inn.

MIAMI FL – Miami Cigar & Company, the exclusive U.S. distributor for La Aurora, announces help is on the way for New York. Tobacconists are suffering under harsh tobacco tax of 75% of wholesale cost which prices many cigars out of the average smoker’s reach. La Aurora vice president Guillermo León says it is time for action to help smokers. As a result, León and Miami Cigar and Company President Nestor Miranda are releasing a special Broadway Series by La Aurora with a suggested retail price of $12.25 including the onerous NY state tobacco tax.

León says, “New York has always been special to me and my family. What has happened with the cigar taxes in New York is tragic. Since we cannot lower the taxes, we worked hard to lower the cost of this cigar without compromising quality. ” Adds Miranda, “we are beginning to try to help tobacconists with the Broadway series by La Aurora just in time for Christmas.”

On Monday, December 20th, Cigar Inn on Second Avenue in New York City will host Guillermo León , Nestor Miranda and Miami Cigar VP Rene Castaneda with a private dinner to launch the Broadway series. The initial cigar is a Sumo Toro, measuring 5 ¾ X 54. Its blend uses a double wrapper of Ecuadorian Sumatran and Nicaraguan over Dominican Corojo binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. The Broadway Series will only be available at tobacconists in New York state.

Prelight: The La Aurora Broadway is a larger, bulky cigar. A lot bigger that what I am used to, and probably larger than La Aurora is used to making. The Broadway is very firm and has a good weight to it too, heavy enough to beat the crap out of somebody with. The wrapper is oily and a darker, to medium brown with tons of orange spots throughout. The beefy body leads up to a big ass, rounded double cap. The construction on this cigar is remarkable. I can’t find any signs of flaws what so ever. There are a few smaller veins running through the cigar, and absolutely no soft spots. The band is, in my opinion, similar to the Guillermo Leon Signature series only with a New York style skyline in the background encrested with metallic silver, red, and black ink.

The wrapper’s aroma is very potent, kicking out a heavy earthy, woodsy scent. The foot tells a different story. A story full of spice and cinnamon. If the scent says anything about the cigar, this will be a very interesting cigar. The Broadway clipped very easily using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw let loose a very, very sweet cedar/tobacco mixture with just a dash of spice on the tail end of it.

An interesting note. After the first clip, there was still quite a ways to the secondary wrapper. You can see what I am talking about in this picture:

First Smoke: Right off the bat, the Broadway is a flavor machine producing a ton of natural and cedar-like flavors with hints of nutmeg and citrus. I wasn’t sure if the dual wrapper would produce, or reduce the flavor, but I am pretty sure I already know the answer to that. The draw isn’t as big as I thought it would be. It feels almost as if the cigar is trying to go out, but the smoldering ash at the foot of the cigar is telling me otherwise. A possibly fatal flaw to the dual wrapper set up is the thick, uncontrollable burnline. It was all sorts of crazy all the way through the first third. Tons of rotating waves, and rough patches. The ash left behind was a tightly bound medium grey ash, which held on for almost two inches before giving way.

Halfway There: Am I the only one pulling mint off this cigar? Really, I swear I’m getting whiffs of spearmint with every draw. The cedar and earth tones are still in full effect and plentiful. The citrus is actually even stronger in the second third and there is this slight creamy taste being introduced. On a happy note, the draw has opened right up and is now pumping out the massive cloud of thick smoke I expected from the beginning of the Broadway. The cigar is still burning all crazy, but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight it so it’s not a burden at all at this point. The retrohale as just as smooth as the rest of the experience priming my nasal passage with a very creamy cedar and spice.

Finish: One word to describe this cigar… Smooth. The flavors finished off very smooth and creamy. Almost like a heavily creamered coffee with bursts of cedar and citrus and spice aftertaste. No harshness at all.  Tons of flavor. I didn’t feel much, if any nicotine from this cigar. The burnline is still crazy. The only thing that got me was the draw. I had to really hit this thing thing hard and often (that’s what she said) in order to keep it lit. Even at that it went out twice in the final third. Nothing too menacing, but both samples I smoked had similar issues. The first sample went out in the first third.

Overview: La Aurora has been on fire lately, kicking out hit after hit. The Broadway, although limited to the New York area, follows the exact same trend. If this has anything to say about 2011 then La Aurora is poised for yet another powerful year. The all around smooth experience paired with the massively potent and complex flavors makes for an excellent everyday smoke. The only con was the burn. I blame that one the dual wrapper. But I also place the blame on the wrapper set up for the flavors. It’s a double-edged sword. If you don’t mind retouching your cigars or the occasional relight, then this cigar is for you. $12 is a bit pricey for this cigar. In all honesty I’m not sure that I’d choose this cigar over something like La Aurora’s 107 which carries just above half the price tag.

The post La Aurora Broadway Series (New York Exclusive) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The La Aurora 1495 Series is a long-filler cigar line created to pay tribute to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. The numbers in the name represent the year the city was founded by Christopher Columbus. The original 1495 series cigar was a medium/full Sumtra wrapper blended from 6 different type of tobacco. The line was later expanded to include a wide variety of wrappers including Corojo, Brazilian Maduro, Cameroon, and the one being reviewed today, Connecticut.

Released in 2007, the variety of wrappers all include the same binder and filler. These cigars are a great way to discover just how much the wrapper really does affect the flavor of the cigar. If you’ve ever been curious to discover this, the La Aurora 1495 series is a great way to learn. The grouping of the various wrappers is called the Conoisseurs selection and is a fantastic idea created by Jose Blanco (Twitter: @joseblanco809). They are available in smaller bundles, as a sampler pack as well as a large case of 100. All of the non-Sumatran wrapped cigars are only available in a Robusto size while the Sumatra wrapper comes in 4 different sizes.

Cigar: La Aurora 1495 Connecticut
Drink: Unibroue Maudite
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Dominican Piloto Cubano
Price: $7.00-$7.50
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Wrapper has a slight oily sheen and a light brown color
• There are almost no veins on this cigar, very clean and smooth
• The triple cap is almost invisible, very cleanly applied
• Firmness is even throughout with a bit of give and a nice spring
• Foot appears to be well packed
• Cut was even, smooth and easy
• Draw is just right, no complaints there at all
• The cigar had two bands that were both easily removable

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even, no dark spots at all
• Burn has been perfectly straight from the start
• Burn still has not gone even slightly wavy as I pass the halfway mark, razor sharp!
• Razor sharp to the end, awesome burn

Smoke & Ash:
• Generous amount of smoke on each draw but nothing overbearing
• A light resting smoke gives off a very nice cedar aroma
• Ash seems strong but does have a bit flaking around it
• Ash fell off easily into the ashtray after about 1.5 inches
• Second ash fell off at almost the exact same length, as if this cigar was programmed to do this, I love the consistency of this cigar

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a hay-like aroma with a bit of sweetness
• The foot has similar hay-like aromas and a touch of spice
• Pre-light draw brought lots of cedar and spice
• Initial draws are mild and have a nice cedar flavor with an added mild spiciness
• Picking up some light coffee and nutty flavors as I approach the halfway point, the spice also tapered off
• Retrohale is mild, not much bite but a great cedar finish
• Getting a nice creaminess on this cigar as it progresses
• The cigar is slowly creeping into the medium range just past the half-way mark
• The coffee and nutty notes really started to shine through as I approached that last inch of the cigar
• The cedar has tapered off a bit although still evident and the spice is making a nice comeback
• A tad of bitterness crept in near the end, but it wasn’t unpleasant, more like an espresso bitterness, tasty to the end

Final Thoughts:
This was a great Connecticut cigar. Typically, Connecticuts are very mild but with the Corojo binder and some of the various fillers this one had a bit more body to make it a little more interesting. The construction was amazing on this cigar, both visibly and in action while burning. It never had any issues at all. This is something I could definitely recommend to a novice or seasoned cigar smoker. The variety of wrappers containing the same filler and binder also make it a great learning experience. I’ve had 3 of the different wrappers and although they have some similarities it’s a great way to truly appreciate the influence of a good wrapper. The price of this cigar is also quite friendly and makes for an easy purchase without hurting the wallet. I will surely be looking for more of these and trying to get my hands on each one in this line, I suggest you do the same.

Pairings:
I’m a big fan of all the brews I’ve tried from Unibroue breweries and the Maudite is no exception. It clocks in as a strong beer at 8% but it’s so smooth and tasty that you can’t even tell. It’s got lots of froth and a fantastic smooth hoppy finish. The beer is fermented on a yeast base and the cap of the smaller bottles are covered with a golden foil that displays the breweries logo. If you can find this locally, I definitely recommend giving it a try. This is one of those cigars that can pair well with many different beverages including coffee, sweet tea, light beers, dark beers, or water. The flavors are not overpowering so I wouldn’t recommend going into strong pairings such as cognac or scotch.

The post La Aurora 1495 Connecticut appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Getting back to my story, Jose sent me an invitation to attend an exclusive seminar he was hosting. I was leaving for my vacation the next morning and hadn’t even packed yet but I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity. Jose took us through the process of how they choose the blends for a cigar and explained a lot of the processes involved as well as what to look for when you are smoking a cigar. Aside from being a great person, he is also very knowledgeable and very willing to share all of his knowledge. It was a wonderful experience and on-top of the exclusive invitation he also gifted me with a few La Aurora cigars, including the one being reviewed today, the yet-to-be release 107 Corona.

The La Aurora 107 was created to commemorate the La Aurora company’s 107 years in business. The factory was opened in 1903 by Don Eduardo León Jimenes near Santiago, Dominican Republic. The company has remained family owned and is now under the watchful eye of Mr. Guillermo León, a fifth-generation León. The factory is also home to León Jimenes line of cigars. You can read more about the company on their main website, http://laaurora.com.do

The La Aurora brand is distributed by Miami Cigar & Company in the United States. Their headquarters is in, you guessed it, Miami, Florida. Miami Cigar represents a variety of brands and has ben happily working with La Aurora for over 20 years. You can read about the press release for the La Aurora 107 on the review that Tony wrote on the La Aurora 107 Robusto. You can also follow Miami Cigar & Company on twitter: @MiamiCigar

The La Aurora 107 is currently available in 3 vitolas, Belicoso, Toro and Robusto. The Corona vitola should be hitting shelves soon so keep your eyes open. The cigar has a nice blend of leaves and promises to be a complex cigar without crossing into the full-bodied category, making it an all-around good smoke for anyone. Check out Tony’s review of the La Aurora 107 Robusto vitola and then compare the notes and see how our opinions differ.

There has also been chatter about a Lancero vitola coming soon for the 107 line although there is no definite timelines. I think this would be a fantastic addition. The Corona size really brought out the lively flavors of the wrapper and I think the Lancero would make them pop even more. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this…

Cigar: La Aurora Serie Anniversario 107
Drink: Havana Club Silvery Dry Rum on the rocks
Vitola: Corona
Wrapper: Sun Grown Equador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Price: Gifted by Jose Blanco (@joseblanco809).
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Even diameter throughout the length
• No major veins on the wrapper to be seen
• Has a fair bit of softness and a good spring to it
• Nice and clean triple cap
• Foot looks well packed, one small hole in the center
• Wrapper has a nice golden brown color to it with just a bit of oiliness
• Cut was very clean
• Great draw, just enough resistance
• Band slid off easily with no damage to the wrapper

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and even with no dark spots
• These seem to have great burn, always nice and even with a razor sharp edge
• No need to baby-sit this cigar, allows you to enjoy it nice and slowly with no extra draws
• I did not have to touch-up or purge this cigar at all, a great experience through and through.

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke right off the bat, fills your mouth nicely
• Moderate amount of resting smoke that has a nice woodsy aroma to it
• Ash appears strong and steady for the most part, no flaking
• Ash fell off nicely into the ashtray just short of an inch, Id say that’s just about perfect for this vitola
• The following ashes continued to fall calmly into the ashtray making this an effortless experience

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is fairly woodsy and earthy with a touch of spice
• Foot aroma has some woodsy to it but is dominated by a mix of fruity and citrus notes, very appealing
• Pre-light draw gives flavors of earthiness, woodsiness, spice and a bit of floral
• Initial draws are very woodsy with some slightly spicy undertones
• Each of these that I’ve smoked have had a great retrohale right from the start, it starts with a small bite and a smooth floral finish
• Body has been mostly mild for the first couple of inches
• As I approach the half-way mark a nice spice has begun making it’s appearance and the retrohale is now getting the fruity notes added to the floral notes, a great touch!
• The body is slowly increasing into the medium range as the cigar burns on
• The cigar has been nice and smooth throughout, no dryness or harshness as I approach the last 2 inches
• I’m really enjoying the contrast in flavors between the regular draw and the retrohale, it’s almost like smoking two different cigars
• Nearing the end, I’m picking up a nice tart-like citrus flavor. This is something I didn’t expect so close to the nub, another nice touch
• The body was dancing on the edge of medium-full, making this a perfect smoke for me with lots of flavor
• No real harshness all the way down to the nub and most of the flavors stuck around to the end

Final Thoughts:
Yet another great cigar added to my list and to my must-try recommendations. I found this cigar to have a nice unique flavor profile that I don’t find too often in other cigars. La Aurora has some fairly expensive offerings in it’s inventory, thankfully this is not one of them. The price is very fair actually and you get a great smoke on all levels, multi-dimensional flavor, solid construction, perfect burn and overall wonderful enjoyment. The body was also in the mild-medium range which can make it a great go-to smoke for any time of day and any level experience of smoker. I’ve had the chance to try the Robusto and Toro sizes as well and although they were all enjoyable I found the flavors in the Corona vitola to jump the most. This is another cigar that really gives a great retrohale and I’ve been doing that more often then usual. I think you’ll be missing a fine point to this cigar if you don’t retrohale. Even if you don’t retrohale though, this cigar still has some great flavors throughout.

If you haven’t had the chance to try a La Aurora 107 yet, definitely give it a go. If they don’t have the Corona vitola in stock yet, try one of the other vitolas as they were all top-notch smokes. Thanks again to Jose Blanco ((@joseblanco809)) for giving me the chance to try this great cigar, I will definitely be seeking out more of these in the near future.

Pairings:
I still haven’t stocked up the beer fridge yet so I decided to keep going on with the Havana Club Rum on the rocks. As I mentioned before, it’s a well priced Rum with some good flavors. It actually made a good pairing for the floral and fruity notes in this cigar. I think Port would have also made a great pairing here. Some other suggestions would include coffee, a dark lager or some sweet tea.

The post La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107 Corona appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.