The Good Stuff:

HVC is short for Havana City, the city in which the brand owner Reinier Lorenzo grew up in. Cerro, meaning “Hill” is the neighborhood in which he grew up in. Not only is Lorenzo the owner of HVC but he is also the an employee at Casa Fernandez which explains this joint collaboration between the two. The Cerro is actually the second of three different releases under the HVC name. The first was amply title the “First Selection” and it debuted alongside the Cerro at last year’s IPCPR show in Vegas. Both showcase Nicaraguan tobaccos and carry the famed Aganorsa leaf that are buried in some of my favorite Casa Fernandez blends. The third blend called Vieja Cosecha No.1 is the first blend that doesn’t carry Aganorsa leaf. It made it’s debut last month at this year’s IPCPR show in Vegas. While the First Selection and the Cerro are regular production lines the Vieja Cosecha no.1 will be limited to a 200 box run and should start hitting retailers later this month.

Now, back the Cerro. The Cerro comes in 3 sizes: Corona (4.5 x 46), Robusto (5 x 50), and the Toro (6 x 54). The cigars are packaged in boxes of 20 and range between $7.80 and $8.60 a stick. I actually got these sent to me from HVC as a random contest I won for being their 200^th follower on twitter. I had no idea that I even entered, but big thanks goes out to them for sending these my way. You can follow HVC Cigars on Twitter and on Facebook to keep up with the latest.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.30
Pairing: New Belgium / 3 Floyds Gratzer (Gratzer Ale 4.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The HVC Cerro is a rustic looking cigar. It all starts with a beautiful, medium brown wrapper with lots of orange and darker brown splotches throughout which really help showcase the natural characteristics in the leaf. There is a bit of webbing, some slight tooth, and a few larger veins running through the body of the cigar. The Cerro is very firm with a few softer spots around the foot of the cigar. The wrapper feels pretty tough but is shockingly dense. The Cerro is capped off with a beautifully round triple cap. The HVC Cerro carries a simple, yet elegant band layout. The first, main band is deep read with the words “HVC” spread across the crest and “Hecho a Mano” (Made by Hand) in the back. The secondary band is the same color red simply stating “Cerro” (Hill) in white with some nice silver trim added.

The wrapper of the HVC Cerro smells of strong cinnamon, spice, and cedar while the foot of the cigar has some strong pepper, spice, and grain aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on the HVC Cerro actually lead with a strong licorice flavor which was backed by some nice cedar and a bit of spice.

First Smoke:

The HVC Cerro leads with some very strong pepper which took some time to mellow out. Once it did the Cerro showed off some great strong spice with some cinnamon sweetness, some sharp espresso, a deep earthy flavor, and a bit of that licorice I picked up on the cold draw. The draw on the Cerro was impeccable. Each puff kicked out a desired amount of dense smoke. The burnline was a bit whacky during the first third, but it started to correct itself as I head into the second third so I just left it alone. The ash is a medium gray with darker lining which held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There:

Moving into the second third of the HVC Cerro the pepper has finally dropped out of the equation. The spice and sweetness are still pretty strong and the licorice and espresso are still there was well. What is commanding the most attention at this point is actually the cedar as it has ramped up immensely and I am loving the way it blends in and dances around with the sweetness and spice. This is something that I often expect with any cigars carrying Aganorsa leaf. The retrohale on the Cerro is a bit too bold for me as it coats my nasal passage with very strong spice and cedar. I don’t find myself retrohaling this cigar too often. The burnline is still a bit wavy but now under control without the use of my butane torch. I close out the second third without feeling anything at all in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

The cedar, spice and cinnamon are dominating the experience in the HVC Cerro and I am loving every minute of it. This is a very full-bodied, bold cigar. The licorice and espresso are still in the mix but the other flavors are really taking control of the flavor profile in the final inch. While the pepper creeps back in a bit, the cigar actually becomes more and more bold as I close into the final inch with a very strong finish, with very little harshness. While the burnline was a bit wild at times I never once had to reach for my torch to relight, or touch up the cigar. It took me a total of an hour and fifteen minutes to take down the Cerro and it left me with only a slight nicotine kick, and a craving for another one.

Overview:

I’ve been a long time fan of both Casa Fernandez and Aganorsa leaf. The two are even better when they are combined together. The HVC Cerro is a great stick, at a great price and the perfect introduction to the HVC blend. While there isn’t much information on this company available, I think this experience does all the talking for them. Full-Bodied with a ton of great flavors wrapper in a medium strength experience. It doesn’t get much better than that. While the brand could use some more recognition I think only great things are in store for HVC and can’t wait to try the other two blends. That is, if I can find them.

On a side note, I decided to give many of these cigars out to some of my friends. Every single person who smoked it enjoyed it (Jeremy and our pal Jeff being among those). The response I got was great and I am glad to hear it since I admired this smoke so much. Do yourself a favor and don’t pass these up if you see them. You will not regret it.

Pairing:

New Belgium is always trying new things when it comes to their Lips of Faith series. This time, they teamed up with the famous 3Floyds brewery to create a style of beer that we don’t see very often. Gratzer, is a 4.5% Polish Gratzer style old ale brewed with Polish Lublin hops. The beer pours black in color with some light sour fruit aromas. The mouthfeel is very light and the first tastes are that of fruit, smoked malt, and raisin as it transitions into a very light, wheaty finish with some very soft spice. The Gratzer reminded me a lot of a thinner Dunkel with a much softer/lighter mouthfeel. The fruit and spice married up perfectly with the licorice and spice the Cerro brought to the table while the smoked malt transitions well with any type of cigar. I think the Cerro would also pair very well with a strong Marzen, a sour, or even a chili beer.

The post HVC Cerro – HVC Cigars appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Crux Cigars is a new cigar Company owned by Joel Rogers and Jeff Haugen, owners of Tobacco Grove in Maple Grove Minnesota as well as Armored Humidor Systems. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you will. Be sure to follow them on twitter, Facebook, and their website to receive the latest updates on their line as they are due to start hitting shops in the coming month. Anyhow, Crux is starting out with two, strangely named, strangely sized line releases. The Ninfamaniac, which will come in both natural and dark sports a rare ninfa vitola (7 x 33), while the Skeeterz carries a non-traditional size as well (4 x 32). While the sizes may seem a bit strange, especially with the smaller ring gauges, I welcome them with open arms. I’ve always been a fan of smaller ring gauges and really don’t like the industries lean toward larger ring gauged cigars lately. The Ninfamaniac, Skeeterz, and the future blends (Passport, Classic, and Bull & Bear) are all manufactured by Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Nicaragua. The Ninfamaniac will come only in the ninfa size, packaged in boxes of 30, and will run only $5.99 a stick. It carries a Nicaraguan Jalapa Habano wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and viso fillers from Esteli. I’m a big fan of the box packaging. Included is the press release on the Ninfamaniac’s and the Skeeterz:

If all goes well I am aiming to have a review of the Ninfamaniac up today, the Ninfamaniac Dark tomorrow, and the Skeeterz on Wednesday. My grandfather in-law passed away this past weekend, so we’ll see if I can piece all that together.

Size: 7 x 33 Ninfa
Wrapper: Jalapa Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaraguan Viso
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $5.99
Pairing: New Belgium Lips of Faith Series Pluot (Sour Fruit Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight: The ninfa is a very interesting vitola. Super long, very thin, with a double pointed tip. These cigars resemble crochet needles. I have always been a huge fan of smaller ring gauges, and the Ninfamaniac is pushing small ring gauge to it’s limits. I’m really exited to see how this transpires into the overall experience. Outside of the obvious rare style, the Ninfamaniac is a damn fine looking cigar. The medium brown/orangish wrapper is laid seamlessly with very little webbing, or veins. It’s smooth as silk with some nice oils and only a tiny bit of tooth. I can only imagine how delicate the rolling process is with these guys. My chubby fingers could never do it. The Ninfamaniac starts with a very long, spike-like foot which then leads though the long, slender body to a similar spike-like cap. The cigar feels very delicate and weighs almost nothing. Despite the strange size, it still feels great in hand and in mouth without feeling too wonky at all. The cigar may look strange but it handles rather well. The Ninfamaniac is polished off with a brown band with a little fairy or vixen on it.

The wrapper gives off lots and lots of spice and honey aromas with some natural tobacco. The foot, being enclosed, doesn’t differ at all in aroma. The cap cut very, very easily and clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. There wasn’t much of a cold draw at all since the foot was closed. I couldn’t pull any air through.

First Smoke: It takes a few puffs to get this cigar going, so lighting is a bit longer than normal. But once this cigar gets going, it takes right off. The Ninfamaniac starts off with a blast of black pepper which quickly fades into a deep spice with hints of leather, coffee,  and a little floral mixture. The draw takes a bit, but once it gets going you get a decent amount of thick smoke. Drawing this cigar is a bit tricky. The first inch or so was real rough so I caught myself pulling hard. Shortly after that you really need to slow down and pace yourself. Since it’s such a small ring gauge smoking too fast may cause heat and harshness to build up if you aren’t careful. The burnline started out a bit crazy, probably due to the closed and tapered foot, but it completely corrected itself and was burning dead even after about an inch in. The ash is very thin, yet pretty decently compacted. Since again, it’s a small ring gauge you have to be weary about how quickly the ash is going to drop. It held on for about a half inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The floral flavor I was picking up in the first third has really taken the back burner to the cedar and spice in the Ninfamaniac. There is still some lingering leather and a bit of coffee while there was also some citrus and tartness introduced in the second third.  The retrohale on this cigar rocks, leading with some awesome spice and cedar with a leathery finish. I am feeling absolutely nothing in the nicotine department and the cigar is still burning beautifully. In fact, the draw has completely opened up and is easily pumping out mouthful after mouthful of dense smoke.

Finish: The final third of Crux Cigar’s Ninfamaniac finished very similar to the second, except there was a pretty large ramp-up in floral and spice. The citrus, cedar, tart, leather and coffee were all still in the mix, but the awesome floral flavor and spice really stole the show. I really enjoyed the finish on this cigar and feel that the Ninfamaniac really shines in the last third. One thing to keep in mind, is it could easily take less than and hour to take this cigar down if you aren’t careful. Again, take your time. If you don’t you are going to end up with some heat and harshness towards the end of your experience. Luckily for me, I took my sweet time and after about an hour and a quarter I experience absolutely none of that. In fact, I was able to nub the hell out of this thing which finished smooth and creamy with some awesome pepper notes.

Overview: Needless to say Crux Cigar’s Ninfamaniac is an interesting one. From the size, to the name, to the band design this cigar really separates itself from the common theme on cigar selves today. The experience was remarkable. I really enjoyed the flavor, the size, and the burn and draw. I’d imagine it’s hard not to have issues with a cigar of this size, but I encountered none and that says a lot. I think the Indonesian tobacco used in this blend gave it a really interesting flavor profile, one of which I enjoyed a hell of a lot. The floral I found throughout the cigar rocked and was probably the biggest takeaway from the flavor profile. At $5.99 a stick I can’t see why any one, from novice to the seasoned cigar smoker wouldn’t pick a few of these bad boys up. You’re in for a treat.

Pairing: I paired this Ninfamaniac with an awesome beer, New Belgium’s Pluot from the Lips of Faith series. This is a limited released Sour Fruit ale brewed with Pluot juices at New Belgium’s brewery in Fort Collins Colorado which registers at a whopping 10% ABV.  Don’t let that ABV fool you, you won’t find any booziness here. Instead you get a very well balance sour ale which starts off full on fruity, while finishing with some soft sour and spice notes. I’ve drunken a ton of these and it’s a perfect beer to go with any spring, outdoor event. Hell, there are even a few really light floral undertones which paired up just brilliantly alongside the spice with the Ninfamaniac.

The post Crux Cigars Ninfamaniac Pre-Release Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Petite Cazadores Reserva was released by Tatuaje in 2010. At that time it filled a much needed gap in Tatuaje’s line; and affordable, short smoke. Since then Pete Johnson of Tatuaje has also released a favorite of mine, the Verocu #5. You can check that review out here. The Petite Cazadores Reserva is an extension to the infamous “Seleccion de Cazador” or “Brown Label” line. It’s based on the same blend but features a beautiful Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper vs. the traditional  Ecuadorian Habano.

As always, Pete worked with the Garcia Family to create this blend. As stated above, the blend features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, and Nicaraguan binders and fillers similar to the Seleccion de Cazador blends. The cigar comes packed in cabinets of 50 and run about $225 a cabinet. They have been out for some time, but I still find it hard to get a hold of these cigars at times. I purchased these recently from Atlantic Cigar. I have always had terrific customer service from these guys and i know Jeremy used them on a purchase from one of his next reviews and had nothing but great things to say about them as well. Awesome prices, and great selection. You can check them out here.

Size: 4 x 40
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $4.50
Pairing: New Belgium Lips of Faith Cascara Quad (Belgian Style Quad 10% ABV)

Prelight: The Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva isn’t much to look at. In fact, this is a pretty ugly looking cigar. But that doesn’t mean it’s due to bad construction. On the contrary, the construction on this cigar is spot-on and that says a lot for a cigar of this size. Must have had a lot of little, nimble fingers rolling these guys up. When I say it’s ugly, it’s mainly the wrapper, it’s character, and the different foot-style on this cigar. The wrapper is very, very toothy and has a very rough texture with a few larger veins. While being very dark in color there are some darker, and some lighter spots as well as a few reddish-brown areas spread throughout the dark brown wrapper. The Petit Cazadores sports un unfinished foot where the tobacco is gently laid over the foot of the cigar adding some extra character to the stick. The cigar is finished off with a little, round, triple cap. The cigar is very light and small but fits very comfortably in your hand. Although it’s small, you don’t have to be afraid to handle it at all as it feels very durable and gives very little as I squeeze it between my fingers.

The wrapper lets loose a very pungent, very strong sweet tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar matches the sweetness and adds just a little bit of spice. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw boasts of strong tobacco, strong sweetness, berry, and leather.

First Smoke: The cigar is very easily to light up with my butane lighter. Word to the wise, pay close attention to the length of your flame on your lighter. Since this cigar is so small, you might end up burning your eye brows off. The Petit Cazadores starts out with a nice little pepper blast before fading into a much sweeter profile.  The cigar starts with some very sweet tobacco, brown sugar, cherry, and a little bit of leather to finish off. The draw on this little guy is enormous. Each, tiny, little puff kicks out a mouthful of thick smoke. The burnline is dead even and razor sharp which is always a concern of mine with cigars that have closed, or unfinished feet. The ash is bright white, incredibly compact, and held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this Petite Cazadores and the flavors haven’t really changed up too much. The pepper at this point is no where to be found while the cigar continues to gradually ramp up in sweetness with the cherry, brown sugar, and leather all remain in the mix. I probably could have done this cigar in two different sections instead of my normal three, but that just wouldn’t be me. I pull out some nice, woody flavors in the retrohale that aren’t very present in the actual experience, but not as much of the sweetness that I had hoped for. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine kick at this point, and I doubt I will be once I finish. The burnline is still dead even, but beware of the ash. Although it looks extremely tight, it’s actually pretty weak due to the small ring gauge. I quickly found this out as I ashed into my lap. I wonder how crappy the finish picture is going to turn out.

Finish: Down to the final third of this Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva and it’s still going strong. It’s crazy how much flavor this little cigar pumps out draw after draw. As mentioned in the previous stage, the sweetness has increased steadily the entire experience making for a wonderful finish while the cherry, leather, and brown sugar are all still present as well as a slight cedar which made it’s way from the retrohale into the mix.  The cigar took about 35 minutes to take down and didn’t require a single touch up or relight. I also didn’t encounter any nicotine kick, harshness, or heat.

Overview: Yeah, I love these cigars, no doubt about it. I ended up purchasing a cabinet of these due to the fact that I had run out of my second cabinet of Verocu 5’s and needed a drive home cigar. While I loved the Verocu 5’s, the Petit Cazadores Reserve makes for a totally different experience. The Verocu is much more full strength, and spicy while the Reserva is much more flavorful, and milder. Most of the time you consider cigars of this size to lack good construction, but I find that these are on par with just about every other cigar coming out of the My Father factory. And the price? Well, these are way lower than what I would pay. But don’t let Pete know that. I don’t know how else to explain the value on this sticks. This cigar is box worthy for sure and will satisfy any seasoned cigar smoker as well as showcase an excellent cigar to those who just picked up the hobby. Another word to the wise concerning the Petit Cazadores Reserva. TAKE YOUR TIME WITH IT. Treat it well, and it will treat you the same. I’ve smoked a ton of these and despite it being a “quick” cigar, the length and ring gauge can produce a little bit of harshness and heated burn if you smoke it took quickly. Taking my time this cigar will usually last between 30 – 45 minutes which is absolutely perfect for me.

Pairing: Cascara is an experimental Belgian Quad style ale brewed over at the New Belgium Brewery in For Collins, Colorado. Coming in at a whopping 10% ABV New Belgium describes this brew the best:

“Local roasters Novo Coffee turned us onto Central America’s Cascara, the fruit or husk the surrounds coffee beans. When dried, it can be made into a tea with hints of cherry and tobacco. Blend that into a Quad fermented with gorgeous malts and Date Sugar for a crazy complex beer to warm your winter nights.”

I know, it’s not winter, but it doesn’t need to be. Just reading that statement makes me crave a cigar and I couldn’t think of a better cigar to pair it with. The Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva already has the sweetness, sugar, and cherry so it blended in perfectly with the cherry, date sugar, and tobacco hints of the Cascara Quad. Seriously, this beer is amazing by itself and pairing it with any respectable, sweet cigar only heightens the experience.

The post Tatuaje – Petite Cazadores Reserva Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The UF-13 dark is the ninth installment to the Unicos series following the Dirty Rat, Ratzilla, “A”, UF-4, L40, Feral Pig, Papas Fritas and the Velvet Rat. The UF-13 has been floating around the cigar community for a long while now pending it’s final March release. I got the chance to smoke a few while I was at the Drew Estate Factory in Nicaragua last year and could not wait for the release. The main difference is the unique pig tail that sits on top of the UF-13 Dark was not present in any of the samples I smoked, or saw on the internet. Since this tail is so unique Drew Estate did not want any photos shown until the final release to ensure no one would mimic the cap.

Here is what Steve Saka, Drew Estate’s President had to say about the blend:

“T52-4 was the final head to head blend that was competing internally with T52-3 to become the T52 final blend.

T52-4 was exceptional, in fact JD and I both liked it a slight bit better, but we were concerned that it tended to overpower some of the nuances in the liga and that we were sacrificing flavors for strength, so we ultimately decided that the T52-3 would be the final T52 blend.

JD for his own smoking pleasure kept having T52-4s made, but we banded them as JD4 so as to not cause confusion in the factory or with those he shared them with.

After he started handing them out, he decided that he didn’t like putting his personal name on the product, so we started ringing them with MF-4 – it stood for what you think it does.

In the factory we kept tinkering with the T52-4/JD4/MF-4 blend to try to improve it (in our opinion) – goal was to keep the octane, but restore the depth of flavors… so we made a variety of minor liga tweaks and vitola changes to try and get it “perfect”.

The result was the MF-13 – a robusto format. I think the MF-13 is better, not sure where JD stands on this – truth is the difference is so very minor between the two cigars I doubt most folks could even tell there was any difference unless they smoked them side by side… and maybe not even then, but we can tell… or so we tell ourselves.

We started sharing both MF-4s and MF-13s at events and out of our pockets and they started to get some buzz online.

JD came to me one day with a My Father cigar and pointed out that Pepin’s rings have an MF in the center of them. How both of us missed this is kinda crazy since we both smoke a lot of their cigars, but we did. So we decided to change the name to UF out of respect – we take pride in not knowingly copying others, so we rebanded all the MFs as UFs on our own accord.

UF stands for “Unico Fuerte.” So MF-4 = UF-4 and MF-13 = UF-13.

Netiher blend is really in testing per se, both are finalized blends. It just that neither is being produced for retail at this point.”

Hopefully that clears up some confusion. You can actually check out my review of the JD4 here and the MF-13 here. Mind you, the MF-13 blend I smoked actually has a different wrapper on it. The UF-13 Dark carries a slightly tweaked  wrapper containing “high broadleaf mediums”, Hence the name UF-13 Dark.

The UF-13 Dark is composed of a Connecticut Broadleaf (dark mediums) wrapper, Brazillian Mata Fina binder, and Cuban Seed Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. The UF-13 will come packaged in boxes of 12 running $167.40, or $13.95 a stick. These cigars are not limited outside of being released only to Liga Privada authorized retailers. Drew Estate was kind enough to shoot a few samples over to us for review.

Size: 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf (dark mediums)
Binder: Brazillian Mata Fina
Filler: Cuban seed Nicaraguan / Honduran
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $13.95
Pairing: New Belgiun Lips of Faith La Folie (7% ABV Sour Brown Ale)

Prelight: The UF-13 Dark starts out just as it’s name suggests, with an extremely dark wrapper. The wrapper is a crazy dark brown, almost black. In fact, it’s pretty much black in some areas surrounding the webbing of the tobacco. The wrapper feels very, very solid as the toothy texture gets pressed between my fingers. The wrapper gives off a nice shine from the subtle oils covering the cigar. The thick body leads up to a round, “Pig Tail” cap. Essentially it’s a triple twisted pig tail similar to the one of the Dirty Rat, only it’s coiled a few times at the foot of the tail before flaring out.

The UF-13 feels really solid. As mentioned above, the wrapper is very thick and dense,  but the cigar itself feels jam-packed with tobacco and almost rock-hard. Let’s hope that doesn’t plug up the draw any. Along with the hardness of the cigar, the stick is also heavy as hell. I could probably use this cigar to prop up a car while I change the oil. The wrapper on the UF-13 Dark lets loose a very strong, sweet, cedar and spice aroma while the foot of the cigar releases some very strong tobacco and pepper aromas. The cold draw was a bit firm, but it kicked out some really nice cedar, strong tobacco, prune and lots of sweetness.

First Smoke: My fear of receiving a plugged cigar immediate diminished as every puff from the start pumped out mouthful, after mouthful of extremely thick smoke. I was expecting a lot more of a pepper greeting from the UF-13 dark, instead it started out with only a slight bit of pepper, but a ton of strong, sweet tobacco, cedar, black cherry, and musk. Right off the bat this cigar is full in flavor and strength. The burnline on the UF-13 is razor sharp and perfectly even. The ash left behind is bright white and very thick and compacted. In Fact, after an inch and a half I decided to finally ash the cigar before it fell into my lap and it took some extra pressure from my ashtray before it finally snapped off.

Halfway There: A word of advice, beware of the retrohale on this cigar. I took a few deep puffs and it left with coughing. The retrohale was very, very, very sharp coating with strong black pepper, sweet cedar, and lots of very strong tobacco. The flavors are still very full with little change ups. Still lots of strong, sweet tobacco, cedar, cherry, and musk with a bit of earthiness starting to creep in. The burnline is still razor sharp and it’s crazy how there is this secondary burnline where you can actually see the oils burning off creating a whole mess of stationary smoke. I don’t know exactly what it is about most Liga Privada blends but the oils are insane as well as the stationary smoke. I am feeling a nice little nicotine kick as I close in on the end of the second third.

Finish: As I venture into the final third of the UF-13 Dark a mysterious creaminess has moved in. Usually with cigars of this strength and body, you encounter a ramp up in both areas. Not in this case. The flavors are still the same with a ramp up in sweetness and lots of cedar with cherry and tobacco undertones, but the have muted a bit making for an incredibly smooth finish. This is probably a good thing cause this cigar is really starting to kick my ass in the nicotine category. All in all it took me almost 2 hours to take this cigar down and it required absolutely no touch ups or relights the entire time.  Perfect burn.

Overview: I am happy to announce that the buzz about the UF-13 dark is all true. The cigar is another masterpiece to be added to an already wonderful portfolio in Drew Estate’s Liga Privada line. The cigar has everything you want, tons of flavor, lots of strength, superior construction, perfect burn, and a decent price tag. Some may say $13+ for a cigar is pricey, but I know from experience that any fan of the Liga Privada line is willing to pay the cost for these cigars, and in this case it is well worth the coin. In comparison to the previously mentioned MF-13, the UF-13 dark’s wrapper has seemed to really bring some deeper sweetness that the MF-13 was lacking which really spoke volumes to my profile. I crave that sweetness and the UF-13 has plenty of it. These are selling out all across the US, but Drew Estate is working frantically to keep them on the shelves. If you see them, pick them up and get as many of them as you can. This is a box worthy purchase for sure.

Pairing: There are certain pairings that look awful on paper, but pair up perfectly once they come together and the UF-13 Dark and New Belgium’s La Folie 2013 is one of those pairings. When you think of the deep, woodsy, sweet flavors of the UF-13 you normally wouldn’t reach for a sour ale, but not doing so is a mistake. New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Series La Folie is a Strong Brown Ale brewed at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado coming in at 7% ABV. La Folie is an annual release which has been released every year since 2004. I have had the pleasure of enjoying the 2008, 2009, 2010, 11, 12, and now the 13^th. As the name describes, this is a Sour Brown Ale. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to enjoy a sour ale, it’s basically a very tart, yet sweet brew. Especially in the case of the sour browns. The La Folie leads off with lots of tart citrus, sharp zest, and sweet spices. While it’s the exact opposite of the flavors featured in the UF-13 the flavor profile pairs up perfectly without overpowering the cigar. Heck, I don’t think there are much out there that could. The UF-13 Dark would go great with a Belgian Strong Brown Ale, Bruin, or and Indian Brown Ale.

The post Drew Estate – Liga Privada Unicos UF-13 Dark Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

There is a picture he sent me over the weekend. He’ll probably kill me for posting that picture but, who cares. Congrats big guy! This also reminds me, we are always opened to guest review spots. If any of you guys ever want to contribute, don’t hesitate to contact me at casasfumand(at)gmail[dot]com. Anyhow, I took some time out of my crazy weekend to bring you yet another review that I am probably the last blogger to review. Hopefully the wait was worth it as I bring you The Crowned Heads Four Kicks Seleccion No. 5.

The Good Stuff: First and foremost, thanks go out to a great friend and BOTL Jeremy Hensley who hooked it up with this smoke. These aren’t easy to come by in my area. Much like every other cigar.

Four Kicks is the brain child of the Crowned Heads President Jon Huber along with ex-CAO employee Mike Conder under the close eye of the infamous master-blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. You may recognize Huber as he was the once marketing genius behind CAO. Here is the story of the Four Kicks, the first of what I hope to be many blends from the Crowned Heads:

“You with your switchblade posse / Iʼll get my guns from the South / Weʼll take to the yard like a cockfight / Four kicks whoʼs strutting now?”  – Four Kicks (Kings of Leon)

These are the words that were the inspiration behind Crowned Headsʼ first cigar brand release, “Four Kicks.”  It was towards the end of 2010, and my colleagues and I were in the midst of a tumultuous period of uncertainty, transition and change. The company that we held dear to our hearts, CAO International, Inc., was caught in the middle of a corporate merger between Swedish Match and ST Group (CAOʼs parent company at the time). The very foundation that CAO had been built upon–people, relationships, integrity, and loyalty–were being stripped away. The end result would be that many people whom we considered as ʻfamilyʼ would soon be unemployed and CAO would find itself being taken away from its hometown of Nashville, TN, and relocated to Richmond, VA.

When you see some 15 years of your lifeʼs work–your heart, passion, and joy–coming to an end, youʼre filled with many emotions. The song, “Four Kicks,” really spoke to me.  It was filled with anger, rebellion, confidence, and determination. These were the feelings that inspired us to forge together and create what would later become “Crowned Heads, LLC.”

Four Kicks is a brand that was born as a rebellious child, evolved into an angry adolescent, and finally matured into an adult whoʼs personality centered around excellence, confidence, and determination. In a way, the final blend we selected smokes in this same manner. It opens big, bold, and in your face. It then takes you on a ride of complexity, richness, and finesse. It finishes bright and clean and leaves its fingerprints on your palate to remind you that it was there.

Four Kicks is about sticking to your guns, and remaining loyal to those whom you love, and the hometown that brought you to the dance.

Four Kicks is about turning your back on the corporate machine, and making your own rules.

The Seleccion No. 5 is the latest vitola to hit the Four Kicks blend months after it’s official release. The Seleccion No. 5 comes in boxes of 24 and run $7.70 a stick.

Size: 6.5 x 44

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Body: Medium/Full

Strength: Mild/Medium

Pairing: New Belgium Lips of Faith “Clutch” Dark Sour Ale

Prelight: The Four Kicks is just a beautiful cigar. And when I say beautiful, I don’t mean it’s the most consistent, single colored, smooth, perfectly shaped cigar out there. What I mean is that it look like every cigar should. Rugged, natural, and hand made. While the wrapper does show some gleaming hints of oil, the dullness in other areas really showcases how pretty the wrapper is. With it’s calico light, dark, medium browns and oranges the Four Kicks is just the epitome of a good looking cigar. The band is very modest carrying a white, red, and gold embossed “Four Kicks” seal over an embossed gold band. The No. 5 starts out with a very long, slender body before coming to a beautifully round triple cap. Again, I love triple caps. Anyhow there are only a few smaller veins in the wrapper leaf that I don’t see being any type of nescience to the smoking experience. The cigar is really tight and gives very little as I squeeze it between my fingers. There are no soft spots what so ever.

The wrapper of the Crowned Heads Four Kicks SCREAMS of cedar. Seriously I can smell it even with the cigar laying on the table. The foot of the cigar is much more modest only releasing a few spiced and lots of natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut off very easily and clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. Right away I am greeting with some very sweet tobacco, spice, honey, and earthy flavors from the cold draw. It’s incredible the amount of flavor this cold draw is pumping out and I can’t wait to fire the cigar up.

First Smoke: Shortly after firing up the Crowned Heads Four Kicks I am greeted with just a subtle greeting of black pepper before it quickly fades away and I am left with some very smooth, natural, sweet tobacco, cedar, honey and spice flavors with just a little bit of an aftertaste that I could only best describe as tobacco and graham cracker. Interesting, I know, but take it for what it is. The draw is slightly tight, but not anything I can’t work though. After a few puffs I get a mouthful of very thick, lingering white smoke. The Four Kicks only gives off a small amount of stationary smoke but it seriously smells like I am just burning a block of cedar in my ashtray. The burnline is razor sharp and even leaving behind a beautiful trail of white and light grey, compacted ash. The ash held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Halfway thought this Four Kicks and the flavors are just rocking. Again, I am still getting lots of sweet tobacco, cedar, honey, spice, and that graham cracker but now some nice bitter cocoa has started to enter the mix. This cigar pumps out lots of flavors but remains very balanced and smooth. The retrohale is just awesome coating my nasal passage with a very sharp cedar and spice. I am feeling very little, if any nicotine at all at this point while the burnline remains sharp and clean.

Finish: The sweetness has really began to fade into the final third of this Four Kicks. While the flavors remained really smooth the cocoa, cedar, and natural tobacco flavors have began to ramp up as well as the strength of the cigar. I finished the cigar in about an hour and a half and it burned perfectly requiring no touch ups, relights, or anything of the nature. While the body and strength ramped up in the final third, I didn’t get much of any nicotine from the cigar. If anything, the beer hit me harder than the cigar did.

Overview: I swear, everything that either Jon Huber or Ernesto touch is golden. That being said was this a match made in heaven? Oh was it ever. The Four Kicks defines what a great, flavorful, mild cigar should be. You don’t need to make a powerhouse cigar to appeal to full bodied smokes (like myself) and the Four Kicks proved that. From great minds and great marketing to a wonderful blend and perfect construction the Four Kicks aims to please. The flavor bomb kept me on my toes the entire experience while the creamy smoothness made for a balanced and enjoyable cigar experience. This cigar is box worthy for sure and should be picked up by any cigar smoker from the novice looking for an introduction into an affordable, flavorful, mild/medium cigar. To the seasoned smoker looking for something different with enough complexities to keep the smoker involved. Huber knocked it out of the park with this blend and I can’t wait to see what the future of The Crowned Heads holds.

Pairing: Here I am with another installment of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series. I just can’t get enough of this brew series. For those of you who don’t know, the lips of faith series is a group of brews made in smaller batch quantities by New Belgium. The quantities are limited due to cost of production, amount of available ingredients, product demand, or just all around how daring the brews are. Needless to say some of these aren’t for the weak of heart. Clutch Sour Dark ale is though. This is a very smooth, balanced Sour Ale. Usually when you think of a sour ale you think of tart, salty, mouth puckering sourness. Clutch is none of these, in fact it’s probably the smoothest and sweetest sour ale I have ever had. This 9.5% ale is brewed at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado and here is what they have to say about it:

This pleasing, two-part, potion was brewed with chocolate and black malts for a rich and roasty overtone, then fused with a dry, substratum of sour for a bold and audacious flavor. Black as night, this beer is blended at 80% stout, 20% dark sour wood beer for a collaboration that begins with a sour edge and finishes with a big, dark malt character, lingering, sweet on your palate.

That about sums it up. I do want to add that you can’t even taste the alcohol content in this brew. The sweet and slight sour notes really mixed in well with the sweet flavors of the Four kicks while the Chocolate and malt paired in perfectly with the cocoa, honey and cedar from the cigar.

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The Good Stuff: By now, most of you are familiar with My Father’s La Reloba line. The La Reloba line is the Pepin’s line of more reasonable priced cigars. Most of the cigars from the line run between $5.00 and $7.00 while not skimping on the product. From what I know, there have been a total of 4 blends released in the series. Three Nicaraguan Puros: The Sumatra (which Daniel reviewed here), the Habano, the Oscuro, and the non-Nica-Puro Mexico. While the binder and fillers remain true to form with the Nicaraguan-based La Reloba line, Don Pepin through a wrench in wrapper this cigar with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper. Like the other cigars in the La Reloba line, the cigar is released in four different sizes: Corona: 5  x 46 Robusto: 5 x 50 Toro: 6 1/4 x 52 and the Torpedo: 6 1/8 x 52.

 Wrapper: San Andreas Mexican  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Medium

Prelight: The first thing I personally noticed about My Father’s La Reloba Seleccion Mexico is the crazy amount of patches on the wrapper. They didn’t try to hide them either. You can see a few in the picture above, but I counted a total of 4, just on this cigar alone. And I’m not the only one who has noticed them. Although they are ugly, they don’t bother me at all if they don’t effect the experience. We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out. The wrapper itself is absolutely stunning. Extremely dark, consistent, chocolaty brown and incredibly toothy. Seriously, this cigar feels like sandpaper. There seems too be a bit of oil on the wrapper, but it’s much more pronounced as I get towards the cap of this Seleccion Mexico. There are really only a handful of very shallow, very small veins running through the body of the cigar leading up to the round double cap.  The band is identical to all the other cigars in the La Reloba Line. Black band, with gold embossed ink and the “La Reloba” crest. The only difference is the green, white, and red “Seleccion MEXICO” logo underneath it. The green and red portions also carry into the Le Reloba Crest.  The cigar is very thick, very heavy, and hard as a rock. I really hope it isn’t packed too tightly

The wrapper smells just as it looks, straight up chocolate with a bit of mixed in tobacco. The foot of the cigar gives off a really mild pepper and graham aroma. The cap was a pain in the ass to cut on this cigar. Not due to the wrapper, but there was so much tobacco packed so tightly into this thing that it took a lot more effort to clip. The cold draw was crazy tight, but produced a lot of chocolate and oak flavors.

First Smoke: Just as I expected given how tight this My Father La Reloba Seleccion Mexico was packed, the draw was very tight. I’s manageable, but it really takes some effort to get the right amount of smoke in my mouth. The flavors in this cigar were exactly what I was expecting, tons and tons of dark chocolate, a bit of espresso, some nice cashew with a bit of spice over a bit of tobacco. The burnline on this cigar started out really crazy, but started to correct itself as I neared the end of the first third leaving behind a brilliant trail of white, tightly compacted ash which held on for about an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: The chocolate in this Seleccion Mexico has ramped up to a whole new level. The beer is probably helping bring that out. The spice has really started to settle down as the chocolate and espresso ramp up for an overall smooth and creamy experience in the second third. More good news is that the draw has began to open up a bit. It’s still quite tight, but I can live with it. The retrohale is delightful kicking out tons of chocolate and woodsy flavors. The burnline has became slightly wavy again, but I haven’t had to relight or touch up the cigar yet so I am totally ok with that. There was a bit of wrapper cracking, but it really didn’t effect the experience at all. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at this point.

Finish:  The chocolate and coffee have really taken turns jabbing at each other, but into the final third of this La Reloba Seleccion Mexico, I found the coffee to be much more dominant  while the chocolate simmered down and mixed in with the woodsy, spicy, tobacco flavors. The cigar finished just, absolutely, pleasantly smooth. I was expecting a much bolder, spicier cigar coming from the Pepin family. Even the final inch was just as smooth as the start of the cigar. The nicotine levels may have been low, but the flavor category was off the charts.

Overview: If it wasn’t for the type draw and the patches, I would be giving My Father’s La Reloba Seleccion Mexico a paramount review. The flavors are amazing, the burn was spot on, and the price is right where it should be. This is a very good stick, and I really recommend picking a few up. Despite it’s flaws, I really thing this cigar held it’s own and would make a perfect addition to anyone’s regular rotation. Since there wasn’t a whole lot of strength this cigar is perfect for not only seasoned cigar smokers, but for those new to the game who really want to try a premium cigar without breaking the bank.

Pairing: I hit the nail on the head with this pairing. Not only did it complete the Cinco De Mayo theme, but New Belgium’s Cocoa Mole was the ideal pairing for the strong chocolate, coffee, and spice flavors of the Seleccion Mexico.  Brewed at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, this installment of the Lips of Faith Series took beer to a whole new level. Experimenting with Mexican ingredients, New Belgium produced a dark brown, 9% ABV ale with a creamy, chocolaty, spicy “Mole” type character. For those of you who have never had Mole (pronounce Mole-eh) it’s basically a spicy, chocolate type sauce used on various Mexican dishes such as chicken or enchiladas. Sounds weird, but it’s really good. Needless to say this ale was the epitome of a perfect pairing when it matched up almost identically to flavor profile in the La Reloba Seleccion Mexico.

The post My Father – La Reloba Seleccion Mexico appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The press release pretty much sums up this blend:

April 10, 2012 (Bonita Springs, Florida) The Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company announced today the release of The Edge Candela.

The Edge Candela is a medium bodied cigar and the latest addition to The Edge line. The candela wrapper gives the blend a truly unique flavor, consisting of sweet spice and floral tea, ultimately lending a creamy finish.

The wrapper is a Habano Seed Candela, and the binder and fillers are a secret.

Says Rocky Patel of the new Edge Candela, “I blended the Limited Edition Edge Candela for The Edge fans – it still holds the flavor profile that is so beloved by Edge lovers every where, and the wrapper just gives it a distinctively spicy and creamy twist”.

The Edge Candela is available in Toro size (6 x 52) and is sold in boxes of 20. It is a limited edition product with only 1,000 boxes made by the El Paraiso factory in Honduras. The cigar retails for $6.40. Just released, it is now available at all fine retailers.

Located in Bonita Springs, Florida, the Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company began producing high quality premium cigars in 1995, based on Rocky’s passion for cigars, and his desire to share his unique cigar blends with cigar connoisseurs around the world. Rocky is also very active in raising money for underprivileged children in Honduras, with his RP Foundation. Current Rocky Patel cigar brands include: Decade, Olde World Reserve, Edge, 15th Anniversary, the Vintage Series, Thunder, Xen and “50”. For more information visit their Website at www.RockyPatel.com.

And there you have it! Now let’s get onto the review.

Size: 6×52  –  Wrapper: Habano Seed Candela  –  Binder/Filler: “Secret”

Prelight: The Rocky Patel Edge Candela isn’t a pretty looking cigar, then again, in my opinion Candela seldom is. It looks like a standard  Connecticut cigar had a bad dinner and got sick. Anyways, as far as the construction goes these sticks are spot on. The wrapper starts off with its strange, pea green color. The wrapper is really firm, very toothy, and semi-dry. There really aren’t a lot of oils spread across this thing. Where the Edge Candela lacks in oils it makes up for in veins. They aren’t large at all, and more than likely won’t affect the experience, but there sure are a lot of the them spanning the length of this cigar all the way up to the double cap. The Edge Candela carries the same band as the edge series, manila in color, and draped around the foot of the cigar.

The wrapper, much like you would expect by looking at it, gives off a very natural, very young tobacco scent while the foot pumps out a whole ton of spicy, peppery, strong tobacco aromas. The Edge Candela cut clean and very easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. As expected, the first few puffs off the cold draw are smooth, plentiful, and filled with young and natural tobacco flavors.

First Smoke: Wow, this draw is loose. Hopefully it tightens up a bit as I get further into the cigar. Rocky Patel’s Edge Candela starts out with some very smooth, mild flavors such as sweet tobacco, natural and earth flavors, along side some very mild pepper and spice. Ok, now that I have smoked this thing just a bit more in I need to amend two things that have already changed up. 1) the draw is now pumping out smoke furiously, it’s tightened up and dead on and 2) the pepper started out really mild but really turned it up a bit after getting towards the 1 inch mark. That being said, the burnline is slightly wavy and rather thick while it produces a flaky white, and black ash. The cigar really doesn’t give off much, if any stationary smoke. The ash held on for about in inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Maybe it’s just me, but has anyone else pulled a spearmintyness from this cigar? I seem to get it off and on in the second third of this Edge Candela. Alongside that mint I am still experiences lots of earthy, natural tobacco, lots of sweetness, a bit of gingerbread, and some slight spice as the pepper has complete faded away. The retrohale on this cigar is very interesting, coating my nasal passage with a really sweet spice and citrus. I totally dig it. The burnline is still pretty squirrely, but I haven’t had to touch up, or relight this cigar so I am ok with that. I am not feeling any nicotine at all as I finish off the second third of this cigar.

Finish: Along with a powerful and triumphant return of the pepper, the body in this Rocky Patel Edge Candela is really starting to ramp up as well. Usually when I think Candela, I think boring, and mild. The spice flavors are still lingering while natural tobacco, sweetness, and even some mixed in pine has taken over. All in all this cigar took about 1.5 hours to smoke and I am feeling a mild nicotine kick while the cigar burned a bit wildly but required no touch ups, no relights, and experience no harshness even down to the nub.

Overview: While somewhat mild until the end, much like Illusione and Viaje’s Candela releases the Rocky Patel Edge brings Candela wrapped cigars to a whole new level. While it’s probably not something that I would smoke everyday, for what you get for the price the Rocky Patel Candela is a solid stick. When compared to other Candela wrapped cigars this one is right up there with the big boys. Decently complex, smooth, and flavorful this cigar is perfect for the novice and the seasoned smoker looking for a different type of experience. Let’s not forget the price. The Edge series has always given great bang for the buck and the Candela is just another notch in the series’ belt.

Pairing: Yes, another New Belgium Lips of Faith series. This one is on my “buy a ton” list whenever it gets released every year. It’s their seasonal release of Biere De Mars. Biere De Mars is an almost-farmhouse ale, brewed in March (Mars) each year. It boasts some crazy strong orange, and lemon citrus flavors with modest hops, malt and caramel and some awesome cinnamon aftertastes. At 6.2% ABV this beer is perfect for a spring or summer afternoon. I knew this beer would pair perfectly with the Edge Candela’s already heightened citrus flavors, spice, and mild composure. This cigar would also go great with an IPA, an ale, or a saison.

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For those who don’t know, Gran Habano had recently formed a series called the S.T.K. series. The cigars in this special series are limited production, limited release cigars that were created for the sole consumption of George A. Rico and family. Needless to say these are extraordinary cigars and Rico felt the public deserved to try them out as well, thus creating the S.T.K. series. The S.T.K. series will initially only be available at 50 retailers across the U.S.  and limited to no more than 100. Luckily our friends over at Gran Habano Cigars (@ghcigars) where kind enough to send a few of them our way.

After numerous blends and prototypes, George A. Rico has finally came up with a cigar he deemed worthy of the Opium name. This cigar is composed of a Nicaraguan Habano Corojo hybrid wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and an unknown mix of fillers. These cigars come in just one size, 6×52, will run $9 a stick, and will only be available at S.T.K. authorized retailers.

Size: 6×52  –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano/Corojo  –  Binder: Nicaraguan  –  Filler: Unknown

Prelight: First and foremost, the band on this G.A.R. Opium is impossible to ignore. The cigar sports a crazy elegant, attention calling double gold, red, and white band along with a third black and gold foot band that simply states that this cigar is part of the S.T.K. series and is a “Limited Edition” “by George A. Rico”. The first band is a huge red and gold crest with the G.A.R. branding followed by a smaller secondary band with a similar design that has the blend’s name “Opium”. The wrapper on this cigar is a beautify dark and medium brown with tons of oils coating the entire body. There are only one or two short, wider veins running through the body of this cigar leading up to the perfectly round triple cap. The cigar in general is extremely firm with no soft spots. The wrapper feels really durable as it didn’t tear or break when I squeezed it. It did however leave a really neat coating of oils on my finger tips. The wrapper on this cigar gives off a very interesting sweet pine aroma while the foot produces nothing more than a bold tobacco scent. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is interesting. Instead of getting the run of the mill tobacco flavor I was anticipating the G.A.R. Opium let loose this crazy spicy, sweet, cedar flavor with even a bit of pepper on just the cold draw alone.

First Smoke: Instead of this G.A.R. Opium greeting me with the pepper I was expecting due to the cold draw flavors, I was welcomed with a very sweet tobacco flavor with a bit of honey, cinnamon and some subtle cedar with a bit of pepper that only teased my lips and tongue. The draw on this cigar is dead on, filling my mouth with tons of thick smoke with every puff. The burnline is razor sharp and even for the most part with only some very small waves. The ash left behind is white and light grey and extremely tightly compacted. The ash held on for well over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The G.A.R. Opium is really starting to open up now. Along with the sweet tobacco, cedar, and honey I am not picking up some interesting floral and citrus notes. I had to double check my hands to make sure they didn’t have soap on them. This cigar is very smooth and has some really interesting flavors. The retrohale is a nice addition to the experience to coating my nasal passage with a very bold, sweet cedar. I’m not really feeling any nicotine at this point, and the cigar is still burning dead even with amazingly white, compact ash.

Finish: Despite the larger bands on this G.A.R. Opium, all three of them slid right off the cigar without a hitch. That always gets huge brownie points with me. The Opium really smoothed out into the final third while the body ramped up a bit. Most of the flavors have dampened with the exception of the sweet tobacco and cedar which are rocking pretty hard at this point. There was no harshness at all, even into the final inch where I felt only a slight nicotine buzz before a smooth, creamy finish.

Overview: Gran Habano is a company that sometimes gets passed by cigar smokers. Just because they are affordable doesn’t mean they aren’t supburb cigars and the Opium is a perfect example of that. Perfect construction, great flavors, complex yet smooth. It really doesn’t get better than that. This is a perfect cigar for any occasion. Light enough to smoke in the morning, flavorful enough for an after meal smoke, and affordable enough for an everyday smoke. Need I say more?

Pairing: Coming in with another Lips of Faith series brew form New Belgium brewing, I paired this G.A.R. Opium with the new “Prickly Passion Saison”. I’ve said it so many times, but Saisons are my poison. I could drink these all day long. This isn’t your standard Saison though, it’s actually a 8.5% ABV beer brewed with natural Prickly Pear Cactus and Passion fruit juices. Usually the fruit would be the focal point of the brew, but in this case it’s nothing more than a slight aftertaste that really helps make this beer one of the smoothest I can say I have ever had. Sweet and citrusy up front with a nice smooth, creamy, fruity finish. This was a PERFECT pairing. I can’t stress that enough. Now that the Opium’s will be easily obtained, I recommend trying this pairing out if you can find the beer. Usually this time of the season I’d be pairing with some nice winter seasonal porters or stouts, but after trying this beer I knew it would go perfect with this cigar. You know what else goes great with this cigar and the beer? The Bouncing Souls. I got some “True Believers” playing as I enjoy the weekend before the chaos on my back porch.

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The Good Stuff: Royale with Cheese, you heard that right. Drew Estate always has quirky code names for all of their pre-production blends. Will this be the final name of the vitola? Probably not. But the master minds at Drew Estate never fail to surprise me. (EDIT: I was notified by Steve Saka that this is actually NOT the Royale with Cheese! See the comments below for his explaination.)It’s (from what I know) the same blend as the T52.  For more information on the T52 blend you can navigate to my review of the toro or my review of the flying pig. Same blend, just in gigantic form. I used to love the hell out of larger ring gauged cigars, but lately I will almost always go for the corona. I just think the smaller ring gauges kick out so much extra flavor. Will the monster size dull-out the massive flavors of the T52? Let’s find out.

Size: 6 x 60  –  Wrapper: Stalk Cut Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran/Dominican – Brazilian Mata Fina

Prelight: Quickly touching on the prelight characteristics, they are completely identical to the T52’s, just WAY bigger. Super, super, super oily wrapper. Toothy, and a dark chocolate brown with tons of orange spots. One of two big veins running the length of the body,  but nothing too crazy. Nice rounded cap, and the standard Liga Privada T52 band. This cigar is heavy as hell, and carries a very firm, and thick wrapper with absolutely no soft spots at all.

The cigar smells like straight up cedar, a ton of spice, and some nice espresso notes. The foot smells almost identical, only with a much more pronounced aroma. The cap took a bit of convincing from my Liga Privada double-bladed cutter before clipping off. The cut was clean, it just took a bit of extra pressure. The cold draw matched the aromas I picked up earlier to a tee. The only difference was the cedar was much more pronounced and there was a butt-load of pepper in there.

First Smoke: This T52 6×60 took quite a bit to light up using my single flame butane torch. I almost forgot how much work it took to get bigass cigars lit. The cigar didn’t start off with nearly as much pepper as I expected. A lot smoother, with a ton of cedar, espresso, cocoa, and spice. The draw is REALLY open at the start of the first third. It gives out a nice, full mouth of smoke, but takes a few draws to get there.  After about a half inch though the foot was nice and ashy and the draw tightened up. And if you thought the normal T52 gave off a lot of stationary smoke, this T52 is like a wildfire.  The burn line was perfect and the tightly compacted light grey ash held on for and inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: As I thought, the T52 6×60 is a lot smoother, and more open than what I was used to in the other T52 vitolas. Not to say the flavor hasn’t been there, but it’s not as powerful as the other vitolas. The second third flavors match the first only a bit smoother, creamier, and not as strong. The cedar has really taken off though, mixed with a nice, creamed coffee with the spice in the background. The retrohale is good, tons of cedar, but very strong with spice and pepper. I am also already feeling a lot of nicotine from this cigar early in. It’s not for the faint of heart. Burn line is perfect, and draw has been wonderful since it tightened up in the first third.

Finish: The flavors really haven’t changed much into the final third of this Liga Privada T52 6×60. Mainly, the spice and pepper have completely disappeared, but the cedar and the coffee and creamy notes have ramped up as well as the strength of the cigar. This thing really has a bite and I really don’t recommend it if you aren’t one for strong cigars. The ash has been kind of flaky into the final third too, which is strange cause I really didn’t feel any soft spots, nor could I find any mis-construction. The ash seems to fall off at random times too, twice in my lap. But that’s what I get for always waiting for the last minute to tap my ash out. Towards the end there was no harshness at all. I was REALLY surprised with how smooth this cigar faired out from start to finish.

Overview: This is a beast of a cigar. It took me about two hours to take it down entirely. Ever heard the saying “you can never have too much of a good thing?”, this cigar goes to show that you can. At least, in my opinion. This cigar was just too much for me. The flavors where there, the smoothness let me finish it, and the creaminess resulted with no harshness at all. But still, this was just too much cigar for me. Anyone who loves the T52 and is looking for a larger vitola to fit those days when you are just looking for a little more “relaxation” time will find this cigar absolutely perfect. Maybe I’m just not one for the larger sizes?

Pairing: I paired this Liga Privada T52 with a with a beer I absolutely adore. New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Series Dunkel Weiss. Usually I don’t pair the only cigar I have with a beer with so much flavor, but I knew the blend was similar so I already knew that the T52 6x60would pair perfectly with this beer.  This Dunkel Weiss if a hell of a flavor-bomb. Really, be prepared for it. It’s not anything like a traditional Dunkel. This thing tastes like just a whole crap load of fruit, apples, berries, plum, tons of banana, mixed with a bunch of malt, caramel, and a VERY strong cinnamon aftertaste. Needless to say this was an absolutely wonderful pairing with the soft fruit notes, espresso, spice, and cedar picked up in this Liga Privada T52 6×60.

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