Monthly Recap – October

Number of Cigars Smoked: 25

Of those smoked:

• Purchased: 15 or 60%
• Gifted: 3 or 12%
• Samples Provided: 7 or 28%

Of those purchased:

• Brick & Mortar: 1 or 7%
• Online: 14 or 93%

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

#1. Quesada 40th Anniversary Corona Clasica – Tony reviewed the Quesada 40th Anniversary back in September. You can find his full review HERE. Unlike Tony, I had no problem removing the tissue paper, and I am convinced it was more of a user error on Tony’s part than anything else But I am not here to critique the cigar necessarily. Last month, my dog that I had since I was in 8th grade was put to rest at the age of 16. I was not there to say my goodbye as he was in El Paso with my parents. However, that evening I lit up the Quesada 40th and reflected on the great memories I had with him including taking him snowboarding in the Upper Peninsula, falling through ice while ice fishing, and several others. He was one stubborn, loving dog that I will miss.

#2. Cain F Lancero – Easily one of my favorite offerings from Oliva. The Cain F Lancero is a solid cigar that I could smoke any day of the week. I have to keep them hidden at the bottom of the humi to not smoke them all at once. I picked up a box of these bad boys in the Summer of 2013, allowing myself one every few months.  With only 4 or 5 remaining, it is time to order up another box. My opinion of this cigar has not changed since I reviewed it back in June 2013, when I had this to say (find the full review HERE):

I am just going to say it. I freakin love this cigar! While it has been well over a year since I smoked the 2011 release, I felt that this release offered bolder flavors and more complexity. While ugly in appearance, the construction and burn were excellent. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I lean towards cigars that deliver some sweetness and the Cain F Lancero it right up my alley.  I adore the Lancero format and it is just unheard of to find a lancero in the $6.00 range…

Cigar Reviews

La Gloria Cubana Domino 758, a Mike’s Cigars Exclusive

Beginning with a mild profile, the cigar developed to medium in the middle third and ended on a high note with medium/full, rich flavors. Only once did I have to correct the burn in over two hours of smoking. So a 10 second annoyance out of 7200 seconds of smoking is really no issue at all.

Espinosa Cigars – La Zona Habano

For a cigar that can be found for under $4 on most days and around $2 on good days, La Zona Habano by Espinosa Cigars is a good stick that delivers without breaking the bank.

Exactus – Puro Ambar Short Coloso

The flavors delivered in the first and second thirds, but tapered off in the final third, which I will blame on the void in tobaccos near the head. I am pleased to report that the issue did not occur in the other sample. When I think of the lines I have smoked under the Exactus brand, I can honestly say that the Puro Ambar is a step above the other lines.

Romeo Y Julieta Primer Lote 770, a Mike’s Cigars Exclusive

Beginning with the Romeo Y Julieta RyJ in 2013, followed by The Banker by H. Upmann a few months ago, and now the Romeo y Julieta Primer Lote 770, my perception of Altadis U.S.A. is changing. The Primer Lote 770 delivered a good performance with medium flavors. But what  made this Mike’s Cigars exclusive unique was the distinct flavor profiles in each third. For a price under $8, this cigar falls right into the sweet-spot.

Tony’s Reviews

Padron- Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro

…the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro is an exceptional cigar delivering most notably in the flavor department. As any of you who are familiar with the Family Reserve releases would expect, the flavors were quite complex, yet very smooth and balanced. Not to mention they are ideal for beer pairing especially with the early winter seasonal releases.

Asylum 13 Ogre

As with most Asylum cigars I have smoke, the Ogre is a solid stick. That being said, there wasn’t anything outside of the strength which really stood out to me. I did like the flavors, and the changeups, but I would probably reach for the standard Asylum 13 over the Ogre.

Matilde Renacer Corona

This is a little cigar with a whole lot of personality. The flavor profile is pretty different, but a breath a fresh air showcasing some great floral and sweetness combined with some nice spice, and natural flavors which all developed at the right moments to keep my on my toes. Matilde’s Renacer is one of the better Dominican-rich cigars that I have smoked in a long time

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

L’Atelier Imports – L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER 13

A tasty and relaxing medium-full bodied smoke with low-medium strength – hell yes!  I have really enjoyed the several L’Atelier Extension de la Racines that I have smoked, with flavors that are certainly not run of the mill providing a good amount of complexity without pounding you over the head with them.  Construction was pretty much spot-on, with just one small correction required and no re-lights.  The price is entirely in line with a cigar of this quality, and even more so with the limited availability. .

Nomad C-276 Torpedo

The Nomad C-276 is a great cigar, especially for those who are into the fuller bodied and stronger smokes. The flavors are distinct and complex, and the construction is solid. Although I did eventually have to correct the burn a few times, it was not an aggravation, and did not affect the flavors. Fred did an outstanding job in blending this stick, and the inclusion of the Ometepe leaf takes it a step beyond the S-307 that I had previously enjoyed, in terms of additional flavors and balanced complexity

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The Good Stuff:

Jose Seijas is no stranger to the cigar world. Jose played the role of Vice President and General Manager of the Tabacalera de Garcia factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic for over 30 years under Altadis U.S.A.. He then retired from the company in 2012 and spent a few years working at La Flor Dominican with Little Gomez producing a selection of their cigars at his factory in La Romana before Jose announced his brand, Matilde cigars during the 2013 IPCPR show. It’s natural for a branded headed by someone of his stature to make waves, and Matilde has. From this, the Renacer was born. The Renacer features a Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Dominican binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The Renacer is created in a unique way featuring only a single cut to the wrapper leaf, leaving much of the tobaccos veiny characteristics in tact. The Renacer is available now and comes in 4 sizes: the Corona (5.5 x 44), The Toro Bravo (6.5 x 54), The Robusto (5.25 x 54), and the Grande (6 x 60). All four sizes come packaged in boxes of 20 and range from $7.50 to $9.00 a cigar.

Size: 5.5 x 44
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.50
Pairing: Sound Brewery Dubbel Entendre (8.8% ABV Belgian Dubbel)

Prelight:

The Matilde Renacer starts out with this beautiful, shiny, oily wrapper. The light just glistens off of the thick oils found throughout the body of the cigar. The wrapper is silky smooth with a ton of leaf webbing, and smaller sized veins running the length of the cigar’s slender body. The wrapper itself is a consistent medium brown with nice orange tints. The wrapper tobacco is laid perfectly hiding the seams in the tobacco leaf. The Renacer is capped off with a perfectly round, seamless triple cap. The Renacer carries a brown, white and gold band featuring Matilde’s logo in metallic gold in front, and the words “Matilde” printed on each side.

Matilde’s Renacer is incredibly pungent in aroma. I can smell the cigar as it rests in my ashtray. The wrapper gives off a very strong barnyard/grassy aroma while the foot of the cigar is more neutral with some soft spice, tobacco, and cedar scents. The cap cup very clean, and like butter using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was very grassy and oaty with soft hints of cedar and spice.

First Smoke:

The first few puffs on Matilde’s Renacer showcase some very soft pepper which quickly faded to let the cedar, dirt, grassy and earthy flavors in which all danced with the more natural tobacco flavors showcased in the cigar. The draw is a bit tight, but not too bad while the burnline is absolutely flawless sporting a razor sharp burnline and a probably one of the prettiest ashes I have ever seen. Bright white in color, super compact, and dead even. It looks like a stream of cement coming off my cigar. The ash held on for an inch before falling with a “clunk” into my ashtray.

Halfway There:

The draw has really opened up into the second third of the Matilde Renacer, and with it, the flavors as well. The cigar is now pumping out some strong cedar and spice notes wrapped around some interesting floral and grass flavors and a bit of honey and molasses. The retrohale is incredibly smooth coating my nasal passage with some interesting coffee notes that before that, weren’t evident in the smoking experience. The burnline is still dead even and the ash is beautiful. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine as I close out the second third.

Finish:

The final third in the Matilde Renacer is where the cigar really showcases what its all about. The spice and cedar have elevated to a whole new level while lots of sweetness, molasses has swept in finishing with some creamy coffee and soft floral flavors. The strength of the cigar has increased significantly as well and is now in the medium/full realm. The Renacer took me and hour and a half to take down and I experience absolutely no harshness at all. I was impressed with how well this cigar developed and in the end, had a hard time putting it down. It left me with absolutely no nicotine kick at all.

Overview:

This is a little cigar with a whole lot of personality. The flavor profile is pretty different, but a breath a fresh air showcasing some great floral and sweetness combined with some nice spice, and natural flavors which all developed at the right moments to keep my on my toes. Matilde’s Renacer is one of the better Dominican-rich cigars that I have smoked in a long time. The cigar delivers a super-premium experience and a value-premium price. This is a box worthy purchase for sure. I smoked a 3 of the four sizes (Robusto, Toro, and Corona) and lean towards the corona out of the three. It delivered a more heavy bodied experience than the other 2.

Pairing:

I took a bit of a gamble on this pairing, but it turned out great. This beer isn’t one I’ve actually had before. I mean, c’mon, I drink plenty of the style but I have yet to see any Sound Brewery beer in these parts. Lucky for me, I have friends and high placed and Jeff (yes, the Jeff who’s been kicking out guest reviews left and right) sent this bottle my way. After smoking my first Renacer I knew I wanted to pair it with a Belgian style Abbey. When I opened my beer closet this one stood out to me so I took a risk and paired it up. Sound Brewery is based out of Washington, and the Dubbel Entendre Belgian Style Dubbel comes in at 8.8% ABV. Right off the bat, the Dubbel Entendre leads with a whole mess of sweetness, honey, and banana with a very light mouthfeel as it finishes rather crisp with lots of fruit and caramel notes with just a hint of spice. I loved the way all the fruit and sweetness meshed in with the more organic flavors in the Renacer creating a wonderful new level to the experience while the spice and caramel married in with the already existent flavors in the cigar. This cigar would go great with some afternoon coffee, any Belgian ale, or a nice sweet bourbon.

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