The Good Stuff:

I was a huge fan of Fratello Cigars’ first release, the Fratello. So much, that it made my top 10 list last year. You can view the list here and my review here. That being said, I was ecstatic to hear Omar Frias, owner of Fratello was releasing his second blend, and Maduro called the Fratello Bianco which launched at this year’s IPCPR trade show. The Fratello Bianco features a Mexican San Andres Negro wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Pennsylvania Broadleaf fillers. The Fratello Bianco comes in 3 core formats: I (6 1/4 x 44), II (6 x 50), and III (5 x 56) as well as one event exclusive vitola which is a 5 x 44. All formats come packaged in boxes of 20 and will range from $8.75 to $9.25 a stick. While shops are starting to get these trickled in I got mine over from our friends at 2 Guys Smoke Shop who still have plenty is stock.

Size: 6 1/4 x 44
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Negro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.75
Pairing: Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break (Imperial Stout 11.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Fratello Bianco features a very consistent dark brown wrapper. The wrapper carries some lighter areas around the foot of the cigar and natural webbing in the tobacco leaf surrounding the body of the cigar. There are a few decent sized veins running through the cigar, but nothing too concerning. The wrapper’s texture is very rough and toothy with only some smoother areas around those veins. The wrapper feels very dense, and very hard while the cigar is a big spongy in random areas throughout. The Fratello Bianco is topped off with a round double cap and polished off with the exact same red, black, and white band featured on the standard Fratello only in reversed colors.

The wrapper on the Fratello Bianco gives off some great spice and sweetness while the foot of the cigar carries some strong pepper and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut like butter under my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw reveals lots of musk, spice, sweetness, and cocoa.

First Third:

The Fratello Bianco starts off with a quick little black pepper burst which quickly fades away showcasing some great cocoa, brown sugar, cinnamon, musk, and tobacco flavors. The flavors aren’t very bold, but they mix in to create a very rich and creamy character. The draw started out a bit tight but loosed up after I got about a half inch in and is now kicking out a good amount of thick smoke while producing none as it rests in my astray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of white and medium gray ash which held on for just under an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

As I venture into the second third of the Fratello Bianco a great vanilla flavor has began to take dominance in the flavor department. Backed by cocoa, coffee, brown sugar, cinnamon and natural tobacco this makes for a great, creamy flavor profile. The retrohale is really smooth coating my nasal passage with some soft spice, and lots of coffee notes. The burn line has one large wave now, but hasn’t needed any attention from my lighter yet. I close out the second third with absolutely no signs of nicotine.

Finish:

The strength in the Fratello Bianco has started to ramp up into the medium/full range in the final third while the flavors remained consistent. The vanilla, cocoa, and coffee lead the charged backed by sweetness and spice all mixed in for a creamy profile. It took me an hour and a half to take the Fratello Bianco down to the nub and I enjoyed every minute of it. The cigar never required any extra attention from my lighter, and finished clean with no harshness, and no nicotine kick at all.

Overview:

Fratello has added a second great cigar to their portfolio. The Fratello Bianco is a solid maduro, with a great flavor profile all wrapped up in a smooth, creamy, affordable package.  While I think it’s a great cigar, I do think I like the standard Fratello a bit more. The Bianco is box worthy for sure. It’s a perfect cigar for a novice cigar smoker that is looking for a smooth, not overly complex maduro at a great price while seasoned cigar smokers will enjoy the great flavor profile and consistency the Bianco has to offer.

Pairing:

Get used to seeing Evil Twin on Casas Fumando a lot more now that I can finally get my hands on them. This week, I knew exactly what pairing I wanted to go down with the Fratello Bianco, and it didn’t disappoint. Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Break is a 11.5% ABV Imperial stout brewed with coffee beans by Charleston Coffee Roasters. The Imperial Biscotti break leads with roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, and lots of sweetness and a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with lots of coffee, chocolate, more malt, and more vanilla. The thought of this beer being 11.5% baffles me as it’s so smooth it’s dangerous, with absolutely no taste of booze. The beer and cigar were made for each other, but if stouts aren’t your thing pairing the Fratello Bianco with a malty porter, tawny port, or creamed coffee would work just as well.

The post Fratello Bianco appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Guayacan Sabor de Esteli is a tribute to Nicaragua’s cigar making capital Esteli which made its debut at the 2014 IPCPR show in Las Vegas. The Sabor de Esteli line are produced by Noel Rojas, at Rojas’ Aromas de Jalapa factory in Nicaragua. The Sabor de Esteli features a Nicaraguan binder fan filler while the Natural version showcases an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and the Maduro carries a Mexican San Andreas wrapper.

Both lines are offered in three different sizes, the natural features a standard round format while the maduro sports box-pressed formats: The Toro (6 x 52), Gordo (6 x 60), Robusto (5 x 50), and the an additional limited edition Corona (6.5 x 42) which is only offered int he Natural. Prices range between $8 and $9.50 for boxes of 20.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.50
Pairing: Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 15 (Imperial Stout 10.1% ABV)

Prelight:

The wrapper on the Sabor de Esteli is really thick and dense sporting lots of tooth and a few larger veins. The wrapper is a deep brown in color and extremely consistent with the exception of a small area around the cap. The Sabor de Esteli’s long, thin, boxpressed body leading up to a round double cap which in both samples I received, were affixed quite loosely. The Sabor de Esteli has a very nice, painting type band that features a woman in a tobacco field which actually comes off very easily despite the size of it. I always hate when cigars carry massive bands with tons of glue which ultimately comes off on the wrapper leaf. Luckily we are good there. Outside of the loose cap the cigar is very well constructed and quite firm as I squeeze it between my fingers.

The wrapper gives off lots of spice and cedar while the foot gives off some strong pepper, tobacco, and wood aromas. The cap cut clean but the remainder was so loosely laid on the cigar that it come off on my lips once I put the cigar in my mouth. The cold draw produces some real nice plum, spice, and oak.

First Third:

Right off the bat the Sabor de Esteli stats off with some potent peppers and spice. Once the black pepper began to fizzle out the spice gained more grand backed by some plum, sweetness, brown sugar, natural tobacco and lots of deep oakiness and a sharp tartness on the finish. The draw is awesome, each little puff kicks out a good amount of thin smoke. The burn line is a bit wavy, but manageable while the ash is almost black and very, very thin and flaky only holding on for about a half inch before falling into my lap. Be aware of that.

Second Third:

That tartness has been rocking the flavor department in the Sabor de Esteli. The backing flavors are still a deep oakiness, plum, and spice while the sweetness has completely disappeared. The retrohale showcases some really strong pepper and spice with a bit of that oak on the aftertaste. The burn line is still a bit wild, but I haven’t had to reach for my lighter quite yet. I close out the second third feeling nothing in the nicotine department.

Final Third:

Man the tart flavor is really taking over this experience as I venture into the final third of the Guayacan Sabor de Esteli Maduro. Outside of the tartness there is some good spice, coffee, oak, and natural tobacco flavors. The burn lines has been while the whole time but with only one or two touch ups, I’m not complaining. The Sabor de Esteli Maduro took me almost two hours to take down and I experienced only some minor harshness at the end, and not heat down to the nub.

Overview:

The Guayacan Sabor de Esteli is a good cigar, but it does have it’s nuances. First, that tartness was a bit much for me. While that’s strictly subjective something that isn’t is the massive amounts of sap that built up on both samples I smoked. The sap appeared a little more than halfway end requiring me to frequently clip the cap to get rid of it. Some time in the humidor may do wonders for this cigar as the tartness would mellow out and the sap would be absorbed. I’ve smoked and loved the natural version of this cigar and at this point would recommend that one over this cigar, but I’ll have to revisit this one in a few months to see how it shapes up with a bit of age.

Pairing:

This was a another moment where as soon as I lit up the Guayacan Sabor Esteli I knew exactly what I wanted to pair it with. Saint Arnold’s Divine Reserve 15 is the 15th installment in the divine reserve series. Each year Saint Arnold pumps out a different limited edition style and this year the Divine Reserve features a 10.1% Imperial Stout. The Divine Reserve leads with spice, chocolate and malt with a very heavy mouthful, lots of chocolate and sweetness and tons of creaminess. The flavors in this beer marry up perfectly with the flavors of the Sabor de Esteli Maduro. I could see this cigar paired with some black coffee all day, sweet tea, or a strong porter.

The post Guayacan Sabor De Esteli Maduro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Montecristo Relentless is a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive that states that though a bold experience will be “relentless” on your taste buds. The blend starts out with an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican San Andreas Binder, and a mix of Nicaraguan and Brazilian Mata Fina Fillers. The Relentless is offered in 5 sizes: The Churchill (7 x 56), the Magnum (6 x 60), The No.2 (6 1/8 x 52 torpedo), The Robusto (5 1/2 x 48), and the Toro (6 x 54). The Relentless comes in boxes of 10 ranging from $9.65 to $12.50 a stick and can purchased here directly from Famous Smoke Shop who is currently running a promotion that includes free bonus deals with a box purchase. Big thanks goes out to our friends at Famous for sending these bad boys our way for review.

Size: 5.5 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Mexican San Andreas
Filler: Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Price: $9.65
Pairing: Keweenaw Widow Maker (5.2% Black Ale)

Prelight:

The Montecristo Relentless carries a smooth, silky, light brown wrapper that showcases some great natural oils. The wrapper is very thin, and very delicate with some very light veining and some darker, almost greenish-brown areas around the cap and the foot. The cigar feels very tightly packed with a bit of sponginess around the foot while leading up to a beautiful round triple cap. The Relentless carries the standard round Montecristo band we all know so well with a bit of a twist. First, the color scheme is pretty interesting using a yellow dominant color with red and black accents. Underneath the Montecristo crest band there is a red one with the word “Relentless” sprawled across it which lays over yet another more elegant black band with some spot-uv coated Montecristo Logos.

The Montecristo Relentless’s wrapper gives off some nice, buttery tobacco flavors with some light cedar while the foot of the cigar has much more spice and earthiness to it. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw is very grainy/oaty with some soft spice and lots of cedar.

First Third:

I was expecting lots more pepper given the Nicaraguan fillers, but the Montecristo Relentless stared out rather tame in that department with only enough pepper to tickle my tongue. The rest of the flavor profile consisted of some strong cedar, cashew, soft spice, and a bit of that butter that I picked up in the prelight. The draw is perfect and plentiful. Each little puff kicks out a whole mess of thick, white smoke. the burn line is a bit wavy and a bit dense, but nothing concerning at all as I close out the first third of the Relentless. The ash left behind is a medium grey which is very tightly compacted holding on for over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Much the same into the second third of this Monte Cristo Relentless. Still lots of cedar and cashew over some slight spice, butter, and natural tobacco flavors. The body and strength remain both in the medium area while the nicotine is almost non-existent. The burn line has pretty much corrected itself and is now burning completely solid without the help of my torch. The retrohale is really smooth coating my nasal passage with some soft cedar and spice which actually helps add a bit of body to the experience.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the Montecristo Relentless and it’s still remaining true to the experience by delivering the exact same as it did when I first lit it up. That has it’s good and it’s bad depending on what you look for in a cigar. If you like medium/consistent smoked then this is perfect, but if you’re like me and you like bold/complexity this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea. The burn has been perfect though and in the hour and a half it took to take this cigar down I never once had to reach for my torch. The finish was very soft and creamy too with absolutely no harshness whatsoever.

Overview:

While the Montecristo Relentless is a good cigar, it left quite a bit to be desired, especially in the flavor department. The cigar seldom switched up, and the flavors became pretty muted and muddy from the halfway point on. This may actually be appealing to those who want a solid, medium body cigar and especially those of you who are looking for a great morning coffee smoke. Flavor profile aside the Relentless preformed rather well in terms of construction and burn/draw experience. No touch ups or relights were ever needed and the cigar just quietly did what it was born to do. Taking that in consideration the price point for a cigar of that stature is pretty high on the Relentless and it’s probably not something I’d consider adding to my regular rotation.

Pairing:

I decided to pair the Montecristo Relentless with a brew that was brought back from the Upper Peninsula by none other than Mr. Jeremy. Big thanks dude. Keweenaw’s Widow Maker is a black ale found all over the UP that comes in a 5.2% ABV. The beer is a solid black ale leading with some nice roasted malt, barley, and caramel which finishes crisp with some slight espresso and chocolate. I’ve always been a fan of Black Ales especially when they are as solid as this one. The theory behind this pairing was the hope of brining a bit more dimension to the smoking experience, which it did by placing some great flavors that didn’t already exist in the cigar into the experience. I still think the best possible pairing for this cigar is a morning coffee or even some sweet tea.

Contest Winner:

First of all, thank you all who took the time to enter. Also, thank you guys for the support you have shown us over the years. YOU are why we do this and this site wouldn’t exist without you. Give yourselves a pat on the back.

Now to the good stuff. We used Rafflecopter to pick a winner at random (It’s easy that way). The system chose, at random, Texican8! If you haven’t received and email from us yet, you will soon. Thanks again and be on the lookout as we are planning some more giveaways in the very near future.

The post Montecristo Relentless + Contest Winner appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Norteno is the first release from Drew Estate since Willy Herrera was named the Master Blender earlier this year. Willy has been working hard on creating a maduro blend using a Mexican San Andreas wrapper for some time now. When I was down at the Drew Estate Factory a few years back Willy actually handed me a test sample of a box-pressed Maduro he then just called “The Square”. Thinking back to this smoke, I wonder if it was an early version of the Norteno. The word “Norteno” refers to people in the Northern regions of Nicaragua where Esteli is located while the band features the national bird of Nicaraguan the Guardabarranco. The Norteno by Willy Herrera features a bold Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper, Spicy Honduran binder, and extensively aged tobaccos from the Jalapa and Esteli regions of Nicaragua. The Norteno by Willy Herrera comes in six box-pressed sizes, all boxed in quantities of 10: Coronita (4 x 46), Corona Extra (4.75 x 48), Bellicoso Fino (5 x 50), Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54), Toro (6 x 50), and the Lonsdale Deluxe (6.5 x 44) and range from $10 to $12 a cigar.

Size: 6.5 x 44
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Aged Esteli and Jalapa Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $11
Pairing: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (Imperial Stout 13.8% ABV)

Prelight

The Norteno by Willy Herrera is a toothy little creature. The wrapper is very hard, and very thick featuring a sandpaper-like texture throughout the entire body. The wrapper’s color is a deep, dark, consistent brown with only a few darker areas in the webbing of the tobacco leaf. The wrapper is laid seamlessly throughout the body of the cigar all the way up to the round, triple cap. As with all of the formats in the Norteno line, the Lonsdale Deluxe features a beautiful soft-box-pressed structure which I have always preferred due to a very comfortable mouth and hold feel. The Norteno is polished off with a deep mossy greet and ivory band featuring the national bird of Nicaragua as well as the word “Norteno” on the front, and “Herrera Esteli by Drew Estate” as well as a bit of information about the tobaccos use in the blend. The cigar itself is very firm and very tough. It gives almost nothing as I squeeze it between my fingers.

The wrapper on the Norteno gives off a bit of sweetness, coffee, and syrup while the foot of the cigar is very spicy with lots of pepper and natural tobacco aromas. The cap was incredibly easy to clip using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw is pretty potent posting flavor notes of syrup, chocolate, coffee, and a ton of spice.

First Third:

The Norteno by Willy Herrera starts out with a bang leading in with a whole mess of black pepper and spice. After a few puffs the pepper begins to subside and you can pick up great sweetness, spice, oak, berry, and a bit of tartness. Ever since Jeremy and I have had a conversation about the tartness found in most Mexican San Andreas wrapped cigars it’s always one of the first things I notice. The draw is remarkable and another reason why I love the soft box press. It takes no effort to get a huge mouthful of thick, white smoke. The burn line is slightly wavy leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of white and medium gray ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Norteno by Willy Herrera and the pepper has found it’s way out of the flavor profile. While the body is still in the medium/full range all the flavors have taken a step back as a creamed coffee has taken main stage. Backing the coffee is soft sweetness and cedar with a good amount of spice and chocolate with an oaky finish. The retrohale is awesome as it coats my nasal passage with lots of oak, spice, and sweetness. The burn line is still a bit wavy but I haven’t had to reach for my lighter yet. I am feeling zero in the nicotine department as I close out the second third of the Norteno by Willy Herrera.

Final Third:

Into the final third of Drew Estate’s Norteno by Willy Herrera and the flavor profile is much of the same as the second third. Lots of spice, creamed coffee, and oak with a bit of sweetness, syrup, and tart. There is also a bit of pine sneaking itself into the mix but it comes and goes. The burn is now burning perfectly and never once did I have to reach for my lighter for any touch ups or relights. The strength has remained medium the whole way through and I feel almost no nicotine as I close out the cigar. It took me a total of an hour and forty five minutes to take the Norteno down to the nub and I experience no harshness all the way through.

Overview:

The Drew Estate Norteno by Willy Herrera was one of this year’s most anticipated releases and with good reason. I honestly think that almost anything Drew Estate kicks out instantly becomes sought after, but it’s justified as they put a lot of time and effort into great blends and the Norteno is just another notch in the belt. Willy is kind of a badass and I’ve always been a big fan of his work. The Norteno is probably one of the more unique blends in his portfolio. The Norteno is complex, yet super balanced which is something Willy is known for. The flavors are very complimentary and enjoyable yet very bold in this blend. The price may be a bit steep but I personally wouldn’t mind paying the coin to include the Norteno in my daily rotation especially with the box count of 10 which makes it much easily to pull the trigger on. In comparison, the Norteno and Herrera Esteli are mountains apart. Each deliver a totally different experience so comparing the two would be an injustice.

Pairing:

One of the nations, possibly one of the word most sought after beers. I was lucky enough to grab quite a few boxes this black Friday of the 2014 release of Goose Island’s Bourbon County and I’m glad I got as much as I did. This is a beer I never see in our parts. I’ve had a few of the different varieties of this release over the last few years but 100% of those were acquired in trades so I was happy to see these on shelves locally for the first time. It’s with good reason that this limited release sells out so quickly. Aged in Bourbon Barrels this Imperial stout clocks in at a whopping 13.8% ABV. The beer is thick, almost syrupish and the mouthfeel is similar. Right away you’re hit with the bourbon and the booze as it starts to smooth out the spice, vanilla, sweetness and chocolate begin to creep in while it finishes boozy, and creamy with lots of bourbon and spice notes. The spice, chocolate, and syrup paired in beautiful with the Norteno by Willy Herrera while the bourbon and vanilla added a bit more dimension to a great flavor experience.

The post Drew Estate Norteno by Willy Herrera appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: As most of you know, Sam Leccia has been rolling since his re-introduction into the cigar business last year. Both of his debut launches, the Leccia Black, and the Leccia White made appearances in both mine, and Jeremy’s top 10 list last year. This year, Same is at it again releasing the “Luchador”. A Luchador is a Mexican wrestler. We see a lot of them in my parts. There are actually weekend events that happen here in El Paso with Luchador wrestling and the sport has always been a big part of Mexican culture. Here is what the Leccia Tobacco’s website says about the new blend:

The Luchador is an exotic 5 country cigar blend handcrafted in Nicaragua consisting of very unique tobaccos. A San Andres Wrapper leaf surrounds the Habano binder leaf grown in Ecuador. The filler uses Viso from Esteli, Nicaragua with ligero From Pennsylvania-USA and Jamastran, Honduras. Centering the blend is a distinctive tobacco from Ometepe, Nicaragua.

Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. It is the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world.

The Luchador blend uses 3 tobaccos grown in Volcanic soil: the Ometepe, Habano and San Andres. The soil in these regions is so rich that little to no fertilization is necessary.

The blend is medium to full, providing a complex array of flavors from sweet to spicy with the strength building throughout the smoking experience.

The Luchador is offered in 4 sizes: El Hombre (5×54), El Castigo (6×60), El Guapo (6×50) and Loco Perfecto (6×58). They are packaged in boxes of 21 ranging from $8.10 to $8.60 a stick. I ordered these over at cigar.com and they have been available at retailers across the United States for a while now. For more information you can follow Sam Leccia on Twitter and Facebook.

Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Honduran Ligero, Pennsylvania Ligero, Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.10
Pairing: Dogfish Head’s 75 Minute IPA (American IPA w/ Maple Syrup 7.5% ABV)

Prelight: Leccia’s Luchador is a pretty little thing. It starts out with an absolutely beautiful dark brown wrapper. The wrapper color is very consistent with only a few darker areas around the foot and the cap of the cigar. The wrapper carries a very toothy texture with one or two larger veins running throughout the body. The wrapper leaf is very thick, and laid seamlessly as it leads up to a round, double cap. The construction on this bad boy is top notch. The Luchador is finished off with a very fitting Luchador style mask for a band sporting the Mexican flag colors Red, White, and Green with some black and gold detailing. Being so close to Mexico Luchador wrestling is something that we see on a weekly basis here. The Wrestlers are celebrated, and are just as big of celebrities as their American counter parts. This cigar fits right at home here in El Paso.

The wrapper of the Luchador gives off a very strong, pungent tart and cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar is a bit on the mild side only releasing some mild grassy, mossy aromas. The cap very clean, and very easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw started out with some strong spice backed by a really doughy profile with a bit of tobacco mixed in there.

First Smoke: Wow. The Leccia Luchador starts out with a huge black/cayenne pepper greeting. It was strong enough to bite the tip of my tongue and the back of my throat a bit. The pepper began to subdue a bit and some strong cedar, spice, syrup, tobacco, and tartness started to seep through. The draw on the Luchador is spot on. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke. Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of stationary smoke coming off this cigar as it sits in my ashtray. The burnline has a few waves which is normally expected when you have a cigar packed with crazy burning ligero leaves, but it’s nothing too crazy. The ash left behind is a light gray, and very tightly compacted. It held on for well over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: One characteristic that Ligero always leaves me with is a bit of a charred, smoked meat flavor and I am picking up a ton of it into the second third of the Leccia Luchador. Along with the charred/meat flavors I am picking up more of the tartness from the San Andreas while the pepper is finally started to fizzle out. There is still a lot of small spice notes, and a ton of cedar. The retrohale is way sharp and much too peppery for my liking. I’ll stick to the old fashioned way of smoking. The burnline is still a bit wavy and I had to correct a real large wave, but it wasn’t anything too crazy. Again, you gotta expect that when you are smoking a cigar packed with Ligero. The strength of this cigar is already showcasing just how strong this cigar is leaving me with a nice little nicotine kick as I close out the second third.

Finish: I had to really pace myself with the Luchador. Maybe it was me, my mood, my food consumption, or maybe the cigar itself, but the Luchador has delivered in the boldest way possible in terms of strength, and I have been loving every minute of it. The charred flavor began to repress as the ligero flavors became much more of strong tobacco. The backing flavors were syrup, tartness, and lots of spice with a bit of espresso mixed in into the final third. There is no doubt that this is a full-strength, full bodied experience but I never once felt that one was overpowering the other. Even into the final inch the Luchador was well balanced and just overall complex and bold. After that touchup in the second third the burnline finished clean with some slight waves, but didn’t require any further torch attention. It took me about an hour and a half to take the Luchador down while it left me with a pretty high nicotine kick.

Overview: It’s been some time since I’ve had a cigar that has both been incredibly strong, and incredibly balanced like the Luchador. Lots of flavor, lots of strength, and lots of love. The cigar leads off with strong pepper, spice, and tart while it finishes with some bits of espresso, syrup, and cedar. It’s not really a novices cigar as it may be a bit too strong, but I think this cigar is perfect for someone like me, a seasoned cigar smoker who loves stronger, complex experiences. The price point is right where it should be and I even got these on a crazy sale averaging a little of $4 a stick. Box worthy for sure, and a perfect after dinner/late evening cigar. I wouldn’t recommend smoking one on an empty stomach or first thing in the morning.

Pairing: Dogfish Head’s 75 minute IPA is an IPA brewed with maple syrup and continuously hopped for 75 minutes. Coming it at 7.5% ABV this beer resembles a perfect hybrid of a sweet IPA, and a sour. The balance is incredible as the beer leads off with some strong sweetness, syrup, and hoppy citrus finishing with a nice sour bite. The syrup is what sold me on this pairing and I had no idea the sourness would meld with the charred and tart flavors from the Luchador as well as it did.

The post Leccia Tobacco – Leccia Luchador appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Crowned Head’s have been on a roll ever since their first release of the four Kicks a few years back. Since the Four Kicks, they have released the Headley Grange, J.D. Howard Reserve, Las Calaveras, and the Angel’s Anvil. Adding to an already stacked portfolio Jon Huber partnered up with the Garcia family over at My Father Cigars (the same combo that brought you Las Calaveras) to bring you the Jericho Hill.

Here is the information I grabbed from the Crowned Heads’ website:

John R. “Johnny” Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. His legacy continues to inspire many, including Crowned Heads. Jericho Hill was inspired by Cash’s rendition of “Cocaine Blues,” found on Cash’s 1968 live album, “At Folsom Prison.” The song is a tale of a man, Willy Lee, who goes down a dark path brought on by the influence of whiskey and cocaine. Willy is captured in Juarez, Mexico, and is brought to justice by the sheriff from Jericho Hill.

Cash was the fourth of seven children, and Jericho Hill marks the fourth regular production release from Crowned Heads. The dark wrapper leaf utilized on Jericho Hill is a nod to “The Man in Black,” as the wrapper leaf varietal (Mexican San Andres) is a nod to the “Juarez, Mexico” reference found in “Cocaine Blues.” The four vitola names were all inspired by lyrics and music found on “At Folsom Prison,” and when recited from smallest to largest (.44S, LBV, OBS, and Willy Lee), take on a lyrical element of their own.

Jericho Hill is a hedonistic blend of the best Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, resulting in a rich and robust taste profile that is focused, potent, and complex. The smoke is a full-throttle experience that assaults your palate at break-neck speed, races around your mouth for a hundred miles, and leaves your taste buds in a cloud of power, intensity, and excitement. Manufactured at My Father Cigars S.A., Esteli, Nicaragua, and distributed by Crowned Heads, LLC.

It’s worth mentioning that Juarez, Mexico is literally about 100 feet from my office building and the police station that held Johnny Cash during his stay here is only a few blocks away. As mentioned above this is a regular production cigar and will be available within the next few weeks. The Jericho Hill will come in four sizes: 44S (5 1/8 x 44), LBV (6 ½ x 46), OBS (4 ¾ x 52), and the Willy Lee (6 x 54). They will come in boxes of 24 and will run between $7.95 – $9.75 a stick. These cigars were sent over to us by Jon Huber over at Crowned Heads (Thanks Jon!). Make sure you are following @thecrownedheads on twitter. Jon’s been really proud of this blend and given out a ton of a packs via twitter.

Size: 4 ¾ x 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.95
Pairing: Harpoon Black Forest Porter (Imperial Cherry/Chocolate Porter 9.8% ABV )

Prelight: The Jericho Hill is a fantastic looking cigar. It all starts with a soft box-press which I absolutely love and wish we saw much more frequent than we do. The soft, boxed edges make the cigar rest incredibly comfortable in both you hand as well as you mouth. The wrapper on the Jericho Hill carries an insane amount of tooth. It almost feels like some light sandpaper. The wrapper leaf is a very deep, very dark, very consistent brown with some darker areas around the webbing and smaller veins that run through the cigar’s body. The wrapper is laid seamlessly as it leads up to the round triple cap. The wrapper on the Jericho Hill is very dense, and strong. Adding to the firmness is how incredibly tightly packed this cigar it. It almost feels like a rock or a solid piece or wood.

The wrapper on the Jericho Hill gives off some strong, stout molasses and spice aromas while the foot carries some similar spice along with a much more natural tobacco scents. The cap cut very clean but took a bit of extra effort from my Palio double bladed cutter to get through the thick wrapper. The cold draw was actually really smooth as it pumped out some nice spice, tobacco, and deep woodsy flavors.

First Smoke: The Crowned Heads Jericho Hill starts off with a nice little black pepper greeting that quickly fades into just a tease on the tip of my tongue. As I get into the first third I encounter some really strong woodsy flavors mixed in with some great spice and sweetness, a bit of that molasses I picked up in the pre-light, and an awesome tartness on the finish. Despite the cigar being as tightly packed as it is the draw is remarkable. Every little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke. The burnline carries a few minor waves, but its burning razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted bright white/medium gray ash which held on for well over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The flavor in the Crowned Heads Jericho Hill is really starting to take off in the second third. The sweetness and the woodsy flavors have really ramped up and combined to make an incredibly enjoyable flavor experience. The spice and molasses are still there with some dark chocolate tossed in over some deep tobacco flavors. The retrohale is incredible as it coats my nasal passage with a ton of deep cedar and spice. The burnline is still rockin’ as I haven’t had to reach for my lighter. While the body of this cigar is very full, the strength remains in the medium category at this point as I am feeling almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish: The Jericho Hill just keeps kicking out flavor. Now the woodsy flavors are much more deeper and I am picking up a bit of pine mixed in. The sweetness has started to fade out as the spice and molasses take over. This cigar starts off with a good amount of flavor and then just escalates from there without overpowering the smoker. It’s taken me about an hour and a half to take the Jericho Hill down and I have encountered absolutely no harshness, and no heat as I close out the final inch. In fact, I am surprised with how crisp this cigar finished given the amount of flavor it carried. The cigar left me with only a small nicotine kick and I never once had to touch up or relight.

Overview: I said it before, I’ll say it again, can these guys make a bad cigar? I have yet to smoke one by the Crowned heads that I haven’t absolutely enjoyed. The Jericho Hill offers a bold, flavorful experience without the punch. I really can’t find anything wrong with this cigar. It’s price is spot-on, the construction was perfect on the sticks I received, the flavor profile is incredible, as always their packaging kills it, and the smoking experience was flawless. Pretty much the only thing that bothers me about this cigar is that I don’t have more in my humidor. I have a feeling the Jericho Hill will be a hit. It’s boxworthy, affordable, and will be widely available. Snatch some up when you see them.

Pairing: The pairing choicer for the Jericho Hill was an obvious one for me as I reached for a bottle of Harpoon’s Black Forest. Black Forest is an Imperial Porter brewed with chocolate and cherries at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA. Coming in at 9.8% ABV it’s not a beer for the faint of heart. The Black Forest leads off with strong malt, roasted nut, as it finishes sweet and creamy with faint hints of the chocolate, cherry, and coffee. Those flavors made for an incredible mash up with the sweetness, cedar, molasses, and spice the Jericho Hill gave off. Both complimented each other really well added another dimension to the experience. Porters would probably be my pairing of choice with the Jericho Hill, but I do thing this cigar would pair wonderfully with a strong, spicy port or a nice glass of bourbon.

The post The Crowned Heads – Jericho Hill “OBS” Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Gigantes features a blend very similar to the Rothchildes starting with a Mexican San Andreas Wrapper, Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 Binders, and an all Nicaraguan filler using Aganorsa leaf. While the blend profile remains the same, Dion Giolito who owns Illusione, aimed to bring a much richer and fuller experience with the Gigantes. The cigars are made at TABSA in Esteli which is the same factory where the Rothchildes are manufactured. The Gigantes will only come in one size a 6.5 x 56 which comes packaged in cabinets of 50 and will run you $7.99 a stick. I bought a whole mess of these from Smoke Inn. Last time I checked they still had a few in stock. You may want to hurry, first run of these cigars are very limited but Dion plans the Gigantes to be a regular production line. (Thanks to Halfwheel.com for breaking the news on the release and providing the specifics on this cigar)

Size: 6.5 x 56
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Criollo 98 (Esteli), Corojo 99 (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan Aganorsa
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $7.99
Pairing: Kasteel Cuvee Du Chateau (11% Belgian Quad)

Prelight: Much like the Rothchildes, Illusione’s Gigantes carries a very deep, dark brown wrapper with bits of medium brown and spots of a darker brown around the veins and webbing in the tobacco leaf. The wrapper is incredibly tooth and feels almost like sandpaper with a good amount of oils. The wrapper is solid, thick, and very hard. It feel like I could probably sound down my next woodworking project with this cigar. The wrapper actually has a very rustic, crude look to it as it showcases the natural characteristics of the tobacco leaf. Considering how much Illusione I smoke, holding one with a ring gauge as large as this is a bit of a departure from what I am used to. The cigar is heavy and dense as the body leads up to a perfectly round triple cap. The Gigantes is polished off with a band identical to what we found on the Rothchildes. The only differences being the word “Gigantes” and of course the purple color instead of the red. I absolutely love these bands. The remind me of an older era. Think Henry Clay.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off a sweet aroma of chocolate and tobacco while the foot of the cigar is much more natural leading with lots of earthiness, and spice over natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean, but took a bit of extra pressure from my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces are really nice spice over some pepper, espresso, and natural tobacco.

First Smoke: Illusione’s Gigantes starts out really bold with some strong cashew and raisin over some spice, natural tobacco, and cocoa with a nice tart twang on the aftertaste. I was expecting much more pepper but was pleasantly surprised with the sheer amount of flavor the Gigantes kicked out right off the bat. The draw is remarkable as it takes almost no effort to get a mouthful of very thick, white smoke. The burnline is a bit wavy, but razor sharp leaving behind a trail of very compacted white ash which held on for an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: One of the more interesting characteristics of the Illusione Gigantes is the aftertaste. There is a very bold woodsy, cedary, fruit, tart flavor that’s left behind for minutes after each puff. It’s incredibly enjoyable and only enhances the already potent flavor profile which is now running with tons of cocoa and spice over fruit and cedar with hints of espresso. The burnline is still a bit wavy but I have yet to have to reach for my lighter so no complaining there. The retrohale is ridiculous coating my nasal passage with so much cedar and spice. While the body of the cigar is just piling up, the strength of the cigar is remaining rather tame as I close out the second third with no nicotine kick at all. Gotta love when cigars do this.

Finish: The final third of this Illusione Gigantes is where the deeper, richer experience really comes into play. That crazy aftertaste I spoke off is now dominating the smoke leading off with really heavy smoked woodsy flavors with strong spice backing it along with some great fruit, cocoa, and tobacco. This is where the cigar really separates itself from the Rothchildes. Along with the ramp up in flavor the strength has began to ramp up as well. It’s not too strong, but I definitely feel the difference. Over the course of the 2 hours it took to take the Gigantes down I never once had to touch up or relight the beast, I experience absolutely no harshness, and only a small about of extended heat into the final inch or so.

Overview: Dion does it again. I can’t say much more about the Gigantes other than how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bold and complex flavors are right up my alley and I love that he produced them without having to create a cigar that was all about the strength. I think that far too often cigar manufactures think that you can’t have a bold cigar without having all the strength, and Illusione proves that to be wrong with almost every blend they create. Although the cigar has a rustic look, the burn performance was close to flawless. The price point is absolutely spot on, and actually probably a lot lower than I’d be willing to pay for the Gigantes. I am so glad that I opted to purchase half a cabinet of these and even then I worry that might not be enough. For the price, this is a cabinet purchase for sure and I fear that I may even want to have more than that on hand is this cigar is incredible and is going to make for another strong contender in our top 10 cigars of the year. And to think, we are only half way through.

Pairing: Kasteel’s Cuvee du Chateau is an 11% Belgian Quad brewed at the Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V. in Belgium. This is one of my go to Belgians as it fits all the main categories I look for in a good beer, at a reasonable cost. Cuvee du Chateau runs about $5 a bottle and carries a big, boozy body loaded with strong fruits (fig, apple, pear) flavors over some sweetness and spice finishing with a bit of malt and cinnamon. The fruit and spice is what had drawn me to pair this bad boy with the Gigantes as they married up perfectly. The woodsy flavors form the Gigantes actually added a bit of a smoke profile to the beer resulting is one badass pairing.

The post Illusione *G* Gigantes Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Dogma is one of the biggest blends to hit the cigar community this year. Dogma is an extension of the Undercrown series created to commemorate the Cigar Dojo app. For those who are not familiar with Cigar Dojo, its basically the first Social Media application for cigar enthusiasts who “Never Want to Smoke Alone”. You can find more about the app and directions for download here. This is a must try cigar for anyone who’s used the app, and enjoys smoking the Undercrown line. Here is an excerpt from Drew Estate’s press release which pretty much sums up the project:

Miami, FL – Drew Estate announced today their plans to release a new size within their Undercrown cigar line. The size will be called Undercrown “Dogma”, and has been created to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the online community Cigar Dojo. The blend of “Dogma” is based on the Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! and is comprised of Mexican San Andreas wrapper, Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan & Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The “Dogma” will come in a 6 x 56 box-pressed vitola.

When asked about the “Dogma” project, Jonathan Drew said, “we have been major supporters of Cigar Dojo from the beginning. A handful of Drew Estate employees, myself included, are Dojo members, and we have always been floored by the support Drew Estate has received on the app and website. When Eric (owner of Cigar Dojo) approached us about coming up with this special commemorative cigar, it was a no-brainer. My dad, “Baitfish” Gary, came up with the name ‘Dogma’.”

The “Dogma” will be a limited run of 10-count bundles, and will be sold exclusively through Smoke Inn, a South Florida cigar retail chain, owned by Abe Debabneh. For those based outside of Florida, the cigars will be available through Smoke Inn’s web store. The “Dogma” will be priced at $9.95 MSRP per single and $99.50 MSRP per 10-count bundle.

The flavor profile of the “Dogma” aligns with that of the Corona ¡Viva!, featuring notes of cocoa, earth, and a rich spicy character. If you enjoy the Corona ¡Viva! but would like a longer, 56 ring gauge smoke, the “Dogma” will be a new favorite.

While the initial batch of Dogma has been sold out, I am told more are on their way. You can find this here and sign up for restock notifications. Big thanks goes out to our friend at Drew Estate for shooting a few of these over. Now, let’s dive in shall we.

Size: 6 x 56 Box Press
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina & Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.50
Pairing: Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout (11.2% Bourbon Imperial Stout)

Prelight: The Drew Estate Undercrown Dogma carries a familiar wrapper, the same one we see used on all the blends in the line. It’s a very heavy, very thick, very dark leaf covered in oils and thick tooth. The wrapper isn’t the only thing that’s dense, the whole cigar feels incredible thick and heavy. I’m not too worried about over-handling this one. There are a few medium sized veins running through the body of the cigar up to its round, double cap. The soft box press format on the Dogma make in not only very comfortable in hand, but it also has a great mouthfeel. The Undercrown Dogma is polished off with the standard blue and gold Undercrown band with the addition of the secondary band with the words “Dogma” and Cigar Dojo’s “Never Smoke Alone” tagline and logo.

The wrapper on the Undercrown Dogma gives off a coffee, chocolate, and tart aroma while the foot of the cigar lets loose a ton of spice and cedar. The cap cup clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a bit tight, but produces some really strong spice and cedar flavors with some natural tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Undercrown Dogma starts out with a nice black pepper boom. I was surprised at just how quickly the pepper dropped out of the smoke. The rest of the flavor profile lead off with some real bold cedar, sweetness, cherry, tobacco, and spice. After about an inch the black pepper re-appeared, and would continue to poke its head in then dissipate. The draw is incredible. Every tiny puff kicks out massive clouds of thick shite smoke. The amount of smoke pouring out of this cigar as it rests in my ashtray is incredible. The burnline is a bit thick, but dead even leaving behind a very thick, tightly compacted white ash. The ash held on for an inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The pepper has completely faded from the experience in the second third of the Undercrown Dogma. What I have left is still a very bold cedar, some great sweetness, spice, black cherry, chocolate, and tobacco. The cherry and spice make for a really interesting combo and I tend to pick these two flavors quite often with the Undercrown and the Liga Privada No.9 blends. The retrohale is real spicy with sharp cedar notes and a ton of sweetness. I am not feeling any nicotine what so ever as I close out the second third with a flawless burnline.

Finish: It took me almost 2 hours to take down the Undercrown Dogma. The Undercrown series aren’t the quickest burning cigars, but this one took considerably longer to smoke down than the other formats I smoked. Some awesome floral flavors have started to creep their way into the flavor profile during the final third. Along with the floral was a ramp up in spice while the cedar and chocolate remained in the mix and the cherry and sweetness have dropped out. It’s been an interesting experience. The final inch finished clean and smooth with no harshness or heat built up. I am only feeling a very slight nicotine kick as I put the Dogma to rest.

Overview: I’ve always been a fan of the Undercrown Series. Being a Liga Privada fan, it’s a great little departure from the line that is easier on the budget and far more easy to find in shops around the world at any given time. When they added the Undercrown Viva to the line I was enthralled. A stronger Undercrown? Sold! And now, they offer it in a larger, longer boxpress form. I think it’s a wonderful cigar, with a great format. I do however think the Viva had more of this crazy sweetness that I don’t tend to get in any of the other Undercrowns. This sweetness is also picked up in the Dirty Rat. I had a conversation with Steve Saka about this in Nicaragua and he alluded to the Nicaraguan Viso that they use in those blends. Either way, it’s one of the main reason why I love those blends so much and for whatever reason I didn’t pick up nearly as much of it in the Dogma. It’s probably due to the wider format. Outside of that, this cigar still rocks. I’d probably choose it over the other Undercrown series with the exception of the Viva. The price is more than reasonable and the fact that they are offered in 10 count bundles make it an easy decision. I can see why these sold out so quickly, and highly encourage you to get your hands on them during their next batch.

Pairing: Want to see a perfect pairing? This is it. Founders KBS, or Kentucky Bourbon Stout is a Bourbon and Coffee flavored stout that is widely sought after by every beer enthusiast across the united states. It’s basically beer happiness in a bottle and by far one of the best stouts I have ever had in my life. Coming in at 11.2% ABV this heavy stout leads off with tons of bourbon, coffee, and chocolate with a ton of spice and cinnamon finishing off with a heavy cream and caramel. It basically tastes like Irish Cream in beer format. The spice, coffee, and chocolate paired up amazingly with the flavors in the Dogma, leaving a nice, creamy, bourbon overtone. I could drink and smoke this pairing all day.

The post Drew Estate Undercrown Dogma appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Ezra Zion is a boutique company that has made some massive waves in the cigar community over the past few years. Heck, even out own Jeremy Hensley rated the Tantrum one of his top cigars of 2013 and Daniel enjoyed his experience with the Reagan. The boys over at Ezra Zion have been kicking out stellar cigars for the past few years now and because of that they recently celebrated that they have teamed up with the House of Emilio in an agreement to let Gary Griffith handle their distribution making their cigars much more accessible to us, the cigar community. The Eminence is the first non-Nicaraguan Puro they have released showcasing a Mexican San Andreas wrapper. Manufactured at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. factory, the Eminence will come in boxes of 21 featuring 6 different sizes: Belicoso Gran Toro (5 x 58), the Gran Prensado (7 x 42), the Exquisito (6.25 x 52), the Churchill (7 x 48), the Corona (6 x 46), and the Robusto (5.25 x 50) ranging from $11.50 to $12.50 a stick and are already on store shelves across the U.S..

Size: 7 x 54
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Dual Binder Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $12.50
Pairing: Ballast Point Victory at Sea (Imperial Porter 10% ABV)

Prelight: The first thing you notice about the Eminence is just how incredibly dark the wrapper is. It’s as dark brown as you can get before it becomes black. The color is incredibly consistent too with only a few black splotches around the almost seamless veins. The whole body of the cigar is wrapper incredible seamless and silky smooth leading up to a nice round double cap. The slender body is a hard box press making for a very comfortable fit in the hand and the mouth. The Eminence is polished off with the standard silver, black, and gray metallic Ezra Zion crest we have all become so familiar with. Like the other Ezra Zion Lines, the Eminence carries a small foot band that states “Eminence – Tercera Edition”. The cigar is extremely heavy and hard to the touch. There was absolutely no impurities or soft spots throughout the body of the cigar.

The wrapper on the Eminence smelled like straight up chocolate bar while I got a much more grainy, natural tobacco aroma from the foot of the cigar. The cap cut very clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produce a bit of spice and pepper with a whole ton of chocolate and tobacco flavors.

First Smoke: The Eminence starts out with some nice, gentle black pepper. Just enough to tease my tongue and lips. That quickly fades away and the cigar leaves me with some very strong espresso and cocoa notes followed up with a bit of sweetness, spice, and rich tobacco flavors. After about an inch some nice, sweet, woodsy flavors started to creep into the mixture. The draw on this cigar is ridiculous. I have had an excellent draw streak as of late and the Eminence adds to it by pumping out beautifully thick clouds of white, dense smoke with every puff. The burnline is a bit wavy, but nothing too concerning. The ash left behind is pretty flaky and bright white, mixed with very dark gray in color. It only held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: It’s taken me a while to get there, but the second half of the Eminence is still pouring out flavor. The main show still revolves around the coffee and chocolate flavors with a bit of spice and woodsyness but now some natural honey has began to show it’s face. This cigar burns incredibly slow. It took me almost an hour to get down to the halfway point. The burnline is still a bit wavy but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight it so I’m not complaining. The retrohale carries much more spice and pepper than I would have expected. It’s pretty sharp and I don’t find myself doing it too often. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at this point.

Finish: A lot of the pepper that dropped off in the first few draws have made a subtle reappearance in the final third of the Eminence. Along with the pepper the flavors remained the same, lots of espresso and cocoa, spice, honey, sweetness and natural tobacco. I’m impressed that the boldness of the flavors have yet to drop off at all. The burnline remained it bit staggered from start to finish but I never once had to relight or touch up the cigar so I’m not complaining. I felt almost no nicotine as I closed out the final inch of the cigar. All in all it took me two hours to smoke this beast down to the nub. Seriously it burns so incredibly slow which adds a bit more to it’s value. I encountered absolutely no harshness whatsoever and the cigar finished perfectly smooth and creamy.

Overview: As I stated earlier, Ezra Zion has created some pretty large waves in the cigar community as of late, and the Eminence is the perfect example as to why. Jeremy and I have had multiple conversations as of late about just how great Mexican San Andreas is as a wrapper when it is blended correctly, and that’s exactly what these boys did with the Eminence. They created a bold, flavorful experience leading off with great maduro flavors followed up with some awesome sweetness which then evens out to finish off creamy and smooth. You can’t really ask for much more in terms of experience. The construction was on point, and the price is within reason. Given, it is a bit on the pricey side I would gladly pay the coin to add a few more of these into my rotation.

Pairing: Ballast Point’s Victory at Sea is famous for being on of the only American Porters to ever be ranked 100 on beerAdvocate. Aside from that, it’s a damn good beer. Victory at Sea is brewed at the Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, California. It’s a 10% ABV Imperial Porter with Coffee and Vanilla added. What I like so much about this beer is most brews that add coffee lean on the coffee as the source of flavor making each beer eerily similar in strong coffee tastes. Instead, Victory at Sea showcases a more mild coffee leaning more heavily on the Vanilla as a source of flavor creating a very sweet, very creamy experience. Other flavors include some sharp spice, roasted malt and a slightly bitter finish. The vanilla, coffee and spice paired up so well with the spice, coffee, and chocolate from the Eminence creating an incredible smoking experience.

The post Ezra Zion – Eminence – Gran Prensado Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

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: As most of you now know, Eddie Ortega had recently decided to separate from the joint operation he founded along side Erik Espinosa, EO Brands. Shortly after announcing his new brand, Ortega Cigar Company, Eddie announced and even started shipping the first installment under the new label the Serie “D”.

The Serie “D” is hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua using fillers and binder grown in the Jalapa and Esteli regions of Nicaragua, with a San Andreas, Mexican maduro wrapper. The Serie “D” will come in both 10 and 20 count boxes of the following 5 sizes: The No.6 (4 ½ x 48), the No.7 (5×46), the No.8 (5 1/2×50), the No. 10 (6×52 belicoso), and the No. 12 (5×52) and will range from $6.50 to $7.50.

As of today, around 70 retailers across the United States will start receiving limited shipments of the Serie “D”. Although, from what I know, this is not a limited edition cigar, production will start out small. In a conversation I had with Eddie, he let me know that as of right now he is pretty much sold out, and is grateful that he has been getting the feedback that he has, and has even already received re-order which he is working diligently to fill. Once they can produce more of the Serie “D” they will expand into more, and more retailers across the country. For more information follow Eddie on twitter (@eddieor) and visit the Ortega Cigar Company website (www.ortegacigars.com).

 Size: 5 ½ x 50  –  Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas  –  Binder: Esteli Nicaraguan  –  Filler: Esteli/Jalapa Nicaraguan  –  Strength: Medium/Full

Prelight: The Ortega Serie “D” is an awesome looking cigar. It stars out with this crazy dark, toothy, rough looking wrapper. Seriously, this thing is almost black. Although very consistent, the cap is quite a bit lighter than the wrapper on the rest of the cigar. Again, I like to see inconsistencies in my maduro cigars. It proves to me that they aren’t dyed. The body of the cigar is a beautiful, wide, box press which only display ones smaller vein running about half of the body of the cigar. The wrapper on this cigar feel really tough, and very hard as well as the filler. The Serie “D” barely even compresses as I squeeze the hell out of it. The cigar is then polished off with an elegant, double band looking single band. Red, black, green, and white and gold with Eddie’s new “Ortega” logo printed on the front as well as the words “Serie D” and a barcode stamped on the back. The wrapper doesn’t give off too much aroma at all, mostly cedar which I would assume came from the actual box these were packaged in. The foot gives off some nice coffee, tobacco, and a dash of pepper. The cap on the Ortega Serie “D” clipped cleanly, and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter, despite how tough I thought the wrapper was going to be. The cold draw lets looks this crazy chocolate and coffee flavor with just a tiny bit of earthy tobacco underneath.

First Smoke: It took a little convincing, but after a minute or so the Ortega Serie “D” finally caught fire using my single flame butane torch. Right away I was greeted with a very nice, light pepper which faded away after only a few puffs to reveal a really strong, dark chocolate, coffee, nut, and tobacco flavor profile. The draw is slightly tighter than I would of liked, but it’s far from plugged and after only a few puffs the Serie “D” kicks out a nice cloud of very thick, white smoke. The cigar doesn’t give off much in the stationary smoke department, but the aroma is a terrific spicy cedar. The burnline is nicely even leaving behind a nice, zebra striped white and dark grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The more I smoke this Ortega Serie “D” the smoother it becomes. The chocolate has morphed into what I could best describe as a nice chocolate milk flavor along with the ramp up in the coffee flavor resulting in a crazy espresso style profile. The nut is still there as well. The retrohale is just as easy and smooth as the rest of the experience coating my nasal passage with an awesome chocolate/cedar. I’m not really feeling any nicotine, and the burnline is still dead even.

Finish: And again, the dark chocolate flavor in this Ortega Serie “D” has really ramped up yet again. I actually made a comment when discussing this cigar with my good friend Dan Reeve over at Cigar Explorer that cigar was kind of like smoking a Hershey’s bar. The chocolate is really taking hold of the rest of the flavors in this experience leaving only some sweet, sweet tobacco, deep woodsy flavors, and of course the espresso.  The band slid right off. The entire experience has been incredibly smooth and I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at all from this cigar. Even into the final inch, which burned so well it didn’t even heat up much, with no harshness at all. It took me about an hour and a half to take this wonderful cigar down.

Overview: It’s safe to say Eddie Ortega has hit it out of the park once again. I’ve always been a fan of the work he did with Erik Espinosa over at EO Brands and the Serie “D” didn’t disappoint. This is one of the smoothest experiences I have had while producing some strong, and pleasant flavors. Don’t think this is an infused cigar, or even close to an infused experience. It’s not. Far from it. I honestly went into this experience imagining a tweaked Murcielago experience, which it wasn’t anything like. For the quality cigar that you get at the low price point I think this cigar is a perfect addition to anyone’s regular rotation. I’m extremely curious to see what else Eddie has up his sleeve.

Pairing: Here’s another beer that isn’t a stranger to Casas Fumando’s pairing section. Chimay’s Grand Reserve, or Chimay blue. The entire Chimay line has made multiple experiences to this website, and with good reason. Not only are they baddass Trappist brewed Belgian beers, but they each go perfectly with just about any cigar. The Blue is the strongest out of the bunch, boasting a 9% ABV and it’s also the darkest, thickest out of the trio. The deep fruity, malty, chocolaty flavors goes perfect with any fully bodied, or maduro cigar. This cigar would also go incredibly well with some porter, any stout, dark coffee, or brown cola.

The post Ortega Cigar Company – Serie “D” No. 8 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.