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

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

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mention 1 – Tom

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

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

Honorable Mention 2 – GICIGAR

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

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

Honorable Mention 3 – Jake

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

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

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

 
*** TODD ***

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

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

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

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

The reason is simple, we wanted to reward you, our readers, for making this, Casas Fumando, possible. You are the driving force behind this blog. We don’t run this blog to make money on advertising, to get free cigars, or to obtain any type of fame. Our reason is simply to share our love of cigars with you.

3 years ago, I started Casas Fumando. Actually at that time it was under a different name, but it was the same blog, same reviews. I actually had a personal blog in which I would share my graphic/Web design experiences. On that blog I posted a review of a cigar that I really enjoyed. Just as a little inlet into my personal life. At the time I was smoking a lot of infused cigars and that first cigar actually happened to be an Acid. Anyways, as time went on my webstats began to show an interesting trend. No one gave a crap what I had to say about design, but my one little cigar review, that was something different. It was pretty much the only article anyone ever read. Knowing this, I started Casas Fumando which at the time, was more of a catalog of my own cigar experiences, and less of a cigar review site. As I got more serious about it, I realized that I couldn’t do it alone. For the life of me, I can’t remember how he and I met, but it was at this time that Daniel T. began sharing his experiences on Casas Fumando as well.

A lot has changed since then. Daniel and I have actually became very close friends. We went from 10 page views a day to over 1.5 million a year. We average 2 to 3 reviews a week and have not only earned the respect of some of the larger cigar review blogs, but from many of the larger manufacturers as well. Most of all, we have established a form of 2 way conversation between us, and you. We share our thoughts, you tell us yours, and we make fun of Daniel along the way.

That being said, this is where the fun begins. We will be running a 9 day long contest. You heard that right, 9 freaken days. Each one of these days will be sponsored by a company that has given us their support over the past 3 years. Each contest will showcase this company, as well as what they have done for us, and the product that they will be giving away and what you need to do to enter the contest for that day.

This contest is open to anyone in the US and Canada who are 18 years of age or older. Once each day concludes we will contact the winner directly and arrange shipping. We will be shipping some of the items, and some of the companies will be shipping to you directly. It doesn’t matter how many times you have won contests from us in the past, these will be open to everyone.

First, there is a very easy way to gain some extra ground in these contests. Recently we started a Facebook account. It’s probably the easiest way for us to keep up with you guys as well as share all the neat things we are smoking and drinking without having to write up reviews for each one.  It’s also a great way for you to get a hold of us if you have a random question or want to tell us what you’ve been smoking. Want a free entry into each and every single one of our contests? Just “like” our page! Already a fan? Then you are already entered. On a side note, if you share our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/casasfumando) page on yours, and ask you friends to “like” us, we will give you an extra entry to each one of the contests. Alternately, if you share this page, and any of the contest pages as they are posted then you will get an extra entry into that contest as well! We want the “likes” and promise not to flood your timelines.

Again, if you are not on facebook, DON’T Worry! Tune in on each of the days listed below for instructions on how to enter! Don’t worry, we will make it as easy as possible on you. The idea is to reward all of you for reading, not make you work for it

 The being said, let’s get our mouths watering and announce each one of our contests!

Day 1 – Tuesday – 03-13-2012 – Bonita Smoke Shop

We love Jackie, and Jackie loves EVERYONE! Bonita Smoke Shop will be giving away 1 bundle of her famous “Time Warp” cigars! These cigars were hand-crafted on Miami’s Calle Ocho at the El Titan de Bronze factory by Willy Herrera (Drew Estate), formally from El Titan de Bronze cigars.

Day 2 – Wednesday – 03-14-2012 – RoMa Craft Tobac – Intemperance Volstead Sampler

From the makers of Cro-Magnon, Skip Martin has agreed to reward one of you lucky readers with a sampler of his newest creation, the Intemperance! The Intemperance Volstead Sampler comes with 8 cigars, one of each size, and each wrapper.

Day 3 – Thursday – 03-15-2012 – EP Carrillo

Ernesto has partnered up with us and has an awesome contest in store for you! EP Carrillo has agreed to part with a full box of EP Carrillo Core Line Golosos!

Day 4 – Friday – 03-16-2012 – Rocketfuel Coffee

Who doesn’t like coffee? Who doesn’t like super premium coffee? Rocketfuel has always been friends of ours, and today, they are friends with you! One lucky reader will win a gift pack containing 1/2lb Hawaiian Kona, 1/2lb Jamaican Blue Mountain, 1/2lb Rocketfuel XXX, a $60 value!

*NOTE: Cigar not included. And this blend is different than the gift pack, but you get the idea.

Day 5 – Monday – 03-19-2012 – Emilio Cigars

What can we say about Gary? He knows his cigars, and has always been a great supporter of us, as well as many other tobacco related organizations! Like the AF1 and AF2? Love the Grimalkin? Well Gary is giving you the chance to try them all with his contest containing an awesome sampler with few of each of his cigars, 10 in total as well as a pair of Grimalkin coffee mugs and an Emilio Cigar Polo shirt!

Day 6 – Tuesday – 03-20-2012 – Ortega Cigar Company

Recently Eddie Ortega, co-founder of EO Brands, ventured out on his own and started a new company called “Ortega Cigar Company”. His fist release, the Serie “D” is already making a huge splash, and you can be among the first to get your hands on them. Eddie has offered up 3.. that’s right 3 sampler boxes (5 cigars, one of each size)!

Day 7 – Wednesday – 03-21-2012 – Miami Cigar

2 years ago Daniel and I named the “La Sirena” our #1 cigar of the year. We still stand by that decision and I still love that cigar! Ever had an “A” sized cigar? Seriously, more than 9 inches of deliciousness! Miami Cigars is giving away a full box of La Sirena “A” as well as a few T-shirts!

Day 8 – Thursday – 3-22-2012 – Joya De Nicaragua

Jose Blanco has to be one of the greatest men in the business. A genius, and a friend. With his new company, Jose and Joya De Nicaragua has agreed to supply one lucky reader with a full box of Antano, one of my personal favorite cigars of all time.

Day 9 – Friday – 3-23-2012 – Smoke Inn

Last but certainly not least, Smoke Inn. Abe is another precious cigar soul and has always shown his support to new media, traditional media, and just about any cigar smoker out there. Strengthening that support, Abe and Smoke Inn has agreed to give one lucky reader a full box of the Smoke Inn Exclusive, Don Pepin Garcia My Father El Hijo, and a Smoke Inn Survival pack containing a travel humidor, hat, and cutter!

That’s a whole lot of winning! Again, start spreading out the news via facebook, be sure to tag us so that we can keep track. Stay tuned on each one of the mentioned dates so that you can find out how to win the above products! Thanks again, for the support. You guys rule!

The post Casas Fumando’s HUGE anniversary cigar giveaway! appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I am still aiming to get this review as well as my last blind cigar review from Brooks done this week, but I am actually undergoing surgery on Tuesday for my Umbilical Hernia I have had since I was a kid. It screwed up pretty bad on me the last few years, especially the last month and I am glad to finally get it over with. So depending on my recovery I may, or may not get to the last blind review this week. Wish me luck!

The Good Stuff: The Casa Miranda is among two new releases that Miami Cigar rolled out this year at IPCPR. Along with the Limited Release of the Nestor Miranda Gran Reserva, the Casa Miranda made it’s debut last month and have been circling the internet-waves ever since. The Casa Miranda is one of the only cigars in Miami Cigar’s portfolio that is not rolled by Pepin. In fact, the Casa Miranda boasts that it is a 100% USA made cigar, even down to the box. This does not mean that the tobacco is grown here in the US, it just means everything was constructed here.

The Casa Miranda is blended by Willy Herrera of ETB Cigars/Drew Estate and hand rolled on Calle Ocho in Miami by only Level 9 certified rollers. Willy has been on a hot streak lately and made news when he announced his new found partnership with Drew Estate about a month or so back. Expect good things from this guy.

The Casa Miranda is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar will be released in three sizes; The Robusto, The Toro, and the Belicoso ranging from $10 – $12 a stick. I got these from Bonita Smoke Shop. She always has the good stuff so head over before they sell out!

Size: Toro 6 x 52  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: Just by taking one look at the artwork on the band you can tell this is a different type of Nestor Miranda cigar. The band on the Casa Miranda is a very elegant, almost wine-label looking design. Creamy gold and beige accents surround a small cottage with the words “Casa Miranda – Chapter One” in scripted on the front and “Hand crafted in Miami” on the sides. The band sits elegantly on this stunning looking cigar. Willy is a stickler for perfect construction and the Casa Miranda is no exception. The wrapper starts off with just a perfectly consistent, toothy, medium brown color. There are a few vein in the thick body leading up to the seamless, round, double cap.  This cigar has a hell of a lot of weight to it and gives a whole lot of resistance when pressed between my fingers. The cigar bears no soft spots and in fact, gets increasingly more firm as I approach the cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a really mild woodsy aroma with just a slight bite of spice at the end where as the foot of the cigar boasts almost nothing but a strong spice with some woodsy aromas laying underneath. The Casa Miranda was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on this cigar was interesting. The Casa Miranda gave out this really neat woodsy, honey, and strong tobacco flavor that left a little burning sensation on my lips from the spice. In the cold draw, really?! We’ll have to see just how spicy this cigar is once we start smoking it.

First Smoke: As expected, the Casa Miranda started off with a blast of pepper right off the bat. What I didn’t expect was for the pepper to fade so quickly, just after the first few draws. Once the pepper suppressed I was left with a really bold, woodsy flavor with some nice spice, honey, and this citrusy-lemon taste. The draw is just ridiculously easy, but not too loose, kicking out a nice cloud of smoke with every puff. The stationary smoke on this Casa Miranda is great, lots of it and it seriously smells like a burning fireplace. The burnline has some very slight waves, nothing too concerning, and leaves behind a trail of almost perfect, compact, white ash. The ash held on, despite the wind, for well over an inch before giving way. And by “giving way” I mean falling into my shoe. No joke.. ughh…

Halfway There: Much more of the wood flavors have come into play during the second third of this Casa Miranda. I’d like to say they are cedareasue but the spice that accompanies the woodsy flavors puts a neat little spin on them making for a much more deeper flavor. The honey has faded at this point and the spice is still there as well as some of the citrus notes, but I’m also getting this strange little maple flavor on the aftertaste. The retrohale on this cigar is absolutely wonderful coating with a very smooth, creamy woodsy prime. I am not really feeling much nicotine from this cigar, but the body is up there and a bit more than I am used to when it comes to Nestor Miranda cigars. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t needed to touch it up at all.

Finish: As the body ramps up a bit into the final third of this Nestor Miranda Casa Miranda, the flavors start to level off and become much smoother and creamier. The main flavor is still the woodsy flavor while the sweetness and most of the citrus has dropped off leaving nothing but a faint spice mixed in with a little bit of espresso. These wasn’t any harshness built up in this cigar, even going into the final inch. I do however feel just a nice little nicotine kick from it.

Overview: You won’t hear me say this often but I think some age on this cigar will do it wonders. It’s a great cigar as it is, but with a little age it may just add that little somethin’ something’ that will really bring this cigar to a whole new level. It was an interesting departure smoking a non-Pepin blended Nestor Miranda and I think they made a very wise decision having Willy blend this cigar for them. He’s been making great things lately and the Casa Miranda is just another notch in his belt. Well balanced with an overall creamy flavor profile, plus the increased body really made this cigar an enjoyable experience with me. This is very box worthy, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be in high demand. Again, if you are looking for these Jackie over at Bonita Smoke Shop already has them, and like I said before, she is one of the best in the business and will get you taken care of.

Pairing: I decided to go for another risky pairing. This Casa Miranda was paired with Ichtegem’s Grand Crew Flemish Red Ale. Brewed at the Brouwerij Strubbe in Belgium this Flanders Red Ale style beer comes in at a modest 6.5% ABV. Most people have no idea what a Flander’s Red Ale style beer is. Basically it’s a sour beer and with it comes a very unique, but acquired taste. The beer pours a dark, reddish brown but tastes much like old orange, apple, and lemon roasted over caramel malt. It’s not for the faint of heart. There more woody flavor profile in the Casa Miranda gave an amazing balance with the sour notes of the beer and really brought the cigar to another level. This cigar would go great with apple juice, a strong brown ale, or some nice scotch.

The post Nestor Miranda – Casa Miranda Toro Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

In this quick giveaway I am going to throw in six sticks. Here they are:

1 – La Aurora 107 – Gran 107 (Are these even out yet? I don’t know…) [Robusto review here – Corona review here]

1 – EOBrands Murcielago – Toro [Review Here]

1 – Adrian’s CroMagnon – Cranium [Knuckle Dragger Review here]

1 – DrewEstate/Illusione Nosotro – Robusto (Original release) [Review here]

1 – J Fuego Sangre De Toro – Robust (Not yet released) [Review here]

1 – Tatuaje Verocu #5  [Review here]

There you have it. 6 awesome cigars that I personally love.

Entering is simple. Just leave a comment… that’s right. Nothing more. No annoying twitter updates or anything of the sort. Daniel and I will post this on twitter a few times ourselves..

The contest ends on Wenesday morning, March 23rd. I will choose a winner at random.

Here’s to hoping that each one of you all had a safe St. Patricks day!

The post Lack of time, guilt giveaway! appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The La Sirena is one of the newest blends Miami Cigar Co. has pumped out, Alongside the New York Exclusive La Aurora Broadway which I reviewed here. Miami Cigar had a remarkable year releasing not only a ton of new blends, but some of the best we have had yet. If you hadn’t seen it already we had decided that the La Sirena actually topped out list of best cigars for 2010. The La Sirena cigar is produced in the My Father Factory and is the first full bodied blend that Pepin has actually created for Miami Cigar. The cigar starts with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper securing an all Nicaraguan Binder and Filler.

These cigars were purchased from out good friends of at Bonita Smoke Shop. She still has plenty in stock. If you can’t get your hands on these sticks be sure to check here. The size I will be doing the review of is called “The Prince” (robusto) and runs about $9 a stick.

Size: 5 x 50  –  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  – Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  – Body: Full

Prelight: The first thing anyone notices about the La Sirena is the band. Its tough to overlook. The damn thing is HUGE. I don’t mind it much, but I’m not sure if it will actually turn smokers off more than attract them. It does have some awesome shelf appearance though. The band is about 85% the height of the body of the cigar sporting a very nautical look with a ship’s wheel, an anchor and a silver mermaid medallion encrusted within the luxurious gold, silver, blue, purple, teal, and red band. The Mermaid on the medallion looks a bit strange, almost like a skeleton, robot, Indian chief mermaid. The banner that sports the “La Sirena” label actually reminds me a lot of the same typeface Iron Maiden uses. This gives it a few brownie points in my book. Outside of the band (which can be a little hard to get over) the La Sirena sports absolutely perfect construction. It’s a bulky little robusto with a few larger veins, a very firm wrapper and toothy wrapper, capped off with a smooth rounded double cap. The wrapper is a very deep, milk chocolate and is perfectly consistent until you reach the cap which is just a shade lighter than the body of the cigar.

The La Sirena gives off a very strong barnyard/hay smell from the wrapper leading up to a very dough, spicy scent given off at the foot of the cigar. The cap put up a bit of a fight, but in the end clipped clean using my palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw gives off a really deep, tobacco flavor with hints of cinnamon and spice.

First Smoke: The La Sirena took a little extra effort to get a comfortable burn started, but once it did the cigar took off. The cigar starts off with the infamous pepper we have all learned to expect with any Pepin blended cigar. The pepper was very light, only enough to tease the lips and tongue before quickly fading. What was left was this very smooth, sweet, woodsy cinnamon flavor. The draw on the La Sirena is very easy and laid back producing a very thick cloud of lingering smoke. The cigar produces an average amount of extremely pleasant, spicy, cedar scented stationary smoke. The burn started off a bit wavy but quickly corrected itself. The ash was a beautiful, tightly compacted light gray. It only held on for a little over an inch, but as you can see in this next picture, it probably would have held on quite a bit longer if the gigantic ass band didn’t push the ash away from the cigar. I wanted to keep the band on as long as I could, just too see what would happen. It didn’t really make an impact on the experience at all outside of forcing the ash off early. The best part about this band is it is extremely thin on the reverse side making it a cinch to remove.

Halfway There: Halfway through the La Sirena and the best way to describe this cigar thus far, is smooth. This cigar is supposed to have more body than most of the other cigar Miami Cigars has in their portfolio, but it’s not really showing as much as you would thing. Sure the body is up there, but nothing compared to other Pepin blended full-bodied cigars. The pepper is completely gone at this point and the woodsy, spice is still there with a very strong sweetness and clove being thrown into the mix. The retrohale on this cigar is amazing coating my nasal passage with the wonderful sweet cedar, paired with a bit of bittersweet chocolate.

Finish: The body began to ramp up a bit in the final third of the La Sirena, but still nothing to write home about. The cigar is still incredibly smooth and is one of the few cigars that actually seems to get smoother as you get closer to the finish. The cinnamon is still there, but not as strong followed up by the wood, a bit of earthyness, sweet tobacco, clove, and a bit of espresso creeping in. This cigar smokes pretty fast, only taking about an hour to finish. There was no harshness whatsoever towards the final inch, if anything it finished the opposite with this very sweet honey flavor coming in just as you are ready to put the cigar to rest. I didn’t feel any nicotine off of this cigar what so ever.

Overview: I listed this as my top cigar for 2010 and I stand by it. The La Sirena isn’t a terribly complex cigar, but it makes up for that by being an all around smooth, and flavorful smoke. It’s probably one of the smoother cigars with this amount of flavor that I have ever had. It’s said that this is the first full bodied cigar that Miami Cigars has had Pepin blend for them. With that being said you would expect this powerhouse, and the La Sirena is not. Sure it touches in the full bodied category, but this cigar isn’t something that will knock you on your ass. This cigar is by far boxworthy, and perfect for any smoker from the novice on up to the everyday cigar smoker. If you stumble across these, pick them up, you will not be disappointed. This is a cigar that is in, and will be in my regular rotation for quite some time. The price, in my opinion is exactly at the crest of what one should pay for a cigar of this caliber.

On a side note. This will probably be the last iPhone review I will ever do. It was convenient, and easy, but the pictures just look like garbage

Have you had the La Sirena? It seems I got a lot of flack for having this cigar listed as my number one cigar last year. A lot of people thought this one missed the mark. What do you think about this cigar? What have you heard about it?

The post Miami Cigars – La Sirena Prince (100% iPhone Review) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

#10 – Tatuaje – Tabacos El Triunfador

Recent blends by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin have all been successful. This particular one may have fallen off peoples radars since it was released earlier this year. The cigar offers a sweet and nutty mild-bodied smoke that is accented with some cedar and subtle spices all wrapped in a gorgeous looking package. They do smoke a bit fast but the experience is very enjoyable.

View the full review here

#9 – Padron – Family Reserve 46 Years

Padron is a company who continuously rocks the cigar community with top rated blend, after blend and 2010 was no exception. The Padron Family Reserve 46 years is the newest extension to the Reserve line, and it a flawless addition indeed. From the awesome box-press vitola, to the deep cedar flavors the 46 year will be making the ranks of top cigars of 2010 lists everywhere. Although we loved the hell out of this cigar, the price tag was just a little too steep to put this cigar higher in the list.

View the full review here

#8 – Casa Fernandez – Aganorsa Leaf

This is a well constructed cigar from Casa Fernandez that packs itself with a fair bit of full body. The cigar is well balanced and plays mainly on some peppery spices and cedar notes but mixes in some coffee, nutty, and leather flavors to keep it interesting right down the nub.

View the full review here

#7 – CAO – La Traviata Maduro

CAO had a big hit with its well priced La Traviata and the Maduro wrapped version of that cigar did not disappoint. With the same favorable price range, this blend maintains its tasty flavors of spice and cedar, the full body, it’s perfect balance and consistency while adding a nice chocolate and coffee sweetness that the Maduro wrapper offers up.

View the full review here

#6 – My Father Cigars – Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial

Great blending seems to run in the family, this offering from Don Pepin Gracias’ son, Jaime, is a beautifully constructed cigar. It has an oily dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, kicks off with a typical Pepin spice and pepper and is complimented with nuances of coffee, cocoa and cedar. The smooth and balanced cigar offers a fantastic medium to full smoke, take you time and enjoy it!

View the full review here

#5 – La Aurora – Serie Anniversario 107

Miami Cigar has turned out a lot of great cigars this year and the 107 is a very tasty smoke that generated a lot of buzz in the online community. Although released earlier this year, a lancero vitola was made available later in the year which is another great way to experience this line. It’s sweet and fruity flavors are complimented by a smooth spice that offers a great balance in a medium bodied cigar.

View the full review here of the Corona or here of the Robusto.

#4 – Illusione – Singulare Phantom

One of our favorite manufacturer’s really stepped their game up this year producing his first limited release to date. Dion Giolito of Illusione cigars raised the bar (and my future expectations) when it comes to quality when he released this year’s Singulare series “The Phantom”. The Phantom is a milder blend jam packed with sweet tobacco, honey, and creamy earth flavors resulting in an all around stellar smoking experience.

View the full review here

#3 – AVO – Limited Edition 2010

AVO is known for their milder take on cigar blending, but they really stepped out of their comfort zone when they created the LE10. Knocking it out of the ballpark with a strong mix of Ecuadorian, Mexican, and Nicaraguan tobaccos which, when mixed properly produce a flavor bomb full of just enough body to cure all your cravings. The only con to this cigar is the fact that it’s so limited.

View the full review here

#2 Drew Estate – Liga Privada Unicos Series Dirty Rat

Drew Estate does it again with another remarkable addition to the Liga Privada line. The Dirty Rat satisfies not only the boldest of cigar smoker’s needs, but the complex cedar, earthy, cocoa notes wrapped up into a tiny little corona sized package are enough to make any smoker fall in love at first draw.

View the full review here

#1 Miami Cigars – La Sirena 

Photo Courtesy of Jackie at Bonita Smoke Shop

Miami Cigar’s La Sirena came out of nowhere and blind-sided the cigar community with a late start this year. We can personally say that we didn’t expect the diamond of a cigar that the La Sirena is, but I won’t be surprised to see this cigar at the top of most, if not all the lists this year. Pepin puts forth a fruity, coffee, sweet tobacco, and spicy blend all in a full body package. Who could ask for more?

We know, we know, this is the ONLY cigar in our top 10 that we do not have a review for. But Trust us, as soon as we get my hands on more (we were too busy “enjoying” them)

Honorable Mentions

Cuban Cohiba Behike
Although it didn’t make the top 10, we still think the Cuban Cohiba Behike should be mentioned. This is an absolutely amazing cigar. From the construction, to the flavorful and attention grabbing blend, the Behike stands alone. The only factor keeping it out of the race was the price. At $40 – $80 a stick we just couldn’t justify having this cigar top the list

K.A. Kendall’s 7-20-4 Dogwalker
This cigar would definitely have made this list but unfortunately it is not a new line this year, only a new size. The small size packs the same delicious flavors of cedar, subtle spices and a very interesting sweet dried raison, all in a short smoke that can be easily enjoyed on cold days or your drive home.

View the full review of the 7-20-4 here

Tatuaje Petit Reserva & Verocu No. 5
Another two cigars but Pete Johnson that are short quick smokes but pack the flavors of their full sized brothers. There some sweetness, spice, cedar and coffee notes on both of these cigars. I got a little more sweetness on the Verocu No. 5 and a bit more body and spice from the Petit Reserva but both were very tasty!

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