As we mentioned in our original post, we both do this out of sheer enjoyment. To share our thoughts and get in touch with others who share the same passion that we do and we believe we’ve come a long way and accomplished quite a bit in our time here thus far. Now we have to admit that the joy we take from this site would be significantly decreased if it wasn’t for the awesome feedback we receive you all of you, our readers. Everytime we get an email notification that there’s been a comment on our posts, we rush to open our emails to see who it is and what they have to say! Whether it’s a frequent visitor or a new name we’ve yet to see, it’s always a treat.

www.casasfumando.com

Now we need to take a moment to recognize all the wonderful sponsors that made our contest possible. The support they provide to us on a regular basis is truly amazing and rarely found in many industries. The cigar world is an unbelievable mix of friendly people and companies that make it a joy to be a part of. So one more time, here’s the list of awesome sponsors, let’s give them a grand (virtual) round of applause!

Bonita Smoke Shop

Roma Craft ToBac

E.P. Carrillo

Rocketfuel Coffee

Emilio Cigars

Ortega Cigar Company

Miami Cigar

Joya De Nicaragua

Smoke Inn

Thank again to our wonderful sponsors!

Now onto the Honorable Mentions from our FINAL Day #9 – Smoke Inn

Now we first need to admit this contest theme had probably our favorite responses of the entire 9 days. There were some awesomely hilarious answers and we were glad to see everyone jumping in and poking fun at both Tony and myself. Any frequent reader will know we love to bash each other for various reasons, especially because Tony is such a slacker (see what I did there! ). Without further adieu, let’s check out some of our funniest comments, 2 chosen by me and 2 chosen by Tony!

Tony’s Honorable Mention #1 – Troy Taormina

I can’t decide who I like best because I believe you are both one and the same person (kinda like that fight club movie). You tipped your hand in one of the comments above with your Toniel/Danielony comments. That was the missing piece of the puzzle I needed to solve this once and for all. I’ve never seen you both in the same room, so I must be correct about ths. And you are so duplicitous, you have created one personality in Texas and one all the way in Canada- just to throw us off the trail. It’s pure genius, but I have discovered your secret, Toniel/Danielony.

Fight Club was an awesome movie! haha, very creative Troy!

Tony’s Honorable Mention #2 – Val

Gentleman. Appreciate the contest love this week. Its been great reading everyones storys of smoking and enjoying life and all the memories created by this wonderful hobby, scratch that, lifestyle we have chosen. Todays round is tough, like asking a father to pick which of his children is his favorite.
Tonys got seniority but Daniel has breathed fresh life into the site. Im sure Tony will attest that constantly coming up with fresh new content is a full time job for one man. Appreceiate the time you have put in for the benefit of your readers! You both have a great sense of humor and I have been compelled to start pairing my smokes with some really good beers and wines in large part because of you guys and being jealous about the flavors youre getting from your smokes that you havent picked up before and vice versa. You both have a gift for photography. Love the shots Tony comes away with and Daniel has stepped up the creativity with the “cigar in the tree” or the “cigar in the wrought iron fence” shot…. lol. More than anything I want to say thanks for your efforts. I cant imagine how much time you guys put into this site but I appreciate it very much and look forward to getting an email everyday saying there is a new post up on the site.
Gotta say thanks to Abe as well. Abe is great guy and a great advocate for all of us and this passion we share. He has built great relationships with cigar manufacturers and created some great blends with them. The Tat Anarchy was amazing and the Pardon SI was fantastic as well. Highly reccomend your readers catch his radio show on the weekend. Great interviews with all the stars of this industry.
In closing of this ass kissing bonanza…. In all seriousness. Thanks to you guys. Appreciate all you do. Look forward to the reviews and the love on twitter. The cigar community is bar none the greatest in all the world. The fact that a Canuck and a Cow Poke from TX like Tony can connect and appreciate one another and have a common ground out the gate is awesome. Happy anniversary! Looking forward to many more reviews.

Kissing butt doesn’t always pay off but this time it got you an honorable mention and almost a prize pack! haha. Thanks again for the awesome words Val!

Daniel’s Honorable Mention #1 – Josh

To be honest with you after this awesome contest I would spoon with either of you (or both) and I am an extremely heterosexual man. I put my vote in for Tony because he liked my photo from last week. Great site and contest, I have it bookmarked and will look often.

This one made me crack up, shows just how far a grown man will go to get some good cigars! HAHAHA, thanks for the laugh Josh, even though you chose Tony!

Daniel’s Honorable Mention #2 – Dan

Hmm..who do I like better…This sure is a tough one…
Tony “T-bags” Casas
Pros:
– His last name means “houses”
– Pairs his cigars with water because, “who cares!”
– Has a photo bombing pussy cat
Cons: See above
Daniel ‘DALAMLDADASMMOSUSESUISUSOsus.32120(sx)” T(nobody knows his last name”
Pros:
– CANADIAN
– Endless supply of beer glasses
– Grows a mean mustache
– Has a penchon for buggery
Cons:
– See pro #4
After careful deliberation for many hours…Drum roll please……………..*drum roll*
DT with a side order of TC, a tall glass of I&G and some rainbow ice cream on a waffle cone.

Not only do you have an awesome name, you also have some great creativity! lol Well done!

Now for our winner of the Smoke Inn Prizepack!

So here is our winner chosen by both of to ensure some fairness and unbiased winner! We actually battled over this one a bit since there were so many great comments.

Our big winner is Michael Constantine

In a society predicated on the basis “What have you done for me lately?” I am going to say I may dislike you both equally. “Why?” you may ask. Well I’ll tell you why. All your contests state that making a simple comment is all that is neccesary to win. However, all winning entries were elaborate and well thought out. Now, being that I am retarded in conveying my stories and thoughts onto paper, I thought to myself, “Wow!, a simple contest even a half witted (good looking and successful) dude like myself can win.” Every passing day my hopes and dreams for all dim wits alike were dashed as the apparent “young author” winners of my youth had struck once again. My stories are the funniest (Ortega D named after the recently deceased Heavy D) or the most polished. But damnit, how many of us BOL are? Imagination is not my strong suit but right now I will pretend to like Tony better because after all, he is supplying the winners info to Abe. Also I have read some of his reviews and his writing skills are on par with mine!

See Michael, whining works sometimes! haha. funny write up here, you had us both laughing! Enjoy the prize pack!

Congrats! Please email your name, and address to “casasfumando@gmail.com”. Thanks again to everyone who entered this contest and all the others we’ve been running. We had a great time with this and we hope you all did too!

The post A HUGE Thank You! (And Day #9 Winner!) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Smoke Inn was started by Abe “Ming” Dababneh back in 1996 and has quickly grown to 9 locations in South Florida. They have an excellent selection of cigars and all of them at excellent prices. Along with that, they maintain some great staff that are very helpful and informative. They offer some great events and even a You Tube channel with some interesting info.

Not long ago, Smoke Inn decided to take a chapter from the “Craft Brewing” world and began producing a selection of Micro-Blend cigars. Now these aren’t just some regular house blend cigar, these are serious premium cigars made by some top cigar companies. Smoke Inn enlisted the help of Padron, My Father Cigars, and Tatuaje to create 3 unique blends for the sole distribution by Smoke Inn. We even have the reviews posted of the Padron 1964 SI-15 cigar and the My Father Cigars El Hijo.

Now Smoke Inn has been kind enough to offer up a wonderful prize pack to give away to one lucky winner. The prize includes:

• A FULL BOX of My Father Cigars El Hijo Smoke Inn Exclusive Cigars

• An SI Survival Pack including a Torch Lighter, a 10-count Cigar Vault Travel Humidor, a Cigar Cutter, and a Smoke Inn Baseball Cap

Now that’s a pretty sweet prize pack and if you read the review of this cigar he basically said “This is a damn good cigar” and that should sum it up well! haha. So how do you win this sweet prize?

Well, yesterday’s contest turned up some amazing and sentimental moments relating to cigars so we’re going the opposite today with a little more light-hearted theme. Again, all you have to do is submit a comment below. You need to tell us who you like better, Tony or me?! And tell us Why!! (*hint* *hint* I’m picking the winner so choose wisely ) Winner will be chosen on Monday

EDIT: (by Tony:) To keep this fair, keep in mind that I AM IN CHARGE of getting the winner’s info over to Abe at smoke inn.  ;p  (*hint* *hint*)

Now onto the honorable mentions from Contest Day #8 – Joya de Nicaragua

As I mentioned, we had some truly awesome and heartfelt entries from yesterdays comment and a big thank you goes out to everyone who participated. If you didn’t realize the comraderie and fellowship that comes with the cigar world, just read over yesterday’s comments and it easily shines through. This is what we love about this world! So let’s see some honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention 1 – Tom
I’ve had so many great cigar moments over the years, it’s hard to pick just one. Speaking with Benji Menendez during an event a few years ago when he was General Cigars ambassador was one, but I think my best moment us with my brother. You see we had lost our mom in 2000, and at Christmas of 2001 we were sitting at his house just talking and reflecting on all the things we’d won, and lost, the year before. I’d brought a couple of I think Monties with me for the night and I shared one with him. We talked like we’d never talked before. We took our time, We laughed, and yes, we cried a little too.
We talked for hours. Everyone else there knew it was a special moment for us and left us alone. When the cigars went out, we said something to each other we’d let slip for a long time…Me “I love you”…Him “I love you too, little brother” I don’t think we’ve ever been closer.
Nothing since has been a special as that night.
Fantastic story Paul, very heartfelt. Thanks for sharing!

Honorable Mention 2 – MCCBarry
I have two… Sharing for the hell of it, once again I want to declare myself ineligible.
The first I was about 12 or 13 and my family went to a Bar Mitzvah for some cousin or something. While we we seated they served cigars to the gentlemen, and I asked my dad if I could try it. He was all for it, but my mom would have none of that. Well we went to the bathroom as a rouse to step outside. It was here my dad handed me the cigar and said, don’t tell your mother. Well, I lit the cigar up and proceeded to turn green. I still swear to this day whoever created the movie shrek was at the affair and got the idea from seeing me.
The second involved a Arturo Fuente. I had just picked up business partner up from the airport where he returned from a quick overseas trip. The best part of new job is I don’t have to pick him up at 5:00am anymore from the airport. After I dropped him off it was about 6:30am and it was a comfortable 65 degrees outside. So I headed to the beach and lit up my Work of Art Maduro. About an inch into it, the taste reminded me of cinnamon and apples, but to go a step further the aroma took me back to my dad and how he used to make these treats after dinner for himself. Now mind you my dad had been deceased for about 10 years and he hadn’t made a baked apple for about 10 years before that. I sat back, looked up at the sky and smiled as I knew my dad was smiling down on me.
Two great stories Paul. Showing us the lighter side and more serious side of the cigar world!

Honorable Mention 3 – Czerbe
Easy one for me. My wife was 7-1/2 months Pregnant and she was working one Saturday afternoon, I was at a buddies house Smoking an Onyx cigar nothing good just a yard gar but it was one that was given to me as a gift so I figured I would smoke it. My cell phone goes off and its my wifes Boss telling me I need to pick up my wife and take her to the Hospital her water had broke. So I dropped my cigar in the Ash Tray and ran to the car flying over to her job and took her straight to the Hospital where she was on bed rest and I.V.s for 5 days until she gave birth to our son. Now since he was 7 and a half weeks early he had to spend 11 days in the NICU (some of the worst days of our lives) well through his stay at the hospital my buddy came to the house and brought over the cigar which I was half way done with when I left to pick up my wife. He said “thought you might want to finish this later” now normally I would never pick up a cigar that was sitting in an ash tray for days and re-light it. But I thought to myself I will finish this when my son comes home. So I put it in a Zip Lock bag and put it in the Humi. 11 Days after my sons birth he came home from the Hospital, after my Wife and Son got settled I went to the Humi grabbed that half smoked stick and took the dog out for a long walk. It was possibly the worst tasting cigar I ever had after that long laps from smoking times. But I’ll tell you what it was the best cigar I ever smoked knowing my Son and wife were healthy and home safe. Its been a full 13 months now since his birth and I have had many great sticks in that time but none gave me that feeling like that Onyx did that day…czerbe
Another great heartfelt story. Very glad to hear the whole family is doing well. I’m sure that Onyx will be remembered for a long time, no matter how crappy it might have been!

Honorable Mention 4 – Neil
My best cigar moment was also my saddest. My father has been in failing health for a couple years. At the end of 2010 I bought a box of the My Father Limited Edition 2010 thinking I would put them away until the time came to share them with my brother in memory of my father.
Two months later I lost one of my closest friends, Tracy, to cancer. He was 12 years older than me and gave me a lot of great advice on how to raise my children and be a good husband. Right after he died I was with his brother, wife, and son. As I listen to Tracy’s son tell story after story of what his dad had taught him, I realized Tracy had taught me many of the same things. I had already kind of thought of him as a brother, but I realized during that time I spent with his son how much he had also fathered me.
In honor of Tracy I opened the box of My Father 2010s and had the first one out of the box in memory of him. I thought of what a great friend he was. I thought about all I had learned from him. I thought about how he shaped me as a father, how he fathered me, and how blessed I was that my Heavenly Father put him in my life.

Here’s the winner from Contest Day #8 – Joya de Nicaragua

So now onto the lucky winner of a tasty box of Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970’s. Drumroll please…

The Winner is Paul Tyler

Although I have been smoking cigars for a while, I have really only gotten into exploring and understanding the industry within the last year. In researching on the Internet, I came across a great cigar review website where one of the reviewers happened to live near me. I thought it would be great to reach out to him to learn more about the industry and what the local scene was like. He has been a great resource for me. One of his insights was to check out a cigar shop in the city that had a nice guy running the place and good prices. I went down to check him out on a cool Wednesday night in February and found this quaint little shop with a nice little selection of cigars. In the middle of the shop (taking up almost half the space was a grand piano). The owner was extremely friendly and together we picked out a La Aurora 107 to smoke. He was so proud to show off a new heater he bought so he invited me out onto his front patio for a smoke…the temps were close to the freezing mark but that heater was pumping off some good heat to keep us warm. As we lit up and started into our cigars, the conversation flowed and I came to find the shop owner to be a wonderfully kind and interesting man. As we were sitting there, people would sporadically approach the store, give a wave to the owner and go inside to grab a cigar…some stayed inside to smoke and others came back out to join us…all huddling around this new heater. I asked the owner what was going on…who were all these people? He mentioned that he had started a Wednesday night smoking group and these were his regular crowd. Soon a bottle of rye appeared and then another…again, we all grabbed small plastic cups and gave ourselves a healthy pour to help enhance the warmth we were getting from the heater. The group was excited to see a newcomer to the night and were unbelievably welcoming to me and ensured my glass was always topped up and that I was made to feel like one of them. After a while I looked over at the owner and he was sitting back with a huge smile on his face…I turned to him and said, “You are in your happy place, aren’t you?”…and he just laughed and said “Yup”. I said, “This is really what cigar smoking is all about…bringing people together with a common passion and just enjoying each other’s company and sharing in the beauty of the leaf.” And he just nodded his head and smiled, “This is what I have always imagined my store to be about and represent”. At the end of the night and after a few cigars and a bunch of rye, we headed back into the store where the owner entertained us with a few songs on the piano…he was a former jazz pianist who did the club scene in his youth. It was a magical night that I have repeated a few times since…each time just as special as the last but I will always remember that first one…and that it was a La Aurora 107. You hear it all the time from the industry people in the social media universe and from people like the guys running this site…that it is a great industry with great people…I am fortunate that I have gotten to experience it first hand.

Awesome story Paul, a true show of the camaraderie that comes along with this wonderful hobby! Congrats!

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

The post FINAL Contest Day #9 – Smoke Inn (and Day #8 Winners) 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.

Smoke Inn has been on a roll getting some of the most exclusive, and top notch cigar manufacturers to create exclusive Microblends for them. First it was the Tatuaje Anarchy, followed by the Padron 1964 SI-15, and now Don Pepin Garcia and family teamed up with Smoke Inn to bring you the My Father El Hijo.

The El Hijo, or Son, will be released in only one size. A Box-Pressed 5.5 x 52 with an unfinished foot. The cigar is composed of an all Nicaraguan binder and filler wrapped with a very rare limited edition harvest of 2009 Ecuadorian Habana leaf. The El Hijo will come in boxes of 15 and average about $9.75 a stick. This falls in line with other cigars in the My Father series. Again, these cigars will only be available from Smoke Inn and will go fast. They are due out at the end of August.

Size: 5.5 x 52  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Full

Prelight: Seeing a My Father cigar in box-press form is definitely a surprise from me. The El Hijo is a venture from the standard My Father lines in more way then one. The obvious box-press shape combined with the unfinished foot really make for some interesting appeal. Outside of those characteristics the El Hijo still carried the standard superb construction we all come to expect from the My Father factory. The consistent, medium brown wrapper contains almost no veins and is blends flawlessly into the round triple cap. I almost can’t make out where the body stops and the cap begins. This My Father, like many others carries a double band. The first one is the traditional, amazingly designed “My Father” band with green, red, pink and orange ink mixed in with a ton of gold embossing. The secondary band is very different. It still carries the standard My Father branding but it’s painted this strange, dried mustard color with the words “El Hijo” laid in prominent black ink. The cigar is solid all the way through. No soft spots, and only very little give when I compress it between my fingers.

The El Hijo’s wrapper gives off this crazy pungent barnyard scent while the foot has a much more spicy/peppery  composition. The cigar cut very easy, and clean using my double bladed Palio cigar cutter. I am really only pulling this very natural taste from the cold draw. There is a bit of spice in there but mostly it’s a grassy/earthy flavor and not much else.

First Smoke: Lighting the El Hijo was a cinch with the unfinished foot. But I am always a bit weary about how the burnline will fare once it gets to the wrapper. Luckily for me, this cigar did well with keeping a modest burnline even into the wrapper. The first initial flavor was a nice burst of pepper. Not anything in your face, but just enough to let you know it was there. Quickly the pepper faded and I was left with a very spicy, woodsy, leather, and a creamy coffee. This cigar doesn’t start off with as much bite as I was expecting. A lot smoother. The draw from this El Hijo was just awesome. It took very little effort to get a mouthful or thick, heavy smoke. The burnline continued well for the most part, only producing very slight waves from it’s razor sharp line. The ash left behind was a bit flaky, and very light grey. It only held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this My Father El Hijo and the story is much the same. Very smooth, with nice flavors, but I can already start to feel a bit of nicotine catching up to me. The My Fathers are like that, sneaky SOBs. The main flavors are still this nice grassy, woodsy taste with some soft coffee and a really interesting caramel. That’s right. This cigar tastes like a grassy Caramel Macchiato. The retrohale on this El Hijo is a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be coating my nasal passage with a nice, creamy wood flavor. The burnline on this cigar is right on the money.

Finish: And here comes that standard Pepin/My Father bite that I am used to. Although the main flavors still remain overall grassy and earthy, the coffee flavor has really taken off as well as a reappearance from the pepper. Overall this cigar took about an hour and a half to take down, and remained extremely smooth the entire time. I took this cigar down as far as my fingers would let me and I experienced no harshness what so ever. Tons of nicotine though, this is a bold cigar with a ton of body.

Overview: The El Hijo is a damn good cigar. I really enjoyed it. The cigar carries all the same characteristics that the My Father, and My Father Le Bijou, but at the same time stands out by itself. A great micro batch cigar. In comparison to the My Father and the Le Bijou, the El Hijo seemed a lot creamier and an overall smoother experience. I personally liked the Le Bijou the best, backed by the El Hijo, and then the My Father. And the price seems to fit my opinion just right. Grab these while you can, the El Hijo is a perfect cigar for anyone who likes Pepin’s cigars or enjoys the My Father Line.

Pairing: I decided to pair this cigar with a nice bottle of Weihenstephaner’s Vitus Wiezenbock. Vitus, is a light, wheat style beer brewed at the Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan brewery in Germany. With an ABV of 7.70% Vitus is a perfect summer beer. Light in color but rich in banana, wheat, malt, and clove favors Vitus pairs perfectly with a sunny day, and almost any cigar.

The post My Father Cigars – El Hijo appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.