The Facts

A Gift From Tony Casas
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Size: 5 ⅝ by 46 (estimate)
Price: Priceless
Wrapper: Unknown
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown

Jeff’s Review

This is a corona gorda sized cigar, 5-5/8 x 46 or so, although it’s difficult to measure precisely due to its unique shape.  The “El Paso Press” shape comes from cramming as many cigars as is humanly possible into a USPS Priority Small Flat Rate box, resulting in a cigar that resembles a European-style dry hunter’s sausage.   The stick is rather rustic looking with a dark brown wrapper with black mottling, with what appears to be a single cap culminating in a neat coiled pigtail.  There is a bit of tooth, some minor veins, and a bit of a raised seam near the band that doesn’t appear very worrisome, and is well packed with just a bit of give when gently squeezed.

The wrapper has a tangy barnyard scent, while the foot gives off a lighter version of the wrapper aroma.  The band, however is just a plain white satin ribbon, belying Tony’s background as a respected designer.  Gotta do something about that in the future, man! The first clip reveals a snug draw, possibly the result of the pressed in portion near the band.  A further snip opens it up just a bit more, allowing a cold draw that shows a sweet cinnamon-like spice and tobacco, but not much more.

First Third

Despite the snug draw, the cigar produces a nice mouthful of smoke, showing earthiness, slight wood somewhere between cedar and oak, and a surprisingly light pepper spice.  The retrohale features the same earth and wood with just a bit of pepper.  The burn line is a little thick, but even.  An inch in, the pepper has picked up a bit, with a slight sweetness on the back end and the wood has shifted more toward cedar.

Second Third

The burn line has thinned considerably and the draw has opened up a bit more, producing a good volume of smoke.  The earth and wood remain in the forefront, but have been joined by more sweet spice and some coffee, and the smoke texture has become smoother.  The body is now at the high end of medium.

The Home(r) Stretch

A savory element has now crept in, with a ramp-up in body and pepper, while the sweetness moves in and out.  The body is now at medium-full with just a slight nicotine hit.  There is not much change throughout the last part of the cigar.

Final Thoughts

Having smoked each of Tony’s previous efforts, this is by far my favorite; they have progressively gotten better as he learns to target flavors and balance them out.  It was a nice day out, and this smoke was a relaxing way to enjoy it.  While it was not a particularly complex cigar, it had a pretty good balance of flavors, although I would have liked a little more sweetness.  The cigar never got hot and I never had to reach for my lighter, other than for a relight when I got distracted and let it sit for too long.  The ash was a little inconsistent, sometimes lasting an inch, and other times falling off after only ½”.  Good job, Tony!  I would definitely smoke one again.  Willy Herrera, watch your back!

Pairing

DogZilla Black IPA by Laughing Dog Brewing in Ponderay, Idaho comes in at a moderate 6.8% ABV.  Featuring dark malt and coffee flavors with a citric backbone and a lightly bitter hops finish, it matched well with the DEBSTCLE 2013.   Plus, it appears that Tony’s buddy Sonny was the model for the label!

Jeremy’s Review

Pre-light

The TC Limited Edition 2013 wears an extremely rough, veiny, toothy wrapper. Other than a Backwoods, this may be the most rugged wrapper I’ve seen on a stick. On top of the veins and bumps, the wrapper is marbleized with different tones of brown, as well as some black spotting.

The wrapper aroma is mainly of cedar, which is probably a result of the cigar resting with no cellophane in my humidor for over year.  However, in the background there seems to be a pungent, vinegar-like aroma and barnyard. The foot of the cigar smells of rich cedar, cinnamon, and faint chocolate. The cigar comes to a close with a spiral pig-tailed cap. Upon clipping the cap, I find an almost perfect draw with notes of rich cedar that leaves my mouth somewhat dry.

First Third

From the first puff, the profile comes across much darker than the cold draw put off. Notes of black, somewhat bitter coffee, earth, and cedar make up the profile. At the one inch mark, the coffee and earth take a step back and the cedar shows itself strong. There is some black pepper that is hardly noticeable on the palate but stands out on the retrohale. While the flavor of the black pepper is there, there is not much accompanying spice warming my mouth. With each small draw, my mouth fills with a copious amount of smoke. A beautiful light, firm ash is being formed as the cigar burns evenly.

Middle Third

The rich cedar is holding its ground as I pull into the second third of this special cigar. The earth and coffee are still there but presenting themselves with much more balance than earlier. There is an underlying charred flavor, as well as a vegetal flavor on the finish of the smoke.  The cigar continues to perform effortlessly as I wrap up the middle third.

Final Third

The cedar which made up the core of the smoke through the first two thirds moved to the back of the profile, while the earth and coffee have taken over as the dominating flavors. The earth flavor is much more pronounces and diesel-like than early on. The pepper spice has increased in intensity warming my palate. As I put a close to the cigar, the flavors are at the high-end of medium and I am not feeling any nicotine.

Wrap-up

The DEBSTCLE 2013 construction and performance were absolutely flawless. Each ash held on past an inch, the burn line was even, and every draw delivered a satisfying amount of smoke. But I can’t give credit to Tony for the construction since the professionals at Drew Estate rolled the cigars. But I can give credit to Tony for the flavors. Unlike Jeff, this is my first experience with a Tony Casas blended cigar. I didn’t know what to expect going in to but I can say I wasn’t disappointed. The first two third were very enjoyable, and even when the diesel-like flavor arrived in the final third I wasn’t put off by the cigar at all. This cigar did not present many new flavors as it progressed, but it did show variations within the main flavor components, which worked well in the Corono Gorda size. Great job, Mr. Casas, great job.

The post Drew Estate Cigar Safari – Tony Casas Limited Edition 2013 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Quesada’s Oktoberfest is the newest offering by Manuel Quesada. If you’re like me, one thing comes to mind when you hear the word “Oktoberfest”. Beer. Well, beer and bratwurst, but beer first. And that was Quesada’s angle when they created this cigar. A blend that would pair perfectly with a hefty beer. Possible? Who knows. Marketing ploy? Maybe. But let’s dig a bit deeper to see what this cigar is all about. The cigar only comes in 2 sizes, the “Bavaria” which is a 5.5 x 52 double robusto, and a monster of a cigar called the “Uber” which is 6 x 65. The cigar is limited to 500 boxes of each size and will run you between $8 and $9.50 a stick. These were purchased from “La Casa Del Puro” my local shop/lounge.

Size: 5.5 x 52  –  Wrapper: Dominican Cibao Valley  –  Binder: Dominican  – Filler: Dominican Cuban Seed Criollo, Olor Viso, Ligero

Prelight: Now this is a dark cigar. The wrapper on the Oktoberfest is almost pitch black in some spots, and a very dark-chocolatey brown in others. I love seeing inconsistency in color on darker wrapped cigars, it leads me to believe that they are all natural in color and not dyed. This is also on extremely toothy, and oily cigar. What fine specimen. You can see the sun glaring more from the wrapper leaf than the actual band of the cigar. There are a few larger veins running the length of the cigar that I hope don’t pose a threat to the burn and overall experience. The toothy sandpaperesque wrapper then leads into a really stubby double wrapped cap. Seriously, skimming the thick and solid cigar body with my finger feels almost like rubbing my hands on sandpaper. This cigar is thick, heavy, and hard as a rock. The band on the cigar carries a similar overall design that Quesada always uses, but with a nice German flag accent running the entire ring of the band. The big, pronounced, gold embossed “Q” logo is neatly laid in the center of the band is accompanied by some simple back text with the words “Quesada – Oktoberfest – Hand Made – Dominican Republic”.

The wrapper of Quesada’s Oktoberfest gives off little more than a subtle cedar and tobacco mixture where as the foot of the cigar is a very, very strong cedar and spice. It smells a lot of the scent of the inside of a brand new humidor with just a sharp little spice kick at the end. The Oktoberfest clipped cleanly and easily with my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw give fourth a nice, smooth, welcoming cedar and spice flavor. Pretty much an identical match to the aromas I picked up in the prelight.

First Smoke: I was almost expecting to be greeting with a nice pepper kick, but was really surprised when the Quesada Oktoberfest started out with a very smooth,  Earthy, Cedary, nutty, spicy flavor profile. The spice is really neat, it’s almost floral with a very sweet undertone.  The Oktoberfest really doesn’t give out much stationary smoke at all, but it smells incredible. Like a burning garden, or some lightly scented potpourri. The draw on the Oktoberfest is very easy, but not too loose pumping out a HUGE cloud of thick while smoke. And when I say thick, I mean VERY thick. The heavy cloud of smoke takes forever to dissipate. The burnline is very thick and even for the most part, with some larger, not-so-deep waves on one side. The ash left behind is this interesting dark grey and black and extremely tightly compacted. It’s very rare that I see ash this dark in cigars. I read once, somewhere, that this shows the lack of magnesium in the soil in which the tobacco was grown. I have no idea what this even means, but it sounded smart.

Halfway There: Oddly enough, a little of that pepper did in fact sneak into the second half of this Quesada Oktoberfest, but it bowed out just as quickly as it appeared. The flavors are still pretty smooth and consistent. The cigar is weighting in heavily in the cedar area with some sweetness, bittersweet chocolate, and some pasticcio mixed in there. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t had to touch up the cigar or relight it. The retrohale is really sharp and coats your nasal passage with a very floral, strong earthy type prime. I am starting to feel a bit of body from this cigar already. Nothing too crazy, but enough to catch my attention early on.

Finish: I started to pick up some really neat gingerbread type flavors in the final third of this Quesada Oktoberfest. The flavors switched up quite a bit actually. The cedar is still there but it is now being challenged by some chocolate, cinnamon, and that gingerbread I mentioned. It’s a strange pairing with the fuller body from this cigar, but it makes for a very enjoyable, and smooth finish. There wasn’t any harshness into the final inch. I kept thinking there was going to be, and because of the flavors I expected there to be, but surprisingly there wasn’t at all. The body had a quick ramp-up towards the end, but it wasn’t anything too powerful. Medium/Full at Best.

Overview: Now did Quesada really come up with a cigar in which the basis of the blend was all about a better beer and cigar pairing? I doubt it. Reason being is, as it is, Cigars and beer already go perfectly well together. Now did Quesada come up with a blend to celebrate the season while keeping possible cigar and beer pairings in mind? Much more likely. Whatever the case may be, Quesada hit the marks when creating their Oktoberfest blend. The marketing is great, the construction is flawless, the flavor profile is complex and very enjoyable. What more could you ask for? I smoked this cigar both with and without beer and quite honestly, it handled itself very well in both realms. Despite having some body, I don’t think that any novice should be scared to try this cigar and I would highly urge any seasoned smoker to get your hands on these cigars. The overall experience and the price point makes it a great addition to anyone’s regular rotation.

Pairing: Obviously I was going to pair this cigar with a German Marzen. I contemplated for a while which one I wanted to shoot for and then decided that I’d go with one of my favorites, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Marzen. I also decided to drink this out of a full sized Oktoberfest style stein. Couldn’t get much better than that! I am also pretty curious as too just how many beers these steins hold. It’s kinda like the “how man licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop” mystery. Usually during Oktoberfest celebrations, these steins remain full while the party goer drinks filling, after filling. I know I have had my share! So just how many beers does one hold?

Four. Well, About 3.75 to be exact, but I had no problem gulping down that extra .25 before finishing the other 3.75. Paulaner Oktoberfest is a Marzen style brew, brewed at the infamous Paulaner Brewery in Germany. What started as a simple seasonal ale has recently blossomed into a full, year round treat. The 6% ABV beer carries a very sweet, yet spicy malt and citrus flavor which really pairs well with most cigars, especially lighter shade ones. The beer made a great pairing with the Oktoberfest cigar, but I think it would go a lot better with something heavier, like a nice porter or a Bruin.

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These were sent to us courtesy of our Friends over at Gran Habano. Kicking off as one of this year’s first new releases, Gran Habano is leading the way with one interesting looking, elegant stick. The following is the press release which pretty much sums up the cigar.

Miami, Fl., October 18, 2010 – Time has finally come for the limited production Gran Reserva #3 cigar by Gran Habano to be released into the public. Medium to full bodied in strength the Gran Reserva #3 was blended by George A. Rico using aged Nicaraguan and Columbian tobaccos from the Gran Habano farms.

Composition of the Gran Reserva #3 consists of an 8 year old wrapper and a 7 year old binder from our Nicaraguan farm “La Santa Cruz”. The filler is a mixture of 7 year old Nicaraguan from “La Santa Cruz” and 8 year old Columbian from our “La Joya del Valle” farm. The cigars were rolled in early 2008 and have been aging for the previous two years making the overall components about a decade old.

George A. Rico explains that “Being able to age the leaf and rolled cigars for such a long period of time has created a very rich, smooth, yet complex smoke.”

Gran Habano will release the new Gran Reserva #3 with a Churchill(7×50), Pyramid (6 1/8×52) and a Gran Robusto (6×54). Due to the long aging process and special tobaccos used only 1,200 boxes of each size will be released across the country. New packaging will also accompany the Gran Reserva #3 to help distinguish it from our original #3 release.

Pricing will remain affordable at $6.80 (Churchill), $6.90 (Gran Robusto), and $7.10 (Pyramid) – not including local taxes. Shipments are scheduled to reach retailers during the first week in November.

It’s been a while since I reviewed a “Pyramid” or belicoso stick, so that’s the size I chose for this one.

Prelight: Gran  Habano did an excellent job making this cigar look extremely elegant without being too over-the-top. The band is an off yellow with a nice diamond texture accompanied by gold and brass metallic accents and the Title “Gran Reserva #3 – Gran Habano – 2008” on the front as well as a much smaller stamp “by George A. Rico” on the back. The band leads into a full body cedar encasing with the black “Gran Reserva” print on it, polished off with a very small gold fabric foot band. After you take the cedar off the cigar you are presented with a very beautiful looking, oily as hell wrapper. The wrapper is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a very milky, lighter brown with a few darker spots closer to the foot. This is one oily cigar. The oils actually come off on the tips of your fingers as you handle the cigar. The cigar is very well constructed and consistant leading up to the tapered belicoso style cap. There are only very few, almost flat veins throughout the body of the cigar. The cigar is a bit soft to the touch, but carries no flaws or soft spots that I could find.

The wrapper lets loose a very potent cedar aroma with a natural tobacco scent barely shining through. The foot gives off much less cedar but more of a pungent tobacco and leather aroma. The Gran Reserva #3 clipped clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw puts out this massively musky/fruity taste with bits of pepper on the aftertaste. Tons of flavor that one can only hope will transpire into the actual experience.

First Smoke: The first few puffs give way to just a crazy amount of earthy flavors. The backing flavors are that of fruit, like a plum or something, and a dash of cedar with a very slight pepper on the after taste. The draw is easy, plentiful, and kicks out a ton of thick smoke. The stationary smoke is pretty much non-existant which surprises me as usually the more oils the cigar has the more stationary smoke I get. Not true in the case of the Gran Reserva #3. The burnline is solid, and dead even leaving behind a near perfect, light grey, thick and well compacted ash. The ash held tight for almost 2 inches before falling.

Halfway There: The retrohale on the Reserva #3 is ridiculous. I don’t find myself retrohaling a cigar very often, but the fruity cedar that coats my nasal passage on the retrohale keeps me doing it over and over. The second third introduced me to just a plethora of flavors. Everything from a very strong and smooth cedar, light cocoa, leather, earth tones, fruit, and even a bit of clove and ginger. I know, that may be really reaching, but there are a ton of flavors in this stick that really keeps the smoker on their toes. I’m not feeling any nicotine at all at this point. So far this has been reather smooth and enjoyable experience all the way around.

Finish: After a flavor bomb of a second third, the final third gave way to a much milder, smoother experience. The main flavor is now just tons, and tons of sweet cedar backed by hints of fruit, and hints of clove. Very smooth, with no harshness built up at all. I smoked this guy all the way down to the nub without feeling even the slightest bit of nicotine. Surprising for a cigar of it’s size. The cigar burned rather slow, coming in at about an hour and fourty five minutes smoke time.  No touch-ups, no relight. The burnline and ash were perfect all the way through.

Overview: The first time I smoked this cigar I remember being disimpressed by the first half, then totally wowed by the third. This time, I see the first part of the experience as more of a smooth introduction to the powerful, and complex flavors of the second half before finishing off crisp and smooth. Robert from Gran Habano was in town not too long ago and I had a chance to enjoy a cigar with him. We didn’t talk shop a whole lot, but one thing he did mention was that this year the Ricos would by pushing out new, more daring, unsafe blends. Sometimes it takes risks to earn rewards and if the Gran Reserva #3 has anything to say about this next year and the new Gran Habano, they are in for great year. This is definitely a luxury cigar at less than a luxury price, and I can totally see this being in my regular rotation. Very box worthy and something you should give a go if you find them sitting on shelves.

Pairing: I paired this Gran Reserva #3 with a long time favorite, Pawvel Kwak. Kwak is a 8.10% Belgium beer brewed at the Brouwerij Bosteels brewery. Kwak is a very spicy, zesty, fruity amber colored beer. The upbeat flavors made a wonderful pairing and even helped pull some of the more complex flavors out of this cigar. This beer isn’t too easy to find, but if you see it be sure to do yourself the favor of picking it up. It pairs perfect with just about any cigar or meal. The cigar would also go great with tea, or sweet apple juice. Something sweet with just a bit of natural fruit.

So now the question is. How many of you readers would actually hunt for a cigar like this? I know Gran Habano isn’t like some other manufacturers that kick out limited releases left and right. Given a stable past, and the recent push to release more risky cigars, would Gran Habano be a manufacturer that you’d keep your eyes on this year?

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The Story:
The sample of Scotch Whisky I will be reviewing today was sent to us by Master of Malt. Master of Malt is an online retailer specializing in Whisky although they also sell a variety of other spirits. You can see the review I did of their other sample here of the Master of Malt – Arran 12 Year Old Single Cask Scotch Whisky. The company is based out of East Sussex, United Kingdom and they ship almost anywhere in the world. The package arrived in Canada in record time and the bottles were extremely well protected. One of the wonderful features offered by Master of Malt besides their huge selection of spirits is the ability to get many of the spirits in a small 3oz sample bottle similar to the one pictured.

The Scotch Whisky being reviewed today is from the Bruichladdich distillery from the island of Islay. Islay is well known as the source of many of the worlds most peaty and smoky whisky’s available. Bruichladdich has a rich history dating back to it’s construction in 1881. The distillery currently has a wide variety of selections which can satisfy a very wide range of customers. Click here to see Master of Malt’s wide offering from this distillery, where they have inexpensive and very rare blends ranging from about $30 all the way up to over $1000!

The blend we are looking at today is called Octomore 02.2 Orpheus and is “the worlds most heavily peated whisky”. It is aged in barrels from a top Bordeaux vineyard called “Château Pétrus”. It is a limited release of only 6000 numbered bottles and weighs in at a hefty 61% alc./vol. It actually has a young age of only 5 years. This Scotch has also won the Best Single Malt in the World (Whisky Bible 2011) and Best Peated Whisky (Malt Maniacs).

Image courtesy of Bruichladdich.com

The Bottle:
As mentioned, this was a sample Dram sent by Masters of Malt but the full size bottle of the Bruichladdich Octomore 02.2 Orpheus comes in an elegant jet black bottle with a silver top. It is quite attractive and uniquely designed.

The Eyes:
The Scotch in my glass has a very warm golden tone to it with a shade of amber or reddish hue. It is a fair bit darker the most Scotch Whisky’s and looks delicious.

The Nose:
The claim of the world’s most peated whisky is easily evident in the aroma coming from this glass. Your nose is punched with hefty peat and smoky notes. Once you become accustomed to those aromas you start to pick up some of the woodsy and spicy notes that accompany it.

The Tongue:
This Bruichladdich offering is a blast to the taste buds. Right from the first sip you can detect the complexity this Scotch Whisky is built on. The peatiness is very evident but balanced well with the smoky and woodsy flavors. The finish has a touch of dark fruitiness that lingers on the tongue with the peat. There are also hints of spice detectable on the tongue.

The Final Drop:
There is no doubt that the Octomore 02.2 Orpheus from Bruichladdich Distillery is a powerful Scotch Whisky. With it’s high alcohol content and peatiness this is a complex but enjoyable drink. It’s definitely not something you want to drink quickly. In order to enjoy this to it’s fullest you need to take the time to pay attention to each sip and the dance of complex flavors it plays on your tongue.

I have to say that this Scotch Whisky is quite unique from a lot of others that I’ve tried. It’s definitely something that’s worth finding and tasting. Considering it’s limited production and uniqueness the price is actually very fair coming in at just over $80 from Master of Malt.

The Pairings:
The Bruichladdich Octomore 02.2 Orpheus is definitely a beverage that will pair extremely well with a full bodied and spicy cigar. The peat, smoke and spice make a perfect pairing. The balance of the two would enhance both the Scotch Whisky and the cigar. Here are some examples of cigars that would pair well here:
– Man O’ War Ruination
– Drew Estate Liga Privada Dirty Rat
– Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo
– Illusione Epernay

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The sample of Scotch Whisky I will be reviewing today was sent to us by Master of Malt. Master of Malt is an online retailed specializing in Whisky although they also sell a variety of other spirits. The company is based out of East Sussex, United Kingdom and they ship almost anywhere in the world. The package arrived in Canada in record time and the bottles were extremely well protected. ne of the winderful features offered by Master of Malt besides their huge selection of spirits is the ability to get many of the spirits in a small 3cl/30ml sample bottle similar to the one pictured. This is called the “Drinks by the Dram”. Please visit www.MasterOfMalt.com to see with wide selection of spirits and read the bounty of information they have there. you can also follow them on twitter: @MasterofMalt

The Maker: Arran Distillery
The Beverage: 12 Year Old Single Cask (Master of Malt)
The Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Beverage’s Home: Scotland, East of the village of Lochranza on the Isle of Arran
The Situation: Relaxing on the couch

The Story:
The Scotch Whisky being reviewed today is a 12 year aged spirit from the Arran Distillery. The particular one I sampled is a Master of Malt Single Cask special edition series. The standard 12 year from Arran is also available. Arran Distillery is actually fairly young being founded in 1993 and starting production in only 1995. It is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky that is distilled by Arran and bottled by Master of Malt after being specially aged in a single cask. The alcohol content weighs in at 54.7% alc./vol.

The Bottle:
The sample we received came in a small clear bottle with a black cap. The bottle is delicately sealed with what appears to be a wax coating. This ensured the cap did not unscrew and the bottle did not leak at all in transit. The front of the bottle has “Vintage” style label containing the “Master of Malt” name and the name of the contained Scotch Whisky.

The Eyes:
This Scotch Whisky is very clean and transparent. It has a very warm golden-amber tone to it. It’s very pleasing to the eye and inviting. I’m enjoying this particular blend “neat” tonight with no added water or ice.

The Nose:
Some fruity and smokey notes immediately evident on the nose. The fruity notes are the most dominant initially and linger on the nose ever so slightly.

The Tongue:
This wonderful looking Scotch Whisky coats the tongue nicely and lingers with some interesting flavors. Initially you get a big hit of sweet malt, followed by a bright fruity finish. There’s a slight smokiness and even woodsy-ness that can be detected. The spirit tingles on the tongue as the coating slowly fades. It actually leaves you with a mouthwatering citrus finish that is very enjoyable.

The Final Drop:
I was quite impressed by this particular Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Arran Distillery. At a fairly young age of 12 years it has a lot of competition on the market. And since the distillery only began production 14 years ago it is a fairly limited release of one of their first productions. In comparison to a lot of other 12-year Scotch Whisky’s this one had a wonderful coating flavor on the palate and was not overly harsh even when enjoyed neat.

The Pairings:
The Master of Malt Single Cask version of Arran’s 12-year Single Malt Scotch Whisky would pair very well with a variety of cigars. I would suggest finding something that is medium in body and can compliment the fruity sweetness. The two cigars that instantly come to mind would be the La Aurora 107 Corona, La Aurora 107 Robusto or the K.A. Kendall 7-20-4.

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The Good Stuff: I know almost nothing about this cigar. I have had quite a few different Viaje blends but this is my first time trying out the limited Skull and Bones Blend. This vitola, the Skull and Bones #2 is the second in the line proceeding Viaje’s first release of the Daisy Cutter which was a pettit robusto. I didn’t get a chance to try that one as Viaje is almost unheard of in these parts. Basically the Skull and Bones was Viaje’s answer to all the folks who lived thier cigars but wanted a bolder, fuller experience. The Skull and Bones has a Sun Grown Criollo wrapper bound around an all Nicaraguan filler and binder. These things are pretty limited and run about $12 a stick.

Size: 4.5 x 54  –  Wrapper: Sun Grown Criollo  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Full

Prelight: The Skull and Bones is a very mean looking stick. Starting with the extremely dark brown, almost black looking  wrapper. The color is very consistent and start with a folded over almost leather looking foot. The tobacco is carefully folded over the foot of the cigar to conceal most, if not all of the filler tobacco. The foot leads into a toothy, meaty body full of tons of random larger veins running all throughout the body. The body fills into a seamless, round triple cap. The cigar is extremely firm, not dry, but packed tight and hard as a rock. The band is a pirate looking, almost warning label black and white skull and cross bones. The smaller secondary band simply says “Skull and Bones” in a very retro/piratesque typeface.  The white on the band is actually printed with Glow in the Dark ink. I tried my hardest to take a good picture of this but this is the best that came out:

You get the idea. Any who, The wrapper of the Skull And Bones gives off a very sweet and spicy aroma. Oddly I could swear I pick up some sort of mint in there. The foot is pretty much the same story with only a slight earthy/grassy aroma. The cap on the Skull and Bones cut off clean using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a very spicy, semi-fruity taste with just a slight grassy aftertaste. Sounds like this will be a very interesting smoke.

First Smoke: I am always skeptical about how well a shaggy foot cigar will light up. In the Skull and Bones’ case it passed the test with flying colors lighting up very easily and even using my single flame butane torch. The draw on this thing rocks. I was scared it was going to be very tight but it was just the opposite kicking out a massive cloud of thick, white, lingering smoke. The first flavor was that of a pepper unlike what I am used to. It was a much richer, black pepper that bled into a nice strong tobacco taste with just a slight cocoa aftertaste. The pepper is strong enough to tickle the back of my throat as well as my tongue all while not becoming a nuisance. You can feel the body of this cigar right from the start. The burnline was a bit thick, but clean for the most part. There was one portion of the cigar that trailed the rest of the burnline but toward the end of the final third it was making a good comeback. The ash was a mixture of light and dark grays and pretty flaky, but well packed towards the core.

Halfway There: There has been this coming and going of a cashew taste on the tail end of a few of the draws. It’s pretty speratic but does add quite a bit of character to the experience.  The pepper has completely faded by the second third and I was left with a strong tobacco taste with a bunch of cocoa, a dash of wood, and a bit of grassy notes. This cigar is burning very, very slow and the fact that it is a fuller bodied cigar makes me slow down even more. I am already starting to feel a bit of the nicotine and I haven’t even stood up yet. As I hoped, the burn on this Skull and Bones has corrected itself and burned dead even most of the second third. Smaller waves did start reappearing towards the end. The retrohale reminds me that the pepper is still hidden deep within the Skull and Bones composition. On a side note, I can’t get over how huge the draw on this cigar is.

Finish: Shortly after the ash in the second third the Skull and Bones put itself out. I wasn’t smoking this too slow, but it lead me to believe I needed to speed up. So I did. Shortly after relighting the cigar went out yet again. What happened to that awesome draw I was getting?  After a thorough toasting it was back in action. Whew.  The flavors were still pretty much diluted versions of the second third. Tobacco, a bit of cocoa, bit of wood, and a splash of spice. Sadly, harshness in the cigar began to appear halfway into the final third. Along with the harshness came the nicotine stick. This cigar isn’t overly powerful, but it’ll wake you up that’s for sure. I had a few burn issues into the final third but nothing too crazy, just lots of waves. Is it a bad thing to say the best part of this experience was how easy the bands slid off? This cigar took about 2 hours to smoke. Quite some time for a robusto and and guy who smokes way faster than he probably should.

Overview: For as much hype this cigar has, I expected a much more pleasant experience. It wasn’t bad, but the Skull and Bones fell flat in flavor and the burn was on the verge of annoying me. I don’t care much if I have to relight or touch-up a cigar. It happens. But if a cigar has to be relit more than once or twice then there is just something wrong. The experience started off very promising, but started to fall on it’s face into the second third. I wouldn’t blame you if you passed this cigar up. This cigar has too much body for a novice smoker, but will satisfy all those nicotine addicts. I am happy to have tried it, but it was just lacking something.  This has been the first of the few Viaje’s I have had that have disappointed me. I’ve heard it’s limited little sister size the Daisy Cutter (Pettit Robusto) was a much more pleasant experience. Too bad they are almost extinct. Limited run cigars are something else that is starting to annoy me, but I will save that conversation for another time.

Pairing: My Skull and Bones was paired with a nice, dark glass of Spaten’s Dunkel. This isn’t a wheat heavy beer (Dunkel wiessen) so you do not get the sweet, zesty flavor. The Dunkel produces more of a grounded, smooth, dark chocolatey Lager flavor. This pair was awesome. It actually helped to give that extra cocoa push where this cigar needed it. The best pairing would by far be some black coffee.

I also paired this cigar with my matching pajamas. It’s Sunday. I deserve to be lazy.

The post Viaje Skull and Bones #2 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

This was a cigar that I have had quite a while ago and had high hopes of kicking out a review. Sadly, this cigar wasn’t easy to come by at the time. Only a select few shops through the US had them in stock and I had no idea which ones did. Luckily for me, my local shop Tobacco Rd. (where I happen to be doing this review from today) made the trip to IPCPR this year and was able to try this cigar out for themselves. It takes a lot for a retailer to bring in a completely new cigar manufacturer due to the uncertainty of how that shops feelings will adapt to the new cigar. Kurt Kendall must have made an impact on them as the shop’s owner wasted no time placing an order. Knowing my excitement concerning this blend Tobacco Rd. kindly gifted me a few of these so that I could finally complete this review.

The Good Stuff: K. A. Kendall is the creation of Kurt Kendall and the 7-20-4 is loosely based off of a cigar manufactured In New Hampshire in 1910 called the R.G. Sullivan.

The name 7-20-4 derives from the R. G. Sullivan’s 7 story factory which was located on 724 Elm St. in Manchester, New Hampshire. The R.G. Sullivan factory was America’s largest manufacturer of 10cent cigars. Time’s have obviously changed since then. Sadly, the cigar factory (which produced close to 54 million cigars a year) closed back in 1963.

Size: “7-20-4”: 5 5/8 x 46  –  Wrapper: Brazillian Mata Fina  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Columbia  –  Body: Med/Full

Prelight: K.A. Kendall’s 7-20-4 is a beautifully solid, milk chocolate brown wrapped cigar.  The wrapper is a toothy, oily, consistently colored, thick wrap that showed only very few small veins. The cigar is very tightly packed, giving a ton of resistance when compressed.  Topping off the 7-20-4 is a seamless double cap leading up to a stubby little pig tail. The band on the cigar displays a much older, contemporary style of artwork than is present in most cigar marketing. It’s almost circus style, I love it. The band is covered with a red ink, embroidered with a gold metallic with holds the white on black “K.A.Kendall’s 7-20-4” logo.  The wrapper doesn’t give off much more than a soft tobacco and cedar scent while the foot of the cigar produces a slightly more pronounced tobacco scent with a bit of spice in the background. The pig-tailed cap of the 7-20-4 clipped clean (does anyone actually bite these off? Do they work?) using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a very grassy, earthy flavor with just a hint of pepper.

First Smoke: The 7-20-4 took a bit of extra work to get going using my single flame butane torch, but when it finally got lit it was unstoppable. The cigar produces a massive, thick cloud of smoke with every effortless puff. The 7-20-4 started out with just a little jab of pepper before transitioning to a pleasant cedar with a soft spice and hints of some sort of sweet flavor.. maybe raisin. The burnline is dead even, razor sharp, and leaves behind a nice trail of medium to light grey ash. The 7-20-4 doesn’t produce much stationary smoke at all, but what little came off the cigar was heavily cedar and tobacco scented. The ash held tight on this guy until about an inch and a half.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this 7-20-4 the flavors change up just slightly. First of all, the pepper is back, but it is very subtle, only present enough to tease my lips and the back of my throat. The cedar flavor has become much more pronounced and is now dominating my palette only to be backed up by slight chocolate flavors with a hint of spice. The cigar is very smooth and I am able to smoke it a bit quicker than normal. The retrohale is pure heaven and gives off a wonderful full-cedar prime. I am not really feeling any type of nic-kick at this point. The burnline is still perfect.

Finish: As if the 7-20-4 didn’t already hit all the marks the cigar really started to dominate into the last third. The flavor and the body really started to ramp up. The nicotine was just enough to make it noticeable without giving any real kick. The flavor finished off a very smooth and creamy cedar with a bit of spice, pepper, and earthy tones. I smoked this cigar faster than I normally do (I was excited to see the on my local shops finally) and yet, there was absolutely no harshness what  so ever. Nor did the cigar get even remotely hot towards the end. The burnline was perfect the entire length of the cigar with no touch ups or relights. The 7-20-4 burned at a perfect pace taking a little over an hour to take down.

Overview: K.A. Kendall’s 7-20-4 is a huge winner in my book. I was pretty sad after I tried my first one only to find how limited these are. I am really glad that shops like Tobacco road are starting to come around and see the value in this cigar. At about $6 – $7 this cigar will be a great addition to my regular rotation for a long time. Perfectly balanced, enough to even satisfy the most picky cigar smoker, and smooth enough to be enjoyable by the novice.

Pairing: This 7-20-4 was paired with a nice little bottle of Maredsous Tripel.  Maredsous is brewed at the Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat in Belgium. Much like Chimay, this beer is brewed by Trappist Monks and a large portion of the proceeds are donated to several charities. The Tripel is a very strong  (10%), fruity, tart beer. This may not have been such a great pairing. Ideally I think this cigar would pair much better with a stout or porter, or even a tawny port.  The zest and bitterness was just a bit too over powering and I found myself putting the beer to the side early into the smoke.

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Baritone (4.5×52) – Tenor (5.5×52) – Alto (6×50) – Soprano (6.5×52)

Garo Habano Maduro

Garo Habano Maduro

Cigar: Garo Habano Maduro
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Coffee Porter
Vitola: Alto (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Piloto Cubano
Price: $5.40 from the Garo Habano website
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
• Very bumpy wrapper with two large veins
• A nice dark brown color but no oily sheen which I see on most Maduro’s
• Slightly messy triple cap
• Slightly springy and even firmness throughout
• Very open draw…

Burn:
• Very bad start, started to canoe, gave it an inch to fix itself but never did. Needed a major touch up
• After touch up, the burn was still wavy
• Another canoe at the halfway point but it fixed itself
• Big tunnel right at the band that caused the cigar to go out and needed a re-light
• More tunneling problems as I smoke through the last few inches, also having problems keeping it lit
• Needed another relight about 1.5 inches from the end
• Tunnels/Canoes seemed to affect both my samples, one of them had a hard time staying lit because of it

Garo Habano Maduro

Ash:
• Very flaky
• The massive amount of flaking makes it very weak and little pieces of ash are falling off all over me
• Light grey in color

Tasting Notes:
• Dry aroma on the wrapper is sweet coca
• More sweet cocoa on the foot with an added hint of coffee
• Initial draws are strong notes of coffee and a hint of bitter cocoa
• The bitter cocoa flavors got stronger when I reached the band, leaving a nice finish on the palate
• The body started off mild and has approached the medium range near the end
• Retrohale throughout the cigar has been sweet tobacco with a small bite and short finish
• Harsh bitterness creeping in after the last relight

Garo Habano Maduro

Pairing Suggestions:
This cigar was a good pairing with the Mill Street coffee porter I had. It’s a light porter with mild flavors. I wouldn’t opt for anything strong or overly flavored since the cigar has plenty of flavors to offer. A good option would be a similarly light beer, a diet soda, water or a light red wine like Beaujolais. I would personally stay away from stronger drinks like scotch or cognac since this is a lighter cigar.

Garo Habano Maduro

Garo Habano Maduro

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Garo Habano Centum

Robusto (4.75×52), Corona (5.5×42), Toro (6.52), Churchill (7×48), and Salomon (7.5×58)

You can read a little bit more about the Garo Habano Centum by visiting their website at www.garohabano.com. The cigar comes wrapped with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. I was excited to try this one out since I’ve had some great smokes that have wrappers from Ecuador. The description on the site also had some nice notes in it like toast, cocoa and espresso.

I’ve added a new section at the bottom of this review for pairings. Let me know what you all think of that little section at the bottom. If I get good feedback I’ll keep adding it to my reviews to help give you all some suggestions on what to pair the cigars with.

Garo Habano Centum

Cigar: Garo Habano Centum
Drink: Taylor Fladgate 10 year old Tawny Port
Vitola: Robusto (4.75 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $6.00/stick from the Garo Habano Website
Burn Time: 1.25 Hours

Construction:
• Very nice orange and cream colored band, almost antique looking with lots of little detail
• Very appealing medium brown and oily wrapper
• Two large veins running down the sides that will likely cause burn issues
• Cleanly applied double cap
• Foot has some holes in it and some of the filler appears to be very dark brown, almost black in color
• The bit of dark filler was also under the cap after cutting
• Consistent firmness throughout with a bit of spring to it
• Pre-light draw was very open on one sample, others were just right
• Lots of glue under the band and it caused a small tear in the wrapper, didn’t cause any major problems though

Garo Habano Centum

Smoke:
• Big mouthful of smoke
• Very light resting smoke

Ash:
• Light grey in color
• A bit of flaking
• Held on for over 1.5 inches

Garo Habano Centum

Final Thoughts:
The tasting notes on the website promise a variety of flavors (espresso, toast, cocoa) and complexity that I did not pick up in this cigar, the flavor was pretty straight forward. As with all my Garo’s so far, the flavors have been quite enjoyable. The downside is that they never change throughout the cigar. Let me be clear that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is just a preference of mine to have some dimension to a cigar. The body never passed medium and it wasn’t overly complex, which makes this a good early day or beginner’s cigar.

Pairing Suggestions:
I paired this with some Tawny port and thought it made an ‘okay’ match. The flavors in a port are usually quite strong and sometimes very sweet and I find they match better with a full bodied cigar. The Habano wrapper made me think this was going to have a little more body than it did. A good red wine such as a merlot, or a dark porter/stout would make an excellent pairing. Light beers would not mix well. For non-alcoholic pairings, I’d suggest a diet soda.

Garo Habano Centum

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So I decided on the Tabak Especial Toro Negra:

Drew Estate - Tabak Especial - (Image courtesy of cigar.com)

Just like last time cigar.com was really good about shipping these ASAP. If I’m not mistaken they ship from Pennsylvania, and since I live on the western most tip of Texas, I didn’t expect these anytime soon (especially since I’m a cheapskate and shipped value). Again, I was pleasantly surprised to receive my shipment only 3 days later. Each set of 3 cigars came wrapped in cellophane, then placed in air-tight ziplock cigar bags along with humi-care gel packets. Then each bag was shipped in separate boxed filled with air-filled protectant pouches. Pretty impressive.

The Good Stuff:

Strength: Medium  –  Size: 6 x 52  –  Country: Nicaragua  –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro  –  Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan Sumatra / Nicaraguan Criollo

This is yet another amazingly constructed cigar by Drew Estate. It’s very rare that you get less than perfect from them. One of the first noticeable difference between this cigar and many others is the fact that it supports what is called “shaggy foot”. What a shaggy footed cigar is a cigar that’s inner filler tobacco leaves extend far further than the wrapper itself. Although it looks a bit funny it holds a purpose. By constructing a  cigar this way you enable the smoker to enjoy the tastes of both the binder/filler tobacco separate than that of the wrapper. Along with this it is believed that it gives of a much more even burn as well.

Prelight: Again, this cigar sports a flawless construction. The wrapper is a deep, extremely dark maduro which makes even the smallest flaw stand out. The Tabak Especial’s aroma consisted of very strong coffee with hints of cedar and cocoa. Unlike most other Drew Estates this cigar carries with it a dual band. One on the neck, and one at the foot of cigar. I am assuming this has something to do with the shaggy foot technique. The Tabak Especial Toro has a very well construction rounded cap, and a very oily wrapper. There were no soft spots. Again I am trusting my Cuban Crafters Perfecto double blade cutter, and a standard single flame colibri torch.

First Smoke: First of all the cigar was incredibly easy to light. This again, has to do with the shaggy foot. The toasting of the cigar was effortless, and resulted in a complete, perfect burn. The first scents were that of milk chocolate, lined with coffee, and of course tobacco. Unlike the Drew Estate – Rocky Patel Java, this cigar was much more mellow, and a lot sweeter. The cigar produced a very large draw right off the back , with large hefty smoke accompanying it. To my surprise the ask only held on for a little over 3/4 of an inch before releasing into my ash tray. The cigar was moist, so this was a shocker.

Halfway There: One great thing about this cigar is even halfway through and further the draw doesn’t change, and neither for the strengths and flavor. Tabak Especial is a lighter strength cigar making the smoke very easy and relaxing. The ash is still spilling off quickly, but this is not bothersome in anyway. The cigar remains in-tact and there is absolutely no unwrapping of any kind.

Finish: As stated in previous posts, I’m not a nub smoker. I usually give in with an inch or so still left. I don’t know if it was the amazing conversation or the fact that this cigar is so remarkable, but I took it all the way down to nothing. Literally, I burned the tips of my fingers trying to get every last drop outta this thing. This cigar is remarkable. It finishes just as easy as it begins holding its flavor all the way through. Absolutely no signs of un-wrapping.

Overview: What can I say?! Drew Estate delivers again. This is a remarkable cigar, from the burn, and construction to the draw and the flavors. I can honestly say even the most die-hard non-infused cigar smoker would be stupid not the at least give these a run.

On a side note: Recently I reviewed a Rocky Patel – Drew Estate – Java Maduro Box pressed cigar. To sum the differences up is pretty simple. Tabak Especial is a lot creamier, sweeter, and lighter than the Java line. Java boasts HUGE draws, and in your face strengths. Both come from opposites ends of the “coffee infused”  spectrum.

CGSA815

ACID by Drew Estate

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