Anthony Bellato and Craig Rossi teamed up with the boutique cigar manufacturer Wynwood to produce #10 on my list. This is the first cigar released by the duo and it’s been a smash around the cigar community. This is a solid cigar carrying a ton of pepper, spice, earthiness and strength while it finished smooth and creamy. I love the artwork too. This is a perfect example on a cigar living up to the buzz.

Read the full Review Here

#9 – La Flor Dominicana – Mystery Cigar

The Mystery cigar. What’s so mysterious about it? Pretty much everything except the fact that it rocks. I’ve seen good and bad reviews on this cigar, but I personally loved it and wish it was more readily available. It’s a departure from the standard power-first mind set that La Flor Dominicana blends usually carry as it’s much more tame, yet still very flavorful. The size is perfect and I would have to say this is probably one of the best LFD cigars that I have ever had the pleasure of smoking.

Read the full review here.

#8 – Reinado – Grand Empire Reserve Corona Gorda

I know the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve came out prior to 2013. And I know the photo above and the link below showcase the robusto format and not the corona. But, the corona was a line extension that Antonio Lam added to the Grand Empire Reserve line this year. While 2013 was the first time that I smoked the line, it was also the first time any of us had smoked the corona gorda which is the size in the line that I personally fell in love with. You can ask anyone who has smoked any cigars if the GER line and I guarantee there wouldn’t be a single person with a single bad thing to say about the cigar, or the manufacturer.

Read the full review here.

#7 – Moya Ruiz – La Jugada Prieto

Sweetness galore! Seriously, Moya Ruiz showcased just how tasty Mexican San Andreas tobacco can be. From the time you light up the Prieto you are taken to a far away place where you find yourself skipping through a field of chocolate. Yeah, that’s totally stretching it, but seriously this cigar tastes like a hershey’s bar wrapped in tobacco. Coffee, cedar, and just a ton of sweetness all wrapped up in a glorious package.

Read the full review here.

#6 – Leccia – White Label

We all have been anxiously awaiting the return of Sam Leccia. His hiatus from the cigar industry was interrupted this year when he released two blends under his new company “Leccia Tobacco”. I smoke both of them, and while I enjoyed both I think the white not only surpassed the black, but also many of the other new blends released by other manufacturers this year. The pepper captured me right off the bat while the strength, spice, cedar, and leather guided me through an incredible experience form start to finish. I just with these babies were easier to find in our neck of the woods.

Read the full review here.

#5 – Quesada/Smoke Inn – Oktoberfest Dunkel

It’s not secret that I loved Quesada’s Oktoberfest release. Hell, most of the cigar community did. When I heard that Quesada had teamed up with Smoke Inn to create a new Oktoberfest blend using my favorite wrapper leaf (Connecticut Broadleaf), I was all over it. While the cigar didn’t differ too much from the original Oktoberfest I found that the Dunkel carried much more sweetness as well as a more creamy take on the Oktoberfest blend. Too bad these bad boys are a limited run, but if I am not mistaken Smoke Inn still have a few of these left in stock.

Read the full review here.

#4 – Crowned Heads – JD Howard Reserve

The JD Howard Reserve was love at first smoke. First off, I love me some Brazillian tobacco, always have. And when that tobacco is used in a blend right, it shines. The JD Howard fires on all cylinders creating a wonderfully strong flavor profile with flavors such as floral notes, maple, spice, and a shit-ton of sweetness. One thing I really liked about the JD Howard was how powerful the cigar was in the flavor department while remaining relatively modest in the strength department. This is an ideal cigar to show off just how great medium-bodied cigars can turn out when they are blended properly.

Read the full review here.

#3 – Tatuaje – 10th Anniversary Belle Encre

Some may say this is not a new release, some may say it is. Whatever the case is, Pete Johnson kicked out another winner. I have read in some blogs that the 10th anniversary is simply the same brown label we all know and love with nothing more than a band change, while some insist that Pete has slightly altered something in the blend. Maybe it’s true, or maybe it’s just due to the vintage of tobacco used on this release, but the 10th anniversary seemed to have a bit more “umph” in the experience than normal for me this year. The strength was slightly more than I was used to (and I smoke a lot of brown labels) while the body of the cigar seemed to show a slight ramp up as well. The Bella Encre was also a new format made exclusively for the 10th anniversary release. The figurado was an instant hit.

Read the full review here.

#2 – Drew Estate – Liga Privada UF-13 Dark

Yes, I love my Liga Privada, we all know that. But the UF-13 dark was an incredible release. Drew Estate fills top 10 lists across all blogs year after year and 2013 is no exception. The UF-13 dark was sold out the second it hit the shelves, there has been a few restockings and even then they don’t stay on shelves. The strong, bold, rich flavors really showcase how badass a powerhouse cigar can be when done properly. Very strong, yet somehow smooth, and not over-powering in the least. The Drew boys did it again.

Read the full review here.

#1 – Illusione – *r* Rothchildes

Now why did this cigar rank #1 on my list? Let me start of by telling you all it’s not due to the price point. While I really appreciate Dion giving our wallets a break with the low price point of the Rothchildes, I simply found this cigar as the most enjoyable cigar I had all year without even taking price into consideration. The first time I smoked it I enjoyed it very much, but it took one or two more to really appreciate the departure from the other lines in the Illusione portfolio. The strong, bold flavors, sweetness, spice and overall balance are not to be messed with. I smoked about 15 of these cigars and every single one produced a perfect experience.

Read the full review here.

The post Top 10 Cigars of 2013 – Tony Casas Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Heard of Reinado Cigars? If you are active on social media (check out Reinado on Facebook and Twitter) they are everywhere. I hadn’t heard of the brand until a year or so ago and every since then they have blown up the review sites with high-rated reviews and a ton of buzz. This isn’t brand I could find locally, but lucky for me our good friend Jay over at Cigarphoto.net made the connection between me and Antonio over at Reinado and he was kind enough to hook us up with a few samples of their newest release, the Grand Empire Reserve (GER).

The Grand Empire Reserve was released at last year’s IPCPR show and created a lot of buzz ever since. The Nicaraguan Puro is created in the Condega region, and only comes in one size, the Elegios which is a 5 x 55 box-press format. The cigar will come in boxes of 20 and run $9.95 a stick.

Here is what Reinado had to say about the blend:

Oradell, NJ, July 03, 2012 –(PR.com)– Following the success of the 92 rated Petite Corona known as the Habanito and the 91 rated Torpedo, REINADO will unveil the Grand Empire Reserve at the 80th Annual IPCPR Convention and International Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, in August, 2012.

The Grand Empire Reserve is a box pressed Robusto that incorporates a select Habano maduro wrapper and an additional aged Nicaraguan filler which leverages REINADO’s signature fermentation process to provide even greater depth, richer undertones, and enhanced overall complexity for both the casual and the distinguished cigar smoker.

“The flavor profile of the Grand Empire Reserve was developed after extensive sampling to deliver a truly exceptional blend,” said Antonio Lam, owner of Cubanero Enterprises. “We believe the flavors and balanced strength developed through extending REINADO’s unique fermentation process along with the inclusion of the aged Nicaraguan filler will distinguish the Grand Empire Reserve from all other cigars on the market,” said Lam.

A single size called Elegios meaning “chosen” is scheduled for release in August, 2012 followed by additional sizes.

“As demonstrated through the REINADO core product line and the introduction of the Grand Empire Reserve, we are dedicated to innovation and offering smokers quality choices of highly rated cigars,” said Lam.

The Grand Empire Reserve will be available through select retailers and, on a limited basis, directly through REINADO.

You can find out more about Reinado, their cigars, and retailer locations on their official website.

Size: 5 x 55 box-press
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Select Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $9.95
Pairing: Sixpoint 3Beans (10% ABV – Baltic Porter)

Prelight: The Grand Empire Reserve starts out with a beautiful, I mean beautiful, oily, toothy, dark brown wrapper. There are a few smaller veins throughout the box-pressed body, but the vast amount of oils and tooth on the wrapper are by far the stand-out Characteristics. The wrapper feels really firm, and thick, while the cigar doesn’t showcase any soft spots at all. The cigar is really firm all the way through. Again, again, again, I LOVE these soft-box pressed cigars. Reinado’s construction on each of the samples have been flawless, capped off with a beautiful, round, triple cap. The cigar is polished off with the simple, elegant Reinado crest and a secondary gold band stating “Grand Empire Reserve”.

The wrapper gives off lots, and lots, of sweet tobacco and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar screams of spice and pepper. The cap on this cigar clipped very easily and very cleanly using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a ton of black pepper, spice, and so much sweetness.

First Smoke: Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve starts out with a massive black pepper explosion right off the bat. I was expecting it since the cold-draw. As the pepper faded out slightly I was able to get a real grip of the crazy sweetness this cigar carries with sweet tobacco, raisin, deep oak, and an almost maple syrup flavor. This cigar starts out amazingly bold in both the flavor and the strength department. The Grand Empire Reserve kicks out a perfect amount of thick, white smoke with every puff. As you can tell by the change in the background scenery I had to retreat to my patio due to the high winds out today and even then, the smoke was so thick it stuck around for a while before dissipating.  The burnline is razor sharp, and despite a few early waves I didn’t have to tough it up at all during the first third. The ash is a medium and dark grey and held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Despite the trend in most smokes, the black pepper is still a dominant flavor in the Grand Empire Reserve’s flavor mix. There has been some nice chocolate notes moving in and colliding with the raisin, deep oak, spice, sweet tobacco, and that syrupy taste I picked up. The retrohale is crazy sharp, and so strong on the black pepper that I couldn’t find it in myself to do it too often. I am feeling a nice bit of nicotine at this point. This cigar isn’t “too” strong, in fact it’s strong but well balanced, just the way I like it. So many times I have been at a herf with a handful of friends and one person lights up a cigar that just smells so rich, so good, that it makes me jealous no matter how good the cigar I am smoking is. This is exactly what Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve does. My entire porch was filled with strong, sweet, deep oak. It smelled liked a mixture of light incense and firewood.

Finish: Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve took me a little over an hour to smoke and it was a flavor powerhouse from start to finish. The strength has began to pick up a bit more in the final third of the cigar while the flavors have just been relentless. The black pepper has now completely faded away just in the time create a smooth ending for this cigar while the syrup, sweetness, chocolate and spice are still going strong. The cigar finished slightly wavy but I never had to touch up, or relight the cigar the entire experience. The cigar left me with a nice little nicotine kick. Nothing that knocked me off my ass, but this cigar is very full in strength and body.

Overview: Can you tell how much I liked this cigar? If not, read again. In fact, as I was finishing it up I even messaged the Casas Fumando crew to tell them how much ass this cigar kicked (and it’s quite a bit). I was slightly skeptical about the Grand Empire Reserve for 3 reasons. 1) I was fearful that it was all the reviews had just over hyped it in my eyes. 2) This cigar is limited and Reinado’s cigars aren’t found in too many shops. And 3) the price is a bit steep for such a young cigar company. Now how did it do? 1) I can say that in my opinion the Grand Empire Reserve deserves 100% all the praise it has been getting. 2) despite the availably, if you are willing to purchase outside of your state or city these cigars can easily be found for shipping and 3) the prices is spot on for such a well manufactured, wonderful experience. This is a complex, strong cigar that won’t kick your ass. It’s perfect for the novice smoker looking to try a premium cigar as it serves as a perfect example of how great complex cigars can be. And ideal for any seasoned smoker looking for a cigar that will keep them on their toes the entire experience. This is a box worthy cigar for sure, and I know for a fact that I will be seeking more out.

Pairing: As I stated before, I have been on a huge Sixpoint kick lately. I really enjoy every single brew that I have found by them and I am glad that each week I find it in more and more shops locally. One of their most recent short run releases, the 3Beans has been making its way through said shops as of late. The beer is a Baltic (strong) porter brewed at the Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, clocking in at 10% ABV. The name of the beer comes from 3 different beans that are used in the brewing process of the beer. First, Coffee beans from Stumptown Coffee, Cocoa beans from Mast Brothers chocolate, and Sprouted Roman Beans which are similar to kidney beans. The Sprouted Roman Beans have actually been a documented supplement for barely by ancient brewers during times when barely was running low. Anyways, the beer is great. It gives off a nice chocolate, and coffee aroma with just a tip of alcohol. The aroma describes the flavors almost to a tee. Lots of coffee, chocolate, and malt. The coffee that I speak of is a really natural coffee, not just light notes. As you can tell these flavors pair wonderfully with the Grand Empire Reserve and that coffee just adds this amazing dimension to an already complex cigar. I can totally see why I read so many posts of smokers pairing this cigar with coffee.

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