Duran Cigars’ Texas Tactical Lancero is manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua at Nicatabaco S.A. The Texas Tactical trades out the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper found on the traditional Neya F8 line with an Ecuadorian Corojo Maduro over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Packaged in 15-count boxes, the cigars are priced at $8.00 and began shipping to retailers in September.

Our friend and honorary guest contributor, Jeff Oda, has reviewed several offerings from Duran Cigars, which you can find below:

• Azan White Premium
• Baracoa
• Neya

THE FACTS

Price:$8
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 by 40
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 50 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Neya Texas Tactical wears a dark brown Ecuadorian Corojo Maduro wrapper that has a deep red hue. The veins are easy to see with their lighter appearance compared to the rest of the leaf. There is one medium-sized vein that runs the majority of the cigar, but, other than that, the other veins are very small. A fine tooth and some scattered bumps can be felt down the leaf. There are no soft spots found on the cigar, however, the foot of the cigar appears underfilled.

The wrapper aroma is a combination of wood and pungent vinegar, while the foot has a dirt-like and burnt ash smell. The Neya Texas Tactical comes to a close with a pointy pig-tail cap, which the majority of it broke off somewhere between the shop and home. A quick clip through the 40 ring guage cigar reveals the perfect amount of resistance and delivers rich cedar and dirt.

FIRST THIRD

As soon as the cigar is lit, it looks like a huge tunnel is already formig due to the shortage of tobaccos near the foot. With that said, the cigar takes off without issue. Smoke is pumping out and the flavors are full and rich. Well balanced flavors of cedar, buttered toast, a touch of cinnamon, pepper spice and a sweetness rounds out everything. The retro-hale brings out the spice, but not overwhelmingly. Some of the earlier pre-light dirt flavor and an unsweetened bubble gum lingers on the finish of the smoke. The cigar is burning along evenly as a light gray ash is formed. As I close out the first third, the Texas Tactcial is already showing some strength and the spice has stepped up a few notches.

MIDDLE THIRD

Moving into the second third, the richness builds as the flavors remain consistent with first third. Earth and cocoa are heavy on the finish and the spice is sharp as the smoke moves through my nose. A hefty amount of smoke is being produced, delivering full flavors and a strength profile that is right in-line. Approaching the middle of the cigar, the burn-line is wavy, but not concerning as of now and a unique and pleasant barbeque smoky smoky flavor has joined in.

FINAL THIRD

A red fruit sweetness has moved to the front of the profile with a rich cedar and toasted quality. A re-light wasn’t necessary as the Neya Texas Tactical self-corrected itself as I was hoping. The cocoa has made its way from the finish into the profile more in a dusty cocoa fashion bringing the Texas Tactical Lancero to a close.

WRAP-UP

I have smoke a lot of good cigars in 2016, but there are very few that are all the memorable. This year’s Top 10 List may be a little more difficult to prepare than past years. But one thing is for certain, the Neya Texas Tactical Lancero will certainly be on that list. Everything about this cigar worked for me and for it. The way the slim vitola comes to a close with its pig tailed cap and features dual bands makes this an eye catching stick. The flavors are rich, bold, and spicy and the strength hangs out right with the flavors without pushing you over the edge. For nearly two hours, the Texas Tactical showed off great balance and complexity. This is a cigar you don’t want to overlook.

The post Duran Cigars – Neya Texas Tactical Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

This time around, I bring to you a review of another cigar by Roberto P. Duran Cigars, the Azan White Premium in the Toro de Luxe size.  The weather here in Seattle has been pretty consistently crappy, with rain, rain with high winds, and more rain, with a scant few breaks in between.  Although today’s weather was originally predicted to be rainy with a chance of snow, it has instead turned out to be sunny, but with strong and cold wind gusts, thus chasing me inside for this review.

Anyway, the Roberto Duran White Premium line of cigars was launched at the 2013 IPCPR trade show, but this year, they introduced a new size to the line, the 6 1/2×54 Toro de Luxe, priced at $9.  The other sizes in the line include the Campana 5 1/2×52, Robusto Extra 5 1/2×52, and the Robusto 4 7/8x 50 and run between $6-$8.

The Azan name has an interesting background among old Cuban brands.  Kwan Ben Sen and his two brothers migrated to Cuba from China in 1870 and adopted the name Azan.  They started manufacturing cigars in 1928 and the company continued to do so until the revolution of 1959 when the government took possession of it.  The Roberto Duran White Premium line under this name has an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper surrounding a binder from Nicaragua, with a filler blend of Nicaraguan Jalapa and Estili and Brazilian Mata Fina.

I have previously reviewed the Neya from Roberto Duran – you can read my review here – and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was eager to give the White Premium a go.

I received these cigars for review from the good folks at Cuenca Cigars, although they don’t seem to have them listed online as of this writing.

Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan Jalapa and Esteli, Brazilian Mata Fina
Size:  Toro de Luxe 6 1/2×54
Price:  $9
Smoking time:  Two hours, ten minutes
Pairing:  Deschutes Jubelale (6.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The Roberto Duran Azan White Premium comes draped in a fairly oily medium brown wrapper that shows some darker mottling, leading to a nicely applied double cap.  The roll is very firm with no soft spots and is rather bumpy despite minimal veining.  I rather like the simplicity of the band – a white background with gold and brown lettering and logo.  The wrapper gives off a tangy scent on top of natural tobacco and light earth, while the foot shows some spicy tobacco and earth.  A slight snip of the cap reveals a rather open draw showcasing light cedary tobacco.

First third:

Well, at least being inside allows for a nice leisurely toasting of the foot, and immediately, bright sweet cedar jumps out at me, joined by a bit of earth, rich tobacco, and a smoky umami savoriness that I can’t quite place.  There is some pepper in the retrohale, but the cedar is really what is carrying the flavors so far, although not in an obnoxiously strong way.  The burn line is a bit thick with just a slight waviness and is producing a pretty solid looking ash that lasts for a good inch.  Earthiness soon steps forward and the sweet cedar and pepper have backed off to show smooth savory tobacco driven flavors in a medium bodied presentation.

Middle third:

As the Roberto Duran White Premium enters into the second portion of its length, some bread notes have come into play, along with some sweet spice lingering in the aftermath of the retrohale.  The rich tobacco continues to be the main force along with the woodiness, and that lightly smoky savoriness remains in the background.  Just past the halfway point, the cigar has gone out on me, and I’m forced to give it a re-light, something that wasn’t required of the two that I had previously smoked, but it’s off and running again, with no negative effects from the re-light.  Pepper has re-emerged, and the breadiness has grown stronger, as the body has moved a bit beyond the medium point.

Final third:

After an hour and forty minutes (!), I’m just getting into the final third of the Roberto Duran White Premium.  The flavors have remained pretty much the same, but are getting a bit deeper, making the smoke very enjoyable.  The strength has moved up to medium with just a bit of nicotine kick.  The rich tobacco, cedar/oak, earth, bread, and light sweet spices continue to the smooth smoking and medium-plus bodied end, and despite suffering from a bit of exhaustion from the long smoke time, I’m having a hard time putting it down with an inch remaining.

Conclusion:

While not the most transitionally complex smoke around, the Roberto Duran White Premium’s portfolio of flavors is certainly complex enough to be a thoroughly enjoyable smoke.  Although I did have to re-light it once and give it a couple of quick touch-ups, that did not occur with the first two I smoked, so I would judge the construction and burn characteristics to be very good to excellent.  The time it took me to smoke this one rather astounded me, so the $9 MSRP is a great value.  I will certainly check out the other sizes in this blend, and recommend that those looking for a cigar in this range try out this line as well.

Pairing:

The Jubelale winter seasonal ale from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR is one that I’m sure to pick up each year as it comes out.  This year’s version seems a bit thicker in the mouth than the ones that I’ve had in the past, and what the reddish brown color would indicate.  Roasty malt on entry is backed by smoky coffee along with a bit of dark fruit and caramel.  I loved the way that the smoky, roasty flavors reflected those in the White Premium, and the fruit and caramel intermingled nicely.  I think that a strong ale or a malt-forward Imperial IPA would be a great match for the Roberto Duran White Premium cigar, as would a smooth Highland Single Malt Scotch or a deeply fruity red wine.

The post Roberto Duran Azan White Premium Toro de Luxe appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

September and October 2015 Recap

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

1. Crowned Heads – Las Calaveras 2015
2. La Mission du L’Atelier
3. Tatuaje – La Riqueza
4. Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana

 September and October Cigar Reviews

Review Highlights

Jeremy’s Reviews
Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana 

Bella Dominicana delivered medium/full flavors at the start and transitioned to more of medium smoke throughout the last two third. The strength behaved exactly opposite with reaching medium/full at the end. I would characterize the core of the smoke, or the most consistent flavor, as sweet, rich woodsy notes with no lack of complexity and change-ups and a fair amount of pepper spice.

J. Fuego – Vudu Sacrifice and Vudu Dark, Famous Smoke Shop Exclusives

Sacrifice: Right of the bat, the Sacrifice delivered full-flavors that were full in body and medium in strength. I have absolutely no complaints in the performance department. While the draw was stiff at the pre-light, once lit, the draw was fine and the burn and ash was exceptional for a cigar less than $3.00. Not overly complex, but highly enjoyable smoke that I could see picking up in the evening and standing up to fuller body beverages.

Dark: The Vudu Dark is my cup of tea. The flavors of earth, cocoa, and pepper suited my palate with an evolving strength that moved from mild to medium/full throughout the smoke. Compared to the Sacrifice, the burn-line was not nearly as even, but was of no concern. I actually ordered up a jar of No. 7s, and I believe you may be hard-pressed to find a better cigar for the price.

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015 delivers medium flavors, body, and strength, sometimes pushing full, with an effortless performance. The sweetness noted in the first third brought a nice balance to the dark and sour/floral flavors and was sorely missed once it exited in the middle third and never made a return. The sour floral or grapefruit essence held my interest throughout but I longed for the return of the sweetness.

Carnage, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive

Famous Smoke Shop’s Carnage blended by Nestor Plasencia delivers medium flavors and medium/full strength with a consistent profile with a core of rich woodsy notes and pepper spice, with some subtleties that are much more noticeable if this cigar is not hot boxed. The Carnage Robusto required one touch-up, but other that I don’t have any complaints on the performance.

Tatuaje La Riqueza Lancero

The core of the flavors were dark and spicy, with lots of subtleties in the profile and change-ups in each of thirds kept me engaged the entire time. Each time I burn through one of the Tatuaje lanceros in the Limited Lancero Collection, I feel like I just found my new favorite Tat. As it stand today, this may very well be my favorite.

Tony’s Reviews

Padron – Damaso No. 8

In my case, I was pretty disappointed in the lack of everything that you have come to expect from Padron in the case of the Damaso. The body was lacking, the flavor profile was less than stellar, and the price point was way too high for what the cigar delivered. Not to mention that I really tried to take my time with this cigar, but even then it burned way too quickly. It seriously only took me about 50 minutes to smoke this down to the very nub.

Crux Du Connoisseur

Each of Crux’s cigars have been hits in our book, and the Crux Du Connoisseur is no exception. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorites by the company. The cigar sports lots of character with a complex and interesting flavor profile that isn’t too far over the top.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14

Looking over my review of the first release of the Extension de la Racine (ER13), it appears that this one is quite a bit different in the flavors it presents, and I have to wonder if the shape of the cigar has something to do with that.  I definitely missed the Asian spice and floral elements that were present in the ER13 and that I enjoyed so much, so perhaps the Parejo shape is a better fit for this blend than figurado.

Roberto Duran Cigars – Neya 

The flavors were enjoyable and reasonably complex, and the experience was very much in line with the Duran EPF target.  The previous two that I had actually lasted about ten to fifteen minutes longer than this one, so YMMV.  At four bucks, I think that this cigar is an absolute bargain, and I have no qualms about recommending it to someone who’s looking for a high-value medium-plus bodied stick.

AJ Fernandez Enclave

The AJ Fernandez Enclave turned out to be a solid smoke, which while not the most complex around, provided a good range of flavors with enough transitions to keep me interested in it.  Construction and burn were top-notch, it smoked nice and slow, and the price is absolutely consumer friendly.

The post Monthly Recap – September & October Recap – JH Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

Neya is a line of cigars by the Roberto Duran, a cigar company that has been getting a lot of positive press over the past couple of years.  Founded by Roberto P. Duran, a native of Cuba (not the Panamanian boxer), the company follows a philosophy of producing cigars in the traditional Cuban way.  According to the Duran website, they use a method called “Evolution and Progressive Flavor (EPF)”, where the flavor of the cigar gains strength and intensity as it is smoked.

The Neya line utilizes an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and includes aged ligero in its blend and is intended to be a great everyday smoke, which is reflected in the $4 to $7 price tag.  It comes in five sizes:  The Classic Petit Corona 5 1/8×42, Robusto 4 7/8×50, and Cañonazo 6×52 are medium bodied; while the F8 designated Toro 6×56 and Yankee 6×60 are meant to deliver a fuller bodied experience.  They are manufactured at Duran’s Nicatabaco SA factory in Estili, Nicaragua.

These Neya Petit Coronas came to me courtesy of the great folks over at Cuenca Cigars.  Thank you Ana!

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Size:  Petit Corona 5 1/8 x 42
Price:  $4
Smoking time:  One hour
Pairing:  Weihenstephaner Vitus (7.7% ABV)

Pre-light:

The Neya by Roberto Duran comes in a medium brown wrapper with some natural darker spots and a few small but noticeable veins.  The roll is firm, with a slight bit of sponginess leading to a double cap.  It is nicely offset by a very traditional looking band in navy blue gold and cream with a portrait of a woman (the cigar’s namesake, perhaps?) in the center, and “Neya Cigar Co.” below the portrait and on the side of the band.  The scent off of the wrapper is a light tangy barnyard and wood, while the foot shows earthy natural tobacco.  Clipping the cap produces a snug, but tolerable draw, showing not much more than sweet tobacco  The cap, however, has begun to unravel, and I will have to be careful that the thin wrapper doesn’t follow suit.  Yes, I really can screw up a “perfect cutter” and somehow do a crooked clip, lol.

First third:

The Neya immediately starts out with a blast of musty tobacco accompanied by earthiness, wood, and some sharp white pepper.  Retrohaling actually brightens the flavors and accentuates the pepper.  The draw, while not open, easily produces a good mouthful of smoke, and the burn line, which started out rather thick, is thinning out as the Neya burns at a bit of a slant.  The ash it leaves behind is a light tan tinged gray that taps off easily at ¾”.  At this point, the medium bodied smoke has become smoother, the mustiness and earth have stepped back, and cedar has come forward with some bread, bitter coffee, and musky notes.  The pepper has transitioned to a more pungent smooth black pepper.

Halfway there:

Entering the middle portion of the Neya, some leather joins the mix, the bread notes are more apparent, especially through the retrohale, and the flavors have deepened, pushing the cigar past the medium mark.  The draw has opened to just the right amount of resistance for me, and while I did give the stick a quick touch-up, it was more about my picky self than something that was really necessary.  I’m finding that I have to be careful with the retrohale, as too big of one hits me with a wasabi-like stinging effect.

Down to the finish:

Down the home stretch, the Neya continues to be a smooth mouthful with a bracing finish through the nose.  Flavors continue to deepen, and a bit of sweetness somewhere between spice and floral becomes apparent, along with a slight bit of wood char.  The pepper is now intensifying and causing some tingling on my tongue and lips.  With about ¾” left, it has gotten a little awkward to hold, and on the verge of medium-full, but not more than low medium in strength, I put the Neya down.

Overview:

With this being the third Neya I have smoked over the past couple of weeks, I have really been impressed with this cigar.  The first one I smoked within a day of receiving them was very reminiscent of a Cuban Bolivar 2007 that I had a few months ago, but they have been evolving over the short time I have had them, perhaps showing a bit more of their Nicaraguan origins.  After my goofed up cut, I had no unraveling problems, just one minor and probably unnecessary correction, and no re-lights, so construction on this cigar is top-notch.  The flavors were enjoyable and reasonably complex, and the experience was very much in line with the Duran EPF target.  The previous two that I had actually lasted about ten to fifteen minutes longer than this one, so YMMV.  At four bucks, I think that this cigar is an absolute bargain, and I have no qualms about recommending it to someone who’s looking for a high-value medium-plus bodied stick.

Pairing:

I’m just going to go ahead and steal Tony’s write up on the Weihenstephaner Vitus that he paired with the My Father Smoke Inn El Hijo several years back:

“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.”

Yep, that pretty much says it all for me.  I love this beer and the match was simply great.

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