Up for grabs is a sampler including:

6 Pack Cigar Sampler

• 2              La Gloria Gilded Age Robusto
• 2              Montecristo Relentless Toro
• 2              RP Vintage ’03 Cam Robusto

And…

CIGAR MONSTER HUMIDOR JAR

• Humidor Capacity: 15
• Size: Travel

The rules are simple. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and one winner will be chosen at random. You must live in the USA or Canada, and must be 18 years or older to enter. To enter in the contest you must provide an active e-mail address in the Rafflecopter widget. All entries will be shared with Famous Smoke Shop. Famous Smoke Shop is dedicated to earning your business as well as your trust. To that end, they hold your privacy in highest regard, and promise not to sell, share, or rent your information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Famous Smoke Shop Cigar Sampler and Humidor Jar Giveaway appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

• Aging Room Small Batch M356 Major (6 ½ by 60)
• Camacho Corojo Diploma (5 by 50)
• Humo Jaguar Grande (6 by 60)
• J Fuego Origen Original (5 by 44)
• My Uzi Weighs A Ton Bait Fish (4 by 44)
• Padilla Miami Maduro Torpedo (6 ½ by 54)
• Perdomo Champagne Noir Robusto (5 by 54)
• Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Toro (6 ½ by 52)
• Schizo Sixty (6 by 60)
• Torano Loyal Robusto (5 by 56)
• Trinidad Paradox Churchill (7 by 57)
• Trocadero Honore (5 ¾ by 56)

Today, I have decided to check out the Humo Jaguar 2011.  All the manufacturers who attend the annual Honduran Cigar Festival blend a cigar specific for the festival and one cigar is chosen as the best. Nestor Plasencia claimed this title in 2011.  This cigar is readily available through online retailers.  The Humo Jaguar 2011 comes in three vitolas: Robusto (5 by 52), Corona Gorda (6 by 52), and Gigante or Grande (6 by 60). While not a go to size for me, I will be smoking the Gigante 6 by 60.

The Facts

Vitola: Gigante
Size: 6 by 60
Wrapper: Honduran Oscuro
Binder: Honduran – Talanga
Filler: Honduran – Cuban Seed Long-Filler
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: Just under 2 hours

Pre-light

The Humu Jaguar has a rustic appeal.  Veins are all over the cigar but there are none above medium in size. The cigar has a velvety feel and is fairly firm with no soft spots.  However, under the band there is a crazy indention in this cigar. The color is mostly medium reddish brown with dark spots throughout.

The wrapper aroma is extremely earthy with some nutty and sweet notes. The nuttiness is similar to the shell of a peanut.  A minor pepper and tobacco notes are prevalent on the foot of the cigar.  What appears to be a triple cap has been applied rather sloppy.  Due to the larger ring gauge, I made a shallow cut on the cap of the cigar. A free draw delivers rich tobacco and clove flavors.

First Third

The 60 ring gauge foot took some time to light with my Zippo Z-Plus!. A triple flame would have come in handy when lighting up this puppy. Instantly, smooth and spicy smoke coats my mouth. The leather and earth flavors dominates the profile but not in a bad way.  In the background of the flavor profile some mineral-like flavors are peeking through, along with a sweet finish.  The leather flavor is something I anticipated knowing the Honduran origin.  Deep earthy notes and dark coffee comes forth on the retrohale, with additional spice and pepper. The first salt and pepper ash dropped at a half of an inch, but the second ash held to an inch.  The smoke production is decent but a long draw is required to pull the smoke down this six inch stick.  The Humo burn line is thick and wavy but isn’t getting too off path. Flavors are coming through medium/full and the strength is medium.

Middle Third

The flavors remain heavy and deep as I dive into the second third. Some enjoyable cocoa and coffee flavors have arrived and the earthy notes remain around.  The smoke production is now rockin. Tons of thick, dense smoke is billowing out of this Humo Jaguar Gingante. The black pepper on the retrohale is intense.  Some sweetness is still on the finish but quickly fades to a deep earth, almost dirt-like, flavor. I thought for sure I would be feeling some strength in the cigar by this point. So far so good.  While the strength is medium the cigar is still very flavorful.  The burn-line has almost completely corrected itself from the waviness early on.

Final Third

The band slides off with ease, giving way to the final third of the winner of the 2011 Honduran Cigar Festival.  A similar spice from the start of first third is back, warming my entire mouth.  I have not come across any harshness in the smoke thus far and the smoke remain cools.  A cocoa sweetness hits the front of the palate, but darker, earth flavors override it.  The dark flavors are heavy on my palate requiring a lot of water to keep a fresh palate between puffs.  The smoke is very meaty.  A mixture of earth, pepper, and saltiness reminds me of McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning.  The burn-line is now razor sharp and not one touch-up was needed throughout this six inch Humo Jaguar.  The flavors are full at the conclusion of the final third and strength has shifted to the medium/full arena.

Wrap-up

The Humo Jaguar 2011 was super earthy.  Probably one of the most earthy cigars I have smoked or at least remember smoking.  But overall it was a very enjoyable stick. There were some subtle complexities but the fullness of the earth flavor overwhelmed the other enjoyable, more subtle notes. While I may not go out of my way to search down this stick, I would grab a single if I ever came across it or if it was included in another sampler like the one above. If you enjoy earthy cigars, this cigar will be right up your alley. Shoot,  12 cigars for $19.99 is a heck of steal and the offer is still available here. Grab the sampler and let us know what you think of the Humo Jaguar 2011.

The post Nestor Plasencia – Humo Jaguar 2011 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Anyways, enough with the mushy stuff. Up for grabs today are 3, yes 3 samplers from Eddie Ortega’s new venture, Ortega cigar company. Three lucky winners will each receive a sampler box containing 5 cigars, one of each size, of Eddie’s debut blend the Serie “D”.

Most of you know Eddie for his work alongside his former partner in crime, Erik Espinosa over at E.O. Brands. The two are responsible for some great blends such as the Cubao, the 601, and the Murcielago. Eddie recently parted ways with Erik in search of something new. Spawning from that, comes Ortega Cigar Company and their first release, the Serie “D”. For more information on Eddie and the Serie “D” you can read our review here, Follow Ortega Cigar Company on Facebook, Follow Eddie Ortega on Twitter, or check out Ortega Cigar Company’s site.

Now how do you win one of these bad boys?

Again, I am going to keep it simple for you guys. Has anyone who knows Eddie, or has ever seen pictures of this guy, not seen him smiling? I’m sure there are a few “serious” Eddies out there, but they are few and far between. Now let’s put a smile on his face. I would like you guys to put your thinking caps on again and reply to this post with what you think, the “D” in Serie “D” stands for. Make it funny, clever, mushy, whatever. Just don’t be mean. I will choose 3 random winners tomorrow that will receive one of these awesome samplers.

And now, to announce yesterday’s winner!

The Great Gary has chosen, but before I reveal his favorite “nut kick”, I’d like to pass out a few honorable mentions:

Paul Tyler: I would love Gary to give the entire cast of “Jersey Shore” a kick in the nuts…with the conclusion of season 5 last week, I am hoping a good swift kick by Gary to the nut sacks of all of them will prevent a season 6. Please Gary…stop this train wreck…put an end to their 15 minutes of fame! Now! Please! I know you can do it!

He had a few follow ups that basically took the words right out of my mouth:
–Tadd Replied: Can I vote for Paul Tyler instead…. ? the fact he knows Jersey Shore has a 5th seasons…. deserves him a kick in the crotch….bwahahahahahahahaha
–Paul Tyler Replied: Um, er, it is the guilty pleasure of the bartender at the curling club…it is on every Thursday night while I am there…she fills me in on the details…um, yeah, that’s it.
– Daniel Replied: Sure Paul, Sure… we believe you…. Lol

Luan N: I think gary should kick peyton manning in the nuts for taking all this time and playing with the minds of 4-5 different fan bases, and then getting tim tebow’s hopes of ever starting for a team again, for choosing the denver broncos. Hopefully manning’s nuts go up high enough into his neck so we can see how far along his procedure has come. – Just cause I like Tebow. I’m not a football fan, but how can you not like this guy?

And Josh: I have a last minute change for my Gary nut kick. My church burned down today and two 13 year old boys have been arrested for arson. Those two truly deserve a HUGE kick in the sack – I’d personally like to kick them in the nuts for you.

And the winner, carefully chosen by Gary himself:

abraxas828282! – I have heard that Gary is a vampire, I have heard that Gary is older than the hills, I have heard that Gary is Superman’s, Batman’s, and Luke Skywalkers real father. I have even heard that Gary is in fact the true Dos Equis guy! Therefore, I would like to see Gary do something truly amazing and kick himself in the nuts! – You make him sound so sexy. Email your name, phone, and address to “casasfumando@gmail.com” and we will get your winnings out to you!

The post Contest Day #6 – Ortega Cigar Company (and Contest #5 winner) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Ramon Allones brand isn’t too popular, but the Specially Selected seems to have garnered a fairly faithful offering. The brand actually began way back in 1837 by it’s two founders, Ramón and Antonio Allones. After a variety of ownership changes the company was eventually purchased by the Cifuentes company who also owns the Partagas brand. Manufacturing for all Ramon Allones cigars also comes from the same Partagas factory in Cuba.

The brand used to have a much larger vitola selection but since 2001, when Altadis bought a heft portion of the company, a lot of the sizes have been discontinued. The Ramon Allones brand is also heralded as one of the first Cuban cigar manufacturers to use full colored emblems on their boxes and possibly one of the first to produce the infamous 8-9-8 style of packaging.

As of current research, Ramon Allones is currently selling cigars in 4 vitolas along with an occasional Regional Release or Special Edition to round out the line. The particular cigar I will be smoking today comes from a box with a fairly recent date of May 2011. It will be interesting so see how this cigar performs early in the aging process since the recomended age time for this cigar is roughly 3 years.

Cigar: Ramon Allones Specially Selected
Drink: Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish Oak Aged Beer
Vitola: Robusto (4.8 x 50)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: About $7.00 in Cuba
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Each of the cigars in this box had a consistent soft box pressed shape to them
• The Ramon Allones Specially Selected also has very few larger veins
• The triple cap atop this cigar looks clean and well applied
• Although fairly firm, the cigar has a nice little spring to it when squeezed
• The foot looks to be very well packed
• The cap cut off cleanly leaving just a little mess in the ashtray
• The band unfortunately had a little too much glue on it and took some of the wrapper with it when removed
• The draw was good but I somehow got a huge tar buildup on the cap so I had to clip it a little further at around the half way point of the cigar

Burn:
• Toasting was a bit uneven and long but it evened out with a little extra effort
• At first the Specially Selected was burning nice and even but then one side started burning much faster than the other so I was left with a huge wave that needed correction
• I actually find this to be a pretty common problem on a lot of my Cubans for some reason
• After that one minor burn issue the cigar has been progressing well without any need for corrections
• I like how the RASS is staying lit easily without the need for constant babysitting

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw brings a little less smoke than I’d like
• Surprisingly though, the resting smoke is off the charts at times
• The ash is a disappointing looking dark grey and black, not very attractive at all
• It does have some strength to it though, the ash is clean and lasts about an inch or so before I tap it off
• The second ash lasted another inch with the same consistency, the colors weren’t so dark this time possibly because I didn’t need to touch it up at all

Tasting Notes:
• Pre-light draw was all about the cedar, lots of fresh cedar aroma coming off this cigar
• Initial draws brought more of the fresh cedar flavors and a bit of earthiness
• There also a touch of the signature saltiness on my tongue
• The body overall has started fairly mild and there is no bite on the retrohale at all
• The whole experience has a nice cedar finish to it, even on the retrohale
• As the cigar progresses I’m getting a creaminess being added to the mix that is balancing well with the cedar and earthy notes
• One unique note I’m picking up here and there is a licorice type of flavor, very interesting and it would be nice to see it develop a bit more
• The licorice is dancing around with the cedar and I’m getting some mild spices peeking in here and there
• Just past the halfway mark I noticed a decent tar buildup on the cap, lucky for me I caught it before I touched it with my tongue, so a quick clip and I was good to go.
• The rest of the cigar proceeded tastefully but I really wish that licorice flavor would have jumped out a bit more

Final Thoughts:
The Ramon Allones Specially Selected turned out to be a nice mild to medium classic Cuban cigar. I don’t think it does anything new or special but it’s one of the more affordable Cubans you can find and they seem to be constructed consistently well from the ones I’ve had a chance to enjoy. The cedar and earthy flavors are enjoyable and the hint of licorice and spice brought an interesting layer to the mix that kept my attention. I did get some tar on some of the ones I smoked but it wasn’t anything terrible, one quick clip kept it at bay. I can see myself possibly getting some more of these in the future but I’d be curious to see how they age first, maybe I’ll revisit them in a year or so and see how things have changed. Good to know they are tasty and not overpowering while fairly fresh, so grab a few to try if you can.

Pairings:
Another Innis & Gunn you say? Of course! These guys make some awesome beers and I keep finding more new ones to try. Today’s choice is called the “Spiced Rum Finish” and came as part of the Winter Sampler pack. I’ve never had this particular brew before so I was curious to see how it turned out given my awesome track record with this brewery. Well, what an interesting beer this turned out to be. At it’s core, you can tell the classic Original Oak Aged style is there but it has an extra punch. Each sip gives just a tiny little spicy kick of raw cinnamon or cloves, maybe even a touch of pepper. Very unique that’s for sure and damn tasty if I say so myself. Very disappointed to see that it’s only available in the holiday pack cause I would easily vouch for a case if it were available to me. This paired perfectly with the mild to medium bodied Ramon Allones Specially Selected and would pair very well with other medium bodied cigars. Other suggested pairings for this cigar would be coffee or other lighter amber brews, maybe even a Tripel.

The post Ramon Allones Specially Selected (Cuban) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today’s review comes courtesy of Lou B. who you can find in the comments section every now and then. I met Lou at a herf a little while back and he’s been holding some awesome Cigar-B-Cue’s where we eat, smoke, drink and talk. At the last little gathering, Lou handed me a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and said that I had to try it and squeeze in a review if possible. We chatted a little about how my history with most Rocky Patel sticks is a little shaky but I would give it a shot.

So here I am today about to light up this cigar. I have had a few Vintage 1990’s a while ago but it’s been a rather long time so other than a few notes I made for myself I don’t have much to go on. I actually decided to ignore my old notes and go at this one blindly!

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 is the oldest cigar in his vintage line. This particular blend is made with Maduro Broadleaf wrapper dating back to 1990. So the wrapper on these cigars is near 12 Years old and apparently the filler is at least 5 years old before being rolled. That makes for a very well aged cigar right out of the box so let’s hope it has the smoothness you would expect on such a well aged smoke.

It seems that the Vintage 1990 line is also available in a wide variety of vitolas that come boxed in quantities of 20. I even stumbled upon some being sold as bundles so you can save a few dollars there too. The vitola Lou gifted me with happens to be their Churchill which also has a box-pressed look to it. The cigar also seems a lot smaller than the claimed 48 ring gauge, possibly due to the pressing. I’d say this cigar is almost around 42 or 44 ring gauge from a quick glance.

Now this cigar also has quite the reputation which can sometimes hinder a cigar. It’s been given a 92 rating by Cigar Aficionado and even been named to the Top 25 Cigars of the year twice. So this sets the bar fairly high when you read something like that before lighting up. But regardless of that, I’m going into this review with a clear mind and hoping for a good smoke. This one’s for you Lou!

Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Drink: Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011
Vitola: Churchill (7 x 48)
Wrapper: Honduran Maduro Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican/Nicaraguan
Price: About $8.00
Burn Time: Just short of 2 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this cigar is velvety smooth and has the color of milk chocolate bar, it’s actually quite appealing to look at
• There are some veins and seams running along it’s length but none of them look large enough to pose any problems
• The vitola on this cigar is pretty interesting, but despite that the single cap looks to be expertly applied and clean
• The foot follows in the same ‘footsteps’ (cheesy pun, I know…lol) and is very well packed
• That also links into the fairly firm feel of the whole cigar, there is a tiny give when squeezed but not much, I think I’ll blame that on the box pressing process
• The cap clipped off nice and easy but left me with a bit of a tight draw, hoping that doesn’t continue and it opens up soon
• Glad to report that the draw opened up nicely within the first inch

Burn:
• The toasting was easy and fairly even, getting me off to a good start easily
• I usually get some funky burn lines on box pressed cigars but through the first couple inches this one is flawless
• Not much to report here, as I get to the halfway mark I’m still moving along flawlessly
• Still more nothing to report, lol. No wavy lines, no canoes, no tunnels, just the way I like it!

Smoke & Ash:
• There is a ton of resting smoke coming off this cigar, could be a little too much if I were in an enclosed room
• Even with a tight draw, I’m still picking up a fairly good amount of smoke from each puff
• The ash on this cigar is a nice even tone of light gray and is keeping itself fairly clean and tight
• Got to just about an inch before the ash fell off
• Next ash got to about an inch again before I tapped it off cause it was looking ready to fall
• Seemed to get a pretty consistent 1 inch ash on these that stayed clean

Tasting Notes:
• Running the cigar under my nose gives an easily noticeable aroma of coffee, but mostly of cedar. It’s light and pleasant, not overpowering
• The foot does away with the coffee but does carry the aroma of cedar and maybe a little bit of greenery
• I get the same greenery and cedar flavor as I take a pre-light draw after clipping the cap. Also an odd liquor type of flavor, almost like infused but you can tell it isn’t, interesting to see if that will carry into the smoking experience
• Initial flavors are mostly woodsy and earthy notes, maybe with a hint of coffee in there
• The coffee flavors are developing a bit as the cigar burns, still very mellow but they are there, maybe with a bit of cocoa too
• The start of this cigar as been fairly mild for the most part, maybe just approaching medium and the retrohale has almost no bite but gives a smooth cedar and coffee finish
• The liquor flavor I was getting is making slight appearances here and there, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but it’s keeping the experience interesting. It’s sort of sweet and mixed with the coffee flavors I guess my closest comparison would be Kahlua or something similar
• The whole cigar seems to be quite well balanced to me, I’m getting a good variety of flavors that keep changing up on me and keeping me interested, none of them are overpowering the others
• The array of flavors has stayed the same through to the last third but the fact that they keep taking turns being the dominant one has kept me interested and enjoying the whole cigar so far
• Flavors got a little more intense near the nub, but no harshness or bitterness so I got to enjoy it to the very end

Final Thoughts:
So I have to admit I came into this cigar with some hesitation due to my past experiences with Rocky Patel sticks. I’ve had a few good ones, but most were not in my flavor profile. Even with Lou’s claims of how much he enjoyed this I was a little worried. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed this cigar! I wouldn’t put it into my top 10 but I would keep it on regular rotation as a reliable mild/medium bodied stick if I can find it on sale or maybe in the bundles. It had an interesting set of flavors that were very well balanced and it burned superbly. I don’t really have anything negative to say. If there was one critique I could make it’s that the flavors were not very pronounced. They were there, but you really had to sit and concentrate to pick up on them. Maybe this is due to their extended aging? I’m not too sure… You could easily enjoy it’s smoothness without paying attention, but if the flavor were a little more intense, this might have been a top 10 contender for me.

Pairings:
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Innis & Gunn Brewery and everything I’ve tried from them to date. Their Oak Aged Beers are simply the best I’ve been able to find so far with a sweet caramely smoothness. Every year they also come out with a Winter Seasonal, and as I mentioned in my last review, I’m a bit of a sucker for Winter Seasonals. So I had to get this, their Winter Beer 2011! The crappy part is that it’s only available in a Sampler pack here. Although I really enjoy their other beers in the sampler, it comes with a glass. I think I’m up to 5 or 6 Innis & Gunn glasses now because I keep buying the sampler packs they have for their seasonal beers… lol. But enough about my ranting, this beer keeps to my expectations for this brewery and brings a TON of flavor to the table. Along with the classic Oaky notes, you can pick up some citrus, vanilla, toffee and the signature caramel smoothness. All of their beers seem to pair best with a good mild or medium bodied cigar, so it fit very well in with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. Other good pairing would be a similar beer like a blonde or amber, and possibly a nice cup of coffee.

The post Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.