The Good Stuff: In case you have been living under a rock the Rothchildes are the latest release to come from the hands of Dion Giolito over at Illusione Cigars. The Rothchildes release is the first value cigar to come from Illusione in some time. That is, if you consider the Chuchillos Cubanas a value cigar. Either way, it’s a welcome release. The Rothchildes, unlike some of Dion’s releases are being made at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Esteli. This factory is ran by Eduardo Fernandez, the man behind Casa Fernandez. I read recently that Dion was considering shifting operations to another factory so this must be it.

The Rothchildes release will only be offered in one Robusto style size (4.5 x 50) and will run $3.99 a cigar or $199.50 per cabinet of 50. Very easy on your wallet. The Blend starts out with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper (which have been popping up more and more as of late, and is a GREAT leaf when blended correctly), with a Nicaraguan Binder and Filler.

Size: 4.5 x 50
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $3.99
Pairing: Magic Hat #9 (American Pale Ale 5.1% ABV)

Prelight: Illusione’s Rothchildes isn’t much to look at, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a beautiful cigar. The wrapper is a natural, dark and medium brown color with lots of spots of black and orange. I love the rugged look and again, I am extremely fond of anything that showcases the natural characteristics of the leaf. The wrapper is very firm and thick with some decent tooth and lots of oil. There are a few smaller veins running throughout the body up to the round triple cap. The Rothchildes is polished off with a beautiful gold, red, and white retro-style Cuban band that simple states “Illusione”, “Rothchildes”, and “Nicaragua” in the back. I love the design on these bands. The cigar is very heavy for the size and is rather firm with the exception of the softness around the foot area.

Where this cigar lacks in looks is makes up in aroma as the wrapper of the Rothchildes boasts tons of sweet tobacco and spice with the foot carries some pepper and sweetness. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. I really wish that more companies would utilize the triple cap technique. Adding that extra layer really increases the changes of a clean cut. Anywho, the cold draw is much like the prelight aroma boasting a ton of sweetness, tobacco, and spice.

First Smoke: Illusione’s Rothchildes starts out with a nice black pepper blast which quickly fades away leaving behind a whole ton of sweet, sweet tobacco with some nice cinnamon and spice along with some black cherry and chocolate. There is a whole ton of flavor from this cigar right off the bat. The draw on this beefy little cigar is stellar. Seriously, it takes only a minor puff to get a mouthful of thick, white smoke. The burnline is a bit messy, but nothing that needed any attention from my lighter at this point. The ash left behind is a light and dark grey, but very flaky. It only held on for about ¾ of an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The pepper has now completely faded from the Illusione Rothchildes experience. The sweetness is still rocking the flavor profile alone with some cedar, a ton of spice, and the black cherry laid over natural tobacco. I really enjoy the flavors in this stick. It’s worth mentioning that the cigar does produce a bit of a chalky after taste which is quickly taken care of with a swig of my beer or another puff from the cigar. The retrohale really showcases the sweetness and the cherry that I mention in the experience and I find myself retrohaling this cigar a bit more than normal due to the pleasurable flavors. The burnline is burning thick, but completely solid at this point as I am feeling absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish: While the Cherry and a bit of the sweetness has started to fade from the experience the cedar and natural tobacco have really ramped up in the final third of Illusione’s Rothchildes. I’m really impressed with how slow this cigar burned as it took me almost an hour and a half to take down the little guy. I am also impressed at the fact that even in the final inch there wasn’t a single sign of harshness at all. The cigar finished off smooth, and only a bit warm on my fingertips while requiring absolutely no extra attention from my torch. I left the experience feeling absolutely no nicotine whatsoever.

Overview: This is a great stick. I am a HUGE fan of most anything that Dion has produced and I think that the Rothchildes fills a huge gap in the Illusione portfolio by offering a great experience at a value price. I had to admit, I was a bit apprehensive at first due to my love for his other blends such as the ~88~ and Epernay. He is a stickler for quality and flavor so the thought of him releasing a value cigar made me a bit uneasy as I thought it would be something unlike his other blends made solely for people wanting to smoke his cigars but not pay the price. But I am happy to report that this cigar doesn’t taste any “less expensive”, nor does it wonder too far from the work he’s been doing on his other blends. It’s pretty complex for what it is and offers up a ton of rich, bold flavors while carrying great construction, and burn. This is a damn good cigar at a price that just cannot be beat. It’s not wonder why retailers are having such a hard time keeping these cigars on their shelves. Personally, I don’t think this cigar as a “value” stick in terms of flavor and experience. It’s probably way up there with the likes if the ~88~ in my opinion. The price just adds to how phenomenal this cigar is.

To Sum it Up: The Rothchildes come boxed in cabinets of 50 and I urge just about anyone to pick up a whole cabinet, you won’t regret it. The huge flavor profile an complexity is perfect for seasoned cigar smokers, especially those already fond of Dion’s work, while the excellent price tag and mildish strength will really entice novice cigar smokers to pick them up as a introduction to the world of a higher-premium cigar.

Pairing: I decided to pair this with a bottle of Magic Hat’s infamous #9. This “Not Quite Pale Ale” is brewed at the Magic Hat brewery in Vermont and clocks in at 5.10% ABV. This is a wonderful summertime session beer as it’s one of the smoothest beers I have ever had. It’s so easy to find yourself knocking a few of these back in quick succession. What I like about the beer is while it’s smooth, it offers a neat mix of citrus and malt flavors with just a touch of pine. While a bolder beer would have matched up well with the Rothchildes I decided to toss this one in since I knew that the pine and citrus would marry up wonderfully with the spice, sweetness, and cherry that the cigar had to offer. Not to mention it’s hot and humid as hell outside right now and drinking a heavier beer just didn’t match up with the weather. I could easily see myself pairing this cigar up with some bold Dopplebocks, or Brunes during the wintertime.

The post Illusione *r* Rothchildes – Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Cremo Classic Maduro is the second release from the good guys over at Cremo. Created at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, this American made cigar contains Nicaraguan binder and filler wrapped in a beautifully dark Mexican San Andreas wrapper. I was a big fan of the Cremo Classic line (read the review here), so I couldn’t wait to see what the Maduro version had to offer. The Cremo line is still in it’s boutique phases, but years back it was a popular cigar created in New York. In recent times a New York born man by the name of Walter Lilo Santiago decided to revive the brand. The Classic Maduro will come in 2 sizes, the Intrepidus (6 x 52) and the Excelsior (5 x 50).  The cigar will run $10 – $12 a stick, and will come in boxes of 20.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Price: $10
Pairing: Sixpoint Righteous Ale (Rye Beer 6.4% ABV)

Prelight: The Cremo Classic Maduro is a very pretty little cigar. Starting with the crazy dark, consistent brown wrapper. This cigar look, and even smells like a candy bar. The construction is perfect as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself and the round triple cap. The body carries only a few larger veins, but nothing too concerning. The wrapper has a very toothy texture with a pretty good amount of oil. The wrapper feels a bit delicate as I squeeze the firm cigar. While the cigar remains firm you can tell it’s not packed too tightly. Polishing off the cigar is the classic Cremo band only this time they replaced the yellow with a mirror chrome finish.

The wrapper on the Cremo Classic Maduro seriously smells like straight up hot chocolate with some spicy notes. The foot of the cigar gives only nothing more than just a small trace of lightly scented tobacco. The cap cut very clean and easy from the Cremo Maduro. The cold draw produces a very strong, bittersweet chocolate flavor with some soft spice and tobacco notes hidden underneath.

First Smoke: The Cremo Classic Maduro started out just as I expected. Lots and lots of biter-sweet chocolate, lots of spice, some slight black pepper, and soft tobacco. The draw on this bad boy is magnificent. Each little puff fills my mouth with this crazy-thick, light brown smoke. The crazy thing is, with all the smoke this cigar kicks out every day, there is no stationary smoke at all. The burnline on this cigar started out pretty wavy, but nothing that caused me to break out the lighter. The ash is very tightly compacted and bright grey with darker spots. It held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The flavors in the Cremo Classic Maduro really began fading out in the second third. The chocolate has become more of a cocoa, blending in with the spice as more of the tobacco flavor crept in. It’s very smooth, and very creamy, I just wish the flavor kept up as well as it did in the first half. On a good note, the burnline has complete corrected itself with no help from my lighter. The cigar is now burning dead even leaving me with no nicotine kick at all yet.

Finish: There we go! The final third of the Cremo Classic Maduro is where this cigar really starts to shine. Some soft cedar got thrown in the mix as the spice ramped the hell up and the chocolate and tobacco kept trucking along. The crazy part about it was how smoothly all the flavors blended with each other resulting in a very tasty experience. The burnline has continued to burn perfectly with no touch ups or relights. There was a slight bit of harshness towards the very last inch, but nothing really concerning. This cigar took a little over an hour to take down and I felt absolutely no nicotine the entire time.

Overview: El Titan de Bronze rocks. I love them. And I am incredibly delighted that they are finally making Maduro wrapped cigars. The Cremo Classic Maduro was a solid stick. Great construction as always, some nice flavors, and perfect burn. That’s all you can really ask for a cigar. It wasn’t overly complex, but not one dimensional. I still don’t think it did what the Cremo Classic did for me though. That cigar was just dynamite. 9 times out of 10 I will reach for the Maduro version of a blend too. I smoked another Classic recently and can still confirm that I like that better than the Maduro. I think it just had a little more “umph” while the Maduro was more smooth and creamy. The price point is another issue. $10-$12 a stick puts it in a high-caliber price range. The construction and burn experience was on spot with that range. I personally, don’t see these as a box purchase for me, but I’d still pick up a few to have on hand. Either way, both blends are great and I suggest giving them both a run!

Pairing: I’ve been all over Sixpoint’s brews as of late. The marketing, packaging, social media attention, and the fact that they are finally available here in El Paso forced me to finally try out a few of their brews and I am so glad I did. This brew in particular, the Righteous Ale is very interesting. First of all, it’s brewed in New York, which is the same location in which the Cremo brand was developed. It’s called a “Rye Beer”. Basically it’s brewed with Rye grain, a grain that can survive the most acidic soils and harshest winters. What the Rye grain does is add this very unique, sweet, zesty, character to the malty, caramel goodness. This is seriously an amazing beer. The best part about it is I could see myself drinking this any time of the year. The darkness and malty character make it perfect for the winter while keeping light-weight and refreshing to satisfy those summer thirsts. That being said, how do you turn it into the perfect winter brew? Add chocolate. And that’s exactly what I did by pairing it with the Cremo Classic Maduro. I knew this pairing would be love at first taste and it was. Not to mention, the band matches the can pretty neatly.

The post Cremo Classic Maduro Excelsior appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I did review the original line Illusione ~888~ Slam and had nothing but praises to sing for it, and so began my hunt for the Maduro version! It’s pretty challenging to get these up to Canada since so few retailers are willing to ship them but I did manage to land myself a few of the ~888~ Maduro (Churchill size) just before the wedding. With all the craziness that happened around that time I never got a chance to sit down and enjoy it fully for a review so I’m finally getting to it now after smoking through a few of the ones I purchased.

The story behind the name of the ~888~ Maduro is the same as the original label so I encourage you to check out my review of the original line ~888~ Slam to learn about what the numbers mean. I love how Dion has incorporated meaning into each blend and tweaked all the blends individually to suit the vitolas.

As I sit down for tonights review, it’s pretty darn evident that fall is here and winter is not far away. We’ve had a week full of rain and another week of rain ahead of us. The nights have been dropping to 50F and my new residence is not very well equipped for winter smoking, so I’m starting to worry where I’m going ot get to enjoy my cigars soon. I’m sure I’ll figure something out but if anyone has a nice heated space that they’d like to share, please let me know! lol

And with that last bit of whining, lets just jump right on into the review and see how the Illusione ~888~ Maduro measured up!

Cigar: Illusione ~888~ Maduro
Drink: Fullers 2011 Vintage Ale
Vitola: Churchill (7.5 x 48)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $9
Burn Time: Just short of 2 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this Illusione ~888~ Maduro is a thing of beauty, it’s dark, oily and super toothy!
• The cigar itself is pretty firm from end to end, not much give when squeezed here
• From the foot, this cigar looks to be very well packed, and that backs up the reason for firm feel throughout
• The triple ca is expertly applied, very clean and blends in perfectly
• The simple no non-sense bands on all the Illusione cigars give them a clean sort of elegance that I always admired
• The draw on this cigar is a little tighter than I would have liked, it’s taking a couple extra efforts to get a decent smoke volume
• A little past the halfway mark, the draw opened up perfectly. Too bad it didn’t start out this way

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even and didn’t take very long to get the foot glowing nicely
• Through the first bit, the cigar is burning at a nice pace and despite a bit of a wobble it’s keeping somewhat even
• The burn line managed to even itself out just after the first inch and is now burning razor sharp!
• As I burn past the halfway mark, I’m getting nothing but razor sharp awesomeness here it’s burning at a good pace for me to kick back and enjoy every bit of it
• Right around the spot where the draw opened up, the burn when very lopsided and needed a couple of corrections to get it back in line

Smoke & Ash:
• Due to the tighter draw, I’m not getting a ton of smoke here
• The resting smoke is fairly light, just a thin steady line that’s giving off a nice burnt wood aroma
• The ash is starting off a bit flaky so I’m hoping it cleans itself up a bit as it burns further down
• The color of the ash is very light grey with some zebra striping happening, looking fairly strong as well other than the bit of flaking
• The flaking stopped after burning through the first bit, probably just some damage to the foot that caused it
• First ash managed to last about an inch before I tapped it off. Probably could have gone longer but it’s a bit windy out here tonight

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma is very light, maybe just a touch of sweet tobacco here
• The foot is a totally different story, I’m getting lots of bitter cocoa and peppery spice aromas here
• The cold draw brings a very tasty sweet cedar and cocoa flavor to the party
• The first few initial draws are pretty bland so far, just a touch of pepper and a bit of a charred type of flavor, really hoping this turns around quickly
• The charred flavor slowly disappeared and the cocoa notes I picked up earlier are starting to come around, really glad to see the this!
• The body started off right in the medium category so I’m anticipating a full bodied smoke by the end here
• The retro-hale has a nice cocoa spice to it, maybe some nutmeg or cloves mixed in there, and a smooth cedar and cocoa finish
• Coffee flavors are also starting to creep in and making for an excellent and well balanced profile now
• A bit of the pepper, nutmeg and clove flavors are sneaking back into the mix
• I really have to applaud how nicely balanced this cigar is, there are a nice array of flavor all around and they are mixing very well together
• As I get into the last third, the flavors and body are really starting to pick up
• The coffee and spices are taking the front seat right now, really increasing in intensity
• Despite the definite ramp up in flavor intensity, the cigar did not get bitter or harsh right to the end

Final Thoughts:
It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of *most* of the Illusione line up. I’ve only really had 1 that I didn’t enjoy (read my experience with the ~mj12~ here ) so I had some high expectations going into this review. The rocky start had me pretty scared but the Illusione ~888~ Maduro managed to pull itself out of the hole and finish strong with some excellent flavors and a great burn. I’m not sure I would pick this up over the original blend but it is nice to see some variety in the Illusione line-up and it’s definitely worth a try if you are a fan of the original line.

Pairings:
So I found this brew hidden in the back of my fridge this weekend and decided to dig it out. It’s been there for over a year but this is a special Limited Edition Vintage Ale from Fullers and it comes ready to be aged! The bottle date is sometime in 2011 but it’s suggested to be aged as far as 2014. It weighs in at 8.5% which is why it can age so well. I must say that time spent aging has been good to this brew! It’s like a deep, dark and rich flavor bomb in your mouth. It has a sort of stout type of thickness to it but mixes in flavors such as blackberry, vanilla, toffee and a bit of a caramel note. Very good stuff, too bad I can’t find it anymore. It’s made for an excellent compliment to the lllusione ~888~ Maduro. Other suggested pairings here would be a hefty stout or a nice bottle of port.

The post Illusione ~888~ Maduro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

If you are a follower of ours on Twitter or Facebook, you will have seen recently that Tony is off slacking again. That’s right, again! lol. Ok maybe not. He’s actually on a trip to the Dominican Republic and visiting lots of people, cigar factories, and even some tobacco fields. I’m sure he’ll have lots to tell everyone when he gets back. In the meantime, keep up with what he’s doing by following him on Twitter or following the Casas Fumando Facebook Page.

So I’m still stuck at home and while Tony is probably burning up in the Dominican, and I’m pretty much freezing over here. Terrible forecast for the week full of rain and near freezing temps, winter is almost here! The summer flew by… So for no particular reason I made a mess in my humidor searching for my next review and what I came up with was my very last Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial from 2010.

Now Oliva should be a name most people know by now, they’ve been around for a long time and have a great reputation of turning over quality cigars year after year. They haven’t been much in the past for really branching out with drastic ideas but rather have been that “staple” cigar brand that you could always fall back on. Their 4 main lines are the Serie G, Serie O, Serie V and the Connecticut Reserve. Of their 4 lines mentioned, the Serie V is the fullest on the body scale.

If you have been keeping up with the cigar news, you would actually see that Oliva is starting to bring a lot more variety to their lines. They’ve had the Master Blend series for awhile now and are also hitting a few winners with the Studio Tobac project. Tony actually just recently posted a review of the cigar made by a joint venture of Studio Tobac and Padilla, appropriately named the Padilla – Studio Tobac Figurado. As you can see from his thoughts, Oliva is on the right track with their new project.

Oliva’s core lines don’t usually change much but a few years ago they decided to bring out a special edition of their Serie V. It was to be wrapped with a Maduro leaf, limited in production quantities and restricted to a single vitola. It’s full name is the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial and usually a year is appended to that. In the case of today’s review it is the 2010 to mark the year it was released. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to distinguish some of the various years.

With regards to the 2009 and 2010, you will find 2 main differences, firstly, the 2010 is a slightly larger ring gauge than the 2009 even though it maintains the same vitola. Also, the 2010 is wrapped in a nice dark San Andreas wrapper versus the previous years Broadleaf wrappers. Looking a little forward to 2011, the vitola is changing to a 6×50 Toro and should actually be hitting shelves very soon. It also has the same San Andreas wrapper. The production for the 2011 is also the same as the 2010 I’m reviewing today which is 5000 boxes of 10 cigars.

With a price point of $10.70/cigar they aren’t that steep but aren’t cheap either. It seems to strike a nice balance of a slightly high end or limited production stick. I’m also told that the 2011 version is dropping the MSRP to $9 which is a welcome change. Each of the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial cigars are packed with a Ligero longfiller from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua which is well known for producing tasty and quality leaves.

The band on this cigar is fairly unassuming and doesn’t venture far from the standard Oliva lines. It adds “Maduro” on one side and “Especial” on the other but I’m disappointed that it doesn’t include a year. Not a huge deal but it would be a nice touch. I’m sitting down to enjoy this cigar on a fairly chilly evening here. The cigar also has a fair bit of age on it so that will affect the flavors. I have smoked a few of these before so I’ll make a quick comparison to then and now in the summary. Enjoy!

Cigar: Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010
Drink: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
Vitola: Torpedo (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: MSRP $10.70
Burn Time: A little over 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Oliva Serie V Maduro is surrounded by a dark chocolate brown wrapper that has a rough look to it and an oily finish
• The exposed edges of the wrapper jump off the cigar a bit, especially near the cap which is extremely firm to the touch, this worries me
• The rest of the cigar has a nice little spring and give to it when squeezed
• The foot of the cigar appears to be very well packed with almost no room left in there at all
• I started with a small cut which clipped off fairly easily but I was met with a pretty tight draw
• I cut just a bit more and got a good draw, we’ll start here with a little more than a half inch clipped off the cap

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and slow but it kept even and glowed nicely
• Unfortunately, the cigar started off with a pretty drastic canoe despite what seemed to be an even toasting, needed to be touched up fairly early on
• Another little touchup after about 2 inches as the cigar tried canoeing on me again
• The cigar requires a small touch up pretty much every inch or so, luckily it’s not ruining the flavors
• The last 2.5 inches of the cigar REALLY slowed down the burn, making the cigar last that extra special bit longer

Smoke & Ash:
• There is a good amount of smoke coming from each draw
• Even while resting the cigar is producing a decent amount of smoke
• The ash is coming out to be a wonderful white color when it’s burning properly, my touchups are turning the ash black in some spots
• Even though the ash was looking clean, neat and strong, it still fell off into the ashtray after just about an inch

Tasting Notes:
• I was surprised to notice that the wrapper had barely any aroma to it, maybe just a touch of hay and that’s all
• The foot is also not too strong of an aroma, just a slightly more concentrated hay-type of aroma with just a little touch of a peppery spice
• The pre-light draw is also pretty bland here with only hints of hay again, I really hope the full experience will be more than this
• The initial draws were much more enjoyable with some roasted dark chocolate almond type of flavor and a hint of spices, maybe some coffee tucked in there too
• The chocolate almond flavors dwindled down a bit and I’m left with mostly coffee, spices and now some cedar. It’s still good but the start was much more enjoyable, let’s hope it returns!
• The body started off in the low end of medium and the cigar has a soft bite on the retrohale with an interesting cedary/peppery finish
• The coffee notes are really developing nicely and I’m also getting some nice warm earthy notes in the mix
• All the flavors are balancing well and the cedar finish is a nice touch
• As the 2010 Oliva Serie V Maduro progressed into the last third the body is slowly building and I’m on the edge of full now
• The spices have remained fairly soft so far and the retrohale reflects that with a soft bite and retains the smooth cedar finish
• The last bit of the cigar was still enjoyable until my fingers were burning, a nice buildup of coffee, light spices and cedar rounded out the final flavors

Final Thoughts:
Overall this was a pretty good smoke that I enjoyed. I feel that it never really did recreate that initial awesome roasted almond flavor. The beginning of the cigar was great and the remainder was good. Nothing about it was really bad, my only complaint would be the burn issues. Thankfully they didn’t negatively affect the flavors but it did take away from the whole experience a bit. I think the cigar could have earned itself a few more points with a bit more age as it already has. The ones I smoked earlier this year were not as good as this one. So my suggestion, grab a few and let them sit a few more months and they should be excellent. If those roasted almond flavors can linger a bit longer this would have been a fantastic cigar. The little bit of body buildup at the end was a nice touch for me as well. The price is a little high at just over $10 but I’m excited to see what the upcoming 2011 release brings since it will have the same wrapper and be $1.70 cheaper!

Pairings:
Tonight’s pairing is a new Port wine that I picked up at the liquor store the other day. It’s from Dow’s Winery which comes from the Symington Family Estates in Portugal. The 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port has a fairly light and fruity feel on the palate with some deep notes like a touch of chocolate and woodsiness. It’s probably not the best Port I’ve had but it’s not bad in it’s own right either. It paired excellently with the flavors of the 2010 Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial. Other than Port I think this cigar would pair wonderfully with a heft stout, a strong or chocolate flavored coffee or even a nice scotch.

The post Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

A batch of these cigars were actually sent to me by one of you, our readers! If you are familiar with out comments section you’d see the name “JJO” popping up a lot more lately. Jeff has been one of our most constant readers and reached out to me to get my thoughts on this cigar. If any of you ever want me or Daniel to take a look at a certain cigar, all you have to do is ask! Now, if you like this review give a quick thank you to JJO for providing them, and make fun of Daniel for something. You know how we do. Anyways, thanks again Jeff, now onto the show!

The Good Stuff: Est. 1844 has been popping up a lot in a few of my mail order catalogs. Cigar.com and Cigarsinternational.com to be exact. And the only other site I have ever seen them on is cigarbid so I think it’s safe to assume that these are another exclusive cigar, but I could be wrong. Another more confirmed rumor is these are actually blended by the master-blender AJ Fernandez. If that is in fact the case, then I wouldn’t doubt these would be exclusive to the above sites.  I was able to track down some information on forums saying AJ did in fact blend this cigar, but I wasn’t able to confirm that on either of the above sites. The blend starts out with a San Andreas Maduro Mexican wrapper. This is another tobacco that AJ is familiar with which further solidifies that he just might be the mastermind behind this blend. The Binder and Filler are both Nicaraguan puro. One thing that I do know for sure is that if you’re lucky and you catch these cigars on sale you can actually snag them for less than $4 a stick.

Size: Amerada No. 50-extra (6″ x 50)  –  Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Medium

Prelight: I can’t remember the last time I smoked a figured. Flying pig maybe? I’m not sure, but I do know that figurados aren’t something I smoke regular. Not that I don’t like them, they just aren’t made in most blends. But that didn’t stop the est. 1844 from making them. In fact, every cigar in the line is some sort of figurado.  Outside of the obvious obllonged shape, the est. 1844 starts with a very old. Rustic, almost wet-muddy-maduro looking wrapper. The wrapper is very spotty, with medium and dark brown colors doing most of the work. There are a view larger veins, but in this case they almost add to the character of the cigar. The wrapper pairs wonderfully with the interesting map-like/ancient designed band that spans around the cigar simply stating “est.” in light bright and “1844” in a dark read on top of a tan, gold and light brown print.  I actually really like this band. It’s a departure from the everyday band design. The cigar starts with a small foot which immediately blows into a full ring width before tapering off to a very pointy cap near the head of the cigar. The wrapper is very tooth and has a really rough/dry feel to it. The 1844 is very, very firm as it’s tough for me to get any play when I squeeze it. No soft spots at all.

The wrapper has a very sweet chocolate smell to it. It almost smells like brown sure, or chocolate  chip cookies while the foot just explodes with spice and tobacco. This may make for a very interesting mix-up. The cold draw produces just a nice, smooth tobacco flavor. I was expecting to really taste the sweetness from the wrapper, but it didn’t shine thought to the cold draw. Hopefully I pick up a bit more of it in the actual experience.

First Smoke: The est. 1844 starts off with a really nice pepper flavor. Just enough to really tease my tongue and the back of my throat. Under the pepper is some real soft spice, lots of upfront tobacco, a little chocolate, and just a bunch of really earthy, natural flavors. The draw is really easy and pumps out a ton of smoke, but one thing I might mention is the thickness of the smoke isn’t something I’m used to. It’s actually very light and dissipates almost instantly when it hits the air. Kinda strange, but nothing off-putting. I just thought I’d mention it. The burnline is surprisingly even for a perfecto, producing a nice, solid white and light grey ash that held on for a little under an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this est. 1844 and I am enjoying the flavors so far. The wrapper really brings in some distinct sweet, chocolate flavors into this portion of the cigar while maintaining a traditional profile with woodsy, natural tobacco, and earthy flavors. The retrohale is very smooth, coating with a very nice chocolate spice prime. The burnline is still dead even and the ash is holding up particularly well considering how windy it’s gotten over the last 20 minutes or so. I am not feeling any nicotine at all from this cigar. It’s medium at best, but not mild in flavor.

Finish: Going into the final third of this cigar I was surprised to catch a bit of harshness so early on. It wasn’t really strong, but it was there. Looking through that the flavors have remained the same, but dulled out quite a bit. The est. 1844 has now became a more woodsy, natural tobacco taste with some harshness and just a bit of sweetness on the aftertaste. The burnline has remained dead even the entire times and I am surprised how well the ash held together on the cigar despite the increasing winds outside. I wish I could say the same for my ashtray though, I fear there wont be any ash left to lay my band in for my final photo.

Overview: This is a good solid smoke for the money. Towards the end of the experience the est. 1844 started to fall pretty flat, but was very tasty up until that point. I’d love to try one of these in a smaller size, but wouldn’t really reach for the larger ones. Considering the price point these are good sticks to keep around. They are mild enough to smoke in the morning with coffee, but have just enough flavor to enjoy after dinner as well. Ideal for novice smokers, but the more seasoned bunch may crave just a little bit more from a cigar.

Pairing: I decided to pair this 1844 with a VERY strong ale. This usually isn’t a good recommendation as the beer can easily overpower the cigar, but in this case the cigar’s flavors really stood it’s ground and made for a delightful pairing. Stone brewing  (home of Arrogant Bastard) is known for its EXTREMELY strong and bitter beers. They aren’t for everyone, and are proud of that. The beer I paired with today is called “Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale”. Dark in color this 8.7% ABV beast isn’t for the faint of heart. Don’t let the dark color fool you. This ale is very bitter, very hoppy, and balances out with some oaky, malty flavors. I really enjoy Stone’s beers, but again, be careful. They are an acquired taste. I think the est. 1844 is the perfect cigar for iced tea, which I paired one with not too long ago. This cigar would also go great with coffee and any brown soda.

The post Est. 1844 Amerada No. 50-extra appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I can only assume BMF stands for Big Mutha F******R, but I could be totally wrong. Maybe it stands for Baby Mouth Feet? Bob’s Math Fundraiser? Bad Mommy Foundation?! Whatever it is, I trust one of my better-educated readers might be able to fill in the blanks for me. (Blanks Must be Filled?)

The Good Stuff: I was contacted by a twitter buddy of mine Ryan (@revjava) who is in cahoots with Gary Griffith over at Delaware Cigars. Emilio Cigars (@EmilioCigar) is Gary’s brain-child and is a new cigar company starting to make a name for itself. The AF1 is the first blend released by Emilio Cigars. For the AF1, Gary teamed up with the infamous AJ Fernandez and spent over 2 years perfecting his ideal blend. Due to the extreme grasp on quality, the AF1 is limited in production and may often see restrictions on supply. These cigars run for about $7.50 a cigar. Not bad for the size.  The one thing that caught my attention right away was AJ and Gary’s decision to use a San Andreas born Mexican tobacco for the wrapper. I can probably count the number of manufacturers using this Mexican wrapper on one hand, and all of them are just ridiculously tasty. So, is this just another run of the mill cigar company that will put out a single cigar then raise white flags? Or, is Emilio Cigars destined for greatness? Let’s find out.

Size: 6 x 58  –  Wrapper: San Andreas Mexican  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: It’s impossible to overlook just how ridiculously dark the wrapper on the Emilio’s AF1 is. It’s such a dark brown that is almost black. The wrapper is incredibly toothy, and shows really no larger veins throughout the entire thick body of this big ass cigar. The top of the AF1 is capped out with a nice, round double cap that blends in so flawlessly with the cigar that it was hard to even see where the body ends and where the cap begins. The cigar feels a lot lighter than I expected with its large stature, but is extremely tough, and shows no signs of soft spots when squeezed. I’m really impressed with the pre-light construction on this cigar. It almost looks fake, like a plastic prop used in a movie.

The wrapper gives off this massive, pungent, barnyard and leather aroma and surprisingly the foot has a nice spice and oats type aroma. This should be an interesting mixture once lit up. The cap cut a lot easier than I thought it was going to, based on the thickness, and toughness of the wrapper. The cold draw shockingly didn’t give off a lot of flavor. All I was really able to pull from it was the oaty, almost bread tasting flavor that matched the aroma I got from the foot of the cigar, but even that was very faint and hard to pull out.

First Smoke: After being robbed from what I thought was going to be a glorious cold draw, the AF1 delivers big with a just blast of flavor right off the bat. The Mexican wrapper is just delicious. Emilio’s AF1 starts off very smooth with no pepper, a really nice chocolate and fruit flavor paired with a bit of honey and some spice on the after taste. The draw on this thing is perfect kicking out a mouth full of thick smoke after only the first or second draw. This cigar really doesn’t emit a lot of stationary smoke, but you can let it rest quite a while without it going out on ya.  The stationary smoke really smells like a melted chocolate bar or dare I say smores? The burnline is dead even from the start leaving behind a tightly compacted white, and light grey ash that held on for an inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: What a flavor bomb this AF1 is! The wrapper is really taking off as well as the cigar. Introducing the second third is this huge ramp up in more chocolate/coffee flavors paired with some nice dark fruit, and just a dash of spice. The retrohale leaves you with a nice woodsy, chocolate priming. Very smooth. The burnline is still rocking even, and the body of this cigar isn’t really effecting me at all yet. It’s more medium than anything at this point. Really creamy and smooth.

Finish: The flavors began to mellow out a bit, but not in a bad way. The leading contender is still this really nice chocolate flavor with coffee and spice backing it up. The body of the cigar encountered a nice little kick, but not enough to put it over the edge. It still isn’t a really powerful cigar, but instead maintains a great balance of flavor and strength. Despite the huge size of this cigar it still only took me about an hour and forty five minutes to take down. It didn’t smoke fast, I just really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the fact that there wasn’t any harshness build up into the home stretch of the AF1. Finished nice and smooth.

Overview: What can I say? AJ Fernandez nailed it, as he often does. This is another perfect example of using the Mexican wrapper correctly. EO Brands hit the nail on the head when they used it on the Murcielago, Tatuaje  hit home a run with the Face, Ashton owned it with the the La Aroma de Cuba, and now Emilio’s Cigars and AJ Fernandez kicked out another Mexican wrapped winner. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think going into these cigars. I didn’t know much about the cigar, nor the blend. So many new cigar manufacturers are popping up and I figured this was just another one of them. Needless to say I am VERY impressed. All their hard work paid off and I am VERY interested in what the future holds for Emilio. The price is spot on for this cigar as it’s definitely something I would smoke again, and very box worthy.

Pairing: Just look at the wrapper on this cigar. Who wouldn’t want to pair this thing with a nice, deep, thick stout? That’s exactly what I did. Reaching way back in my fridge I stumbled across a favorite beer of mine. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout. Samuel Smith’s oatmeal stout comes from the UK and is brewed at the Samuel Smith Old Brewery Tadcaster. The oatmeal stout is a very heft, malty chocolate/berry mixture with a smooth, creamy, coffee finish. At a modest 5% ABV this beer is the perfect pairing and blends seamlessly with almost identical flavors from the Emilio AF1. The only other pairings that really stand out in my mind with this cigar would be some warm creamed coffee, a hefty strong porter, or maybe some Dr. Pepper.

Along with the AF1, Gary sent over the new blend due out this month, the Grimalkin. I try not to do back to back reviews often, but would this be something you guys would like to see reviewed next week? Leave me a comment and let me know!

The post Emilios Cigar AF1 BMF appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Face in my opinion has to be one of the most sought after cigars of 2010. With only 666 dress boxes (the purty box in these pictures) containing 13 cigars, released on October 13th, distributed to only 13 “unlucky” retailers across the US The Face is extremely rare, and hard to come by. Luckily, Daniel decided to go in on a box split with me and the great guys at Centro cigars had a box with our name on it. How unlucky are we? Let’s find out.

The Good Stuff: The Face is the third installment in Pete Johnson’s “Monster Series”. The Face is a cigar to replicate the scary as hell creature “Leather Face” from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. The Monster series started in 2008 with the inaugural release of the Frank (Frankenstein) which happens to be the only one I was never able to get my hands on (hint, hint). This was followed in 2009 with a dual release. The first being the second installment the Drac (Dracula). The second was a revamped version of the Frank, the Boris (the actor in Frankenstein) wich had a different wrapper than the original Frank.

According to our friend Brooks over at Smoking Stogie (click here to see his excellent review of  The Face) The Face is the second blend that Pete has decided to use a Mexican wrapper for. I’ve actually been quite amazed with the amount of flavor the Mexican wrappers have been able to kick out, we’ll have to see if The Face can replicate this. Brooks also goes on to say that it is rumored that the fourth installment in the Monster Series will be based on the Wolfman and of course, that is due out next year in mid October.

Size: 6 3/8 x 56  –  Wrapper: San Andreas Mexican  – Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Medium/Full

Prelight: The Face is a very large, very hefty stick. The wrapper is composed of a very dry looking, yet silky, dark, leather styled (to match leather face of course), thick and firm to the touch. This is a tough looking little cigar. It almost looks like it’s been beat up a couple of times. I think Pete did an excellent job showing off a bit of creativity here. The dark wrapper leads up to a very thin, lighter brown, leather looking “band” composed simply of a lighter leaf. The face is the topped off with a round cap that leads up to a tiny point. I’m not sure if that cap really does anything for the experience, or the overall appearance, but it’s definitely something new. The foot of the cigar looks like a shaggy foot that got the living crap beat out of it. The body of the  cigar is embellished by quite a few larger veins that I hope won’t give me too many problems. The Face is really firm and tightly packed. I wasn’t able to really find any soft spots what so ever. The wrapper gives off almost nothing but a soft cedar smell  with the same story on the foot. The cap clipped right off using my double bladed cutter. I was actually very surprised by the amount of strong tobacco, spice, and nut the cold draw was able to produce. If the cold draw has anything to say for the remainder of the smoke then I am in for one flavorful experience.

First Smoke: The Face’s foot was a little tricky to get going at first, but once the shaggy foot toasted up the cigar took right off.  I was greeted with the familiar “Pepin Salute” as the cigar started out with a very sharp, peppery kick. After a few relaxing draws the pepper begins to fade and a flavorful bundle of spice, tobacco, cashew, and bittersweet chocolate take the stage. The draw is just right and produces a massive cloud of thick, brown spice and citrus scented smoke. The Face gives off very little stationary smoke however. The burnline is just remarkable, razor thin and perfectly straight leaving behind a trail of solid white, and light grey ash which only held on for about an inch before it dropped into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Into the second third and there is one real way to explain this cigar. Smooth. This is a much smoother, and milder experience than I was expecting from the face. I guess you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. The pepper is surprisingly still there but only slightly as a nice complement to the powerful, tasty spice this cigar is kicking out. It tastes much like cinnamon and nutmeg with a hint of citrus, followed up my creamy chocolate and wood. This is such a flavorful cigar. The retrohale is a bit too spicy for me to produce too often but it does coat my nasal passage with a very nice woodsy flavor once the spice has settled. I’m not feeling any nicotine at all and I think it’s safe to say the second third is much smoother than the first. The burnline is still absolutely perfect.

Finish: The second third of The Face was definitely the quiet before the storm as the final third really ramped up in both flavor and body.  The pepper is just about gone from this cigar and a really strong cedar flavor has taken it’s place. The cedar is backed by the citrus and spice that were the more dominant flavors throughout the cigar. There are soft hints of creamy coffee, and chocolate still in the mix. Although the body has ramped up, the cigar is still going down very smooth with no signs of harshness even into the final inch. This cigar burned perfect the entire way with no touch ups, no waves, no relights. It didn’t burn too slow but because of the massive size of this stick it did take close to two hours to take back. I felt only slight hints of nicotine once I stood up into the final third, but nothing too significant. The cigar burnt a little warm into the final inch, probably due to the larger ring gauge. But nothing too hot. And for those of you who are wondering, there really wasn’t a change up in flavor at all when you burn through the lighter shade leaf band.

Overview: I am really glad that I got a chance to get my hands on these remarkable cigars. Thanks again  to Centro Cigars for the excellent service and thank you Daniel for going in on a split with me on these. The monster series are pricey, and take quite a bit of effort to find, and with Tatuaje Frenzy at an all time high these more than likely won’t be on any shelves. So if you do happen to find them, toss in the coin, its worth it. The smoothness is perfect for any cigar lover and will only increase with age. The monster series have always been held high on my list and Pete knocked another one out of the park with this scary treat. Flavorful, complex, and perfectly balanced.

Pairing: I actually didn’t drink anything with this review. Sorry about that. The wife and I had just gotten back from a rather large dinner and anything else would have probably made me vomit. Although many of you would have enjoyed that, I’m not one for spew in my reviews. Until next time!

The post Tatuaje The Face Monster Series #3 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

These sample sticks were sent to me courtesy of Gran Habano a week or so prior to IPCPR. Many of you may know there were a few things going on that really set me back on my review line up, but alas I am back on track and finally getting around to reviewing this cigar.

The Good Stuff: The Azteca sits in its own little corner as the newest, and most different cigar of Gran Habano’s line. The Azteca is a double maduro composed of a Mexico Maduro wrapper and binder grown in San Andreas encasing filler tobacco grown in Nicaragua and Panama. According to our friend Barry over at acigarsmoker.com (Check him out if you haven’t hear of him, great guy), “the first release of the Azteca has been aging since August, 2009”. This is a full body cigar and what seems to be a possible turning point for Gran Habano’s current portfolio. If I’m not mistaken, recently Gran Habano actually announced that they were going to be haulting the production of two of thier lines, the 3 SLS and the Cabinet Selection in order to put more attention to the Azteca Line.

Size: Puma 6 x 60  –  Wrapper/Binder: San Andreas, Mexico Maduro  –   Filler: Panama/Nicaragua  –  Body: Full

Prelight: The Gran Habano Azteca Puma is a very thick and heavy cigar. I could probably knock someone out with this thing. It’s very firm to the touch and incredibly hard. The wrapper is very silky, and tough with very large veins running the entire length of the cigar. The wrapper itself is a deep, dark chocolately brown leading up to a seamlessly round cap. The band makes a huge statement sporting a large, brown Aztec calendar surrounded by orange and gold inlayed titling of the brand “Gran Habano” as well as the bold cigar name “Azteca”.  The back of the band has a small light brown and teal crest and the Brand Owner’s names “George and Guillermo Rico”. The band that surrounds the foot is a simple dark brown band with gold and teal bands as well as a gold and orange inlayed name of the vitola, in this case the “Puma”. These are incredibly detailed and beautiful bands. The wrapper of the Gran Habano Azteca doesn’t give off much more than a faint tobacco smell, where as the foot boasts of tobacco, cocoa, and earthy aromas.  The Azteca cut very clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is VERY interesting. The first puff exclaims of a rich, more natural tobacco flavor teased with a very spicy, and earthy undertone with just a dash of cocoa.

First Smoke: The Gran Habano Azteca is a very differently tasting cigar. At least, in comparison to what I am used to. The initial flavors are jam packed with a very sweet, light, natural tobacco taste backed by soft spice, and bittersweet chocolate. The draw is remarkable. Each small puff produces a massive amount of thick, grey smoke. The Azteca give off quite a bit of earthy and enticing wood scented stationary smoke. The burn line started off slightly wavy, but corrected itself about a half inch into the cigar. I blame my single flame lighting technique on this larger ring gauged cigar. The ash left behind is a compacted, darker grey with black spots and just a few flakes here and there, mostly towards the foot of the cigar. As I got about an inch into the cigar the ash on the foot flowered and actually “bloomed” open.

This is common and didn’t hinder the experience in anyway, it’s just always interesting when you run into it. As a side note, this only happend to this sample, not the previous one I smoked. After the main “pedal” fell form the ash, The ash carried on and still held on for almost two inches before giving way.

Halfway There: Two thirds into this Gran Habano Azteca, I started to get a really, deep, and pleasant spiced woodsy flavor. This was followed up by the creamy cocoa, and sweet natural tobacco flavors. At this point this cigar has been smooth all the way though with no signs of nicotine. The retrohale is a bit spicy (not peppery) but gives your nasal passage a great little woodsy priming. The burnline tends to do its own thing every now and then, but always seems to correct itself before my lighter intervenes. I have yet to really feel any nictotine from this cigar.

Finish:  To my surprise the massive band on this Gran Habano Azteca slid off with extreme ease. Up until the final third  I haven’t felt much, if any nicotine buzz from this cigar but that has change up a bit. The body has definitely ramped up a bit. I’m not feeling a whole lot, but it’s there for sure. The cigar has remained incredibly smooth all the way though. There was no harshness built up towards the end and the final flavors were that of cocoa, wood, and again, that sweet spice. The flavors didn’t change up too much, the but the complexity and deepness were very satisfying and enjoyable. The burnline gave me no problems in the final stretch. All in all it took me about 1.75 hours to take down the Gran Habano Azteca Puma, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Oerview: Gran Habano is in the process of actually haulting manufacturing of a few of their lines in order to pay more attention to the Azteca. That being said, a lot of work has, and is currently being put into this blend and it shows. The Azteca is more an old school maduro producing great cocoa, woodsy, and earthy flavors with a smooth and balanced body. The 60 ring gauge was a bit large and uncomfortable to me (usually I enjoy larger vitolas but over the past few months I’ve been drawn to coronas). I really think the double maduro wrapper and binder would shine through with even more flavor on the smaller sizes of the Azteca. All in all I think the complexity makes for an excellent cigar not only for long time cigar smokers, but the flavors paired with the smoothness will satisfy beginners as well. At a price point of around $6 – $8 I think the Gran Habano Aztec will be finding it’s way into my regular rotation very soon.

Pairing: Having the Azteca before, and being quite aware of its smooth, creamy, chocolate upbringing I decided to pair it with another one of my favorite beers. St. Peter’s Cream Stout. St. Peter’s Cream Stout is a 6.5%, sweet, milk stout brewed a the St. Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk U.K. This cigar is a great pairing with most sweet tobacco, or maduro cigars. The creamyness helps smooth out the experience while the sweet chocolate undertones only enhance a cigar’s flavor. Black coffee, Brown Soda, Water,  or a rich Port would pair perfectly with this cigar.

The post Gran Habano Azteca Puma appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.