The Good Stuff:

The Tatuaje Anarchy is the first installment in the Smoke Inn Microblend Series. Smoke Inn’s microblend series is a slew of releases created exclusively for Abe Dababneh, owner of Smoke Inn, by a handful of the world’s leading cigar manufacturers. With the exception of the Anarchy we’ve reviewed each of the Microblend Series releases to date:

• Padron 1964 Anniversary SI 15
• My Father El Hijo
• Aturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje Apocalypse
• Room 101 Big Delicious
• Quesada Oktoberfest Dunkel
• 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster
• Illusione Pactum
• Drew Estate The Pope of Greenwich Village

The Tatuaje Anarchy was blended by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje exclusively for Smoke Inn. The Tatuaje Anarchy carries a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. While the Tatuaje Anarchy was originally released in 2010 and quickly sold out, last week Abe announced that the cigar is being re-released with a limited run of only 666 boxes of 15. The blend and size will remain the same, but the box and band design will be changed to differentiate between the two releases.

As I stated, the Tatuaje Anarchy came out in late 2010 and sold out quickly after their release. I was able to smoke quite a few back then, and my co-writer at the time had these on in his review queue but was never able to get a review written up for it. Due to this, they have been the only remaining Microblend Series cigar that we had not reviewed. I recently reached out to Abe just in case of the off chance that he might still have any of these lying around. A few days later a package showed up at my doorstep with a note letting me know that this was one of the very few original Anarchy cigars remaining from the very last box from his own personal humidor. HUGE shoutout to Abe for hooking it up. I swear that dude loves the cigar community like his own children.

Size: 6.125 x 48-52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.99
Pairing: Deschutes Black Butte XXVI (Imperial Porter 10.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The first obviously awesome characteristic of the Tatuaje Anarchy is the crazy pig tail cap. It’s much longer than you’d expect and forms a crazy spiral around the cap of the cigar. Leading from the cap through the body the cigar tapers out from a 48 ring gauge to a 52 before coming back down to 48 at the foot of the cigar. The wrapper is a deep, dark brown and looks closer to what you’d expect in a maduro in terms of color. The brown is pretty consistent with only a few darker areas around the foot and the cap while there are a few lighter areas around some of the smaller veins which run their course through the cigar’s body. The wrapper feels very thin and delicate yet due to hot much tobacco is packed in her the cigar is very heavy, dense, and hard to the touch. The cigar is polished off with a black band with “Tatuaje” embossed around the sides and a vibrant, red, Anarchy symbol printed on the front.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje Anarchy gives off a pungent molasses and oak aroma while the foot of the cigar has some slight spice over naturally tobacco scents. The cap took a bit of force to cut using my Palio double bladed cutter, but cut perfectly even once it gave way. The cold draw is very peppery with some slight sweetness, spice, and oak.

First Third:

The Tatuaje Anarchy starts out with a bang, punching you in the face with cayenne pepper which leaves it’s mark on your tongue and lips. Once the pepper began to fade back some great oak, molasses, brown sugar, sweetness, and cocoa flavors began to arise. The draw on this bad boy is flawless. Each tiny, little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke while the cigar gives off very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of compacted medium and dark gray ash which held on for a little over an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The pepper finally made it’s exit from the flavor profile into the second third of the Tatuaje Anarchy leaving behind lots of deep oak, black cherry, spice, molasses and sweetness. This cigar isn’t overly complex at this point but the flavors are very bold. The retrohale coats my nasal passage with a ton of sharp pepper, spice, and oak. The draw is still incredible and the burn line remains dead even, and razor thin. I close out the second third feeling almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

It seems some clove has snuck it’s way into the flavor mashup in the final third of the Tatuaje Anarchy. The rest of the flavors still hold true leading with deep oak, black cherry, spice, molasses and sweetness with just a bit of the pepper making a subtle resurgence. The Tatuaje Anarchy has fired on all cylinders since I’ve lit it up and continues to pump out massive amount of flavor with every puff. It took me an hour and forty five minutes to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness, or unnecessary heat while the burn was flawless and I never once had to reach for my torch. The Tatuaje Anarchy left me with a slight nicotine kick, but nothing too significant.

Overview:

This was, and still is probably my favorite Microblend Series that Smoke Inn has released to date. The Tatuaje Anarchy leads with bold, semi-complex flavors packaged in a great, easy smoking format. Its a great cigar, at a great price, with a long burn time delivering on all marks. This is perfect for Tatuaje fan boys, seasoned cigar smokers looking for a great, bold stick with a great flavor profile, or novice smokers looking for a great premium cigar. My only complaint is that they are no longer around… oh wait, they are being re-released! Rejoice and buy many!

Pairing:

Deschutes Black Butte XXVI is an Imperial Porter brewed in Bend, Oregon to celebrate the brewery’s 26th birthday. This ale is brewed with pomegranate molasses with 50% aged in bourbon barrels blended with ale with cocoa nibs and cranberry added. This is listed as an Imperial Porter, but it really doesn’t taste like one. The Black Butte XXVI leads in with a bit of sourness, fruit, citrus zest, oak, roasted malt with a very light mouthfeel before finishing with some powerful sourness, brown sugar, cocoa, citrus, and some nice caramel on the aftertaste. It’s an interesting mixture. What made me want to tie this into the pairing was the fruit, sourness, and oak which meshed up brilliantly with the Tatuaje Anarchy. I honestly think this cigar would pair perfectly with a deep, heavy, tawny port. No more recommendations, just that. Do it.

The post Tatuaje Anarchy (Original Release) Smoke Inn Microblend Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

By now you should all be familiar with Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. In case you have been living under a rock for the past few years, Abe Dababneh, Owner of Smoke Inn cigars has teamed up with some of the cigar industry’s leading manufacturers to create exclusive releases which are only sold at Smoke Inn Stores. We’ve been lucky enough to smoke or review each and every one of these:

• Tatuaje Anarchy
• Padron 1964 Anniversary SI 15
• My Father El Hijo
• Aturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje Apocalypse
• Room 101 Big Delicious
• Quesada Oktoberfest Dunkel
• 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster
• Illusione Pactum

The newest addition to the Smoke Inn Microblend Series is the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village. The name Pope of Greenwich Village comes from the title of a movie with he same name which takes place in New York, the city in which Drew Estate’s founders Jonathan Drew, and Marvin Samel come from. The Pope of Greenwich features a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The blend sounds very similar to what you find in Drew Estate’s Undercrown series. The cigar is offered in one single format, a 6 x 40 panatela with comes packaged in bundles of 10 running $8.50 per cigar. As of now, you can pre-order these cigars from Smoke Inn’s website as they are expected to start shipping this week. Word to the wise, as with all the other Microblend Series, these are limited runs so if you enjoy the cigar, grab as many as you can while they are still available.

Size: 6 x 40
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan / Brazilian Mata Fina
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.50
Pairing: Deschutes The Abyss (Imperial Stout 11% ABV)

Prelight:

The Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village starts out with an impressively dark brown wrapper. The wrapper is pretty consistent in color with some almost black areas spread throughout the webbing of the leaf. The long, slender cigar body features a few very subtle veins while it showcases it’s rugged appearance. The texture is very, very toothy with some slight oils while the wrapper and body of the cigar remain extremely firm. The cigar is finished off with an absolutely seamless, round, double cap and a very modest maroon band with the title “The Pope of Greenwich Village” as well as a very small Drew Estate logo embossed in gold metallic ink.

The wrapper of the cigars boats some very strong sweetness, cedar, and chocolate while the foot of the cigar carries some soft spice and more natural aromas. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced some soft cherry, chocolate, and grainy flavors.

First Third:

The Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village starts out with a nice little black pepper blast which quickly fades into a soft spice mashed up with some black cherry, deep cedar, brown sugar, cocoa, and natural tobacco flavors. The draw is perfect. Each puff kicks out a great deal of thick smoke. The cigar kicks out a ton of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of compacted white and light gray ash which only held on for about a quarter of an inch before falling into my lap. Sorry about not getting a picture of the first ash before it fell, it was a bit unexpected.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village and the flavors remain nice a bold leading with the black cherry and cedar backed by cocoa, natural tobacco, and some nice black licorice that has snuck it’s way in. The retrohale is really smooth and filled with chocolate, licorice, and spice. The burn line is still dead even while the ash has been falling quite often, so be prepared for it. I close out the second third with no nicotine kick whatsoever.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village and the flavors are still holding in there. The black licorice has really ramped up and is competing with the cedar for the top spot backed by black cherry, spice, and cocoa. The burn has been flawless and never once required any extra attention from my torch. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experience only some light harshness into the final inch while the cigar left me with absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Overview:

It’s funny, the first time I smoked this cigar, even before I knew what the blend consisted of I thought to myself “This is basically an Undercrown Viva! Hybrid.” Here I am, smoking the cigar, thinking the exact same thing. But that’s not a bad thing. I am a huge fan of the Viva! and a huge fan of the panatela formats and I really enjoyed everything the Pope of Greenwich had to offer. It’s got some great bold flavors with a more medium strength level resulting in a smooth, relaxing experience at a great price. I highly recommend this cigar if you are a fan of flavorful, milder cigars of if you are into Drew Estate’s Undercrown series at all. Get them while you can.

Pairing:

Although this beer is usually better served in the winter, I couldn’t help but break out a bottle for this pairing as I knew it was perfect. Deschutes’ The Abyss is an 11% ABV Imperial stout from  Bend, Oregon. It’s not your run of the mill stout though as its brewed with a slew of items such a Black Strap molasses, licorice, cherry bark and vanilla with 6% of the beer aged in oak bourbon barrels, 11% aged in oak barrels, and 11% aged in oak wine barrels. Do I have your attention now? This monster of a beer leads with strong malt, bourbon, booze, and vanilla with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with some strong black licorice, more booze, cocoa, and cherry. I told you it was a perfect paring.

The post Drew Estate – The Pope of Greenwich Village – Smoke Inn Microblend Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Illusione Pactum is the ninth installment of Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. If you’re unfamiliar with the Microblend Series it basically consists of exclusive blends made in collaboration between Smoke Inn and some of the biggest names in the cigar industry. Before the Illusione Pactum the list is as follows:

• Tatuaje Anarchy
• Padron 1964 Anniversary SI 15
• My Father El Hijo
• Aturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje Apocalypse
• Room 101 Big Delicious
• Quesada Oktoberfest Dunkel
• 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster

For the Pactum, Abe Dababneh (Smoke Inn’s owner) teamed up with Dion Giolito of Illusione cigars to create a cigars experience that is as bold as Abe himself. The result was the Pactum, or partnership. The Pactum features a bold Mexican San Andreas Capa Fino Maduro wrapper along with a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan Fillers. A total of 400 boxes of 15 cigars each will be released in a single 5.5 x 56 box-pressed format running $8.95 per stick. This is a limited run which you can only get at Smoke Inn so stock up here.

Size: 5.5 x 56 Box Press
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Capa Fino Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.95
Pairing: Dogfish Head Bitches Brew (Imperial Stout – 9.00% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Pactum is an absolutely gorgeous looking cigar (It’s actually supposed to represent Abe, so yeah), rustic, meaty, and flawless construction. The cigar starts off with a very heavy toothed, thick, dark brown wrapper. The wrapper showcases some slight oils and a natural appearance through it’s dark brown exterior and medium/darker webbing throughout the tobacco leaf. There are a few medium sized veins as the wrapper leaf is seamlessness folded over itself. The format sports a beautiful soft box press with a very firm fill leading up to a round double cap. The Illusione Pactum is finished off with a standard styled Illusione band which showcases a royal blue print with the words “Cigares Prive” embossed in the front. “Cigares Prive” translates to “Private Cigars” which is a series that Illusione produces for exclusive accounts across the nation.

The wrapper on the Illusione Pactum gives off only a slight cocoa aroma while the foot of the cigar really smells like an interesting mixture of black licorice and tobacco. We’ll see if that translates into the smoking experience. The cap cut clean and buttery using my double bladed Palio cutter. The black licorice really comes through on the cold draw and I really hope to see it in the actual smoking experience. Other flavors included some soft spice and cocoa.

First Third:

The Illusione Pactum starts off with very little pepper which quickly drops off leaving behind some tartness, sweetness, cedar, cocoa, tobacco, and yes, the black licorice. The draw on this cigar is incredible. Each little puff kicks out a ton of thick, white smoke. The format on this cigar is very comfortable both in hand and mouth. The burn line started a bit screwy but quickly corrected itself and is now burning even, and razor thin leaving behind a brilliant trail of tightly compacted, white, and light gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray with a thud.

Second Third:

The spice and black licorice have really taken over into the second third of the Illusione Pactum. The backing flavors are still lots of natural tobacco, cedar, spice, sweetness, and some great cocoa. It’s a pretty bold experience so far and I’m really enjoying it. The retrohale is very stout coating my nasal passage with some strong pepper and spice. The burn line is still perfectly even and I’m already feeling a nice little nicotine kick as I close out the second third.

Final Third:

The last third of the Illusione Pactum showcases a much creamier flavor profile leading with the spice, cocoa, and a bit of honey sneaking in backed by a bit of coffee, leather and earthiness with a pinch of black licorice. The draw and burn line have been absolutely perfect every step of the way. This cigar burns very slow and actually took me two hours to take down to the nub. No harshness, no bitterness, no heat, just an awesome smoking experience an a nice little nicotine kick.

Overview:

As described, the Illusione Pactum packed a punch. It’s a strong cigar that delivers a bold experience and probably isn’t recommended for those new to smoking. This is another great addition to the Microblend series and I jumped all over Illusione being inducted into the series as they are probably one of, if not my favorite cigar company out right now. The Pactum, to me, seemed liked an Ultra/Gigantes hybrid, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a great cigar, at a great price, with a great experience. While it’s not my favorite cigar in Dion’s portfolio, it’s one that will have a place in my regular rotation for as long as it’s around.

Pairing:

Dogfish Head’s Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew was released in 2013 and took the beer community by storm. Featuring artwork from Mile Davis’ Bitches Brew album this beer was made in collaboration with the 40th anniversary of the release and was so popular they brought it back for another run. Bitches Brew is a Imperial Stout brewed at the Dogfish Head’s brewery in Delaware coming in at 9% ABV. Bitches brew is three threads imperial stout, and one thread honey beer with gesho root. The honey is really evident leading the brew with some great sweetness as it leads off with lots of spice, black licorice, and caramel with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing smooth with lots of malt, cocoa and even more black licorice. Its easy to see why I decided to pair this beer with this smoke. The cocoa, spice, sweetness, and black licorice made an ideal pairing with the resident flavors in the Illusione Pactum. The only pairing I could think that would be as good would be a nice glass of heavily spiced tawny port.

The post Illusione Pactum – Smoke Inn Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Espinosa’s Laranja Reserva is yet another cigar which made it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas that has made huge waves within the cigar community. Some have said it was the gem of the show. Espinosa Premium Cigars has been on a roll lately as many of you know. Much of his success has come from the La Zona factory in Nicaragua which is the same factory in which the Laranja is manufactured. The name “Laranja” means “Orange” in some Portuguese. Aptly named, the Laranja Reserve carries a Brazilian wrapper from the Recôncavo region in the state of Bahia which is known for it’s orange hue. Erik Espinosa wanted to do something different this year as he started to experiment with different tobaccos he was drawn to this orange Brazilian wrapper. Erik states:

“It is the color of enthusiasm, creativity, determination and success, that’s what we are all about here”

The Laranja Reserva is available in three sizes: Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), Robusto Extra (5 ½ x 54), and Toro (6 x 52). The blend will be offered in boxes of 20 ranging between $9.90 and $10.90 a stick. I’m not entirely sure on the production of this cigar, but the “Reserva” modifier may hint towards a more limited release. I picked a bunch of these up from our pals at Smoke Inn who had all three sizes in stock the last time that I had checked. For more information you can find Espinosa Premium Cigars on Twitter and on Facebook or visit their website.

Size: 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.90
Pairing: Odell Brewing Footprint RegionAle (American Strong Ale 9.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Espinosa Laranja Reserva is one fine looking cigar. We’ll start with the wrapper which has to be one of the prettiest wrappers I have ever seen. The texture is very smooth, silky, and oily showing off some great natural webbing in the leaf. The color is a very consistent medium brown with a few darker, orangish areas around the webbing and the smaller veins which run seamlessly through the slender body of the cigar. The Laranja Reserva carries a very round triple cap and some of the finest band designs I’ve seen this year. First off, I love the orange, white and gold. Elegant, pretty, and different. The main band carries a large crest with “LARANJA RESERVA” printed across the front of it. The whole thing is finished off with the addition of a matching orange ribbon wrapped around the foot of the cigar.

The wrapper feels very thin and delicate while the body of the cigar is tightly compacted and solid for the most part with a bit of sponginess towards the foot of the cigar. The wrapper on the Laranja Reserva gives off a real strong nutty and spice aroma while the foot of the cigar smells of pepper and natural tobacco. The cap cut clean, but took a lot of force from my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on the Laranja lead with lots of strong spice, natural tobacco, and some interesting floral flavors.

First Smoke:

Espinosa’s Laranja Reserva offers a very rich, black pepper and spice greeting. After a few puffs the pepper begins to subside a bit and the Laranja lets loose some strong citrus, cedar, spice, and tobacco flavors. There’s a lot in this mix but for now, those are the more dominant flavors. The draw is on point kicking out a nice, thick, cloud of gray smoke with each little puff. The burnline is slightly wavy, but not concerning as it leaves behind a trail of slightly compacted, dark, and medium gray ash.

Halfway There:

Into the second third of Espinosa’s Laranja Reserva and the flavors are becoming a bit easier to pick apart. The pepper has departed and the spice is the dominant flavor. I can pick up some great cinnamon and nutmeg in there with some bold grassy flavors, nuts, citrus, and a subtle sweetness that seems to be buried beneath it all. This is a pretty complex cigar and it’s entertaining trying to pick it apart. The retrohale showcases the spice, and a lot of cedar although I am not picking up the cedar as much as I did within the first third. The burnline is razor thin and pretty solid at this point and I am feeling only a slight nicotine kick as I close out the second third.

Finish:

The sweetness has finally begun to emerge into the final third of the Espinosa Laranja Reserva. The spice is still center stage but the sweetness is making a run for it. Along with the spice and sweetness the citrus and nuttiness are still pretty strong while the natural grassy flavors and some slight pine are only evident on the aftertaste. It took me about an hour and a half to take the Laranja down to the nub (and when I say nub, I mean nub. I couldn’t put this thing down) and I didn’t encounter any harshness or heat. In fact, I was impressed with how smooth and creamy this cigar finished considering how complex and full bodied it was. The Laranja did leave me with a nice little nicotine kick and required absolutely no extra attention from my lighter since I first lit up.

Overview:

Add the Espinosa Laranja Reserva to the list of possible candidates for cigar of the year, not just on our list, but everyone’s else. This cigar is making a name for itself by providing solid construction, and a unique, bold, complex experience to everyone who smokes it. Espinosa wanted to try something different and succeeded in making a great cigar to add to an already extensive portfolio. He’s continued to impress me as the Laranja was probably my favorite cigar that I have smoked from him so far. The price is riding a fine line between affordable and expensive, but I think it’s just, and I could easily see the Laranja falling into my regular rotation despite the extra coin.

Pairing:

Another Odell pairing. Why? Why the hell not. This week we are featuring Odell’s Footprint RegionAle. As the name suggests, Footprint celebrates Odell Brewing’s success by using resources from each of the states the beer is distributed in. It’s an interesting project, and once you see these ingredients the project becomes even more entertaining: Colorado – Hops & Barley, Arizona – Prickly Pear, Idaho – Barley & Hops, Kansas – Wheat, Minnesota – Wild Rice, Missouri – Oak Barrels, Nebraska – Corn, New Mexico – Green Chilis, South Dakota – Barley & Honey, Wyoming – Wheat, Texas – Grapefruit. Coming in a 9.5% ABV this beer can easily creep up on you. The beer leads with some strong spice, citrus, and malt which pair up perfectly with the citrus and spice I picked up throughout the Laranja’s experience. The mouthfeel on the footprint is really light and smooth as it finishes with some subtle tartness, grassiness, and just a hint of the chili. It’s easy to see why I paired the two of these together. I think the Laranja would pair perfectly with just about anything in a bolder arena with spice. Think strong coffee, port, or chili beers.

The post Espinosa Premium Cigars – Laranja Reserva appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

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

Read the full Review Here

#9 – La Flor Dominicana – Mystery Cigar

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

Read the full review here.

#8 – Reinado – Grand Empire Reserve Corona Gorda

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

Read the full review here.

#7 – Moya Ruiz – La Jugada Prieto

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

Read the full review here.

#6 – Leccia – White Label

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

Read the full review here.

#5 – Quesada/Smoke Inn – Oktoberfest Dunkel

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

Read the full review here.

#4 – Crowned Heads – JD Howard Reserve

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

Read the full review here.

#3 – Tatuaje – 10th Anniversary Belle Encre

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

Read the full review here.

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

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

Read the full review here.

#1 – Illusione – *r* Rothchildes

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

Read the full review here.

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The Good Stuff: Smoke Inn has teamed up with some of the biggest names in the cigar industry to bring you their exclusive Microblend Series. This time, they paired up with Quesada to bring you the Oktoberfest Dunkel. The other blends in the Microblend include: Tatuaje’s Anarchy, Padron’s Anniversary 1964 SI-15, My Father Cigars’ El Hijo, A. Fuente’s Solaris, Tatuaje’s Apocalypse, and Room 101’s Big Delicious. The Oktoberfest Dunkel is the same basic Dominican binder and Dominican Cuban Seed Criollo, Olor Viso, Ligero fillers from the standard Oktoberfest (you can read my review of that cigar here) with a swap on the wrapper leaf. The Dunkel carries a Broadleaf  Maduro instead of the  Dominican Cibao Valley. As an added bonus the Dunkel has a very small portion of Ecuadorian Connecticut at the foot of the cigar to resemble the head on a freshly poured beer.

Here is the information provided in their press release:

In the spirit of Oktoberfest, the Dunkel uses the same binders and fillers of the regular Oktoberfest release, with the exception of the wrapper. A very select broadleaf maduro wrapper envelops this rich cigar with a slight underlying Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper at the foot, thus giving the appearance of a dark rich Dunkel beer with a savory foamy head.

The unique experience of smoking one wrapper, then 2 wrappers, and then one wrapper again give this Oktoberfest a unique complex flavor while maintaining that core flavor of Oktoberfest that fans across the world have grown to love.

There will only be 750 15-Count boxes released in a single 6×54 format running $8.95 a stick.

Size: 6 x 54
Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro – Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican Cuban Seed Criollo, Olor Viso, Ligero
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.95
Pairing: Paulaner Oktoberfest (German Marzen 5.8% ABV)

Prelight: Like the original Oktoberfest the Dunkel carries a very dark, very consistent  brown wrapper. While the Dunkel’s wrapper lead is very dark brown, I find that some of the original blends that I have actually carry a darker wrapper. The Dunkel’s wrapper is silky smooth with only a few smaller veins. It carries some nice tooth and a bit of oil and I am surprised with how seamless the construction is. The wrapper is capped off with a big, round, triple cap while the foot of the cigar has about a centimeter of a lighter shade wrapper leaf. This is supposed to represent the head of a beer that is created as you pour it into a glass. I love the little added touch. The cigar is very heavy, firm, and bulky while the wrapper leaf feels very tough and solid. There are absolutely no soft spots throughout the entire cigar. The Oktoberfest Dunkel is polished off with the traditional Quesada crest and a German Flag stretching the length of the band behind it, just like the traditional Oktoberfest.

The Oktoberfest Dunkel’s wrapper gives of a slightly sweet aroma covered in a ton of black pepper while the foot of the cigar boats of strong natural tobacco and earthiness. The Dunkel cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw kicks out a whole ton of sweet spice over some more natural flavors.

First Smoke: I had a conversation with Jeremy last night about the tiny little wrapper addition to the foot of the cigar. We were debating whether or not it would produce any type of difference in the experience or if it was there basically for aesthetics. Honestly,  I feel there actually was a difference, even though my  first hypothesis was that there would not be. When I first lit up the cigar it started out very creamy and smooth with what I would call some muted flavors. I’ve smoked my share of Oktoberfests so I know what to expect with these cigars and the first couple of puffs didn’t add up to what I was expecting. It wasn’t until I hit the darker shade of wrapper leaf that the experience began to take off.  The Dunkel went from creamy to full force kicking out some awesome sweetness, natural tobacco, cinnamon and spice, as well as some nice musky flavors with hints of black pepper. While it lead off with lots of different flavors they were well balanced and really didn’t overpower me. The draw on the cigar is slightly tight but nothing that I see bothering the experience down the road. The burnline is slightly wavy, and pretty wide leaving behind a beautiful, solid, white ash that held on for about an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: The flavors in the Oktoberfest Dunkel in the second third are very similar to the flavors in the first third. Lots of sweetness, lots of musk and spice, natural tobacco, earthiness and a really nice cedar has finally began creeping its way into the profile. You can smell the cedar on the stationary smoke, and the retrohale is straight up sweet cedar, but it isn’t quite as powerful in the actual draw.  The burnline is now burning dead even and a lot sharper as I am feeling absolutely no nicotine kick at this time.

Finish: As I enter the final third of the Oktoberfest Dunkel a really nice gingerbread type flavor began to creep in. Maybe I am imagining it, but I swear I am picking it up. Along with the gingerbread the musky flavor has ramped up while the sweetness, cedar, and spice have began to drop back. The body of the cigar has jumped up considerably as well. This cigar burns extremely slow. It took  me a little over two hours to smoke it down to the numb in which I have encountered absolutely no harshness at all and felt nothing more than a slight nicotine kick.

Overview: You can’t just throw Connecticut Broadleaf on any cigar and expect results like this. I remembered smoking my first few Oktoberfests thinking “Man, this cigar would rock with broadleaf”. Smoke Inn and Quesada made my dream come true with the Dunkel. The flavors are similar to the original Oktoberfest. Lots of spice and earthy flavors with a bit of the cedar but everything seemed more creamy in the Dunkel with a hell of a lot more sweetness. I love the sweetness in cigar so naturally I find myself liking the Dunkel just a tad more than the original and that says a lot considering I’ve smoked through literally a few boxes of the original Oktoberfest. They say these blends were made specially to pair with beer but in my opinion, I feel any cigar can pair well with beer if paired properly. This cigar is semi-complex with a ton of great, bold flavors and it kept me entertained all the way though. I think it’s a great cigar for any type of smoker.

To Sum it Up: It’s a great cigar. It’s not too strong and carries lots of flavor so it’s perfect for the seasoned smoker and the novice as it won’t leave you on your ass. The price point is spot on, and the Dunkel is more than box worthy. It’s limited so make sure you head over to Smoke Inn and order yours before they are gone.

Pairing: It’s not Oktoberfest without some Paulaner Oktoberfest. This is a staple in any beer drinkers Marzen arsenal. Brewed at the Paulaner Braueri in Germany this 5.8% Marzen is by far one of the easiest to drink, smoothest session beers on the market. After all, isn’t that was Oktoberfest is all about? This beer leads off with a ton of malt and caramel finishing off with a hint of sweetness and prune. It makes for an excellent pairing beer as the flavors are so consistent and smooth they seldom overpower any smoke while the sweetness and caramel pair in perfectly. This beer is a great transitional beer from the hoppy, dry summer beers to the full-bodied, heavy, stout beers of the Winter.

The post Quesada – Oktoberfest Dunkel – Smoke Inn Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

This year, he made big news again by announcing that he will be releasing 12 more blends, one each month over the course of this year. The first three in the series were labeled as the Big Bad John, Iron Mike, and Island Jim. Each blend represents an actual real, live, person that Eddie has met along his cigar manufacturing way. We all know how some of us cigar folk tend to stand out. Anyhow, you can check out my series review of the first set of three here.

You can also get a run-down of the project from the mouth of Eddie here:

“During my time in the cigar industry, I’ve come to know lots of great interesting characters in the industry. I’ve found certain characters so interesting, that I decided to create a series called “Wild Bunch”. This series will consist of 12 characters, each of them with a unique flavor and size profile, no two will be alike.

The series will consist of a limited number of boxes 500-1000, the number of boxes produced will be based on the blend selected for the character, I want to use out of the ordinary material, specially wrappers, and I know that some of the selected wrappers I have chosen are in very limited supply.

The Series will start January 2013 and will continue through December 2013 with one character being released every month of the year, on December 2013 a final release of the completed set made up of either 12 cigars; 1 of each character or 24 cigars; 2 of each character.”

Well now as we are quickly closing in on 2013’s “halftime”, Eddie has released his second set featuring “Tony the Boss”, “Dandy McCoy”, and “Honest Abe”.  These will be the releases for April, May, and June. I reviewed each of these with only water as a pair. Since I only smoked one of each of these I didn’t want to cloud up my palate with something that may not have paired well. That being said, let’s get to the good stuff.

Tony the Boss “Enforcer” #4:

Size: 7½ x 49
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rosado
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Nicaraguan from the Jalapa and Esteli regions
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8

Prelight: Whoa, whoa. An “A”?! Well, there is a commitment! This cigar is a BEAST!! Be ready to set aside some time to take this thing down. Outside of the obvious characteristics, the cigar is gorgeous sporting a light, milky brown Rosado wrapper with a hell of a lot of oil shimmering off the leaf. This sucker is built like a tank too as it barely has any give as I squeeze it between my fingers. The wrapper is real smooth with some larger veins running through the body of the cigar.

Flavors: The Boss leads in with some slight black pepper which fades very quickly leaving you with a milky, malt and sweetness overlying some earth and cedar flavors. As the experience progresses some cinnamon and leather begins to find it’s way into the mix while the malt dips out. The final third of this cigar is where it really begins to shine as the cedar ramps up greatly with lots of sweetness and spice as well as a huge jump in body.

Burn/Draw: Well it took 2 hours to take this beast of a cigar down. I smoked a bit quickly too so you may want to set a good amount of time aside before committing to this cigar. I ran into a few waves that required a bit of attention from my lighter but that’s to be expected from a cigar this big. I didn’t have to relight at all.

Thoughts: First and foremost, I didn’t walk away from this cigar light-header, with a nicotine kick, or and harshness at all. That takes some expert blending hands and Eddie nailed it. While I’m not a big fan of the “A” format, I love having them on hand for celebrations or special moments and at this price point, this one will definitely find it’s way into that rotation.

Dandy McCoy “Empire State” #5:

Size: 6 x 54 Box Press
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Viso from Esteli
Filler: Nicaraguan from the Jalapa and Esteli regions
Body: Full
Strength: Full
Price: $8.50

Prelight: First of all, I love this size. I have been boasting about how not enough blends out have this elongated box-press format. It fits so nicely and comfortably in the hand while almost always producing a near perfect draw. Along with the great format the Dandy McCoy sports a beautiful wrapper. This thing is extremely dark and toothy and feels almost identical to a cat’s tongue while still containing enough oils to get a nice reflection.

Flavors: Right off the bat this cigar starts out with a ton of sweetness, lots and lots of milky chocolate, smooth tobacco, and just a touch of spice. As the cigar burned along the milk chocolate just keep ramping up as the pepper faded out and cedar and spice slipped it’s way in. The sweetness remained a big factor the entire experience.

Burn/Draw: As far as burn goes this bad boy was razor sharp, and burned dead even the entire time. No touch ups, no relights. It burned pretty slow too. It took me about an hour and a half to take this guy down to the nub.

Thoughts: So far, out of the six, this has been hands down my favorite. I’ve always been a sucker for Connecticut Broadleaf and the size just puts it over the top. Lots of sweetness, body and strength without being too overpowering or too strong. That’s a fine line and hard to balance out but Eddie nailed it with this one. BUY THESE.. like… NOW.

Honest Abe “Ringmaster” #6:

Size: 6½ x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Viso from Esteli
Filler: Nicaraguan from the Jalapa and Esteli regions
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.50

Prelight: The Honest Abe starts out with a beautiful, shiny, oily wrapper. Each time I touch this stick a bit of oil gets transferred to my fingertips. There are a few larger veins, but nothing too significant. The wrapper on this cigar feels a bit delicate but it is as smooth as silk while the body of the cigar is extremely firm.

Flavors: I thought the Honest Abe would start out all kind and mild, but looks can be deceiving. The cigar started out with a quick burst of strong, black pepper before it quickly faded away leaving a nice, smooth balance of cedar, spice, honey and natural tobacco. None of the flavors were overly significant, but mixed together it made for a nice balance of flavors. A bit of sweetness began to creep in as I reached the halfway point while a lot of the cedar began to fade away. The cedar, honey and sweetness stayed consistent throughout the experience.

Burn/Draw: The burnline was pretty thick on this one and despite a few waves, it only required a touch up here and there. Never any relights.

Thoughts: This was a solid cigar, especially if you tend to fall on the mild side of cigars. To me, I felt it needed a little more “UMPH” to get my attention. Then again, that’s strictly subjective since I tend to chase after more stronger, bolder cigars. On a side note, I was super glad to see Abe creep into this lineup. Those who don’t know, Abe runs the Smokeinn shops and has been a huge supporter of not only this blog, but just about anything and everything having to do with cigars.

P.S. I don’t think I will be publishing a review next week. That’s right, it’s going to be a Jeremy and Daniel takeover. I will actually be heading to Nicaragua to join many of the other bloggers as well as the Drew Estate team on a Cigar Safari tour! I will be sure to come back with a full report.

The post Ortega – Wild Bunch Set #2 – Tony the Boss, Dandy McCoy, and Honest Abe Reviews appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Smoke Inn is at it again.  They have partnered up with yet another well known cigar company to add one more Smoke Inn Exclusive to their portfolio.  Big Delicious is the sixth installment in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. This time in partnership with Matt Booth of Room 101 (Side note: Matt Booth will be in attendance at Foxtoberfest 2013). The excerpt below is from a press release I located at room101bigdelicious.com

Smoke Inn proudly continues its quest to work with the world’s leading manufacturers to create limited release boutique cigars that are produced with only the highest quality premium tobaccos under the strictest supervision to guarantee the consumer a unique and exquisite experience

Other Microblend releases include: Tatuaje Anarchy, Padron SI-15, My Father El Hijo, Arturo Fuente Solaris, and Tatuaje Apocalypse. Other than the Tatuaje Anarchy, you can find our reviews of the Microblend Series below:

• Padron 1964 Anniversary Series SI-15 Natural 
• My Father Cigars – El Hijo
• Arturo Fuente Solaris
• Tatuaje – Apocalypse 

The Facts

Price: $44.75 per five pack / $134.25 per box
Vitola: Torpedo
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Habano 2000
Binder/Filler: Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic
Pairing: Equal Exchange – Cafe Salvador Coffee
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Pre-light

The Big Delicious sports a beautiful, consistent, oily, milk chocolate wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch. I have not encountered any soft spots on this evenly packed cigar. The aroma off the wrapper is light with mild pepper and leather.  One thing that immediately grabs you about this stick is the crazy shaggy foot. However, due to the shaggy foot, I am unable to pick up on any additional notes off the foot.

The cap has been applied extremely neat looking like an extension of the wrapper. Taking a small clip off the cap, a perfect draw is revealed.  The back of my throat is tickled from pepper on the cold draw and rich tobacco hits my palate.

First Third

Toasting the foot of the Room 101 Big Delicious took some time due to the shaggy foot and the large ring gauge, but I am now under way and I am really looking forward to this cigar. This is a hefty cigar but the soft box pressed format makes it very comfortable in the hand and while smoking.  The smoke is delivering flavors of leather, earth, pepper and a very enjoyable tartness.  The spice is felt across my entire palate.  Retrohaling the cigar showcases a sharp spice of white pepper and woodsy notes.  Already the profile is transitioning with an added layer of oak. The burn started off a little edgy but is now even with a thick eyeliner burn line. I am loving how slow the Big Delicious is smoking. It took about 30 minutes before the first ash fell off about an inch and half into the cigar.  The flavors and strength are a steady full.

Middle Third

The leather quality, which I usually associate with Honduran tobacco, is still around with a vegetal flavor that is somewhat musty. The tartness is something I have rarely picked up on and I am not sure which type of tobacco delivers it but it is tasty.  It is similar to the tart side of a SweeTART.  A caramel richness is showing through but not overly sweet. I clipped the cap a little deeper, not due to draw resistance, but the amount of smoke was not to my liking.  The deeper cut has significantly improved the amount of smoke each puff delivers.  The smoke is cool and balanced.  The retrohale it still in your face with the spice and pepper.  I am really digging it.  The strength is full but comfortable, giving me a nice relaxed feeling.  Once again the ash is holding strong. While not the prettiest ash, it is solid.

Final Third

A sweetness that was barely poking its head out earlier has now arrived complementing the tartness in the profile.  While not a lingering sweetness, it does hit the tip of the tongue on each draw. The sweetness is fresh, almost fruit-like. The earth and leather notes are now much darker, with an added savoriness.  In the final inch and half, a toasted dough-like flavor has entered the profile with a cocoa finish. Smoke is just pouring out of this puppy and copious amount of smoke fill my mouth with the smallest draw, leaving an oily coating on my palate.  The sweetness continues to evolve incorporating a caramel richness.  This cigar just keeps building and evolving. Finally reaching the band an hour and 25 minutes in, I remove it with ease. The flavors remained a steady full throughout the entirety of the stick, while the strength moved up a notch making this one powerhouse of a smoke at the end.

Wrap-up

To sum it up, I feel privileged to have smoked this stick prior to its release. The Room 101 Big Delicious captured me and took me on a crazy, amazing journey for an hour and forty-five minutes.  The flavors engaged my palate and challenged me and not once did I lose interest in this cigar. The construction was excellent and even the large size was comfortable. This is one smoke I could easily recommend to any seasoned cigar smoker out there.  Now at the price of $44.75 for a five pack, I think it is a steal.  The Big Delicious can be pre-ordered at Smokeinn.com and the cigars will ship on April 29, 2013.  Get your hands on this gem before they are gone.  And trust me, these sticks will be going fast.

The post Room 101 Big Delicious – Smoke Inn Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Over the last few years Smoke Inn has teamed up with some of the world’s leading cigar manufacturers to bring you what they call the “Microblend Series”. This series now contains the Tatuaje Anarchy, Padron SI-15, My Father El Hijo, and the A. Fuente Solaris. Big thanks to the guys over at Smoke Inn for providing us with samples of each of these. They sent over this pre-release sample as well (note: I am doing this review of a single sample. There will be no pairing with this one as I would hate for my choice of beverage to cloud the character of the cigar).

This press released found on the Tatuaje Anarchy site pretty much sums up the blend:

“West Palm Beach, Florida – December 21, 2012 marks the conclusion of the 13th Ba’ak’tun in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar. It is believed that Armageddon would overtake the peoples of the world and all creation at this time. On December 14th, be prepared to smoke the last cigar you will ever have: the Tatuaje Apocalypse.

In a continuing effort to create limited runs of premium cigars blended by the industry’s top manufacturers, Smoke Inn Cigars of South Florida proudly presents its fifth installment of their MicroBlend Series, the Tatuaje Apocalypse. The sequel to the highly acclaimed Tatuaje Anarchy released December 10, 2010, the Tatuaje Apocalypse is smaller in size measuring 5.25” x 48-52. Made at the My Father Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and dawned with a dark, rich Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the Apocalypse was guided by the vision of Pete Johnson. Johnson, along with the Garcia Family, have masterfully tweaked the original blend with such subtlety that the Apocalypse is highly reminiscent of the original flavor profile, yet in somewhat of a more concentrated fashion.

Packed in 15-count boxes emblazoned in a vibrant red and screened in black ink, the reversal of red and black colors can be found on the cigar label as well. With only 1300 boxes having been made, the Tatuaje Apocalypse will individually retail for $8.95 and boxes for $134.25. Pre-Orders will begin at midnight on Thanksgiving Day, the beginning of Black Friday. The first 333 box orders will receive a special promotion: free shipping and a free limited edition Tatuaje Apocalypse Cap.

The national release party will be held at Smoke Inn’s West Palm Beach location at 801 Village Blvd on Friday, December 14th. Both Pete Johnson and the Garcia Family will be in attendance. All pre-orders will ship the following Monday, December 17th 2012. Orders should arrive in time for all to enjoy before the end of the world!

Previous releases in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series –The Tatuaje Anarchy , The Padron SI-15 , The My Father El Hijo , and the Arturo Fuente Solaris — have received great accolades from cigar smokers all over the world. Smoke Inn proudly continues its quest to work with the world’s leading manufacturers to create limited release boutique cigars that are produced with only the highest quality premium tobaccos under the strictest supervision to guarantee the consumer a unique and exquisite experience. For more information on Smoke Inn or their MicroBlend Series, please visit www.smokeinn.com or call toll free 1-888-SMOKES-1.”

Well there you have it. Now let’s get into this.

Size: 5.25 x 45-52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.95
Pairing: Water

Tatuaje Apocalypse (left) and Tatuaje Anarchy (right)

Prelight: I love the crazy format of the Apocalypse. The cigar starts out with a large, figurado bulb then tapers into much smaller ring gauge before being polished off by this crazy, spiral-looking big tail. The cigar kind of resembles a small baseball bat. The Apocalypse has a beautiful, thick, dark wrapper. This wrapper carries some mild tooth and medium sized veins, but is incredibly firm and hard as a rock. Not only is the wrapper hard, but the entire cigar feels pretty firm and only shows a few soft spots toward to cap. The Apocalypse is finished off with a similar band as last year’s anarchy band, only with the colors reversed.

The wrapper gives off tons of sweet tobacco, cedar, and a molasses type aroma while the foot of the cigar lets loose a more mild, spicy aroma. The cap on the apocalypse cut very clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. Despite the strange format, I was able to get a nice cold draw in, taking in some very bold tobacco, strong pepper, and cedar.

First Smoke: The Tatuaje Apocalypse started out with lots and lots of in-your-face pepper, along with some really strong, sweet tobacco, hints of cedar and chocolate, and a bit of that molasses that  picked up on during the prelight. The draw is spot-on producing an awesome amount of incredibly thick, white smoke with every little puff. The burnline is a bit wavy here and there, but that is expected in almost any salomon, hopefully it starts to correct itself into the second third. The Apocalypse gives off only a slight amount of stationary smoke, but what caught my attention was how cedar-heavy and sweet the aroma was. The cigar has more of a bold tobacco, cocoa taste to it. We’ll see how that changes throughout the experience. The ash held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The flavors in the Apocalypse have really started to alter a bit. The chocolate is now a much dryer cocoa, the cedar is almost gone, and I am picking up no sweetness at all. More of the bold tobacco and spice has moved in as well as a neat little cashew flavor. As I hoped in the firs third, the burnline has completely corrected itself and is now burning dead even and razor sharp. The retrohale on this cigar is a beast, coating my nasal passage with lots of sharp pepper and cedar. I don’t find myself retrohaling this cigar very often. Despite the mellowing of flavors, the strength of this cigar has ramped up a bit as I am feeling a slight nicotine kick after the second third.

Finish: Wow. A whole lot more of that molasses flavor really started to show up in this final third. Along with it the addition of raspberry, ramp up in spice and cedar, as the bold tobacco flavor dampened out. I really like the change ups in this cigar. Quite the opposite of the second third, while the body has ramped up significantly, the strength has really mellowed out. The burnline did encounter a few larger waves into the final third, but I never had to touch it up or relight the cigar. Despite the smaller stature of the Apocalypse it burned incredibly slow making for a pleasurable 2 hour smoke down to the nub. I experience absolutely no harshness or heat and only a slight nicotine kick.

Overview: I personally, was a fan of last year’s Microblend Anarchy release. That being said, did the Apocalypse deliver? Or did it suffer the curse of the sequel. In my opinion, this cigar rocked. I am a full bodied smoker and despite the body and strength and body being more on the medium/full end of the spectrum, the experience completely satisfied me. The change-ups kept me on my toes while the complexity was perfect, neither too much, or too little. Smoke Inn has had a great run with their microblend series and the Apocalypse is just another notch in their belt.

Pairing: Again, I only received a single sample of this cigar so I didn’t want to alter the tastes by drinking anything other than water. Plus, you really gotta know what the cigar tastes like before picking out a proper beer pairing.

The post Tatuaje – Apocalypse (Smoke Inn Exclusive) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Like I said, Abe and Smoke Inn have been busy the past few years putting together a crazy portfolio of Smoke Inn Exclusive microblends with some of the world’s top manufacturers. Smoke Inn started with the Tatuaje Anarchy, followed by the Padron 1964 Si-15, the My Father El Hijo, and now the A. Fuente Solaris. They describe the details behind the blend best on their site:

“For this Microblend installment Smoke Inn played no part in the creation of the size or blend. When Smoke Inn Proprietor Abe Dababneh approached the Fuente Family about making a Microblend, they decided this would be a perfect project for a small batch of cigars made over 6 years ago. Carlos Fuente Sr. had produced a small batch of belicoso cigars made from Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper that was uniquely light in its complexion. The cigars sat and aged for over six years. When smoked, we found the flavor mellow yet complex. One could definitely taste the quintessential Fuente flavor profile behind the elegantly aged smoke. Solaris will delight the palate of Fuente fans and collectors; especially those who like to age their cigars.”

There you have it. The Solaris only comes in one size, 6 x 49 belicoso and will run you $89.50 for a box of 10. There will only be 550 boxes of the Solaris ever made. You can pre-order these directly from Smoke Inn’s site here. Shipping will start on the cigar’s release day, May 28^th, 2012.

Size: 6×49  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown  –  Binder/Filler: Unknown

Prelight: As expected with anything Fuente, the Solaris starts off with absolutely spot-on construction. The tightly wound, medium orangish-brown wrapper showcases it’s oil as the sun reflects off the wrapper. The cigar is very, very firm and heavy with absolutely no soft spots. There are some very minor sporadic veins running the length of the cigar up to its nubby little belicoso style cap. The Solaris sports the traditional Red and Green Fuente fan. I have often wondered why some of the blends had a red and green band while others had a red and black band. I stumbled across this article on Cigar Aficionado’s website which Carlos Fuente himself answers the question:

 “Fuente: The classic Arturo Fuente, the red-and-green band, comes from my grandfather’s day. He had a red band, but there was a green tax seal placed under the band, and so the ring of green showed around the red band. When the tax seal practice ended after the embargo, we created a red-and-green band for the classic Fuente brand, which was the Flor Fina 8-5-8, which is the flagship of Arturo Fuente cigars. And the reason I say the flagship, it is because it was the blend that my grandfather created after the Cuban embargo. That was his personal blend. But it’s sad, because my grandfather never saw that blend for sale on the market. It wasn’t until after my grandfather passed away that my father brought out that blend in my grandfather’s honor. The reason he named it Flor Fina 8-5-8 was because my grandfather was 85 years old when he passed away and my father wanted the name to represent something from beginning to end. It represents the heritage and the tradition that my grandfather left us through his lifetime. 

CA: What about the red-and-black band? 

Fuente: The red-and-black is different from the Flor Fina, or classic, Arturo Fuente blend. It’s a little bit heavier and the tobaccos are aged just a little bit longer. “

Along with the standard red and green band the Solaris also sports a secondary black and gold band that simple states “SOLARIS” with a little bit of sun-ray action coming from the “O”.

The wrapper on the A. Fuente Solaris gives off a very strong, musky, cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar kicks out a straight up earthy tobacco aroma. My Palio double bladed cutter clipped through the cap like butter. The cold draw from this cigar produced nothing more than a mild cedar and cinnamon flavor. Nothing wrong with that, but considering the strength of the pre-light aromas, I just expected much more flavor from the cold draw. Let’s just hope that doesn’t carry over into the actual experience.

First Smoke:  I was a bit shocked to find that the A. Fuente Solaris actually started out with a blast of black pepper. I wasn’t expecting it at all, however it did only last through the first few draws before fading away and letting the cigar’s real flavor profile take over.  Cedar lead the way here, with some nice honey-sweet flavors along with some earth tones, subtle spices, and even a bit creamed coffee. The draw on this Solaris was spot on which is great due to how much tobacco was packed into this stick. Each little puff filled my mouth with thick, white smoke. The cigar gave off almost no stationary smoke at all while the burnline was pretty thick, and even at the end of the first third despite having a few waves going in. The ash was a light and dark zebra-striped grey and tightly compacted as it held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: That honey and sweet tobacco I picked up in the first third really ramps up during the second third while the cedar and coffee take a step back. This cigar is very smooth and mild. The retrohale on this Solaris is awesome as it coats my nasal passage with straight up cedar, each time I take a draw. I don’t retrohale my cigars too often, but this is one that I find myself doing it over and over. The burnline is still rockin’ dead even at the end of the second third as I am feeling absolutely no nicotine what-so-ever.

Finish: The final third of this A. Fuente Solaris was pretty much a carbon copy of the second third. Lots of sweet tobacco and honey, with some subtle cedar, coffee, and tobacco notes. The pepper seemed to come back very slightly, but only in the final inch. There was absolutely no signs of harshness, or heat, even down to the final inch. What did surprise me though was the speed at which this cigar smoked at. It took me just about an hour to take down this entire toro-sized torpedo cigar. Although there were some very slight waves in the final third, for the most part the Solaris’ burnline remained dead even and required absolutely no help from my trusty lighter. I felt absolutely no nicotine during the entire experience. One thing Fuente can work on, it not using so much glue on their bands. The “Fuente” bands on both of the samples Smoke Inn sent me had quite of bit of excess glue on them. I have this trouble with Fuente a lot. The good news is, despite tearing off a bit of top-level wrapper, I experienced absolutely no change in the smoking experience. You got away with it this time Fuente.

Overview: As far as Fuente’s go, the Solaris is spot on. Starting with the flawless construction, great burn, and good flavors. That being said, I’m not the biggest Fuente fan out there. Only a few of the bolder blends really capture my attention. The Solaris to me, seems like just an extension of their portfolio. Now is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. A. Fuente is one of the leading manufacturers for a reason. Reason being is they sell a lot of cigars, cause people love the hell out of them. Add another great blend to the mix, that fits perfectly in their portfolio, and then make it exclusive to Smoke Inn retail shops, and Abe has yet another winner on his hands. Although this cigar might not find it’s way into my regular rotation often, I can see it being a huge hit. It’s got all the characteristics of a great cigar at a price that is both affordable to the everyday smoker as well as the novice looking to take a dive into the pool of super premiums. If you are a fan of Fuente or Mild/Medium cigars then the Solaris is a must try. If you are looking for something bolder than the Solaris may not be your cup of tea.

Pairing: I paired this A. Fuente Solaris with a beer I have been wanted to try for quite some time now, Unibroue’s Ephemere. Big thanks to my buddy Nick for hooking it up with this beer, right at the right time too. Without giving too much away, I couldn’t think of a better pairing for this cigar and the crazy hot summer weather we had here in El Paso this weekend. Ephemere is a 5.5% ABV ale brewed in Quebec Canada. What makes this beer special is the apple juice, coriander, and curacao peels that are added to the brewing process. Basically, this is a stronger wit beer, heavy wheat, with some really sweet apple, and cinnamon style spices. Tell me that isn’t refreshing especially after a hard day’s work out in the yard. Anyhow, the beer is very light, mild, and sweet, much like the A. Fuente Solaris. I don’t think I need to elaborate much more on how awesome the pairing was. The beer really complimented everything the Solaris had to offer.

The post Arturo Fuente Solaris – Smoke Inn Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

As we mentioned in our original post, we both do this out of sheer enjoyment. To share our thoughts and get in touch with others who share the same passion that we do and we believe we’ve come a long way and accomplished quite a bit in our time here thus far. Now we have to admit that the joy we take from this site would be significantly decreased if it wasn’t for the awesome feedback we receive you all of you, our readers. Everytime we get an email notification that there’s been a comment on our posts, we rush to open our emails to see who it is and what they have to say! Whether it’s a frequent visitor or a new name we’ve yet to see, it’s always a treat.

www.casasfumando.com

Now we need to take a moment to recognize all the wonderful sponsors that made our contest possible. The support they provide to us on a regular basis is truly amazing and rarely found in many industries. The cigar world is an unbelievable mix of friendly people and companies that make it a joy to be a part of. So one more time, here’s the list of awesome sponsors, let’s give them a grand (virtual) round of applause!

Bonita Smoke Shop

Roma Craft ToBac

E.P. Carrillo

Rocketfuel Coffee

Emilio Cigars

Ortega Cigar Company

Miami Cigar

Joya De Nicaragua

Smoke Inn

Thank again to our wonderful sponsors!

Now onto the Honorable Mentions from our FINAL Day #9 – Smoke Inn

Now we first need to admit this contest theme had probably our favorite responses of the entire 9 days. There were some awesomely hilarious answers and we were glad to see everyone jumping in and poking fun at both Tony and myself. Any frequent reader will know we love to bash each other for various reasons, especially because Tony is such a slacker (see what I did there! ). Without further adieu, let’s check out some of our funniest comments, 2 chosen by me and 2 chosen by Tony!

Tony’s Honorable Mention #1 – Troy Taormina

I can’t decide who I like best because I believe you are both one and the same person (kinda like that fight club movie). You tipped your hand in one of the comments above with your Toniel/Danielony comments. That was the missing piece of the puzzle I needed to solve this once and for all. I’ve never seen you both in the same room, so I must be correct about ths. And you are so duplicitous, you have created one personality in Texas and one all the way in Canada- just to throw us off the trail. It’s pure genius, but I have discovered your secret, Toniel/Danielony.

Fight Club was an awesome movie! haha, very creative Troy!

Tony’s Honorable Mention #2 – Val

Gentleman. Appreciate the contest love this week. Its been great reading everyones storys of smoking and enjoying life and all the memories created by this wonderful hobby, scratch that, lifestyle we have chosen. Todays round is tough, like asking a father to pick which of his children is his favorite.
Tonys got seniority but Daniel has breathed fresh life into the site. Im sure Tony will attest that constantly coming up with fresh new content is a full time job for one man. Appreceiate the time you have put in for the benefit of your readers! You both have a great sense of humor and I have been compelled to start pairing my smokes with some really good beers and wines in large part because of you guys and being jealous about the flavors youre getting from your smokes that you havent picked up before and vice versa. You both have a gift for photography. Love the shots Tony comes away with and Daniel has stepped up the creativity with the “cigar in the tree” or the “cigar in the wrought iron fence” shot…. lol. More than anything I want to say thanks for your efforts. I cant imagine how much time you guys put into this site but I appreciate it very much and look forward to getting an email everyday saying there is a new post up on the site.
Gotta say thanks to Abe as well. Abe is great guy and a great advocate for all of us and this passion we share. He has built great relationships with cigar manufacturers and created some great blends with them. The Tat Anarchy was amazing and the Pardon SI was fantastic as well. Highly reccomend your readers catch his radio show on the weekend. Great interviews with all the stars of this industry.
In closing of this ass kissing bonanza…. In all seriousness. Thanks to you guys. Appreciate all you do. Look forward to the reviews and the love on twitter. The cigar community is bar none the greatest in all the world. The fact that a Canuck and a Cow Poke from TX like Tony can connect and appreciate one another and have a common ground out the gate is awesome. Happy anniversary! Looking forward to many more reviews.

Kissing butt doesn’t always pay off but this time it got you an honorable mention and almost a prize pack! haha. Thanks again for the awesome words Val!

Daniel’s Honorable Mention #1 – Josh

To be honest with you after this awesome contest I would spoon with either of you (or both) and I am an extremely heterosexual man. I put my vote in for Tony because he liked my photo from last week. Great site and contest, I have it bookmarked and will look often.

This one made me crack up, shows just how far a grown man will go to get some good cigars! HAHAHA, thanks for the laugh Josh, even though you chose Tony!

Daniel’s Honorable Mention #2 – Dan

Hmm..who do I like better…This sure is a tough one…
Tony “T-bags” Casas
Pros:
– His last name means “houses”
– Pairs his cigars with water because, “who cares!”
– Has a photo bombing pussy cat
Cons: See above
Daniel ‘DALAMLDADASMMOSUSESUISUSOsus.32120(sx)” T(nobody knows his last name”
Pros:
– CANADIAN
– Endless supply of beer glasses
– Grows a mean mustache
– Has a penchon for buggery
Cons:
– See pro #4
After careful deliberation for many hours…Drum roll please……………..*drum roll*
DT with a side order of TC, a tall glass of I&G and some rainbow ice cream on a waffle cone.

Not only do you have an awesome name, you also have some great creativity! lol Well done!

Now for our winner of the Smoke Inn Prizepack!

So here is our winner chosen by both of to ensure some fairness and unbiased winner! We actually battled over this one a bit since there were so many great comments.

Our big winner is Michael Constantine

In a society predicated on the basis “What have you done for me lately?” I am going to say I may dislike you both equally. “Why?” you may ask. Well I’ll tell you why. All your contests state that making a simple comment is all that is neccesary to win. However, all winning entries were elaborate and well thought out. Now, being that I am retarded in conveying my stories and thoughts onto paper, I thought to myself, “Wow!, a simple contest even a half witted (good looking and successful) dude like myself can win.” Every passing day my hopes and dreams for all dim wits alike were dashed as the apparent “young author” winners of my youth had struck once again. My stories are the funniest (Ortega D named after the recently deceased Heavy D) or the most polished. But damnit, how many of us BOL are? Imagination is not my strong suit but right now I will pretend to like Tony better because after all, he is supplying the winners info to Abe. Also I have read some of his reviews and his writing skills are on par with mine!

See Michael, whining works sometimes! haha. funny write up here, you had us both laughing! Enjoy the prize pack!

Congrats! Please email your name, and address to “casasfumando@gmail.com”. Thanks again to everyone who entered this contest and all the others we’ve been running. We had a great time with this and we hope you all did too!

The post A HUGE Thank You! (And Day #9 Winner!) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Smoke Inn was started by Abe “Ming” Dababneh back in 1996 and has quickly grown to 9 locations in South Florida. They have an excellent selection of cigars and all of them at excellent prices. Along with that, they maintain some great staff that are very helpful and informative. They offer some great events and even a You Tube channel with some interesting info.

Not long ago, Smoke Inn decided to take a chapter from the “Craft Brewing” world and began producing a selection of Micro-Blend cigars. Now these aren’t just some regular house blend cigar, these are serious premium cigars made by some top cigar companies. Smoke Inn enlisted the help of Padron, My Father Cigars, and Tatuaje to create 3 unique blends for the sole distribution by Smoke Inn. We even have the reviews posted of the Padron 1964 SI-15 cigar and the My Father Cigars El Hijo.

Now Smoke Inn has been kind enough to offer up a wonderful prize pack to give away to one lucky winner. The prize includes:

• A FULL BOX of My Father Cigars El Hijo Smoke Inn Exclusive Cigars

• An SI Survival Pack including a Torch Lighter, a 10-count Cigar Vault Travel Humidor, a Cigar Cutter, and a Smoke Inn Baseball Cap

Now that’s a pretty sweet prize pack and if you read the review of this cigar he basically said “This is a damn good cigar” and that should sum it up well! haha. So how do you win this sweet prize?

Well, yesterday’s contest turned up some amazing and sentimental moments relating to cigars so we’re going the opposite today with a little more light-hearted theme. Again, all you have to do is submit a comment below. You need to tell us who you like better, Tony or me?! And tell us Why!! (*hint* *hint* I’m picking the winner so choose wisely ) Winner will be chosen on Monday

EDIT: (by Tony:) To keep this fair, keep in mind that I AM IN CHARGE of getting the winner’s info over to Abe at smoke inn.  ;p  (*hint* *hint*)

Now onto the honorable mentions from Contest Day #8 – Joya de Nicaragua

As I mentioned, we had some truly awesome and heartfelt entries from yesterdays comment and a big thank you goes out to everyone who participated. If you didn’t realize the comraderie and fellowship that comes with the cigar world, just read over yesterday’s comments and it easily shines through. This is what we love about this world! So let’s see some honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention 1 – Tom
I’ve had so many great cigar moments over the years, it’s hard to pick just one. Speaking with Benji Menendez during an event a few years ago when he was General Cigars ambassador was one, but I think my best moment us with my brother. You see we had lost our mom in 2000, and at Christmas of 2001 we were sitting at his house just talking and reflecting on all the things we’d won, and lost, the year before. I’d brought a couple of I think Monties with me for the night and I shared one with him. We talked like we’d never talked before. We took our time, We laughed, and yes, we cried a little too.
We talked for hours. Everyone else there knew it was a special moment for us and left us alone. When the cigars went out, we said something to each other we’d let slip for a long time…Me “I love you”…Him “I love you too, little brother” I don’t think we’ve ever been closer.
Nothing since has been a special as that night.
Fantastic story Paul, very heartfelt. Thanks for sharing!

Honorable Mention 2 – MCCBarry
I have two… Sharing for the hell of it, once again I want to declare myself ineligible.
The first I was about 12 or 13 and my family went to a Bar Mitzvah for some cousin or something. While we we seated they served cigars to the gentlemen, and I asked my dad if I could try it. He was all for it, but my mom would have none of that. Well we went to the bathroom as a rouse to step outside. It was here my dad handed me the cigar and said, don’t tell your mother. Well, I lit the cigar up and proceeded to turn green. I still swear to this day whoever created the movie shrek was at the affair and got the idea from seeing me.
The second involved a Arturo Fuente. I had just picked up business partner up from the airport where he returned from a quick overseas trip. The best part of new job is I don’t have to pick him up at 5:00am anymore from the airport. After I dropped him off it was about 6:30am and it was a comfortable 65 degrees outside. So I headed to the beach and lit up my Work of Art Maduro. About an inch into it, the taste reminded me of cinnamon and apples, but to go a step further the aroma took me back to my dad and how he used to make these treats after dinner for himself. Now mind you my dad had been deceased for about 10 years and he hadn’t made a baked apple for about 10 years before that. I sat back, looked up at the sky and smiled as I knew my dad was smiling down on me.
Two great stories Paul. Showing us the lighter side and more serious side of the cigar world!

Honorable Mention 3 – Czerbe
Easy one for me. My wife was 7-1/2 months Pregnant and she was working one Saturday afternoon, I was at a buddies house Smoking an Onyx cigar nothing good just a yard gar but it was one that was given to me as a gift so I figured I would smoke it. My cell phone goes off and its my wifes Boss telling me I need to pick up my wife and take her to the Hospital her water had broke. So I dropped my cigar in the Ash Tray and ran to the car flying over to her job and took her straight to the Hospital where she was on bed rest and I.V.s for 5 days until she gave birth to our son. Now since he was 7 and a half weeks early he had to spend 11 days in the NICU (some of the worst days of our lives) well through his stay at the hospital my buddy came to the house and brought over the cigar which I was half way done with when I left to pick up my wife. He said “thought you might want to finish this later” now normally I would never pick up a cigar that was sitting in an ash tray for days and re-light it. But I thought to myself I will finish this when my son comes home. So I put it in a Zip Lock bag and put it in the Humi. 11 Days after my sons birth he came home from the Hospital, after my Wife and Son got settled I went to the Humi grabbed that half smoked stick and took the dog out for a long walk. It was possibly the worst tasting cigar I ever had after that long laps from smoking times. But I’ll tell you what it was the best cigar I ever smoked knowing my Son and wife were healthy and home safe. Its been a full 13 months now since his birth and I have had many great sticks in that time but none gave me that feeling like that Onyx did that day…czerbe
Another great heartfelt story. Very glad to hear the whole family is doing well. I’m sure that Onyx will be remembered for a long time, no matter how crappy it might have been!

Honorable Mention 4 – Neil
My best cigar moment was also my saddest. My father has been in failing health for a couple years. At the end of 2010 I bought a box of the My Father Limited Edition 2010 thinking I would put them away until the time came to share them with my brother in memory of my father.
Two months later I lost one of my closest friends, Tracy, to cancer. He was 12 years older than me and gave me a lot of great advice on how to raise my children and be a good husband. Right after he died I was with his brother, wife, and son. As I listen to Tracy’s son tell story after story of what his dad had taught him, I realized Tracy had taught me many of the same things. I had already kind of thought of him as a brother, but I realized during that time I spent with his son how much he had also fathered me.
In honor of Tracy I opened the box of My Father 2010s and had the first one out of the box in memory of him. I thought of what a great friend he was. I thought about all I had learned from him. I thought about how he shaped me as a father, how he fathered me, and how blessed I was that my Heavenly Father put him in my life.

Here’s the winner from Contest Day #8 – Joya de Nicaragua

So now onto the lucky winner of a tasty box of Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970’s. Drumroll please…

The Winner is Paul Tyler

Although I have been smoking cigars for a while, I have really only gotten into exploring and understanding the industry within the last year. In researching on the Internet, I came across a great cigar review website where one of the reviewers happened to live near me. I thought it would be great to reach out to him to learn more about the industry and what the local scene was like. He has been a great resource for me. One of his insights was to check out a cigar shop in the city that had a nice guy running the place and good prices. I went down to check him out on a cool Wednesday night in February and found this quaint little shop with a nice little selection of cigars. In the middle of the shop (taking up almost half the space was a grand piano). The owner was extremely friendly and together we picked out a La Aurora 107 to smoke. He was so proud to show off a new heater he bought so he invited me out onto his front patio for a smoke…the temps were close to the freezing mark but that heater was pumping off some good heat to keep us warm. As we lit up and started into our cigars, the conversation flowed and I came to find the shop owner to be a wonderfully kind and interesting man. As we were sitting there, people would sporadically approach the store, give a wave to the owner and go inside to grab a cigar…some stayed inside to smoke and others came back out to join us…all huddling around this new heater. I asked the owner what was going on…who were all these people? He mentioned that he had started a Wednesday night smoking group and these were his regular crowd. Soon a bottle of rye appeared and then another…again, we all grabbed small plastic cups and gave ourselves a healthy pour to help enhance the warmth we were getting from the heater. The group was excited to see a newcomer to the night and were unbelievably welcoming to me and ensured my glass was always topped up and that I was made to feel like one of them. After a while I looked over at the owner and he was sitting back with a huge smile on his face…I turned to him and said, “You are in your happy place, aren’t you?”…and he just laughed and said “Yup”. I said, “This is really what cigar smoking is all about…bringing people together with a common passion and just enjoying each other’s company and sharing in the beauty of the leaf.” And he just nodded his head and smiled, “This is what I have always imagined my store to be about and represent”. At the end of the night and after a few cigars and a bunch of rye, we headed back into the store where the owner entertained us with a few songs on the piano…he was a former jazz pianist who did the club scene in his youth. It was a magical night that I have repeated a few times since…each time just as special as the last but I will always remember that first one…and that it was a La Aurora 107. You hear it all the time from the industry people in the social media universe and from people like the guys running this site…that it is a great industry with great people…I am fortunate that I have gotten to experience it first hand.

Awesome story Paul, a true show of the camaraderie that comes along with this wonderful hobby! Congrats!

Congrats to Paul, please email your name, and address to “casasfumando@gmail.com”. Thanks again for every one who entered! Keep the entries coming!

The post FINAL Contest Day #9 – Smoke Inn (and Day #8 Winners) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The reason is simple, we wanted to reward you, our readers, for making this, Casas Fumando, possible. You are the driving force behind this blog. We don’t run this blog to make money on advertising, to get free cigars, or to obtain any type of fame. Our reason is simply to share our love of cigars with you.

3 years ago, I started Casas Fumando. Actually at that time it was under a different name, but it was the same blog, same reviews. I actually had a personal blog in which I would share my graphic/Web design experiences. On that blog I posted a review of a cigar that I really enjoyed. Just as a little inlet into my personal life. At the time I was smoking a lot of infused cigars and that first cigar actually happened to be an Acid. Anyways, as time went on my webstats began to show an interesting trend. No one gave a crap what I had to say about design, but my one little cigar review, that was something different. It was pretty much the only article anyone ever read. Knowing this, I started Casas Fumando which at the time, was more of a catalog of my own cigar experiences, and less of a cigar review site. As I got more serious about it, I realized that I couldn’t do it alone. For the life of me, I can’t remember how he and I met, but it was at this time that Daniel T. began sharing his experiences on Casas Fumando as well.

A lot has changed since then. Daniel and I have actually became very close friends. We went from 10 page views a day to over 1.5 million a year. We average 2 to 3 reviews a week and have not only earned the respect of some of the larger cigar review blogs, but from many of the larger manufacturers as well. Most of all, we have established a form of 2 way conversation between us, and you. We share our thoughts, you tell us yours, and we make fun of Daniel along the way.

That being said, this is where the fun begins. We will be running a 9 day long contest. You heard that right, 9 freaken days. Each one of these days will be sponsored by a company that has given us their support over the past 3 years. Each contest will showcase this company, as well as what they have done for us, and the product that they will be giving away and what you need to do to enter the contest for that day.

This contest is open to anyone in the US and Canada who are 18 years of age or older. Once each day concludes we will contact the winner directly and arrange shipping. We will be shipping some of the items, and some of the companies will be shipping to you directly. It doesn’t matter how many times you have won contests from us in the past, these will be open to everyone.

First, there is a very easy way to gain some extra ground in these contests. Recently we started a Facebook account. It’s probably the easiest way for us to keep up with you guys as well as share all the neat things we are smoking and drinking without having to write up reviews for each one.  It’s also a great way for you to get a hold of us if you have a random question or want to tell us what you’ve been smoking. Want a free entry into each and every single one of our contests? Just “like” our page! Already a fan? Then you are already entered. On a side note, if you share our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/casasfumando) page on yours, and ask you friends to “like” us, we will give you an extra entry to each one of the contests. Alternately, if you share this page, and any of the contest pages as they are posted then you will get an extra entry into that contest as well! We want the “likes” and promise not to flood your timelines.

Again, if you are not on facebook, DON’T Worry! Tune in on each of the days listed below for instructions on how to enter! Don’t worry, we will make it as easy as possible on you. The idea is to reward all of you for reading, not make you work for it

 The being said, let’s get our mouths watering and announce each one of our contests!

Day 1 – Tuesday – 03-13-2012 – Bonita Smoke Shop

We love Jackie, and Jackie loves EVERYONE! Bonita Smoke Shop will be giving away 1 bundle of her famous “Time Warp” cigars! These cigars were hand-crafted on Miami’s Calle Ocho at the El Titan de Bronze factory by Willy Herrera (Drew Estate), formally from El Titan de Bronze cigars.

Day 2 – Wednesday – 03-14-2012 – RoMa Craft Tobac – Intemperance Volstead Sampler

From the makers of Cro-Magnon, Skip Martin has agreed to reward one of you lucky readers with a sampler of his newest creation, the Intemperance! The Intemperance Volstead Sampler comes with 8 cigars, one of each size, and each wrapper.

Day 3 – Thursday – 03-15-2012 – EP Carrillo

Ernesto has partnered up with us and has an awesome contest in store for you! EP Carrillo has agreed to part with a full box of EP Carrillo Core Line Golosos!

Day 4 – Friday – 03-16-2012 – Rocketfuel Coffee

Who doesn’t like coffee? Who doesn’t like super premium coffee? Rocketfuel has always been friends of ours, and today, they are friends with you! One lucky reader will win a gift pack containing 1/2lb Hawaiian Kona, 1/2lb Jamaican Blue Mountain, 1/2lb Rocketfuel XXX, a $60 value!

*NOTE: Cigar not included. And this blend is different than the gift pack, but you get the idea.

Day 5 – Monday – 03-19-2012 – Emilio Cigars

What can we say about Gary? He knows his cigars, and has always been a great supporter of us, as well as many other tobacco related organizations! Like the AF1 and AF2? Love the Grimalkin? Well Gary is giving you the chance to try them all with his contest containing an awesome sampler with few of each of his cigars, 10 in total as well as a pair of Grimalkin coffee mugs and an Emilio Cigar Polo shirt!

Day 6 – Tuesday – 03-20-2012 – Ortega Cigar Company

Recently Eddie Ortega, co-founder of EO Brands, ventured out on his own and started a new company called “Ortega Cigar Company”. His fist release, the Serie “D” is already making a huge splash, and you can be among the first to get your hands on them. Eddie has offered up 3.. that’s right 3 sampler boxes (5 cigars, one of each size)!

Day 7 – Wednesday – 03-21-2012 – Miami Cigar

2 years ago Daniel and I named the “La Sirena” our #1 cigar of the year. We still stand by that decision and I still love that cigar! Ever had an “A” sized cigar? Seriously, more than 9 inches of deliciousness! Miami Cigars is giving away a full box of La Sirena “A” as well as a few T-shirts!

Day 8 – Thursday – 3-22-2012 – Joya De Nicaragua

Jose Blanco has to be one of the greatest men in the business. A genius, and a friend. With his new company, Jose and Joya De Nicaragua has agreed to supply one lucky reader with a full box of Antano, one of my personal favorite cigars of all time.

Day 9 – Friday – 3-23-2012 – Smoke Inn

Last but certainly not least, Smoke Inn. Abe is another precious cigar soul and has always shown his support to new media, traditional media, and just about any cigar smoker out there. Strengthening that support, Abe and Smoke Inn has agreed to give one lucky reader a full box of the Smoke Inn Exclusive, Don Pepin Garcia My Father El Hijo, and a Smoke Inn Survival pack containing a travel humidor, hat, and cutter!

That’s a whole lot of winning! Again, start spreading out the news via facebook, be sure to tag us so that we can keep track. Stay tuned on each one of the mentioned dates so that you can find out how to win the above products! Thanks again, for the support. You guys rule!

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For those of you who didn’t know, this past weekend was our Thanksgiving up here in the Great White North and the weather was downright awesome! We had gorgeous clear skies and temperatures above 75F all weekend. This was a big change because just a week before that we were hovering in the mid 30’s and ready to busty out the parkas and the igloo building equipment! So I picked out a nice summery brew and a lighter cigar to enjoy the weather before it disappeared

The cigar I settled with was the Angelenos Toro from 2009. Now the Angelenos is an interesting prospect. It’s not really the company name, and it’s not really cigar line name, but it’s sort of a mixture of both. The founder of Angelenos is Keith K. Park whose name you might recognize from Prometheus as well as a couple other brands such as God of Fire and Sencillo. If you visit the Angelenos website, Keith K. Park has a nice letter detailing the “why” of Angelenos and about what the name means. As a quick summary, the Angelenos cigar was created to honor Los Angeles (a.k.a the “City of Angels”). He feels the Los Angeles is home to a great number of passionate cigar lovers and wanted to create something for all of them.

The Angelenos cigars are wrapped in an Ecuadorian leaf and rounded out with Dominican binders and fillers. The cigar itself is rolled in the Tabaccalera A. Fuente y Cia factory which is located in the Dominican Republic. you may recognize the Fuente name in that factory, and it is indeed the factory where Arturo Fuente cigars are produced. One neat thing to note about these cigars is that the band has a year inscribed on them in red. This particular Angelenos has “2009” on it. Would be great to see more manufacturers adopt this style!

In a lot of my cigars I’ve come to associate the Ecuadorian wrappers as something that packs a punch. This is most likely just by chance and the choice of cigars that I’ve smoked, but that’s just what pops into my head when I think Ecuadorian wrapper. Now from some basic reading I know this is not the case with the Angelenos and the website promises me a smooth and relaxing cigar. A quick note that this cigar was sent to us from our good friends over at Smoke Inn. Check their site when you have a moment, they have a great selection of cigars! So, Will the Angelenos live up to this claim? Time to read on and find out!

Cigar: Angelenos 2009
Drink: Bell’s Oberon Ale
Vitola: Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $9.95 MSRP @ Smoke Inn
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• The Angelenos has a nice light brown wrapper surrounding it with some smaller visible veins
• I noticed that the wrapper itself is fairly fragile and even found a few green spots on some of the samples
• The entire cigar is surprisingly firm from head to foot, offering almost no spring at all
• In line with the firm feel, the foot of the cigar appears to be very well packed
• The cigar clipped easily leaving a cleanly cut cap
• At first it seemed the draw was a bit tight but it’s actually doing very well

Burn:
• The toasting went very nicely, took a little bit of time and ended up with an evenly glowing foot
• The burn has been razor sharp through the first inch or so, let’s hope it stays that way
• As I get to the halfway point I’m happy to report we’re still moving along with a razor sharp burn and I have no problems letting it sit to enjoy it slowly
• Loving the burn on this cigar, still nearly perfect as I head into the last third
• Not having much to say is a good thing here, not problems to report!

Smoke & Ash:
• The initial draws are giving a nice comfortable amount of smoke that quickly fills your mouth
• The resting smoke on this cigar is constant and pretty thick too, gives off a campfire type of aroma as well
• The ash is looking very clean and tight and is holding on past 1 inch so far
• The color is also quite nice, showing off a light grey tone with the occasional black line
• The ash fell jsut short of two inches before falling off gently into the ashtray
• The next ash help on beautifully past the 2 inch mark with very little effort!

Tasting Notes:
• The aroma off this wrapper is mostly woodsy with a bit of barnyard
• The foot has a much more interesting aroma though, I pick up a touch of floral, more woodsy and a slight hint of spice, maybe like a paprika
• The pre-light draw brings more woodsiness again, along with it I’m getting the paprika and maybe a touch of sweetness
• The initial draws bring out a lot of woodsy flavors, mostly cedar but I’m even picking up a touch of pine. Along with the woodsy notes there is a slight touch of coffee and the paprika is hiding in there as well, a good start
• The start of this cigar has been a nice mild body with a small bite on the retrohale and a smooth cedar finish
• As I progress, the coffee flavors are making more of an appearance and the woodsy notes are still the primary
• The spice has mostly disappeared and I’m enjoying the woodsy and coffee flavors here
• I’m also getting some nutty flavors here and there, perhaps it’s almond like, very nice
• The flavors are intensifying a bit as I go into the last third, it’s still mostly woodsy and coffee but I’m also getting light hints of leather and the almond is around too
• The flavors finished strong but the body didn’t really pass medium, a good smoke right to the nub with no bitterness to worry about

Final Thoughts:
The Angelenos makes for a very nice smoke and can be enjoyed pretty much anytime of the day. If you like to enjoy an early day or morning cigar, this would go well with a cup of coffee or it can hold it’s own in the evening as well. The flavors were not multi-dimensional but they were enjoyable and I didn’t really get bored of them. Maybe a longer vitola might lose it’s appeal but in a Toro size or similar it’s a good smoke. The burn was also top-notch with no issues from start to finish, that always earns extra points in my book. I like to work, read or watch a movie while I enjoy my cigar and if I’m fighting to keep it lit or touch it up, it ruins the experience for me. The classic flavors of cedar and coffee are also very easy to enjoy and pick up on for any level of smoker to enjoy. My main gripe here is probably the price, it seems a little high for this type of cigar with a straightforward profile. With that said, the price isn’t out of this world and still accessible. They are worth buying at least a 5-pack to have around when you need a nice relaxing smoke.

Pairings:
Today’s brew is another one of my imports from my trip to Florida. It from Bell’s Brewery Inc. located in Missouri and it’s called Oberon Ale. The Oberon Ale is actually a summer seasonal and I probably should have drank it earlier but this weekend turned out to have some awesome summer-like weather so I popped it open. The beer has nice light color to it and is obviously not filtered since it is cloudy and has some particles floating around in it. I also found it to be a little more carbonated than normal although that didn’t really bother me. The flavor is very bright as soon as it hits your tongue, definitely a lot of fruity notes but they aren’t overpoweringly sweet. The beer still has a nice medium body to it and a tasty malty finish. This makes for an excellent summer beer that isn’t all clear and watery like some other summer beers are. I definitely enjoyed it and will look for more next time I head south. As for a pairing, I found it made a good partner with the Angelenos. Although you have to be selective with this brew, a nice connecticut or mild maduro would go well. If the cigar is too far into the medium or full range the beer probably won’t stack up as well. As for the Angelenos, this is a good option along with a smooth dark ale or possibly a nice coffee as a morning smoke.

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