The Good Stuff:

By now the dust has settled and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has been focused on releasing new blends to follow up it’s debut launch of the Sobremesa. At the front of center of their releases at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas was the Mi Querida. Steve Saka, the master blender for Dunbarton, has stated that the Mi Querida is the type of cigar that most people would have expected him to create. Full flavor, and a bit dirtier in comparison to the Sobremesa. The term Mi Querida translates into “My Dearest”, but in other regions such as Nicaragua the term refers to “secret mistress” which could play into a dirty little secret which could be used to describe the blend.

The blend itself starts out with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which Saka is known for, over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Unlike the Sobremesa which was produced at the Joya de Nicaragua facility, Mi Querida is produced at the NACSA (Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A.) factory. Mi Querida comes in four regular production formats: Fino Largo (6 x 48), Ancho Corta (5 x 52), Ancho Largo (6 x 52), and the Muy Gordo Grande (6 x 56) which all come packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $9 – $10 a stick. There are also 4 limited formats planned for the near future. I purchased these from our good friends over at 2 Guys Smoke Shop (who still have plenty in stock). You can also find more information about Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust by checking out their website here.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium Full
Price: $8.99
Pairing: Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The Mi Querida is a beautiful looking cigar. Starting out with the wrapper which is a very rich, dark brown in color with lots of patchy, darker, almost black areas scattered throughout it’s body. The texture is pretty toothy with a good amount of oil while the wrapper itself is very dense and hard. The wrapper is laid seamless over itself while only a few smaller veins are noticeable as the body of the cigar leads up to a beautifully round double cap. The cigar as a whole it pretty heavy, and feels incredibly tightly packed as it has almost no noticeable give as I squeeze it between my fingers. The cigar is polished off with an absolutely beautiful, elegant, modest royal blue and gold embossed band simply stating the cigar’s name “Mi Querida” printed across the front.

The wrapper of the Mi Querida gives off some slight cocoa and tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more pungent with a good amount of pepper, musk, and earthiness. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a very musky, malty, dirty mixture of flavors.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Mi Querida start out with a much more shallow black pepper blast than I was expecting. After the first few puffs the pepper completely exits the experience while the cigar showcases some bold musk, cocoa, and earthiness over some light vanilla, and subtle sweetness. The draw is slightly stiff on this particular cigar, but hasn’t been on any others that I smoked in the past so it gets a pass on this one. After getting about and an inch in it completely opens up too. After that, each tiny puff fills my mouth with thick, white smoke while the cigar itself gives off very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is burning solid with the exception of one large wave that isn’t really concerning me at the moment. The ash is a tightly compacted bright white and medium gray which held on for about in inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

As I venture into the second third of the Dunbarton Mi Querida the musk and earthiness really start to take over the experience with the backing flavors being pecan, soft sweetness, cocoa, and vanilla. While it hasn’t been overly complex up to this point, I can honestly say that I am really digging this flavor profile as it fits my personal preference very well. The retrohale really brings back some of that spice and a nice oak thats been buried in the profile. The body is in the medium/full range at this point while the strength is slowly creeping into medium/full as well. The burn line has completely corrected itself without any use of my torch, while I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick. And just to follow up, after that first inch the draw has been killer, and effortless.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Mi Querida and the cigar has really ramped up in body. The cigar now leads with the musk and earthiness as it has before, with the addition of more cocoa and spice with the backing flavors of vanilla, cocoa, and nut. I’m really into this profile. The Mi Querida burned like a dream all the way down to the nub with no harshness, nor any extra added heat, and I smoked this puppy down until my fingertips burned.

Overview:

I absolutely loved the Sobremesa, and I can honestly say that the Mi Querida really gave it a run for it’s money. In my opinion, while both cigar’s performed incredibly, the flavor profile of the Mi Querida is much more up my alley and is something I could see myself smoking on the regular. The burn was flawless, the flavors incredible, and the price is on point. I don’t think I could really ask for more from a cigar.

Pairing:

Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout has a strange name. But when you realize Drew Curtis (founder of fark.com), Wil Wheaton (yes, THAT Wil Wheaton), and Greg Koch (CEO &  Co-Founder of Stone) is behind this beer, it starts to make a little more sense. Coming in at 13% ABV this massive Imperial Stout isn’t for the faint of heart. Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout leads with a very bold palate of dark chocolate, roasted malt, espresso, pecan and spice with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing just as bold with loads more dark chocolate, espresso, and a bit of booze with a cocoa aftertaste. While the nuttiness and cocoa weren’t bold in the  Mi Querida, the pairing really helped bring those out a bit more while add some sweetness to the cigar as well creating an excellent pairing. In all honesty, the Mi Querida is one of the first cigars I’ve had that really pairing well with, well, with itself. The flavors are solid, and the cigar adds a great moistness to the experience without the addition of a drink. If I had to pair it with anything else I think a Belgian Quad, or Strong brown ale would be suitable.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Tatuaje Jackal is a limited edition cigar created exclusively for Casa De Montecristo in Countryside, Illinois. Casa De Montecristo states that the cigar has been in the making for 3 years, while it features an ancient Egyptian theme based on the god Anubis who was half man, half jackal. Right away the packaging, and even cigar format reminded me of some of the Tatuaje Monster Series making this release even more exciting. The blend starts with the rare Sancti Spiritus that Pete Johnson has relied on heavily as the main wrapper in many of his L’Atelier Imports blends. Keeping with the monster theme the Jackal then utilizes a mixture of various Nicaraguan filler tobaccos used in Tatuaje Monster series blends. The cigar is offered in one size, a 6.75 x 54 torpedo which sports an unfinished foot similar to the Wolfman. Only 2,000 boxes of 10 were produced and the cigar runs $13.99 per stick which you can only get at Casa de Montecristo in Illinois. Huge thanks goes out to the Casa de Montecristo staff for sending these our way.

Size: 6.75 x 54
Wrapper: Sancti Spiritus
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $13.99
Pairing: Stone Xocoveza Charred (Imperial Stout 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje Jackal starts out with a beautifully consistent, milk chocolate brown wrapper. You really have to strain to see any color variations throughout the wrapper. The texture of the wrapper leaf is very rough and toothy, with only some very slight oils. The stand-out characteristic of the Jackal is the unfinished foot which revels a good amount of the binder and filler tobacco extended through the foot of the cigar. There are only a few medium sized veins running through the course of the Jackal’s body leading up to a very sharp, torpedo cap. The wrapper feels very dense, and very firm as the entire cigar is packed very tightly with no soft spots at all. The Jackal is polished off with a simple black and gold band with Pete Johnson’s logo on the front with the words “The Jackal” and “Tatuaje Exclusive Series” printed along the sides.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje Jackal gives off some slight spice and tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice, pepper, and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw carries over a ton of spice, sweetness, cocoa, and earthiness.

First Third:

The Tatuaje Jackal starts out with a great little black/cayenne pepper zing that’s heavy enough to leave my lips tingling for a moment. The pepper quickly fades and a much sweeter profile of cocoa, cinnamon, spice, and coffee take over. As the foot burns up to the wrapper much more sweet spice is poured into the equation along with some really nice toffee notes. The draw is flawless, each tiny puff kicks out a great amount of thick smoke while the cigar releases almost no stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. the burn line is dead even and razor thin which is always a concern of mine with unfinished feet. The ash left behind is medium and light gray and pretty well compacted as it held on for about and inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje Jackal and some of the sweetness has started to take a step back and is now being replaced by some great tea/pine flavors mixed in with the cocoa, coffee, and spice. The retrohale showcases some really bold cedar and sharp spice that you don’t really pick out of the standard smoking experience. It’s a bit too sharp for me though so I don’t find myself retrohaling this cigar too often. The burn line is becoming slightly wavy as I close out the second third, but nothing concerning while I feel nothing in terms of nicotine yet.

Finish:

Into the final third to the Tatuaje Jackal the body and strength have really started to ramp up. The cigar now resides in the medium/full range while the flavors are leading with a bold dark chocolate, spice, and sweetness over the soft coffee, toffee, and pine. A bit of sap built up in the very tail end of the final third causing my to clip a little more off the cap. When I did this, a decent sized crack went through just the wrapper. While this was totally my fault, it didn’t actually change the experience one bit. The cigar still finished nice and clean, creamy, and tasty. It took my about an hour and forty five minutes to take this cigar down to the nub and I experience no harshness, no extra heat, nor did I ever have to reach for my torch to relight or touch this bad boy up.

Overview:

The Tatuaje Jackal is another solid release from Tatuaje and an interesting take on the exclusive series. The flavors are solid, the cigar preformed very well, and the experience was great. This cigar hits on all cylinders without being overpowered by strength. I personally really enjoyed the flavor profile as it is exactly what I look for in a cigar. Due to pricing, and marketing I’d have to compare this cigar to some of the monster releases, and in doing so it fits right in and probably sits right in the middle in terms of favorites. The price is a bit steep, but again, you get what you pay for and in the case of the Jackal its a great, limited edition cigar that preformed from the light of the foot, up to the very last bit of the nub. Since these come in convenient boxes of 10, and are very limited, I’d recommend snatching up a full box from Casa de Montecristo while you still can.

Pairing:

I was all about Stone’s Xocoveza last year, in fact it was probably one of my favorite seasonals. This year, they announced they were making a few variants of the beer and the Charred version was amongst them which quickly turn the idea light on above my head for a cigar pairing. The Stone Xocoveza Charred Mocha Stout is a ale brewed with cocoa, coffee, & spices aged in bourbon barrels. This imperial stout brewed in San Diego, California comes in at a whopping 10%. The stout leads in with some intense sweetness, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and malt with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with creamy milk, chocolate, coffee and a good deal of spice/chile that you only get in the back of your throat on the after taste. As it warms the bourbon starts to come out a bit more, but they hid the booze in this beer very well. The charred chocolate, coffee, and spice paired perfectly with the Tatuaje Jackal. I’d also pair this cigar with a solid Belgian strong ale, quad, or smoked porter.

The post Tatuaje Jackal Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

As we all should know by now, Caldwell cigars is founded by Robert Caldwell who is best know for his work with Christina Eiroa at Wynwood cigars. The King is Dead is the third cigar in the Caldwell portfolio (with more on the way). We’ve taken on the Long Live the King and the Eastern Standard and will do what we can to review the new blends on the way. Caldwell Cigars separates themselves from other cigar manufacturers by utilizing rare and vintage tobaccos in their blends. The King is Dead features a Negrito Dominican wrapper from 2008 with a Corojo Dominican binder from 2006 around Dominical Corojo Ligero from 2006, Dominican Negrito Viso from 2008 and HVA 20/20 from 2010. The Negrito tobacco isn’t used very often in other blends out today, and Caldwell states that it’s difficult to get this tobacco to play nice with other tobaccos in the blend, but the team over at Tabacalera Ventura made it happen. (Thanks Cigar Coop for the info). The King is Dead is packaged in boxes of 24 with the exception of the Broken Sword which comes in a box of 37. The blend is offered in four sizes: Broken Sword Negrito (40 x 5), Premier Negrito (50 x 5), the Last Pay Day Negrito (52 x 6 Torpedo) and the Supreme Negrito (52 x 7) running between $7 and $12 a stick. I got mine over from our good friends at Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert, Arizona.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Negrito Dominicano 2008
Binder: Corojo Dominicano 2006
Filler: Corojo Ligero Dominicano 2006 (30%), Negrito Viso Dominicano 2008 (20%), and HVA 20/20 2010 (50%)
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Stone Farking Wheaton w00tStout (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

Caldwell’s The King is Dead starts out with a very consistent medium-brown wrapper. The wrapper carries a few average sizes veins and a small amount of natural tobacco leaf webbing. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself with a very smooth texture, almost no tooth, and a decent amount of oils. The wrapper feels pretty thin a delicate while the cigar itself has a slight sponge feel to it as it leads up to a beautifully round, stubby, pigtail cap. The King is Dead is polished off with a manilla and gold band with gold metallic accents and “The King Is Dead” printed in black ink.

The wrapper on the King is Dead gives off a magnificent spice and syrup aroma while the foot of the cigar is just a bold with lots of pepper and spice over the same syrup and natural tobacco. The cap cut like butter under my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw is extremely bold featuring some pepper, spice, lots of musk, and some sweetness.

First Third:

Caldwell’s The King is Dead starts off with a decent little black pepper blast which quickly fades away as the cigar lets loose a crazy amount of bold flavor leading with some musky molasses, strong spice, brown sugar, and oak. The draw is perfect. Each little puff kicks out a great amount of thick white smoke while the cigar releases only a mild amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is thin and solid leaving behind a trail of compacted medium gray and white ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of Caldwell’s The King is Dead and the flavors have started to mellow out a bit, but are still a bold bunch. The oak and dark chocolate lead the way with a good amount of espresso, spice, and sweetness over a great musk. The retrohale is very sharp with strong spice and oak. It’s a bit rough so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The cigar is burning like a champ, dead even, and I close out the second third with only a very slight nicotine kick.

Finish:

The strength and pepper really ramped up into the final third of the King is Dead. The flavors are still real bold and the oak and dark chocolate still lead the way accompanied by musk, molasses, espresso and some slight sweetness. It took me a little over an hour and a half to take the King is Dead down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness. In fact, I am impressed with how balanced the cigar finished off. It left me with a little nicotine kick too, but nothing too bad.

Overview:

I’m only 3 blends deep into Caldwell’s portfolio but I’ve been impressed with each and every one so far. The King is Dead is a big, bold cigar that isn’t overpowering in any direction. The flavors are great, and complex but not overdone. It’s a great departure from the norm in terms of flavor while the burn experience was flawless. Caldwell mentioned that the Negrito tobacco didn’t play nice with others, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. The King is Dead burned like a dream. This cigar is a bit pricey, but as with most of Caldwell’s blends the tobacco is rare and hard to find so you kind of expect the higher price tag. The question is, “is it worth it?”. In the case of the King is Dead is most certainly is. This is a perfect cigar from seasoned smokers looking for something slightly different, but solid while this may be a bit more cigar than I would comfortably recommend to novice cigar smokers. Either way, they will easily find a way into my regular rotation.

Pairing:

Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout has a strange name. But when you realize Drew Curtis (founder of fark.com), Wil Wheaton (yes, THAT Wil Wheaton), and Greg Koch (CEO &  Co-Founder of Stone) is behind this beer, it starts to make a little more sense. Coming in at 13% ABV this massive Imperial Stout isn’t for the faint of heart. Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout leads with a very bold palate of dark chocolate, roasted malt, espresso, and spice with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing just as bold with loads more dark chocolate, espresso, and a bit of booze with a cocoa aftertaste. This beer is bold, and strong, and I love it. It paired wonderfully with the bold presence of the King is Dead while the chocolate, spice, and espresso all married up flawlessly. In most cases, this beer can easily overpower cigars but since the King is Dead carries such a heavy body it was able to compliment it without overpowering.

The post Caldwell The King is Dead appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The H. Upmann Magnum 48 is part of the 2009 H. Upmann Series released each year by Habanos S.A. I have smoked 2 of these little guys prior to this review and for the life of me I can’t remember where I got them from. That’s that tough part about aging cigars. Anyways, if you were responsible in any way for getting any of these in my hands, I thank you. The 2009 Edicion Limitada sports the same blend as the standard magnum line except the tobacco is aged for at least two years. That, and the format are really the only difference. Anyhow, outside of that and the blend info, that’s all I have. So let’s get this started!

Size: 4 ½ x 48
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Strength: Mild/Medium
Body: Medium
Price: ~$11
Pairing: Stone Ruination IPA (Imperial IPA 7.7% ABV)

Prelight: The wrapper on this cigar is crazy dark. In the past the few of these I have smoked didn’t look nearly as dark as this one so age my be the culprit here. Either way, it’s a damn good looking wrapper sporting tons of oil, a bit of tooth, and some smaller veins running through it’s short body. The H. Upmann 2009 Edicion Limitada is capped off with a stubby, little, Cuban style triple cap. The cigar is extremely firm which I find is very hard to come by in terms of Cuban cigars. Usually they feel very spongy with delicate wrappers, but this wrapper is as hard as a rock.

The H. Upmann Magnum 48 3009 Edicion Limitada gives off only a modest tobacco and sweet aroma from the wrapper while the foot of the cigar is almost aromaless. I could only pull off a very slight natural tobacco but that may have been coming from the wrapper. The cap cut clean and easy using my double bladed Palio cutter.

First Smoke: The H. Upmann Magnum 48 2009 Edicion Limitada starts off with a really soft spice, lots of cedar, lots of sweetness, a really nice natural tobacco, citrus, and some saltiness from the wrapper. It’s a common Cuban start off with lots more flavor that you’d initially expect. The draw on this cigar is remarkable. Seriously, one of the best draws I have had on a cigar in a long time. Each little puff kicks out sooooo much white, dense smoke. It’s good too cause I can take my time and really enjoy this cigar without having to worry about it burning too fast. Like most Cuban tobacco, the burn line is pretty wavy, but nothing too serious at this point. The ash is pretty flaky and very light grey. It held on for a little under and inch before falling off.

Halfway There: While the spice, cedar, sweetness and tobacco remained, much of the flavors in the H. Upmann have really dropped off. Sucks too cause it was making for a great experience. This happened in the other ones I smoked as well so I know it’s not an age thing. While the flavors have really taken a dip, the cigar remains very smooth and very creamy. I would have liked it to remain as flavorful, but you can’t have it all I guess. The retrohale is really great though coating my nasal passage with an awesome cedar and sweetness. I have yet to feel any nicotine at all from this smoke as I finish off the second third. The burnline is still pretty wavy but I haven’t had to relight or tough it up yet so I’m not complaining.

Finish: Much the same in the final third if this H. Upmann magnum 48 2009 Edicion Limitada. Smooth, creamy, sweet tobacco, cedar, and cedar. A really interesting zestiness came into play in the final third which added a bit of dimension to the experience. The burline is still pretty crappy. I ended up having to touch it up a few times near the end, but never had to relight so again, it really didn’t bother me at all. It took me about an hour to take this little cigar down to the nub and quite frankly, I was surprised that it took that long. I think the awesome draw had a lot to do with it. There was no real harshness leading into the final inch but the cigar did burn pretty hot.

Overview: This is a good example of a solid Cuban and what you’d expect going into most premium Cuban cigars. Smooth, creamy, one-dimensional with a crappy burn. The first third of this cigar really took off and I would have loved for the cigar to stay that way, but in Cuban nature it mellowed out. It’s not to say this cigar wasn’t good, heck it was great, I just wish there was a little more to it. I think the age on this stick actually brought out more of the flavor as the ones I smoked prior to this one didn’t have as much of that flavor kick at the start.

To Sum it up: It’s a good cigar. Solid, and burned as great as you can get with all Cuban tobacco. The cost is a bit high for me as we have grown to expect a much more well-rounded experience in that price range. I would probably smoke this cigar again if I stumbled across it, but I really don’t see myself going out of my way to find anymore.

Pairing: This H. Upmann 48 Magnum 2009 Edicion Limitada was paired with one of my go-to summer IPA’s, Stone’s Ruination. Ruination is an imperial IPA brewed at Stone’s brewery in California. The IPA comes in at 7.7% ABV and packs tons of flavor. That’s one of the main reasons I paired this beer with this cigar. I knew this cigar was good, but it lacked flavors at time so what I wanted to do was ramp up those dull moments with a powerful, bold beer. The sweetness and citrus went perfectly with the Magnum while the hoppyness, zest, and bitterness from the beer help fill the voids, and actually assist in ramping up the experience when needed. Thinking about a pairing for a cigar like this, you can take it one of two ways. Adding something extremely flavorful to ramp up the experience like I did, or pairing it with something more neutral like tea, or coffee to create a more subtle, creamy, and smooth experience. Either way you look at it the pairings for a cigar like this are endless.

The post H. Upmann Magnum 48 Edicion Limitada 2009 (Cuban) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

This is the “third release” from The Crowned Heads. I use the term “third release” loosely since it is in fact based on the standard issue Four Kicks (read my review of that one here). If you read that review you could see how much I just loved the blend. Again, John Huber + Ernesto Perez Carrillo = match made in heaven. Both dudes are geniuses when it comes down to the cigar industry. Anywho, The Mule Kick is basically the Four Kicks on crack. It starts with a  Ecuador Habano wrapper originally intended for the Four Kicks, but was deemed too dark to fit the blend. Start with that wrapper, stuff it with all the same Nicaraguan goodies from the Four Kicks, and then toss some extra, strong ligero and you have yourself a Mule Kick. This is the first limited run created by the crowned heads. It only comes in one size (5 7/8 x 52), comes in boxes of 10 and runs $8.95 a box. The only sad part about the project is there was only 500 boxes released.

Simply put, without making you read much further, this cigar blew me away. I am a huge fan of the Four Kicks, and being a full-bodied smoker, the added Ligero made this cigar reach new heights with me. The flavor profile was almost identical to the Four Kicks. Lots of cedar, brown sugar, musky tobacco with a very sweet overtone. There wasn’t much change up in the cigar although the sweetness and strength really stepped up into the final third. One thing I did notice was, even though the cigar was stronger, it finished much smoother and creamier than I remember the Four Kicks finishing. I never had a problem with the cigar staying lit, or burning crooked. In fact, the ash and burnline on this cigar was as good as it gets.

All in all this has to be my favorite blend The Crowned Heads has produced to date. Again, I LOVED the Four Kicks and without being modest, I think the Mule Kick knocked the pants off that blend. The price point is spot-on in my opinion and you’d be a fool not to pick these up if you see them. On a side note, I started out this pairing with water since I had never smoked the cigar before. I had a good idea what I was getting myself into as I’ve smoked quite a few Four Kicks in my day. Halfway through I decided I knew the cigar well enough to pair it, and the pairing was sensational! I have yet to find a cigar that had enough strength, body, and pronounced flavors to pair with the incredibly strong, incredibly flavorful, incredibly potent Vertical EPIC 12.12.12 by Stone. That beer is a beast! It’s a Belgian Strong Ale registering 9.0% on the ABV scale and it’s not for the faint of heart. At first sip this beer SCREAMS vanilla, spice, cloves, and ginger. It’s a flavor bomb and man did it pair great with the spice, cedar, and sugar from the Four Kicks Mule Kick.

The post Quick Draw Episode 12 – Crowned Heads – Four Kicks Mule Kick appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.