The Good Stuff: By now, we should all be familiar with Paul and his Maldonado Dynasty. Not only does he make a great cigar, but Paul is an amazing individual who has supported us every step of the way. When he announced that he was joining forces with the boys over at La Aurora we couldn’t have been more pleased. Both are known for their vision, quality, and attention to detail. You can read more about the collaborative effort here.

Paul is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to any specifics on the Mogul’s blend. I really don’t know any of the specifics at all, but I do know the previous blend was composed of a Brazilian Ariparaca Maduro wrapper with Dominican Binder and Fillers so I can only imagine that those may remain the same. Paul eluded to an additional tobacco added to the new blend to finish of the blend and raise the strength. Regardless, it’s how the cigar preforms that matters and not what’s in it. The new Mogul comes packaged in boxes of 20 and will run $220 a box or $11 a stick.

Size: 4.75 x 54
Wrapper: unknown (Brazilian Ariparaca Maduro?)
Binder: unknown (Dominican?)
Filler: unknown (Dominican?)
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $11
Pairing: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron (Imperial Brown Ale 12% ABV)

Prelight: The Mogul carries a ridiculously beautiful wrapper. The wrapper leaf is very dark brown with lots of darker brown webbing, a few larger veins, and a few orangish patches. I love when you can really see the natural characteristics of the leaf. The wrapper’s texture carries some slight tooth, and lots of oils. It feels pretty dense too as it leads up to the round, double cap. The Mogul is then polished off with the exact same yellow/beige band with the Maldonado Dynasty crest as presented on the first rendition of the cigar. In comparison to the old blend, the only real difference in appearance is the wrapper seems to be a bit darker in color. That doesn’t mean much though as similar wrapper leaf will almost always differ in darkness. The band looks as though it may be a different shade in printing, but I think a lot of that has to do with the amount of oils the old blend has soaked up. You can see the comparison above. The new blend is on the left, older blend on the right.

The Wrapper on the Mogul gives off a whole ton of cedar and tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar carries some pepper, spice, and more strong tobacco aromas. The cap took a bit of work to cut due to the density of the wrapper leaf, but it was nice and clean once it sliced through. The cold draw revealed some strong pepper, natural tobacco, and spice flavors.

First Smoke: Maldonado Dynasty’s Mogul started out with a nice pepper greeting. Once that began to fade back the cigar revealed a very bold dark chocolate with notes of cedar, spice, and coffee. The draw is spot on kicking out tons of thick, white smoke. I was impressed with the just how thick the smoke was. It would just sit in from of my face as a huge cloud before slowly dissipating. The burnline is a bit wavy, but nothing too concerning leaving behind a very dark grey, flaky ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: As I jump into the second third of the Maldonado Dynasty’s Mogul, a really interesting tartness has begun to show it’s face in the flavor profile. As the tartness increases the cedar and spice mellow out leaving the dark chocolate and espresso running the show. The retrohale was way more stout than I was expecting coating my nasal passage with a very strong pepper and cedar. The burnline is still slightly wavy, but I haven’t had to pull my torch out yet while I am actually feeling a little bit of nicotine as I close out the second third.

Finish: Into the final third of Maldonado Dynasty’s Mogul and the flavors haven’t really switched up. The cigar is still very heavy on the dark chocolate and espresso with cedar, and spice notes. The black pepper did show back up a bit in the final third, but it remained on the mild side. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to take this cigar down to the nub. I experience no real heat issues or harshness as I closed it out. I also never had to pull my torch out of my pocket despite the early on waves. The Mogul left me with a little nicotine kick, but nothing too bad.

Overview: Paul mentioned that the new blend is just slightly tweaked adding more strength and a more refined edge to the Mogul blend, and that pretty much sums it up perfectly. While I enjoyed the first version of the Mogul, it seemed to be lacking just a certain something that the new blend really polished off. The Mogul isn’t overly complex, but it did manage to keep my attention all the way through. The construction was flawless, and the flavor profile was solid. I would have liked to see a bit more complexity in there, but that’s just my pain in the ass opinion. The other thing is the price. $11 is really pushing it for a Robusto, but this is what you need to expect from more boutique blends. It’s become the norm and quite honestly the price tag fits right in which what I would expect this cigar to cost. This is a solid cigar that I’d keep a few around of, but I won’t be doing mass box purchases of.

Pairing: Holy Pairing Batman! This is the perfect example on how the perfect pairing can add so much to the experience. Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron is the epitome of a perfect brown ale. Coming in at a massive 12% abv this beer isn’t for the faint of heart. The Palo Santo Marron leads in with some really strong berry, malt, and chocolate while finishing very sweet with some nice oaky notes, spice and a slight tartness. See where I am going with this? The Chocolate, malt, and spice paired brilliantly with the Mogul while the berry and sweetness added a whole new layer of greatness to the experience. I know that Palo Santo Marron is one of my go to beer pairings as it goes well with almost any stronger/bolder cigar but this pairing in particular knocked it out of the park.

The post The Maldonado Dynasty Mogul (New Blend) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

#10 – Casa Miranda by Miami Cigar Co.

Miami Cigar was on a huge roll last year and turned out a bunch of good cigars, one of which made our #1 in 2010.  New releases slowed down a little bit in 2011 but the quality did not!  The Casa Miranda is a smooth medium bodied smoke that is wonderfully well balanced with flavors of coffee, cedar and a touch of spice with some added sweetness and tart flavors.  The creamy finish on this cigar is sure to impress all kinds of cigar enthusiasts.

#9 – Drew Estate Liga Privada Undercrown

It’s no secret that one of us here at Casas Fumando is a huge Liga Privada Fanboy. When word got out that Drew Estate was working on a new, affordable, non-exclusive version of the blend, we did whatever it took to track a few down. This cigar was actually created by workers at the Drew Estate factory when the company decided they needed to hold back consumption on more of the Liga Privada cigars in order to get more to the consumers. This sweet, complexed, and incredibly balanced blend has made huge waves amongst the cigar community this year. Affordable, easy to find, and tasty. What more could one ask for?

#8 – Camacho – Room 101 Namakubi

Camacho has been relatively quite lately, with the exception of a little sleeper cigar that took this year’s IPCPR show by storm. Matt Booth and Camacho teamed up a while back in collaboration to release the Room 101 brand. One of this year’s Room 101 releases really caught the attention of not only the attendees at the release show, but us as well. The Namakubi is a very complex, and different style cigar that keeps you entertained from start to finish. It’s got some body, some unique flavors, and some interesting artwork. Hopefully we see more like this from both Camacho and Room 101 in the near future.

#7 – Quesada Oktoberfest

A blend created for the sole purpose of German beer pairing? It almost seems like Quesada was reading our minds when it created yet another masterpiece. This trophy of a cigar was introduced for the first time this year to accompany the german Oktoberfest celebration. To be honest, we celebrate each time we light one of these bad boys up. Strong, full body, with just enough flavor to marry in perfectly with your beer, without overpowering it. Needless to say  Quesada is on a roll this year and it will be interesting to see where they stand this time next year.

#6 – Tatuaje Wolfman – Monster Series #4

Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars has another winner is his amazingly popular Monster Series of cigars that come out every Halloween.  In his 4th addition to the Series, Pete opted to wrap the Wolfman with a tasty Sumatra wrapper and leave an interesting shaggy foot on the cigar.  The cigar started off with lots of cedar and some spice you would expect from a Tatuaje cigar.  Interestingly though, the Wolfman turned out to be a smooth experience as the peppery spice tapered off and were replaced by cloves, nutmeg, leather and a touch of sweetness in the last half.

#5 – E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut

There are tons of Connecticut cigars out on the market and it takes a special blender to make one that stands out amongst the rest.  Well, E.P. Carrillo turned out a winner with his New Wave Connecticut this year which made waves(pun intended!) in the cigar world.  Everything you would hope for in a Connecticut cigar can be found here and at a price that is easily digestible.  Smooth creamy notes with touches of sweetness such as coffee and caramel all wrapped together with a soft cedar blanket.  This is a fantastic cigar to gift to someone new to the cigar world or even someone looking for a smooth morning treat.

#4 – San Lotano Oval

A.J. Fernandez is another name that has been tearing up the cigar streets as of late with his newly created, B&M exclusive San Lotano line. Amongst that line is a stand alone cigar that blew us away. The Oval is unique not only in blend, but in shape as well. This cigar packed some of the most complex, interesting, smooth, and enjoyable flavors into its strange, yet comfortable Oval formatted cigar. At a welcomed price point, we would be surprised if this cigar didn’t sneak into other’s top 10 list as well.

#3 – Tatuaje La Casita Criolla

Connecticut Broadleaf, now that’s a term I wish we heard more often. As soon as Pete Johnson announced that he and Jaime Garcia of My Father Cigars would be creating a 100% Connecticut Broadleaf cigar, we jumped all over it. From the wrapper, to the filler, this complex yet smooth cigar aims to please. With a sweet, chocolate and cedar profile, this cigar really is the epitome of a perfect cigar. One other huge point that helped nudge this cigar so far up our list is the price point. One would think a Tatuaje, coming from My Father’s Factory, composed completely of expensive broadleaf would carry a hefty price tag. But the $7 range on these sticks just make them too hard to pass up.

#2 – Quesada Seleccion Espana

Quesada threw out a few curve balls this year in the ways of tasty cigars, that is for sure.  The Seleccion Espana is definitely one of those.  It’s a rare treat and we are both glad we were able to try it.  The Seleccion Espana was actually created for the Spanish cigar market with a definite throwback to class Cuban cigars.  The cigar entertains your palate with a mix of cedar, tart sweetness and the classic saltiness you find on some Cuban cigars.  The flavors are rounded out by a touch of spice and nuttiness with a smooth medium finish.  If you manage to track a few of these down, buy them and enjoy their super slow burning goodness down to the nub!

#1 – Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2011

Well what can we say, the number 1 cigar is definitely a tasty one and we both enjoyed each and every inch of them.  The My Father factory turns out some awesome cigars and the Limited Edition of the Jamie Garcia is no exception.  We both really enjoy the original Jamie Garcias so we got very excited when we heard about this cigar coming out.  Tony jumped at the chance for a box purchase and did not regret it one bit.  The price is a little bit high but it is a limited edition after all and neither of can say no to a wonderfully toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper! haha.  So what can you expect form this cigar?  Well, you will get subtle nuances of spice, a thick chocolate coating on your palate and tons of espresso notes.  Add to that some pleasant cedar, a touch of berry sweetness and some nuts and you will be in cigar heaven!  Get your hands on these before they disappear, you will not be disappointed!

Honorable Mentions:

There were a TON of good cigars that came out this year and it’s extremely hard to make a top 10 list without have a few that were right on the edge of #9 or #10.  So to compensate, here’s a couple honorable mentions that just BARELY missed our list.

The Maldonado Dynasty – The Mogul
I’m sure you’ve seen this name around the site before, and just recently Paul Maldonado donated a box to Daniel’s Movember Campaign.  But aside from being an all-around nice guy Paul also has a tasty cigar on his hands.  From the attractive oily wrapper to the smooth cedar aroma, “The Mogul” is a cigar that does not disappoint.  In the flavor department, you can expect to find coffee, cedar, a touch of spice and some interesting dried fruit.  Make sure to grab a few of these and give them a try.

Illusione ~MK~ Ultra

I know, I know, there is no review for this cigar. There is a reason behind that, and probably the only reason why this cigar didn’t make our top ten. I had a hell of a time tracking down this cigar. Even when I did, I was only able to chase down one, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The MK Ultra is based on Dion’s first release of the ~MK~. It’s basically the same blend, on crack. Much stronger and more robust. I already liked the ~MK~ as is, but the added strength and body blew me away. If you are a fan of the ~MK~ or Dion’s stuff in general, then this cigar is for you. Let’s just hope future supplies will meet demand.

The post Tony and Daniel’s Best Cigars of 2011 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now typically we don’t post news or press releases on Casas Fumando but The Maldonado Dynasty is offering up a unique chance for anybody to win a whole box of cigars! Not only that, but they are doing it in a very classy way! Take a read through the press release I was sent below and I encourage you to enter and brag about your achievements and successes!

Determination…
Will…
Faith…
Courage.

The very essence of “The Mogul”

Times may be difficult in this economic climate but one thing is for sure, there are always people out there who dare take the risk, they have the vision and fierce will to go after what they know belongs to them.

It is with these people in mind, we are honored to launch “The Mogul campaign 2011.” Our goal is to reward those going against the odds and making their dreams real. These people are strong and possess a determination that is true to the spirit of “The Mogul.” It is our belief that they should not have to sacrifice their Super-Premium cigars to achieve their endeavors but rather be rewarded with some. With no further ado, we unveil your opportunity to win a box of our Ultra-Luxury, Super-Premium cigars “The Mogul.”

**Here are The Mogul Campaign 2011 guidelines for a chance to win. We will be choosing a cigar enthusiast every month for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012** (Please do NOT apply if you are not in fact a business owner/self-employed. We will be verifying every entree submission and you must be established either in your state or online. Must be 21 years old to submit. Thank you for your integrity).

• Must be self-employed and/or own his/her own company (i.e. writers, small business owners, bloggers, Presidents, C.E.O.s, chefs, etc.) Applies worldwide (not only U.S.)
• “Like,” The Maldonado Dynasty on Facebook.
• Print the logo above of “The Maldonado Dynasty,” (Found in our Facebook page under the The Mogul Campaign 2011 album)
• Hold the print out in front of yourself: centered and visible in your office: traditional office, coffee shop, where you conduct business.)
  (Get your employees involved if applicable in the photo.)
• And lastly CAPTION your business information, service(s) rendered, and major goals under the photo you submitted.
  (It is ok to submit more than one month throughout the contest).

We will be choosing the person who personifies the spirit of “The Mogul,” and has a true passion and vision for their company every month and rewarding them with a complimentary box of The Mogul. We will be selecting our Winner every month by number of “Likes,” under their photograph and our belief in them.

This is our token of our faith in your endeavors and our way of wishing you tremendous success in your business. We remind you to push HARD and “Always demand the finest.”

Sincerely,
Paul Maldonado
President/C.E.O.
The Maldonado Dynasty

www.MaldonadoDynasty.com
“Always demand the finest.”

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