The RC233 is part of Tatuaje’s Reserve lineup and is essentially the bigger brother of the RC184. And this is definitely the BIGGER brother, measuring up just over 9 inches and a 55 ring gauge. That’s a lot of tobacco! This particular cigar is rolled at the El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Florida, which is headed up by the infamous Don Pepin Garcia. So you know you are getting a high quality cigar here from some of the best people in the business.

You might be wondering where this name came from? It’s actually an Acronym of “Retro Cuba” followed the length measurement of the cigar in millimeters. Also, these are not a one-time limited production cigar. They are produced regularly but the quantities are fairly low so tracking them down can be a bit of a challenge.

It’s pretty easy to tell by the sheer size of this cigar that I’m going to be in for a long smoke here, so if you do happen to light one up make sure to have enough time to enjoy the whole thing. I for one can’t stand re-lighting a cigar that’s been sitting for awhile. So I picked out this cigar today because it is probably that last warm day of the year here and I wanted to enjoy the weather. So here we go!

Cigar: Tatuaje RC233
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Cobblestone Stout
Vitola: Perfecto (9.125 x 55)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $22.00
Burn Time: 2.5 hours

Construction:
• A fairly clean tapered cap with one large leaf that blends into the rest of the cigar
• The has a deep golden brown color to is with some definite oily shine to it
• The part under the foil was different though, it didn’t have that same golden glow but more of a dull deep brown
• There is a definite soft texture to the whole cigar when squeezed and it’s pretty darn consistent from edge to edge
• The foot is too tapered to tell how packed in the filler is
• I’m surprised to see there are so few veins on this massive cigar, definitely took some top quality wrapper leaves to put this together
• The cut was nice and easy and left me with a very nice draw despite the very tapered foot

Burn:
• The tapered foot is very easy to light up since it’s so small so the toasting was super fast
• As with most tapered foots like this, the burn always goes a little lop-sided right at the start so I needed to do some corrections
• Through the first couple of inches, the burn is a little wobbly but it holding strong
• The Tatuaje RC233 sorta stopped burning around the midway mark so I needed a bit of touch ups to help nudge it along
• After about an hour, I’ve hit the halfway mark and the cigar is burning nicely with only 2 small touch ups so far
• Burn continued going strong right on to the end with no more touch ups needed, a pretty darn great burn considering the size and complex shape of the cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• This cigar is an absolute smoke factory right from the start, tons of thick some coming off of each draw
• The ash started off a bit messy, probably due to the relights at the foot
• Color-wise, the ash is pretty much dark grey with some lighter grey spots and holding clean so far
• I tapped the first ash off after about 1.5 inches but I think it could have even held on a bit longer
• Second and third ash were just about the same length showing some good construction here
• There were lots of ashes on this cigar and they were all easily passed the 1 inch mark, great construction here throughout
• The draw stayed perfect right to the end with no issues at all

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper had a fairly woodsy aroma to it, lots of cedar
• The foot brought a little more spice to the table along with the woodsy aromas
• From the pre-light draw, the spices were really standing out with a tingle on my lips
• The initial draws brought a hefty burst of pepper out, some thing I always get from Pete’s cigars
• The pepper notes settled down a bit but are definitely still hanging around along with lots of cedar notes and a bit of a meaty taste
• I’m starting to pick up some light espresso notes as the cigar keeps burning nicely
• There is definitely some strength to this cigar right from the start, easily in the medium range already and I predict a ramp up towards the end
• The retrohale has a nice bite to it but a smooth cedar finish, very nice
• As I approach the halfway mark, there is some leather mixing in with the coffee, cedar and meaty flavors and they are all balancing out nicely
• The espresso flavors are really developing nicely with a bit of a nutty flavor making an appearance too
• The spices started to make a big comeback in the last 3rd and the body is getting into the full range as well
• Spices and cedar took over in the flavor department near the end, making this one strong stick, be sure to have a good meal and pairing on hand!
• The strength at the end was very full but surprisingly I didn’t get the nic-kick I was expecting from this behemoth of a cigar

Final Thoughts:
Now I’ve had my ups and downs with Tatuaje cigars and that’s expected, not all profiles will appeal to all people. But today, the RC233 was definitely a bug up in my books. This cigar had a ton of flavors that kept changing and they were always tasty. The quality was definitely top notch and construction was excellent with only a couple minor touch ups the whole way through. I had high hopes for this rare (and massive!) cigar and it did not disappoint. It did have some age on it which I think really helped with the whole experience. If you do happen to have one hiding in your humidor I think it’s an excellent time to bust it out and enjoy, or if you stumble across one somewhere, make sure you grab it! There are still many around if you look, but they aren’t super widely available from what I can tell.

Pairings:
Mill Street Brewery is probably a name you’ve seen in some of my reviews before. They are situated right in downtown Toronto so I love to support the local businesses whenever I can. They have some pretty high yield batches but they still seem to maintain a craft brew flavor to a lot of their varieties. The Cobblestone Stout is one I hadn’t found in the store before so when I saw it I knew I had to grab it. This is a classic stout with lots of deep malty and smoky flavors and even a touch of coffee, but not too much. It’s got a ton of head when you pour it and a bit of a dry finish. It paired well with the Tatuaje RC233 but I think a Port would have gone great to combat the full flavor and strength of this cigar.

The post Tatuaje Reserva RC233 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today’s cigar review is coming from the factory’s of General Cigar in Honduras. It is from the Punch line up and is called the Cafe Royal Maduro. The Cafe Royal comes packed in a thick and solid glass tube, thicker than most others I’ve come across, and has a gold seal at the bottom. Inside, the cigar is easily visible with it’s single gold and red band.

The Punch Cafe Royal is available in wrappers, either Connecticut or Maduro. There are also some other similar vitolas in the line-up but they have different names and don’t come in glass tubes so this is sort of a special part of the line. I’ve had this one lying around in my humidor still sealed for at least a year, possibly 2. Hopefully it didn’t dry up while sealed… more on that later.

Today I’m taking this cigar outside for a nice after dinner smoke. I don’t think I’ve had a Punch in quite awhile so it will be interesting to revisit this line again. The last review we did on a Punch was actually almost 3 years ago by Tony when he reviewed the Punch Uppercut.

Now as a side note, we also have a special contest running right now from our friends over at General Cigar as well. Make sure to read about it at the bottom of the review!

Cigar: Punch Cafe Royal
Drink: Innis & Gunn Canada Day 2012
Vitola: Parejo (5.625 x 44)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Price: A little under $5
Burn Time: Just over an hour

Construction:
• For the most part it seems the glass tube protected this cigar from any damage as the wrapper is almost flawless
• However, the foot of all tube cigars seem to come with some damage but nothing to worry about there
• The color on this cigar is a deep chocolate brown with some oily gold accents
• There are almost no veins to be seen here
• From the foot, you can tell this cigar is well packed and the soft but springy feel when squeezed backs up that prediction
• The double cap is fairly cleanly applied, a little bumpy but it seems to have done the job

Burn:
• The toasting was perfectly even and didn’t take too long to get the foot glowing nicely
• The burn line through the first bit has been most clean and neat with just a small slant in it, nothing to cause worries though
• The burn is holding up and although still slightly slanted it’s staying consistent with a nice thin burn line
• It seems to be burning a little faster than I’d like it to through the first half so lets hope it slows down a bit
• The burn never really slowed down so I felt this cigar was a much quicker smoke than it could have been

Smoke & Ash:
• Right from the start, the Punch Cafe Royal produces a nice comfortable amount of smoke off each draw
• The resting smoke is considerably less visible but still gives off a mildly sweet and cedar type of aroma
• The ash seems to be coming along nicely, very clean and neat with a mostly light grey color
• Even though the ash is looking strong, it feels like it will fall off due to the smaller ring gauge so I tapped it off just past a half inch or so
• I kept up the half inch ash pace for the most part to avoid making a mess of ash everywhere but the ask kept clean and even throughout
• Near the end, the smoke volume seemed to be diminishing a bit

Tasting Notes:
• The aroma on the wrapper has a sweet barnyard type of scent to it
• Most sweetness and barnyard aromas on the foot, with a touch of cedar added in there
• The pre-light draw is pretty bland at first but the finish is an interesting sort of fresh cedar and nutmeg
• The initial draws smack you with some pepper and a sweet but potent tobacco flavor
• Soon after, the pepper settles but it’s still there to linger on your tongue along with more of the nutmeg and cedar flavors
• I’m also starting to pick up some coffee notes here and there and the cigar burns on
• The retrohale has a small bite to it with a smooth coffee finish and the body has been on the higher end of mild so far
• The spices settled down a bit more as I got to the end of the first third and the coffee is now being joined by some soft cocoa flavors
• Some of the flavors seem to be fading just past the halfway mark and leaving a little blandness behind, hoping they pick up again soon
• The body has stayed the same for the most part but the bite and finish on the retrohale are pretty much gone
• A little bit of harshness started to sneak in near the end, that’s unfortunate
• The harshness ended up taking away all the other flavors I was getting near the end here

Final Thoughts:
When I decided to do this review I was a little worried about the whole sealed glass tube thing so I opened it a few days early to let it acclimate. But to my surprise, it was very well preserved and still seemed fresh so however they packaged these it seems to have weathered the age a lot better than some other sealed tube cigars I’ve had in the past. At first, the flavors here were enjoyable and sometimes kept me on my toes all while burning nice and cleanly. Near the end the flavors got a little bland and even a bit harsh near the end which was disappointing. I’m typically not a fan of the Punch line up but this one seemed to have a bit of potential, I just wish the good flavors would have kept up to the end. The Punch Cafe Royal is a decent traditional maduro in a nice package that also comes in at a pretty fair price. If nothing else, it’s something you can hand out to others that looks really fancy too! haha

Pairings:
There’s not much I can say here that I haven’t said before. If you look through past reviews you will see that I am a huge fan of all the Innis & Gunn brews and this years Canada Day 2012 special edition is no slouch. For those of you who know, Canada Day was actually back on July 1st but I was a little busy getting married and all so this brew sat in my fridge for a little longer. It is a limited production brew restricted to batch of only 180 Oak Barrels and bottled in individual boxes. It spent 49 days inside that barrel and it came out tasting fantastic. Toffee, coffee, a touch of sweetness and some vanilla backed by a malty finish. Damn tasty! A good pairing for any medium bodied cigar!

Now for the Contest!

So, do you like Golf? Like Macanudo? Know someone that does? We’ll be giving away 2 sets of these Callaway hats and 1 of these Callaway golf towels away to our readers!
This is in support of Macanudo’s “TAKE A SWING AT THE MACANUDO ULTIMATE ROUND CONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO AUGUSTA”. For more information on this contest click the link here for the press release: http://casasfumando.com/Macanudo-Augusta.doc

Now how do you win, you ask? It’s simple! All you gotta do is add a comment here or on our Facebook page and answer the following question: Name something you would love to take a swing at while sporting this awesome hat and towel???

Also, make sure to “Like” our Facebook page to win! Link Here! It’s that easy.

We’ll pick 2 random winners (who has liked and made a comment) on Friday! That being said, make sure you’re 21 years or older and live in the U.S. (Sorry to my fellow Canucks )

The post Punch Cafe Royal Maduro (+ Contest!) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

(Sorry Lou, I just couldn’t get rid of the goatee! lol)

Before announcing all our winners, I’d like to send a big thanks to Paul Maldonado of The Maldonado Dynasty for all of his awesome support during the fund raiser and his generous donation of a box of “The Mogul”. As you know by know, we’ll be giving away 5-packs of “The Mogul” cigars to 4 lucky winners along with a 5-pack form my personal humidor. My sincerest thanks goes out to you Paul!

Paul Maldonado would also like to share a short message with all our readers, here’s what he has to say:

The Maldonado Dynasty of Beverly Hills would like to thank Tony Casas and Daniel T. at Casas Fumando for offering us this great opportunity to contribute in the fight against cancer. We thank all of you who supported Daniel in this noble campaign and congratulate the Winners! Enjoy our Ultra-Luxurious, Super-Premium cigar “The Mogul,” and keep up with The Maldonado Dynasty at MaldonadoDynasty.com, “Always demand the finest.”

We also wish to announce that we are in the middle of planning our tour schedule for 2012 and look forward to meeting you in person soon. We are also very proud to announce that The Maldonado Black & White Jazz Affair benefiting charities will be hosted in a limited engagement across major U.S. cities.

Respectfully,
Paul Maldonado
President/C.E.O.

Thank you for the kind words Paul!
Now without further adieu, let’s get to the prizes!

Prize #1: 5-pack from Daniel’s Personal Humidor

I mentioned in my Week 1 post(read it here) that I would be giving away 5 cigars of my own to a random person.
The winner of this prize is: Lou Bozzelli

Prize #2: 5-pack of the Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”

The first prize of “The Mogul” goes to the person who kindly donated the most amount of money to my Movember campaign. Clocking in at a SUPER generous $50…
The winner of this prize is:Brent Cossairt

Prize #3: 5-pack of the Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”

This prize goes to the person who came up with the best name for my stash, you can see them posted in the comments section of my Week 2 and Week 4 updates. Paul was given the honor of choosing from the hilarious list of names. The name chosen as the best was “The Mo’Gul” and Paul said that it ties everything in well with the Movember Campaign and the cigar name. Well done! We had some funny ones that I’ll post at the bottom for a good laugh. So who came up with that name…
The winner of this prize is:Jeff Oda

Prize #4: 5-pack of the Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”

This prize pack winner was chosen at random from the list of people who generously donated to my Movember Campaign.
The winner of this prize is:Craig Vanderslice

Prize #5: 5-pack of the Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”

Similar to the above, this prize pack winner was also chosen at random from the list of people who generously donated to my Movember Campaign.
The winner of this prize is:Charlie Greenbacker

For all the winners, please email CasasFumando[at]gmail.com with your address. I want to send out a giant THANK YOU to everyone who supported me! As one final laugh for the Movember campaign, I leave you with the awesome Stash names that you all came up with and my favorite picture from Movember.

• The Conquistador
• Lil Danny boy
• IL Dulce
• The Larry-Curly
• Dalamoustachio
• The Toronto Tickler
• The ‘Mo’-gul
• The ‘Stache With Te’mos
• The Little Mo-maid
• The Magnum
• The Mooooostache
• The Yosemite Sam

The post Movember Fundraiser/Contest Winners! appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Before heading down south for a couple weeks I picked out a cigar to review that recently made an appearance at the IPCPR show in July 2011. It’s not the first report of this cigar though as is was initially released in limited quantities back in May of this year. Originally it was released to be sold in singles and 5-packs along with the purchase of other EO Brands cigars and is soon to be available in boxes of 10. I’ve already seen them posted up on some online cigar retailers who seem to be taking pre-orders.

The La Bomba is one of the first new cigars coming from EO Brands since they merged with Rocky Patel not long ago. There seemed to be a lot of criticism and concern over the direction of the company after that merger and I think they can be put to bed after the news of this release. The cigar is still blended by Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega of the original EO Brands company and also continues to be rolled at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua.

From some web research, it seems the official name of the cigar is the 601 La Bomba. As you can see from the picture, it will be a yellow 601 label placed at the foot of the cigar with an interesting warning. I like the comedic side! The La Bomba has an interesting appearence with it’s “fuse” like pig tail on the cap. It’s been touted as a pepper and spice ‘blast’ no less, so let’s see if the imagery coincides with the experience. Will I be “blown away”? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist! haha)

Cigar: EO Brands 601 La Bomba (Yellow Label)
Drink: Delaforce 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port
Vitola: “Atom” Corona (5.5 x46)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: About $8
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A fairly rough looking wrapper with lots of veins surrounds with cigar, none of them are over sized but they are noticeable
• The dark chocolate brown color shines in the light due to it’s oiliness, very appealing look
• The top of the cigar is finished with a triple cap that flows into a long pig tail, making this look sort of like a stick of dynamite
• The cigar has a nice firmness with a slight spring which is petty even throughout
• The foot of the cigar looks to be mostly well packed with a couple spots that seem a little open
• The cap clipped off easily and left me with a great draw

Burn:
• Toasting was just about spot on, taking a bit of time but not too long before my culinary torch had it glowing evenly
• The La Bomba started burning great right off the start and is staying lit with minimal draws
• At first the cigar seemed to be burning quickly but it slowed down and is burning super slow now
• Burnline is razor sharp through the first half and still burning slowly
• Razor sharp burn continue to the end but it got a little hot at the nub

Smoke & Ash:
• This cigar started out with a huge burst of smoke, very thick and full
• Despite the ton of smoke from each draw, the resting smoke is very minimal going almost unnoticeable after a few seconds in the ashtray
• The ash is a little uneven and rough around the edges but it’s producing a very nice white color. It’s not flaking but doesn’t look too strong
• First ash lasted a little over an inch and fell softly into the ashtray
• Nice ashes continued for the remainder or the cigar, very nice construction!

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of the cigar gives off a spicy and woodsy aroma, actually made me sneeze! lol
• The foot brings more spice and wood, along with a bit of earthy or barnyard aroma
• The pre-light draw is very interesting bringing some sweet tartness on top of the woodsy and spicy burst
• The initial draws are packed with pepper spice that makes you tongue and lips tingle, along with a smooth woodsy undertone
• The cigar started off in the medium bodied range and the retrohale already has a hefty bite to it.
• The finish has been somewhat dry and mostly with a flavor of wood
• Within the first inch the pepper blast laid back a bit, its still there but now it’s more of a compliment rather than the major player
• The woodsy and earthy notes have taken center stage and now I’m getting some leather mixed in there as well
• The cigar really balances out nicely and gets much smoother after the first third, the flavors haven’t changed much but they are brighter and the finish isn’t dry anymore
• As I pass the halfway point the body and spice are building up, definitely lots more pepper in the mix now with a biting raw nutmeg
• The spice and body continue to build in the the last couple inches, definitely into the full range
• The overall profile is still smooth but the dryness on the finish is slowly creeping up again
• Only minor harshness at the nub but the heat of the cigar had me lay it down just a bit early cause my fingers were burning, lol

Final Thoughts:
The EO Brands La Bomba is all in all and enjoyable smoke. It’s flavor profile will definitely cater towards those who like some bite and kick in their cigar. Usually that’s not my favorite profile but this one had a good balance to it through most of the cigar. The burnline was spot on the entire time and that always grants extra points in my mind. I don’t think I would offer this cigar up to a new cigar smoker but most regular cigar lovers will find the cigar interesting and it will keep you on your toes.
Let me add that this cigar had some punch to it that I didn’t realize until I stood up, a definite nicotine kick here and a powerful little cigar!

Pairings:
Not doing anything new in this department today, sorry! lol. I like my Port and I stand by it, especially when I’m heading into a cigar I know is higher up in the full range. The Delaforce 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port is a great drink that fits me perfectly. Price, flavor and smooth texture make it a great pairing to many cigars. I recently reviewed the Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro and the Pinar Del Rio 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura with this pairing. I found the Port to be an excellent match for the EO Brands 601 La Bomba’s peppery spice and power. The sweet and boldness of the port really stands up to it while complimenting it as well. I think a careful pairing will make or break this cigar so make sure to reach for something a little fuller. Other possible pairings could include a nice scotch or maybe a strong and bitter Belgian ale.

The post EO Brands 601 La Bomba (Yellow Label) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I’m pretty sure everyone has heard us and other blogs jabber on about La Aurora. They’ve been turning out some fantastic cigars as of late so I can’t really blame all the great press they’ve been getting. Also worth mentioning, Guillermo Leon recently bought out La Aurora and is now running the successful ship! He’s not shy to turning out quality smokes as you can see in our review of the fairly new Guillermo Leon Signature Cigar. I decided to pick up a La Aurora cigar but instead of one of their fancy new blends, I went with one of their blends that’s been a staple on their profile for awhile now. That cigar is simply called “La Aurora” but a lot of people seem to call it the La Aurora Cameroon so it’s easier to differentiate.

The Cameroon addition to the common name comes from the wrapper used to hold this cigar together. The majority of the leaf used in this cigar is harvested from the El Cibao Valley in Dominican Republic, the hometown country of the La Aurora factory. The La Aurora Cameroon is available in a variety of boxes not typically seen in other blends. You can actually pick these up in full presentation boxes of 5, 10, 20 and 25 cigars. As you can see from the pictures, I managed to get myself a 5 pack box of the Doble Coronas.

Let me note that this cigar is huge! It’s much bigger than what I normally smoke as my max comfort range is usually in the Toro/Torpedo range. But at the price they are I couldn’t resist. Be sure to check out some of our previous La Aurora reviews as well, such as the 107, 100 Anos, Broadway Series, or the 1495 Connecticut. The weather here in Toronto is wacky as usual. It’s gone super hot and dry back down to very cold and damp all within a couple days. At least it was some nice cigar smoking weather while it lasted so I sat down with this cigar and prepared for a long review session. Let’s see how it went…

Cigar: La Aurora Cameroon
Drink: Waterloo Brewery Dark Ale
Vitola: Doble Corona (7.5 x 50)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan Olor
Price: $3.50
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
• This cigars wrapper has an interesting dark cinnamon color with specks of a darker brown here and there
• It has a velvety touch to it and a bit of toothiness
• There are some major veins running down the side of the cigar but I’m hoping they don’t cause any major issues
• The foot of this cigar was well packed, and given it’s size that kind of worried me that it would be a tight draw
• Given the length of this cigar, I’m amazed at how even the diameter is from start to finish, very well made
• The head of the cigar is finished with a slightly messy double cap, a few folds can easily be seen
• For the most part, the length of the cigar has a soft spring to it, but I did notice one very firm part about an inch above the foot
• The cap clipped off easily and made a slight mess in the ashtray
• Draw is perfect! I’m amazed because I usually have bad luck with large vitolas

Burn:
• Toasting took a bit longer than usual and even after 30 seconds with my large culinary torch I couldn’t get it glowing properly but I started smoking it anyway
• As expected, my poor toasting led me to require a retouch within the first inch
• After that first touch up, the burn was been excellent up to the halfway mark here
• As I make my way into the last third, still no burn issues and continuing along fairly razor sharp

Smoke & Ash:
• This thing is producing a ton of smoke, each draw fills my mouth completely and with ease
• The resting smoke is still fairly full and gives off a nice sweet woodsy aroma
• The ash on the La Aurora is nothing pretty, it has some light and dark grey tones and is fairly flaky through the first inch
• The ash lasted just over an inch before I tapped it off because it was flaking and looked like it was snowing every time I moved the cigar
• The second ash was a little less flaky and held on for nearly two inches, this was also the part of the cigar that was a little firmer and could explain the difference

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma gives off a light sweetness and earthy aroma
• The pre-light draw is woodsy and earthy with a touch of spice on the lips
• Initial draws bring earthy and woodsy flavors mixed with a bit of coffee, a nice start
• As the cigar progresses, I’m picking up some sweetness here and there, almost like some sugar was added to the coffee flavor
• Cigar has been mostly mild through the first bit
• Approaching the halfway mark, the sweet coffee notes are becoming more prominent and I’m getting some raw cinnamon notes in there too, the earthy and woodsy flavors are still there but are more in the backseat now.
• The retrohale is very smooth with a small bit and a roasted coffee finish
• As I get into the last third stretch, the coffee has developed very nicely into a roasted coffee flavor, the sweetness and raw cinnamon still remains
• The finish at this point has turned super creamy as well, a very tasty touch!
• The intense sweet coffee and cinnamon flavors continued to the end, with some added roasted cedar. Although the last half didn’t change much it was still very enjoyable
• The retrohale developed a stronger kick to the end, still tasty and not overpowering
• The body also developed towards the end of the cigar, coming in at a comfortable medium

Final Thoughts:
Let me start by saying I was very impressed by the overall construction of this cigar. I always tend to have burn or draw issues when it comes to very large vitolas, especially ones that are well priced. This cigar hit those marks with flying colors offering a perfect draw and great burn. The flavors were also extremely enjoyable and offered a bit of dimensionality to keep it interesting. This cigar is still larger than what I would normally smoke and I think it would be even better in a smaller vitola. I also found through some searching that these are commonly offered as “Factory Seconds” at some retailers with this huge vitola selling for under $2! That’s just crazy good! Even the normal retail of this massive vitola is under $4, that’s a hard price to ignore for such a good cigar. These will definitely be part of my regular rotation at this price and I would highly recommend you seek them out.

Pairings:
For today’s I went with a trusty brew that I always have on hand. It’s from Waterloo Breweries located only about an hour from my house and it’s their Dark Ale offering. Their Dark Ale is surprisingly light and refreshing but offers the great notes of roasted hops and a slight bitterness mixed with a mild fruity and malty flavor. The La Aurora Cameroon is a fairly mild stick so this brew fit it well with it’s crispness. The bitterness and mild fruits paired excellently and accented to roasted and sweet notes of the cigar. I think an IPA or Amber lager would also pair well here. The flavors of the cigar could also compliment a nice coffee.

The post La Aurora Cameroon appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

The Brewery: Mill Street Brewery

The Beer: Coffee Porter

The Brewers Home: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Situation: Relaxing on the couch

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

The Story:

Mill Street Brewery was one of Toronto’s first commercial breweries and has been open for over 100 years.  The company does make a few mass produced beers and also satisfies the beer enthusiast with some small-batch craft beers.  They have earned many awards and currently have 13 brews in their inventory.  You can read more about them at http://www.millstreetbrewery.com or follow them on twitter @MillStreetBrew.

 The Bottle:

This slim dark brown bottle is slightly on the small side, holding 341ml(11.5oz).  The bottle design is quite appealing, having an embossed front and back.  The embossing on the front states “MILL STREET BREWERY” in black text and the rear embossing containing a circular logo, initials and a line stating “Quality Brewing”.  There is also some text on the front:

“Beer Brewed with Coffee”

And some on the back:

“Mill Street Porter is a wonderfully sinful blend of Balzac’s own dark roasted coffee, brewed to perfection with a full-bodied traditional porter.  We know you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this delicious and satisfying combination.”

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

 The Eyes:

The porter is dark with a moderate amount of froth.  The glass is completely opaque and filled with a dark golden-ruby color.  Even holding it up to a light, it barely penetrates the liquid I’m about to enjoy.

 The Nose:

A refreshing aroma comes off this dark porter.  The nose picks up scents of malt and a sweet yet mild coffee tone.  It’s very a pleasing aroma that begs you to drink it and enjoy.

 The Tongue:

As expected, the first sips give a strong taste of coffee with an added sweetness.  The malt flavor also shines through.  The coffee flavor is more akin to something along the lines of espresso or a very strong brewed coffee.

The taste is till refreshing despite it’s fully flavored brew.  The flavor lingers on the palate after swallowing and leaves a pleasant after taste with little to no bitterness.

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

 The Final Drop:

This is a great beer.  Whether you enjoy a full bodied porter or a beer infused with the flavor of a great coffee you will enjoy this.  This brew will also appeal to those not used to drinking a dark beer since it has a great tasting and refreshing finish.  The Coffee Porter would also make a great pairing for nearly any cigar although I would probably recommend it with a medium or full bodied cigar since the full flavor of the beer may drown out a mild cigar.

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