Cigar Advisor, a partner site of Famous Smoke Shop, has this to say of the Trinidad Esteli:

Made at the Plasencia Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, Trinidad Esteli by Plasencia is a Nicaraguan puro blended with vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos spanning three years, 2008 to 2010. Most of the tobaccos were grown in the Jalapa Valley and come from the mid and lower primings of the plant.

The Trinidad Esteli comes in four sizes:

• Robusto – 5 x 50 – $5.86
• Toro – 6 x 50 – $6.00
• Belicoso – 6 1/2 x 52 – $6.16
• Churchill – 7 x 50 – $6.30

You can purchase the Trinidad Esteli from our good friend over at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.00
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The dark tan Nicaraguan Habano wrapper is coated with crisscrossing veins, bumps, and some color variations on the Trinidad Esteli. The cigar is a little soft near the foot of the cigar but firms up as I feel my way down the stick.

The aroma from the wrapper is a pleasant cedar and cedar, pepper, and damp earth comes across on the foot. A shallow cut of the cap causes it to begin unraveling, but I think it is under control. The free cold draw is light with some more of the cedar, a tropical fruit sweetness, and cinnamon. 

FIRST THIRD

After slowing toasting the foot of this 6 by 50 cigar, I am met with that tropical sweetness I picked up on in the cold draw. Damp earth and pepper follow after the sweetness but linger for some time between draws. At the one-inch mark, the sweetness begins to fade as a piney wood flavor moves in. Through the first third, the burn is near perfect as layered ash forms and holds to an inch.

MIDDLE THIRD

The combination of damp earth and pine is creating a sour edge to the smoke. It is not harsh, but a little sharp on the palate. Retrohaling the smoke accentuates the pepper flavor, but there is hardly any associated spice. The flavors are between medium and full, while the texture of the smoke is light and fizzy in the mouth. The finish has become somewhat bitter. 

FINAL THIRD

Into the last two inches, I find no relief to the sour edge of the Trinidad Esteli and I find myself hoping for the sweetness to return. The smoke is drying the palate and the finish remains bitter.

WRAP-UP

First, I will start with the objective aspects of the Trinidad Esteli. The cigar is well constructed and performed exceptionally from start to finish with its even burn and well-holding ash. Each draw delivered a mouthful of smoke with ease. However, it’s the flavors that will bring me back to a cigar time and time again. And the Trinidad Esteli just didn’t work for me with the combination of pine and damp earth that resulted in a sour quality. The tropical sweetness was intriguing but did not stick around long enough to counter and balance the other flavors. The Trinidad Esteli is a cigar that I will pass on going forward, but I cannot wait to explore the other Trinidad cigars that Rafael Nodal has worked on.

The post Trinidad Esteli Toro by Plasencia Cigars appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

• Aging Room Small Batch M356 Major (6 ½ by 60)
• Camacho Corojo Diploma (5 by 50)
• Humo Jaguar Grande (6 by 60)
• J Fuego Origen Original (5 by 44)
• My Uzi Weighs A Ton Bait Fish (4 by 44)
• Padilla Miami Maduro Torpedo (6 ½ by 54)
• Perdomo Champagne Noir Robusto (5 by 54)
• Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Toro (6 ½ by 52)
• Schizo Sixty (6 by 60)
• Torano Loyal Robusto (5 by 56)
• Trinidad Paradox Churchill (7 by 57)
• Trocadero Honore (5 ¾ by 56)

Today, I have decided to check out the Humo Jaguar 2011.  All the manufacturers who attend the annual Honduran Cigar Festival blend a cigar specific for the festival and one cigar is chosen as the best. Nestor Plasencia claimed this title in 2011.  This cigar is readily available through online retailers.  The Humo Jaguar 2011 comes in three vitolas: Robusto (5 by 52), Corona Gorda (6 by 52), and Gigante or Grande (6 by 60). While not a go to size for me, I will be smoking the Gigante 6 by 60.

The Facts

Vitola: Gigante
Size: 6 by 60
Wrapper: Honduran Oscuro
Binder: Honduran – Talanga
Filler: Honduran – Cuban Seed Long-Filler
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: Just under 2 hours

Pre-light

The Humu Jaguar has a rustic appeal.  Veins are all over the cigar but there are none above medium in size. The cigar has a velvety feel and is fairly firm with no soft spots.  However, under the band there is a crazy indention in this cigar. The color is mostly medium reddish brown with dark spots throughout.

The wrapper aroma is extremely earthy with some nutty and sweet notes. The nuttiness is similar to the shell of a peanut.  A minor pepper and tobacco notes are prevalent on the foot of the cigar.  What appears to be a triple cap has been applied rather sloppy.  Due to the larger ring gauge, I made a shallow cut on the cap of the cigar. A free draw delivers rich tobacco and clove flavors.

First Third

The 60 ring gauge foot took some time to light with my Zippo Z-Plus!. A triple flame would have come in handy when lighting up this puppy. Instantly, smooth and spicy smoke coats my mouth. The leather and earth flavors dominates the profile but not in a bad way.  In the background of the flavor profile some mineral-like flavors are peeking through, along with a sweet finish.  The leather flavor is something I anticipated knowing the Honduran origin.  Deep earthy notes and dark coffee comes forth on the retrohale, with additional spice and pepper. The first salt and pepper ash dropped at a half of an inch, but the second ash held to an inch.  The smoke production is decent but a long draw is required to pull the smoke down this six inch stick.  The Humo burn line is thick and wavy but isn’t getting too off path. Flavors are coming through medium/full and the strength is medium.

Middle Third

The flavors remain heavy and deep as I dive into the second third. Some enjoyable cocoa and coffee flavors have arrived and the earthy notes remain around.  The smoke production is now rockin. Tons of thick, dense smoke is billowing out of this Humo Jaguar Gingante. The black pepper on the retrohale is intense.  Some sweetness is still on the finish but quickly fades to a deep earth, almost dirt-like, flavor. I thought for sure I would be feeling some strength in the cigar by this point. So far so good.  While the strength is medium the cigar is still very flavorful.  The burn-line has almost completely corrected itself from the waviness early on.

Final Third

The band slides off with ease, giving way to the final third of the winner of the 2011 Honduran Cigar Festival.  A similar spice from the start of first third is back, warming my entire mouth.  I have not come across any harshness in the smoke thus far and the smoke remain cools.  A cocoa sweetness hits the front of the palate, but darker, earth flavors override it.  The dark flavors are heavy on my palate requiring a lot of water to keep a fresh palate between puffs.  The smoke is very meaty.  A mixture of earth, pepper, and saltiness reminds me of McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning.  The burn-line is now razor sharp and not one touch-up was needed throughout this six inch Humo Jaguar.  The flavors are full at the conclusion of the final third and strength has shifted to the medium/full arena.

Wrap-up

The Humo Jaguar 2011 was super earthy.  Probably one of the most earthy cigars I have smoked or at least remember smoking.  But overall it was a very enjoyable stick. There were some subtle complexities but the fullness of the earth flavor overwhelmed the other enjoyable, more subtle notes. While I may not go out of my way to search down this stick, I would grab a single if I ever came across it or if it was included in another sampler like the one above. If you enjoy earthy cigars, this cigar will be right up your alley. Shoot,  12 cigars for $19.99 is a heck of steal and the offer is still available here. Grab the sampler and let us know what you think of the Humo Jaguar 2011.

The post Nestor Plasencia – Humo Jaguar 2011 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I’m sure most of our readers have heard of this name before, if not in the Cuban variety than you may know of the Dominican variety. It’s made by General Cigar but they only seem to have 1 blend under that name, definitely not as popular as many others. The Cuban brand has been around for a long date dating it’s founding back to 1901!

One interesting thing about the early days of Bolivar was that they actually produced the smallest cigar in the world, measuring in at only 1.875 x 20. Now that’s a real quick smoke, even smaller than today’s cigarettes! Another interesting thing I discovered in my research is that this cigar, the Royal Corona, was actually called a “Charles” until it’s name was changed in 1973.

The Royal Corona vitola by Bolivar is hardly a corona at all. It’s pretty much a robusto but I assume the different name it because it’s actually 4.875 inches long instead of the standard 5 inches. The ring gauge holds up at 50. So let’s jump right in and see what the Bolivar Royal Corona has in store for us today!

Cigar: Bolivar Royal Corona
Drink: Hockley Valley Amber
Vitola: Robusto (4.875 x 50)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: Just under $8
Burn Time: Just under 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Bolivar Royal Corona has a slightly box-pressed look to it
• The wrapper is very smooth but not oily, and has a deep reddish and golden brown color to it
• The whole cigar has a very firm feel to it, from top to bottom
• From the top, you can see this is an expertly applied double cap that blends in very well
• The foot is very well packed and very cleanly cut, easy to tell why the cigar is so firm
• There are 2 medium sized veins I noticed but I don’t think their big enough to cause any problems, we’ll soon see
• A quick clip of the cap gave me a nice consistent draw on this cigar that stayed throughout the entire time

Burn:
• Toasting took a lot longer than I expected, even with my big culinary torch
• The foot had problems getting aglow and the wrapper around the edge got charred a bit but I did manage to get it going nicely
• Through the first third I’m having no trouble at all, the Bolivar Royal Corona is burning like a dream with razor sharp edges
• Got a bit of a peninsula around the halfway point but it slowly corrected itself without my intervention
• After i tapped off the second ash, the wrapper stopped burning and I started to get a tunnel, might have taken too long taking some pictures. A quick touch-up and I’m off to the races again
• This happened again shortly after and needed to touch up the edges once more, hopefully it stops now
• No more issues to the end, finishing off nice and clean with no over heating

Smoke & Ash:
• Right off the bat there is a ton of smoke coming off this cigar, one quick draw gives a very full billowy smoke
• Even the resting smoke is abundant here, and it smells awesome too, a nice campfire aroma
• The ash is pretty clean with only a couple small flakes falling off now and then
• light grey with some black striping is the color I’m getting on the ash
• After about an inch, I tapped off the ash so it wouldn’t fall on my laptop and it was starting to look a bit weaker too
• Second ash topped the one inch mark again before being tapped off
• Third ash landed on my shoe… was too slow to snap pictures, lol

Tasting Notes:
• From the wrapper, I’m mostly picking up cedar and just a light hint of spice aromas
• The foot brings out a bit more light baking spices but also an interesting sort of sweet licorice, very nice
• The pre-light draw brings a fresh cut cedar taste with a bit of grass and earth
• First few draws are filled with cedery goodness, there is still a touch of spice and maybe even some pepper now, but the fresh cedar is still the most prominent
• The body has started off at just about medium, maybe on the edge of mild
• Retrohale has a nice soft spicy bite to it and a very smooth cedar finish
• In the first third, I also started picking up some coffee notes as the cedar nestled in nicely with the original baking spices, wonderful combination and balance so far
• Around the halfway mark that initial licorice flavor is making an appearance and the coffee is developing nicely, sorta like licorice flavored coffee!
• The body only slightly ramped up towards the end, still in the medium range though and the retrohale continued to have a small bite and a smooth and creamy cedar finish
• The licorice and coffee flavors stuck through to the end and left me with a tasty and smooth finish, no harshness here

Final Thoughts:
Not too much negative I can say after burning through this stick. I know it had a couple years of age on it but I don’t remember what the box date was. All I can say is I wish this wasn’t my last one. The price is a little high for a robusto size even by Cuban standards but it’s still not as high as a Cohiba or Trinidad. The flavors definitely stand out as being different from some typical Cubans with the balanced mix of cedar, coffee, spices and earth. The creaminess and balance on the Bolivar Royal Corona is what really sold it for me. If you are looking for a smooth and creamy Cuban this is definitely a winner and worth seeking out.

Pairings:
Today’s brew is an Amber from a brewery located about an hour or so away. The area is actually known for it’s ski resort which has a bunch of tiny, kid friendly runs. They also make a decent brunch there… but how do they do with beer? Pretty good as a matter of fact! I go through a lot of their Dark Ale but this was the first Amber I have found. It was smooth, clean and fairly light with some nice malty notes and a touch of bitterness. It went quite nicely with the medium notes of the Bolivar, a coffee would have actually gone very well here too!

The post Bolivar Royal Corona (Cuban) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now the problem I tend to have with a lot of smaller cigars is that they simply can’t develop the complexity and flavor profile that something like a robusto or torpedo size can. But there are exceptions to this rule, so is this Trinidad Reyes one of them? The Trinidad name isn’t super popular but it does have a strong following, especially for it’s highly priced “Robusto T” vitola. I had heard some good things about this little Reyes vitola that measures in at 4.3 x 40 so I decided to give it a try.

The quality here is definitely top notch, the wrapper is super clean with a bit of oil and toothiness all topped off with a pigtail cap. The aroma is definitely in the cedar range with a bit of peppery spice kicked in there too. The foot looks very well packed yet the Reyes does have a nice springiness to it.

After a quick and simple cut I move on to toasting this little cigar with a single flame torch. I quickly end up with an evenly glowing foot and I’m off to a good start. Right from the first draw you get smacked in the face with a nice burst of pepper and strong earthy notes. This is exactly what I expected from Trinidad. The Robusto T has always been touted for it’s power but I wasn’t too sure it would translate well into this vitola. As I keep going, the pepper dies down just a tad while the earthy and cedar notes start to shine through a bit more.

As I get to the halfway mark, the earthy and cedar notes are still the most prominent with a bit of coffee poking it’s head here and there. The body is getting into the higher end of medium and the retrohale has a nice little kick to it. There is some interesting woodsy notes going on with this cigar, and not just cedar. It’s almost like I’m picking up some kind of oak or something, makes it interesting.

Through the last bit, the pepper and spices made a comeback but it’s still fairly well balanced with the woodsy and earthy profile. Although the coffee was around, it never really become all that prominent. Straight through tp the end, this cigar burned perfectly and puffed out a nice thick cloud of smoke. This would also make a great commuter cigar because of it’s good construction. Right down to the nub and I’m not getting any harshness at all. A very nice smoke, especially for the size and definitely worth adding to the humidor for those chilly winter days when you need a good cigar that won’t take too long.

The post Quick Draw Episode 9 – Trinidad Reyes (Cuban) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

While in Florida this summer, I stopped by Jackie’s awesome shop to buy a few cigars and she generously gifted me a couple as well. This particular one stood out to me for two reasons. Firstly, it came in an awesome cedar chest that looked amazing. And secondly, she bragged to me about how good it was and also that it was getting harder to find them. So I had to give it a try and decided to review it as well to see what all the hype was about!

Now, I did absolutely no research on this cigar before smoking it so my review is prety much as unbiased as it comes. And I’m glad I chose to do this because after reading about it I realized it’s an Altadis brand. In the past, I haven’t been too fond of most Altadis brands. I also learned that Jose Seijas is the man behind the Tabacalera de Garcia in Dominican Republic, where this cigar is made. He also had influence in the blends of brands such as the non-Cuban Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad and H.Upmann.

A little more reading showed me that in January of this year, Jose Seijas left Altadis after more than 30 years running the factory, which is also one of the largest cigar production factories in the world. This probably explains why the brand is getting harder to find and it will probably disappear of Altadis’ inventory eventually or at least change names. So without further delay, let’s see how this blend performs tonight!

Cigar: Jose Seijas Signature Series
Drink: Ferreira Tawny Porto (Bottled in 2003)
Vitola: Churchill (7 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadoria Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian
Price: Gifted by Jackie @BonitaSmokeShop
Burn Time: about 2 hours

Construction:
• A very nice cinnamon brown wrapper with some orange highlights keeps this cigar together
• There are a few bumps and veins here and there but none are major or look problematic
• There is quite a bit of spring along the whole length of this cigar when squeezed
• The foot looks very clean and well packed while the triple cap is clean along the edges but a little rough on top
• There is an interesting texture on this cigar, it’s a almost like velvet sandpaper of that makes any sense, smooth in some parts but still a bit rough in others
• After a small trim I’m getting a perfect draw on this Jose Seijas

Burn:
• The toasting here was a bit challenging, it did not want to light up evenly so lets hope that doesn’t affect the future burn here too much
• Gave a small correction about half an inch in to help correct the burn line here
• After that little correction we are burning pretty even through the first third and moving at a nice slow pace too
• A couple minor corrections through the rest of the cigar but nothing major or problematic
• The cigar also burned at a good pace, allowing me to enjoy it slowly without needing to take extra draws or relight

Smoke & Ash:
• Despite a bit of an uneven toasting, I still managed to get a ton of smoke out of the first few draws
• There isn’t much resting smoke to mention, just a thin faint line giving off a nice mild burning wood aroma
• The initial ash here is a bit of a mess probably because of my bad toasting skills and a couple small corrections
• That first ash got a little flaky so I tapped it off just short of an inch
• Around the end of the first third the resting smoke really ramped up for some reason
• Second ash easily passed the one inch mark before being tapped off, it was much cleaner and stronger now that I haven’t had to do any more corrections
• All the rest of the ash lasted past the one inch mark and stayed clean, a good sign of consistent construction here

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a light cedar aroma mixed with a touch of tobacco
• The foot has an interesting tarty fruit note to it, along with some cloves and more cedar
• The pre-light draw brings more of the tarty and clove notes to my palate
• Initial draws on the Jose Seijas bring a punch of cedar and cloves, there is a slight sweetness here but not the same fruity tart notes I was getting before
• The ceda quickly calmed down to a more mild flavor and I’m starting to pick up some interesting earthy and green pepper notes
• There are some coffee notes sneaking in here and there as well as a bit of licorice, lots of interesting flavors here
• The body here has been pretty mild for the most part but I feel it creeping into the medium section as I approach the halfway mark
• I have to mention how awesome the retrohale here is, it’s got a sort of sweet licorice finish to it along with a small bite, very nice
• The coffee flavors are definitely developing nicely along with the sweet licorice flavors that I’m really enjoying
• The flavors themselves have started to really pick up now, mostly being the coffee, licorice and cedar notes
• The sweetness seems to be tapering off in the last third and the pepper and clove notes are coming back for a stronger finale
• Body is almost into the full range now but the nice licorice finish on the retrohale is still there
• The licorice flavor is sort of changing to a deep black cherry sort of note now, very interesting, and the smoke is getting a lot more creamy near the end
• A very good finish with no harshness or bitterness, just a burst of flavors (including a pretty large blast of pepper near the end)

Final Thoughts:
I honestly did not know what to expect coming into this review. I’ll admit that I only had one sample and I have to say I regret not buying more. I typically like to have a few more to put together a review but Jackie bragged so much about it that I decided to jot down my thoughts as I smoked it and snap some pictures. And I’m glad I did. This stick had a ton of flavors going on! They weren’t in your face but they weren’t overly mild either, it was a very nice and delicate balance. And minus the toasting, the burn did very well. If you happen to stumble across these somewhere, make sure to pick one up and give it a try, definitely a worthwhile smoke! I will be seeking out a few more just in case they disappear as well.

Pairings:
Found this bottle of port in the basement and I can’t actually remember where it came from. If I’m correct, I believe someone brought it over a while back when we enjoyed a cigar. So I decided to give it a go tonight with my cigar pairing and see how it went. The Ferreira Tawny Porto is a late bottled vintage variety and although the bottle doesn’t state the year, you can always find it on the white label that covers the cork. This 2003 was pretty light in color but offered a pretty rich blend of boldness and dark berry sweetness along with a very noticeable oak flavor. It made for a very nice pairing with this medium bodied cigar. I also think a good dark beer, triple or even a strong cup of coffee would have gone well here tonight.

The post Jose Seijas Signature Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.