The Good Stuff:

Bombay Tobak’s MBombay lines are no stranger here on Casas Fumando. Today with take a look at the Mora Lancero with is one of five standard production lines in the  MBombay portfolio. The Mora line made it’s debut in 2014 with line expansions each year after. The line now features eight different vitolas. The No 4 (5.1 x 44), Robusto Larga (4.5 x54), 585 (5 x 58), Saloman (6 x 58), Torpedo No 2 (6 x 52), Toro (6.5 x 52), Lancero (8.5 x 38), and the A (9 x 47). The blend features a Dominican Republic Corojo wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and fillers from Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Each lancero runs $13.30 a stick and are available at retail stores across the U.S. now. Big thanks to the MBombay team for sending a few of these our way for review.

Size: 8.5 x 38
Wrapper: Dominican Republic Corojo
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $13.30
Pairing: Unibroue La Resolution (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The MBombay Mora Lancero is an absolutely stunning cigar. It starts out with a very deep, consistent, dark brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture carries a decent amount of tooth, some smaller veins, and a whole mess of thick oil that rubs off on my fingers as I inspect the cigar. The wrapper is very thick and dense while the entire cigar feels nice and firm considering the smaller ring gauge. The Mbombay Mora Lancero carries a gorgeous unfinished, shaggy foot, and a pointy, round double cap. The construction and overall look of the cigar is incredible. Lastly, the cigar is polished off with a standard red MBombay band.

The wrapper on the MBombay Mora Lancero gives off a great amount of spice, cedar, and sweetness while the foot of the cigar is much more natural with tobacco, earthiness, and even more spice. The cap cut extremely clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a wonderful spice, floral flavors, and a great sweetness over some natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The MBombay Mora starts out with a very nice black pepper blast that only lasts for the first few puffs before settling down revealing some great spice, ginger, cedar, and plum. Once I burned through the unfinished foot and hit the wrapper a good amount of sweetness and cocoa entered the mix. The cigar is starting out with a great amount of body already. The draw is flawless while the burn line is razor sharp and surprisingly solid. Usually I have issues at the start of cigars with unfinished feet. The ash left behind is pretty flaky and a dark gray in color holding on for about 3/4 of an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

As I smoked through the second third of the MBombay Mora the subtle cocoa I picked up in the first third really starts to take lead in the flavor race with cinnamon and spice right behind backed by the ginger, cedar, and plum. The retrohale showcases a bold spice along with some nice mellow oak. The burn line is solid, and sharp while the cigar does tend to want to go out if I don’t give it attention, but I have yet to reach for my torch so I’m not complaining. I close out the second third with absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

And now into the final third of the MBombay Mora Lancero the spice has really ramped up and is leading the charge backed by sweetness, cinnamon, plum, cocoa, and cedar. The cigar took me 2 hours to take down to the nub and I loved every second of it. I close out the cigar with no harshness, no extra heat, and a decent little nicotine kick although the beer may have a lot to do with that one.

Overview:

We’ve been fans of MBombay since they hit the market, and so has just about every other blog out there. The Mora Lancero was no different, and in all honestly probably my favorite offering I have had by the company. The bold flavors were incredible, the changeups were great, the cigar was complex, and not overpowering while it burned like a dream. Not much more to ask for in a cigar. The price is a bit steep, but the cigar burned forever, plus it was as long as my arm.

Pairing:

Unibroue is a Belgian style brewery housed in Quebec, Canada and is by far my favorite Canadian brewery. La Resolution is a Belgian style spiced, strong dark ale which comes in at a whopping 10% ABV. The beer has been available in Canada but only recently hit the United States in very limited quantities. The beer starts out with some great tartness, plum, cherry, bold spice, cinnamon, and caramel with a very light mouthfeel before finished crips with even more cherry, apple, strong spice, cinnimon, sweetness and all around deliciousness. This is a damn good beer. It’s easy to see why I chose it to pair with the MBombay Mora too, the sweetness, plum, cinnamon, and spice married up brilliantly with the flavors in the cigar. This was a match made in heaven.

The post Bombay Tobak – MBombay Mora Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

-Tony

I’m a little late to the party in reviewing this cigar, which I have been meaning to get around to for a while now.  The L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14 which hit retailers’ shelves last year is the second annual release of the limited line that debuted in 2013.  I previously reviewed the ER13 last October and that review can be found here.  The Extension de la Racine is to be released on an annual basis, with each year bringing in a different vitola, the first being a toro, the ER14 which I’m reviewing here is a torpedo, while the newest version, the 2015, is a lonsdale.  All three releases were manufactured at the My Father factory in Nicaragua.  The tobaccos used in the ER14 are the same as what was used in the ER13, at least as far as I can tell.  There seems to be some discrepancy on various websites as to whether the Sancti Spiritus comes from Ecuador or Nicaragua, and since the cigar is not listed on the L’Atelier Imports site, I will go with what is implied on the New Havana Cigars website, since owner Dan Welsh is a partner in L’Atelier.  I’m interested in seeing what, if any, difference the shape of the cigar and vintage makes.  I purchased a handful of these from Small Batch Cigar at the same time as the L’Atelier LAT46 Selection Spéciale that I reviewed back in June.

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo
Binder:  Nicaraguan Sancti Spiritus Double Binder
Filler:  Nicaraguan, including Sancti Spirits
Size:  Torpedo 6.125 x 52
Price:  $9.50 MSRP
Smoking time:  One hour, forty-five minutes
Pairing:  Unibroue La Fin du Monde Belgian-style Tripel (ABV 9%)

Pre-light:

The L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14 comes draped in a medium brown wrapper with a slight reddish hue, although it is not quite as uniform in its color as the ER13.  Some areas are darker than others and there is some mottling in the wrapper.  A few noticeable, though rather minor, veins are present in the fairly oily leaf, and the firm roll is well executed all the way to the pointy triple cap.  The band of the ER14 sports the same red, gold, black, and silver color scheme as the previous year, but the where the red background of the ER13 was a bright metallic red, the ER14 has a pinkish non-metallic red, giving it a little less of a bright and elegant look.  The scent off the wrapper is rather faint and primarily cedar, while the foot is more of an oak with rich tobacco and light earth.

First third:

The Extension de la Racine ER14 starts out with flavors of dry cedar, earth, and a touch of leather, with the leather being more pronounced on the retrohale.  The body has started out on the milder side and has a nice smooth mouthfeel to it.  While the draw is still a bit more snug than I prefer, the cigar has no problem producing an adequate amount of smoke.  The weed, earth, leather, and tobacco are performing a nice balancing act with each other, and I am getting occasional notes of tea and unsweetened cocoa powder on the retrohale.  The ER14 has been burning at a bit of a slant and the somewhat flaky ash has fallen off into my lap at barely over an inch and crumbles upon impact.  As I approach the latter part of the first third, the cigar body of the cigar has moved into the medium range and an enjoyable smooth black pepper has begun to emerge in the retrohale.

Middle third:

As I delve into the middle portion of the ER14, the cigar continues to display a well balanced profile of wood, earth, leather, and tobacco, with notes of the unsweetened cocoa and some citrus-y brightness lurking in the background.  It continues to burn at a slant, but I haven’t had to think about correcting it.  As I hit the mid-point of the cigar, it has gone to a medium-plus and the flavors have deepened, even showing a bit of (cherry?) fruit on the back end, and the burn has pretty much evened itself out.

Final third:

At the start of the final third of the L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14, I finally give it a quick correction and purge, as it once again started to go crooked and was starting to show some unwanted bitterness.  Doing so has really cleaned up the flavors, which are now perched upon a medium-full body.  What was once cocoa is now more coffee-like, and the pepper has ramped up a bit and now has more bite to it.  A bit of char and musky sweetness enter the fray, as well.  With just over an inch left, the ER14 picks up a bit of harshness, and it’s time to put it down, although it is still smoking cool and firm.  I felt some nicotine strength, but not a large amount, so I would deem it to be of medium strength.

Final thoughts:

Looking over my review of the first release of the Extension de la Racine (ER13), it appears that this one is quite a bit different in the flavors it presents, and I have to wonder if the shape of the cigar has something to do with that.  I definitely missed the Asian spice and floral elements that were present in the ER13 and that I enjoyed so much, so perhaps the Parejo shape is a better fit for this blend than figurado.  That being said, this is still a very good cigar and I did enjoy it, as the flavors it did present were well integrated and reasonably complex.  I wish that I hadn’t for some reason blown off taking notes on the other ER14 that I smoked prior to this one, but I don’t recall having the crooked burn and weak ash that this one did, nor do I remember it having a tight draw, so the construction on this one – which was still good overall – may just be an anomaly.

Pairing:

Unibroue ales from Quebec are no strangers to Casas Fumando, but La Fin du Monde hasn’t shown up here in quite a while.  A Belgian-style Tripel with an ABV of 9%, it abounds in sweet maltiness, bright citrus, a touch of coriander, and of course that iconic banana note from the Belgian yeast, all of which match up beautifully with the flavors of the Extension de la Racine ER14.  I think that Belgian or a German wheat beer is the way to go here, with a sweetened tea or coffee being a good alternative.

The post L’Atelier Imports Extension de la Racine ER14 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

You might remember a while back Tony took a trip down to the Dominican Republic courtesy of our awesome friends over at General Cigar. He got a very neat tour and had an awesome time. You can read more about it from his recap here. He did an awesome job of detailing the whole trip including all the educational pieces that General Cigar mixed in. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure you do now.

While on the trip, Tony had the chance to blend and even help roll a special cigar of this own. He got to choose all the tobacco leaves that went into it and sprinkled a little bit of sunshine into the recipe! lol. When he came back, he graciously sent me one of his samples and today I am going to review it.

As a special treat, I also found out that Tony sent one of these sticks over to our friend Jeff, so I sneakily went behind his back and asked Jeff to review it as well. Check his thoughts out at the bottom of the post and a big Thanks to Jeff for sending it along to me!

So enough with the chatter, let’s see if Tony is next master cigar blender!

Cigar: Macanudo “Tony Casas”
Drink: Unibroue Raftman
Vitola: Corona (5.5 x 46)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Ometepe Ligero, Nicaraguan Viso, Brazillian Mata Fina and Piloto Cubano Seco (Can anyone say “Frankenstein’s Monster”? ;))
Price: Priceless!
Burn Time: About an hour

Construction:
• When squeezed, there is mostly a fairly squishy type of feel with some soft spots to be found
• Spotty cinnamon brown wrapper has no major veins to be worried about
• Foot appears very well packed and almost even tapered a bit towards the foot, interesting style there
• Cap seems like some sort of single cap with a messy application, but not too shabby for a first attempt (sorry Tony!)
• The cut was very easy and left me with a really nice draw

Burn:
• The toasting was super easy, probably due to the slight taper at the end, not sure if that was intentional or if the cigar got squeezed but I like the idea! lol
• There was a bit of a wave just near the foot after lighting but it quickly corrected itself without my help
• Through the first third I’m having a nice burn, not perfectly straight but still very nice
• I noticed that some big draws were over heating the cigar, causing very black burn lines and a change in the flavor, slowed it down a bit now
• Happy to report that I only needed one minor touch up around the halfway mark, the rest of the cigar burned pretty nicely

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke right from the start here and no need for any extra draws
• There’s a bit of resting smoke as I lay the cigar in the ashtray, just a burning wood aroma from there
• Ask is a bit flaky and messy, getting some bits falling off now and then
• Tapped the ash off at just about a half inch, was worried it would fall on my laptop
• The ash has some parts that are very light grey and others are super dark black
• After I changed my draw pattern, the ash is a consistent medium grey, not over heating it anymore
• Kept the ash under a half inch since it was flaky the whole way through

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper had a bit of a woodsy aroma to it but nothing too strong
• The foot is more woodsy aromas with a little bit of greenery tossed in there
• On the pre-light draw, I’m actually getting some tarty or fruity notes along with the woodsy and greenery
• First few draws were kind of burnt wood flavors, nothing interesting here
• I started get a bit of the tarty flavors coming out as I burned through the first third
• I realized that drawing too fast on this cigar is causing some really hot burning, so I slowed it down and all those burnt flavors are slowly disappearing
• Getting some nice woodsy and sort of cinnamon type of flavors into the mix now
• I also started picking up a bit of the tarty notes I had before lighting it up, they are peeking in and out
• The slightly burnt flavor never completely left but slowing down on my draws definitely reduced it
• For the most part the body was fairly mild, maybe just near medium towards the end
• No harshness or bitterness towards the end at all, a nice finish and some of the flavors really bolded up

Final Thoughts:
So what to say here? I’m not too sure. I’ll be easy on Tony since it was his first attempt. I have to point out the mess of fillers he put in this stick, it’s like he grabbed one leaf from every pile and put them together! Just joking, I’m sure it made sense in his head.
Aside from the over heating aspects, the Macanudo Tony Casas had some promising flavors to it and it actually burned quite well. The price was astronomically too high for this cigar though!
Good job Tony, you’re well on your way to becoming the best Texas grown cigar maker out there!

Pairings:
This isn’t a new pairing here but it is the last bottle I have (and probably last I will be able to get for a long time). This offering by Unibroue is called the Raftman and is brewed with whisky malts. I’ve only ever been able to find it when I was in Quebec which is a good 5-6 hour drive away. The flavors are fantastic with a great mix of oak, a hint of those whisky malts and a nice helping of regular malt. There’s even a touch of citrus in there too, very good stuff! It paired well with the Macanudo Tony Casas because it’s not an overpowering beer so it was a good choice.

Macanudo LE by Tony Casas (Review by Jeff Oda)

Pre-Light

The wrapper is fairly veiny and bumpy. The pack is firm with no discernible soft spots.
Wrapper smells of tobacco and light cedar with very faint barnyard.
Foot smells of tobacco, not much more.
The cold draw is snug and doesn’t offer up much other than tobacco flavor.

Light up!

First draws are of lightly sweet tobacco and cedar on the tongue with a slight pepper bite. It’s mild and smooth with some nice cedar on the retrohale. The stationary smoke is very light but has a nice aroma.

One inch in at 15 minutes, the draw has improved and ash held for 1”. Pepper has ramped up a bit,
feeling it in the back of the throat, but the body is still mild, although it is climbing a bit. The retrohale continues to be cedary and lightly sweet with a peppery sting.

Two inches in at 35 minutes, I’m now getting a bit of acidic brightness and pepper has faded but is still there. The small amount of sweetness that was there has also departed, but I’m enjoying the aroma through the nose as I take a draw.

Halfway through, I’m starting to pick up some creaminess, but not a lot. The body is at medium and I’m still getting a bit of peppery tickle at the back of the throat, though it seems to come and go. Burn-wise, I haven’t even had to think about it, a bit wavy at times, but mostly even.

Into the final third at 1 hour, the spice has faded once again and nuttiness has come into play. Further down, the pepper zing has surfaced again on the tongue and lips. With 1-1/2” left, the flavors have washed out, but the burn remains cool to the last inch, where I stopped at 1:20. Pretty slow burn on this one.

All in all, not bad, but I was hoping for more sweetness and creamy richness to intermingle and balance with the pepperiness and wood and tobacco flavors. I’m sure part of it may have to do with the tobaccos that were available for blending.* Would I smoke one again? Sure. Would I pay for it? I plead the 5th on that. I have to commend Tony on this first effort. The flavors were a bit thin and
unbalanced, but even though it wasn’t the prettiest cigar to look at, the construction, burn, and draw
were great. Now I’m really looking forward to trying the Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua blends he did.

I paired it with Lagunitas New DogTown Pale Ale, but I think it would go better with a cup of coffee.

Photo Courtesy of Jeff

The post General Cigar – Macanudo “Tony Casas” appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: As I stated, the Añoranza debuted at this year’s IPCPR show in Orlando. The word “Añoranza” means “longing” or “yearning” in Spanish. Miami Cigars clarifies this on their site:

“Often when we smoke, we reflect on times gone by and look back to a period of our lives we miss and wish we could go back to. This is Añoranza.”

There you have it. The Añoranza starts with a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper, bound by Nicaraguan grown binder and filled with Nicaraguan grown leaf. The Añoranza will come in four boxed pressed sizes (Robusto, Toro, Belicoso, and Gran Toro) and will come in boxes of 20 running $6.50 – $8.50 a stick. Barry from Miami Cigar sent me a few of these and I tore right through them. Luckily I was able to find a few more.

Size: Toro 6 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $7.50
Pairing: Unibroue Terrible (10.5% ABV)

Prelight: I just love all these box pressed cigars that have been coming out as of late. Miami Cigar’s Añoranza is just another cigar to add to that list. The Añoranza starts out with a beautiful wide box-press wrapped in a very rich, oily, consistently dark brown wrapper. This wrapper is a beauty sporting only a few small veins throughout the body leading up to the round, triple cap. The wrapper on this cigar feels tough as nails and the cigar has very little give as I squeeze the cigar between my fingers. Perfect construction, no soft spots, and an all around pleasure to look at. The Añoranza is polished off with an elegant white, gold, and green band containing the “Añoranza” crest as well as the new, standard, Miami Cigar logo on the back with some neat little “old wallpaper” feeling design. I can dig it.

The wrapper gives off a wonderfully strong, cedar and spice aroma while the foot of the cigar has hints of spice, tobacco, chocolate, and pepper. The cap was very easy to cut using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced by the Añoranza is very oaty, grainy and natural with lots of cedar tones to it. It’s definitely interesting and I hope some of these natural flavors make their way into the smoking experience.

First Smoke: Right off the bat I was greeted with a nice blast of unexpected black pepper. I did pick up a bit of black pepper during the pre-light, but most of the aromas and flavors were more subtle so I wasn’t expecting so much from the start. It was a nice surprise. After the pepper quickly faded the Añoranza left me with some really strong cedar, strong black cherry, subtle chocolate, and leather with some neat little spice notes. I really wasn’t expecting as much flavor from this cigar as I am getting in this first third. This cigar kicks out a whole ton of thick smoke with every single, little puff. It’s intense. I’m not sure exactly what causes this (outside of great rolling) but this is another trend that I’ve notice in a lot of the cigars I have been smoking lately. The burnline is dead even leaving behind a brilliant trail of thick, compacted, white and dark grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch and a half before falling to it’s death in my ashtray.

Halfway There: The flavors have began to drop out of this Añoranza. It’s not getting dull or anything, but that flavor bomb of a start was the introduction to the smoother, creamier, softer second third. The main flavor is still a strong cedar with some backing cherry along with the chocolate and tobacco with some very subtle spice.  The retrohale is much of the same, but VERY sharp, leading off with the cedar and some strong chocolate notes. The burnline is still perfectly even and razor sharp while I haven’t felt a lick of nicotine as I finish the second third.

Finish: I’m starting to get this very potent brown sugar flavor from this cigar now. It’s strange that it showed up into the final third cause it’s more of an organic flavor, meaning I can actually taste it on my lips and tongue, not just through the smoke in the cigar. It’s interesting. On top of that the already strong cedar has started to ramp up a bit along with the strength in the cigar. The cherry has really settled down and more of the tobacco, sweetness has started to take over. All in all this cigar took about 1.75 hours to smoke down to the nub with absolutely no harshness or heat. I did feel a slight nicotine kick towards the end but I am sure that the stronger beer I was finishing up had something to do with that.

Overview: I spent some time with Barry in Miami a while back and he talked very highly about this cigar. One thing I always admired about him was his honestly so I would be lying if I were to say I hadn’t been excited to finally try this cigar for myself. Did the Añoranza disappoint? Not in the slightest. This was a flavor bomb in the best way possible. Lots of complex flavors, tons of changeups, and an overall smooth and creamy experience with a pleasurable finish. This is one of the best cigars to come out of Miami Cigar for quite some time and given the price point I think this is an ideal box purchase for novice smokers looking for that extra “oomph” and any seasoned cigar smoker. On a side note, it’s been mentioned in the comments section that some of you aren’t a fan of these overly cedar flavored cigars. I totally understand that, it’s all subjective and if that’s the case, this cigar packs a ton. But I for one, am a sucker for a deep, balanced, cedar-lead cigar and this cigar fits that profile to a tee. It’s not overbearing and I hope you don’t get that from this review. Try it yourself, let me know what your thoughts are!

Pairing: Everyone who reads this blog should be familiar with the Canadian brewery Unibroue by now. Daniel and I drink brews by Unibroue quite often, but this may be the first time this beer in particular has showed up in one of my reviews. My wife recently bombed the hell out of me with some awesome beers on my birthday. She knows I liked Belgian so she scooped up plenty of those. And she knew I liked high ABV. Beers, this is where the Terrible came into play. Brewed at the Unibroue brewery in Quebec, this “Dark Ale on Lees” packs a punch coming in at 10.5% ABV. This Belgian style strong ale is particularly interesting with the choice of spices included in the brewing process. Because of this, you are left with a very strong, cherry, grape, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, banana, malty flavored beer. It’s a flavor bomb, and not for the faint of heart. Smoking the Añoranza before I knew what the cigar packed in the flavor department and wanted to find a beer that could produce the same. Needless to say the Terrible was a great match for the Añoranza. The fruity, spicy flavors were a match made in heaven. It was really interesting to see the cigar actually help me pick up some subtle flavors (like banana and vanilla) in the beer, usually it’s the other way around. This cigar would go great with any dark ale, stout, porter or port wine.

The post Miami Cigar – Añoranza appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

As for me, life has been pretty busy and it will surely continue to be that way until the big wedding day coming up in September. I did manage to sneak away last week and put together a review of the Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared. Try saying that 10 times fast! haha.

Now Viaje is a brand I don’t really get to see a lot of North of the border in Canada. Due to their mostly limited production they also have a fairly limited distribution and they also seem to be well sought after, making them even harder to come by. The few I have gotten come from trades or bombs, just like this one did. Today’s Viaje is part of their Oro line up and is the limited edition version, so it’s even more limited production so I’m happy to have a chance to review this one for everybody.

There isn’t a ton of info on the Viaje brand or this particular cigar but I’ll do my best to give a little bit of background. The brand owner is Andre Farkas and he naturally portrays the brand as a boutique cigar company which specializes in small batch cigars. The actual name Viaje is a Spanish word that translates to ‘Journey’ and Andre currently has 7 lines under the Viaje flag. The Oro lines is produced at the Raices Cubanas factory and comes wrapped with a Corojo99 leaf and a double binder.

Now if you can get your hands on a few of these, they’ve all been pretty darn tasty from the small samplings I’ve had so far. They are all Nicaraguan puros, so if you are a Nicaraguan fan, you will be at home here. So let’s jump on in and see if the Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared lives up to the reputation that I’ve come to expect from the brand so far.

Cigar: Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared
Drink: Unibroue Raftman
Vitola: Double Torpedo (5.25 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $9
Burn Time: A little over an hour

Construction:
• The Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada is an interesting looking figurado shaped cigar with a very dark brown wrapper that has a few golden highlights
• The wrapper definitely has some toothiness to it and isn’t afraid to show off a little bit of oilyness
• The cap of the cigar is finished cleanly with a single leaf that blends away into the wrapper
• There is definitely a soft springiness to this cigar, more so near the foot, I’m hoping it doesn’t translate into an open draw
• The foot itself is almost closed, with maybe just a quarter inch visible so I can’t really tell if it’s well packed or not
• A couple medium sized veins show through on the wrapper but they are fairly short and don’t look like they will be a problem
• The stick I have has a small crack in the wrapper near the band, probably from shipment, hopefully it doesn’t cause any problems

Burn:
• The foot is so small on this cigar so toasting was obviously super easy, now let’s see if it works out to be a nice burn too
• I always tend to have a lot of burn issues at the start of tapered cigars like this but this one seems to be starting off pretty well
• Through the first inch the burn is a bit wavy but it seems to be staying within a decent range and not requiring touchups
• The waves got the better of the burn and I needed to give it a quick touch up near the halfway mark

Smoke & Ash:
• Even from the tiny tapered foot at the start this cigar started producing massive amounts of smoke from each and every draw
• The resting smoke was consistent but not overpowering, just a nice light line steadily emerging from the foot
• The initial ash is nothing pretty, it seems pretty uneven and dark grey or black in most spots
• I tapped it off after about an inch since it looked like it was gonna fall anyway
• The ash also has no smooth burn lines to it, weird to see that it’s all just chunks here and there
• The next ash lasted a bit longer than an inch but it was still fairly weak and pretty much exploded when hitting the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The aroma on the wrapper is fairly light with only a little bit of woodsy aromas shining through
• The foot is very small so the aromas were pretty much the same as the wrapper here
• The pre-light draw carries more of the woodiness through but this time it’s much more noticeable and comes with a bit of clove and fresh vegetal notes as well
• The initial flavors are very similar to the pre-light with a lot of woodiness and vegetal flavors, plus a bit more of the clove spices
• The spices started to pick up as I head past the 1 inch mark, lots of interesting peppers, nutmeg and a bit of saltiness I usually only find in cubans
• As with a lot of sharply tapered cigars, I tend to get a bit of the oils coming out of the cap that make it a little bitter. Cutting it a bit more usually resolves this problem
• I’m getting a bit of leather in the mix now and the wood flavors have become more toasted now
• For the most part, the whole cigar has been in the medium bodied range and it’s had a nice bite on the retrohale with a smooth woodsy and clove finish
• Just past the half-way mark I’m getting a nice espresso flavor mixing in with the spices and woodsiness, this is getting better and better!
• All the flavors really started to gain some intensity near the end and balance out amazingly
• A nice tasty and flavorful finish without any harshness to worry about, bravo!

Final Thoughts:
I haven’t had too many Viaje’s in my days, mostly because they don’t reach Canada in distribution and of course they are fairly limited. But all-in-all I quite enjoyed this one! The ash may not have been pretty but we’re not here for good looks, we’re here for flavors and the Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared did not miss the mark there at all. Tons of interesting flavors that kept changing made me wonder what the next draw was going to bring me, I love having that in any cigar. There were a couple issues on the burn but nothing major that I would knock this cigar for. The price is a bit up there at the $9 mark but even at that price I’d say it’s worth trying a few of these. That is, if you can find them cause they are pretty much all gone from what I can tell.

Pairings:
I’m not gonna re-invent the wheel here, I already did a good write up on the Unibroue Raftman when I paired it with the La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra. Here’s the rundown from my last post:

Next to the Scottish brewery of Innis & Gunn that I paired last week, another of my favorite breweries is none other than Canada’s own Unibroue. This place is based out of Quebec and has a HUGE inventory of brews with a ton of different and unique beers that are a rare find. Today’s brew is called Raftman and I only found a case of these while actually in Quebec, I’ve never seen it in any other stores so far. Now this brew was very interesting as the label says it is brewed with Whisky Malts so I just had to pick it up and give it a try. Well I’m glad I did cause this is one tasty brew and yet again another winner from Unibroue. It’s a fairly light amber beer but it packs in a ton of flavor. The whisky malts are very obvious as they give a classic touch of whisky, as if you just put a little whisky inside a good beer. Along with that it also has a delicious malty finish and some notes of sweetness as well.

As for the pairing, I found it made an awesome compliment for the Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared. The unique and interesting flavors on the cigar made for an awesome experience to go with the beer. Other good selections could have been a nice Porto, or a flavored coffee seems like an interesting idea here.

The post Viaje Oro Edicion Limitada Perfecto Squared appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with the My Father Cigars brand, they are synonymous with awesome cigars. Jaime Garcia decided a long while ago to create a more wallet friendly line to add to the My Father Cigars inventory, and this is how the La Reloba line was born.

Just like most brands from the My Father lines, the La Reloba is a Nicaraguan puro made with high quality and aged tobacco leafs from their various farms. There are 3 wrappers offered in the La Reloba line which are Seleccion Sumatra, Seleccion Habano and Seleccion Mexico(Maduro). I also found some inklings online about a limited release Seleccion Oscura although I only can find them at one online source and they aren’t listed on the My Father Cigars website.

In the line of La Reloba we have 4 sizes which include the Corona, Robusto, Toro and Torpedo. Today’s cigar up for review is the Corona vitola which I’ve had the chance to smoke a few of. I had the Habano on hand but I haven’t had as many of them plus I decided to settle on a slightly milder blend since I was lighting this up just after lunch time.

Cigar: La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra by My Father Cigars
Drink: Unibroue Raftman
Vitola: Corona (5.625 x 46)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $4
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra is wrapped with a fairly smooth leaf to the touch but the cigar itself is rather bumpy
• There are quite a few visible veins on the wrapper but none of them are very large, medium sized at most, and don’t look like they will cause any burn issues
• The orangey-chocolate colored wrapper has a nice oily sheen to it and the triple cap is finished with a couple loose edges
• From a little squeezing it’s easy to tell this is a very firm cigar and I hope that doesn’t cause any issues
• The foot looks extremely well packed, tons of leaf in there
• Cutting this cigar with my double bladed guillotine cutter was fairly easy but it caused a huge explosion of little pieces of tobacco

Burn:
• The toasting was very nice, even on this windy day it glowed evenly without much effort
• The initial burn looks promising and is keeping a razor sharp and even line
• The razor sharp burn continues through the first half, no touch ups needed at all and it’s letting me enjoy it nice and slow
• Great burn continued right to the end, nothing much else to report here!

Smoke & Ash:
• For a fairly small cigar this La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra is pumping out a ton of smoke from every draw
• Surprisingly though, the resting smoke is almost non-existent, as if it’s saving it all for me! lol
• The ash has a wonderful light grey, almost white color to it and is very smooth
• Despite being a smaller ring gauge cigar, the ash here is very strong and clean and held on over an inch before I tapped it off
• The crazy winds knocked off my next ash just short of an inch, missed a picture opportunity too
• Also realized the wind blew most of the ash right out of the ashtray!

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper is giving off a barnyard and cedar aroma
• The foot brings a ton more barnyard aroma with almost no cedar, maybe just a touch of spice in there too
• The pre-light draw brings more of the barnyard and woodsy aromas, and maybe a touch of earth now too
• The initial flavors coming from this cigar are all about the woodsiness and spices, I’m getting an interesting punch of cloves along with a mild paprika maybe
• The spice died down a bit and I’m left with a bit of a leathery flavor to go with the cedar notes
• At nearly the halfway mark I’m starting to get some of the baking spice flavors that I find in almost every Sumatra wrapped cigar I have, sort of like some molasses and cinnamon
• The body on this cigar has been mostly in the low medium range and the retro hale has been giving a tiny bite with a smooth cedar finish
• The cedar and baking spices stuck through to the end and made for a nice enjoyable experience right to the nub
• No harshness or bitter buildup right to the finish

Final Thoughts:
This isn’t my first foray into the La Reloba series and it definitely won’t be my last. The La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra was a tasty treat that had a nice array of flavors to keep me interested the whole way through. It wasn’t as complex or dimensional as some of the other My Father Cigars but it was definitely enjoyable and fits nicely into their inventory. The burn was also spot on the whole way through which is always a big plus for me. The price is also very attractive for a quality cigar from the My Father Factory. I also have to admit I was surprised to see such a great burn and draw from this cigar when my initial inspection led to some concerns. Can’t complain at all about this cigar and I definitely will be picking up more in the future!

Pairings:
Next to the Scottish brewery of Innis & Gunn that I paired last week, another of my favorite breweries is none other than Canada’s own Unibroue. This place is based out of Quebec and has a HUGE inventory of brews with a ton of different and unique beers that are a rare find. Today’s brew is called Raftman and I only found a case of these while actually in Quebec, I’ve never seen it in any other stores so far. Now this brew was very interesting as the label says it is brewed with Whisky Malts so I just had to pick it up and give it a try. Well I’m glad I did cause this is one tasty brew and yet again another winner from Unibroue. It’s a fairly light amber beer but it packs in a ton of flavor. The whisky malts are very obvious as they give a classic touch of whisky, as if you just put a little whisky inside a good beer. Along with that it also has a delicious malty finish and some notes of sweetness as well. I found that it paired very well with the La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra as it added some flavors to the whole experience without either the cigar or the beer being overbearing on each other. Any medium bodied brew would go well here such as an Amber lager or even a dark ale, a nice coffee would definitely pair nicely here too.

The post La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

As you might be able to guess from the name of the cigar, this blend comes with a Corojo wrapper. The leaf is grown in Ecuador, and so is the binder. Now the interesting part of this blend is that the binder is a Sumatra leaf. Typically in the cigar world I see a lot of Corojo cigars packed with Ligero or Habano leaf which typically gives them a spicier appeal. The fact that a Sumatra leaf is used as the binder offers an interesting change of pace since these leaves tend to have sweet or creamy notes. We’ll have to see how that plays out.

The band on the La Aurora Corojo has the classic “La Aurora” Lion logo and text with second band that has “Corojo” text written near the bottom of the band. The second band mimics the exact same ones you can find on the La Aurora 1495 line (See my review of the La Aurora 1495 Connecticut). They seem to have a knack for creating nice clean bands, I seem to like them all.

It seems that there isn’t much history or interesting back stories to tell when it comes to this cigar. It was released during a busy year from La Aurora and around the same time that the Guillermo Leon Signature (Reviewed here) and Miami Cigars Nestor Miranda Art Deco (Reviewed here). That same year also saw the release of the La Aurora 107 which was a huge hit and fan favorite (We have a review of the 107 in Corona and Robusto available). So you can see how this cigar may have gotten missed on a lot of people’s radars. So did it stand up as another good release in the La Aurora line up? I guess you’ll have to read on to find out!

Cigar: La Aurora Corojo
Drink: Unibroue La Fin du Monde
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Price: About $6.00
Burn Time: Just over 1 hour

Construction:
• Now this is a fairly rugged looking cigar, the first thing I noticed was all the bumps it had along with a few medium sized veins
• Despite some roughness, there is a nice oily shine coming off the warm golden brown wrapper on the La Aurora Corojo
• The top of the cigar is finished with a neatly applied single cap
• The foot of the cigar is moderately packed with 2 small gaps in the filler
• There is plenty of spring to this cigar wen squeezed, especially near the cap
• My double bladed guillotine cutter made easy work of the cap with a smooth and even cut
• The draw is disappointingly open right now, very hard to get a good mouthful of smoke
• Within the first inch, the draw seemed to tighten up a bit to a comfortable point

Burn:
• Toasting of the foot took a little longer than expected, it just didn’t seem to want to catch
• Took a few more touch-ups near the beginning to get off and running evenly
• Had a wonky burn start after the first ash that required me to touch it up again, was burning only on half the cigar
• It seemed that I needed to re-light or touch up every time after I ashed, luckily it didn’t affect the flavors much

Smoke & Ash:
• The very open draw is making it hard to judge the smoke output here but after taking a few draws it seems to produce a nice thick smoke
• The initial ash is not exactly pretty since I had a few touch-ups here, it’s very dark grey/black and also quite uneven and flaking
• After the draw tightened up I was getting very nice thick mouthfuls of smoke with easy draws
• Since the initial ash was a little messy I decided to tap it off after about 1 inch to avoid it landing in my lap or on the floor
• The smoke seemed to get even thicker in the last half of the cigar, really coating your palate with all the interesting flavors

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the La Aurora Corojo is fairly plain with just a minor cedar aroma and the slightest hint of spice
• The foot tells a much different story bring plenty of cedar and a sweet floral bouquet, very unique for a Corojo cigar
• The pre-light draws brings more cedar flavors along with more of the peppery spices,the sweet floral seems missing here now
• The first few draws seem to be a mostly creamy woodsiness, I’m not picking up any of the floral or spice so far
• The body is right in the low end of medium and the retrohale has a small bite with a smooth cedar finish
• After about an inch, some mild peppery spices started to creep in but they are balancing well and not overpowering anything
• As the La Aurora Corojo progresses, the spices are slowly gaining some prominence but are still balancing well with the smooth creamy woodsiness
• I’m picking up a sort of buttery flavor in there which is really tying everything together nicely
• The tasty mix of buttery, creamy, woodsy and spicy flavors continued right through in the last third
• The interesting mix of flavors and that awesome buttery finish continued into the nub and up until my fingers were burning
• There was very little harshness or bitterness to the nub, a great finish to a tasty cigar

Final Thoughts:
Even with some funky burn issues I found the La Aurora Corojo to be a tasty cigar and an enjoyable experience. The mix of flavors isn’t overly complex but they are balanced, enjoyable and flavorful. The burn issues definitely knocked it down a few points but they didn’t affect the flavor much so I still got to enjoy the cigar. The price on these is fair for the cigar that I got so I will likely be picking these up again in the near future. Perhaps the few I had were a bad batch in the burn department, could have also been the colder weather? The unique flavors on this one is what will bring me back for more!

Pairings:
Yes it’s another Unibroue beer. Why? Because everything they make is super awesome! The brew I picked out today is La Fin du Monde which seems to be their most popular and most widely available. I also paired this with the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story not too long ago. As expected, this triple-fermented ale on lees delivers a TON of flavor. There is some fruitiness, malt, a bit ofa creamy undertone and it’s super smooth. Even at 9%alc./vol. this ale goes down with a perfect balance of flavors. I was a little concerned the Corojo was gonna be a bit spicy for this beer but it actually worked out wonderfully. The La Aurora Corojo blend was equally smooth and flavorful and balanced extremely well with this brew. I think a nice amber or blonde beer pair perfectly here, maybe even a cup of tea. There are a lot of good flavors in the cigar so I wouldn’t pick out anything too strong as a pairing.

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

Nestor Miranda is the founder of the Miami Cigars and Company and has recently started producing his own blends that come attached to his name. These include the Nestor Miranda Collection 1989, the newer Nestor Miranda Special Selection and the recent Casa Miranda. The Art Deco cigar also carries the Nestor Miranda blend and is currently sold in 3 vitolas, all of which are over 50 ring gauge.

The Art Deco is a joint effort effort between Nestor Miranda & José Pepin Garcia. I think we all know that Don Garcia is no stranger to success in the cigar industry and if he has a hand in the blending, you can usually be guaranteed it will be a quality cigar. The blend consists of 60% Nicaraguan Corojo 99 and 40% Dominican San Vicente, plus Dominican Criollo ’98 & Nicaraguan Habano 2000 binders rolled and triple-capped in dark, shimmering Nicaraguan Corojo ’06.

I actually picked up this cigar as part of a box set which included 4 Nestor Miranda Special Selection Ruky’s (2 Oscuro and 2 Rosado) along with an Art Deco. I’ve also enjoyed a few singles of the Robusto Grande vitola bought separately. I want to mention how awesome I think this band is. It’s so retro and different and the colors really pop. The cigars are also packaged in retro tins with the same neat design. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover! So I think that’s enough chatter, let’s get onto the review

Cigar: Nestor Miranda Art Deco
Drink: Unibroue Don De Dieu
Vitola: Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’06
Binder: Dominican Criollo ’98 & Nicaraguan Habano ’00
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 & Dominican San Vincente
Price: $8.50
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This looks to be a wonderfully constructed cigar, very even in diameter with a dark golden brown wrapper
• The whole cigar is very firm when squeezed and has almost no bumps on the wrapper
• The head of the cigar is finished off with an extremely clean triple cap, it’s easy to see some extra care went into making this cigar
• The foot looks to be mostly well packed with a one gap that looks a bit under-filled
• The cut was fairly easy despite the firmness of the cigar
• The draw seems to be a bit more open than I’d typically like but it’s not terrible
• Seems that the draw tightened up a bit near the halfway mark making for a perfect draw each time

Burn:
• The cigar toasting was very easy with a short time frame to get the foot evenly glowing
• The initial burn was a bit wavy but it quickly corrected itself and started burning razor sharp after that
• Through the first half I have no complaints about the burn here, it’s still razor sharp and requires zero attention from me

Smoke & Ash:
• The smoke from each draw is fairly full but it’s actually not that thick in density
• The resting smoke here is almost non existent at times, it’s a very friendly cigar to have while non-smokers may be nearby
• The ash is starting off with a nice light gray color and looks to be tight and clean
• I’m getting some awesome striping on the ash and its staying clean and strong
• It lasted nearly 2 inches before making an awesome nosedive into the ashtray. A perfect 10 anyone???
• The next ash only lasted about an inch but it stayed clean and crisp and fell off easily into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar gives a strong earthy and barnyard aroma with a touch of cedar
• The aroma on the foot carries through with the earthy and cedar notes but adds in a slightly sweet spice, maybe of raw cinnamon
• The pre-light daw brings an interesting mix of sweet notes on top of the cedar, possibly some dried cherries
• Initial flavors are stong in the cedar department with that slightly dried cherry taste in there, very interesting!
• The cedar has stuck around through the first inch but the initial sweetness has tapered off a bit
• For the most part, the cigar has started off in the low end of the medium range with a small bite on the retrohale
• As I continue along, I’m getting a bit of leather and the initial earthy aromas are making an appearance in the flavor department now
• As I pass the halfway mark, the mix of cedar, leather and earth has me seeking a little something more. It’s not bad or harsh but I feel like there’s something missing since the sweetness disappeared…
• As the cigar continued I started getting a bit of the sweetness returning here and there along with some slight nuttiness
• The body is building ever so slowly in the last third, heading into the high medium range
• Some toasted nutty/almond flavors are making this last third a lot more interesting along with the dried cherry sweetness that keeps rearing it’s head here and there
• The nice final mixture of flavors stuck through to the nub with almost no harshness, a very nice finish

Final Thoughts:
As with all of the Miami Cigar offerings I seem to come into them with high hopes. They’ve had such a great track record recently that I only expect the best. The Nestor Miranda Art Deco is a well balanced cigar with a variety of flavors. The first and last 3rds of the cigar were interesting and kept me on my toes but the middle portion seemed to lack something. The burn was excellent the whole way through and overall construction was top notch. The price is also very reasonable so it’s something I would probably buy again, perhaps in the Coffee Break vitola (4.5 x 50). I think that size may be the sweet spot and keep the interesting flavors going from start to finish. If you like a good medium smoke with an interesting profile these are worth checking out.

Added note: I asked Tony his thoughts here and he’s only smoked the Coffee Break vitola and loved it. I’ve only had the Robusto Grande, so I think my guess that a smaller vitola would make this cigar great is probably a good guess!

Pairings:
So this beer comes with a funny sort of story.  I’ve done a few other reviews with Unibroue brews and always loved them, not to mention they are also Canadian which is a plus in my eyes!  Unfortunately, most of their brews are actually not even available for me to purchase cause of the ridiculous taxes and restrictions in my province. The brewery is only about a 5 hour drive away, but it’s in another province… So, I actually picked this bottle up in Florida. Yes, that’s right. I drove 1600 miles away from the brewery to actually buy it! I guess that speaks to the silliness of our taxes here! lol
Enough of my complaining, let’s move onto the actual beer. I had no idea what to expect from this as I’ve never had it before and the bottle doesn’t really explain what type of beer it is. The name of this beer, “Don De Dieu” literally translates to “Gift from God” so I figured it can’t be that bad!
After doing a bit of research, I found out this is a triple fermented wheat beer that is also unfiltered, giving it a cloudy appearance in the glass. The flavors in this brew are excellent, mixing a little bit of fruit, maybe some vanilla and very smooth malty finish. This is not your average wheat beer though, it packs in 9% ABV and the triple fermentation without filtration makes it feel a lot fuller bodied than you might expect. I found it to be an excellent pairing with the Nestor Miranda Art Deco as it offered up lots of interesting flavors. I think a fine tawny port would also be an excellent pairing here or perhaps keep it simple with a dark soda.

The post Nestor Miranda Art Deco Robusto Grande appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Alec Bradley Family Blend seems to receive good reviews from various sources. Originally, the Family Blend was created for the smoking enjoyment of Alec Bradley’s 3 big shots/executives. It’s was first only available in a single size which is the one I will be reviewing today. Last year they announced an expansion of the line to a total of 5 vitolas.

One thing that immediately caught my eye about this cigar was the unique blend of tobacco leaves used in it’s creation. The Honduran and Nicaraguan leaves are fairly close geographically but the Indonesian leaves come from the opposite end of the world. Let’s see how these leaves blend together and jump right into the review.

Cigar: Alec Bradley Family Blend
Drink: Unibroue Brewery – Maudite
Vitola: No. 1 (5.5 x 50)
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: about $6.50
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A very oily wrapper encompasses this cigar with a medium cinnamon brown color
• The triple cap is very cleanly applied and finished with a small pigtail
• The cigar is quite firm when squeezed and consistent throughout
• There are a few visible medium sized veins but none that pose burn issues
• The foot is packed well but not as full as the cigar feels
• The cut was easy but made a big mess as the filler went flying everywhere
• The draw on this cigar is just as it should be, no complaints at all
• The band slid off nice and easy with no glue problems at all

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly quick and even, the foot was glowing nicely
• The burn is coming along very sharp through the first third
• Continuing with the stellar burn, the cigar has not wavered even a bit as I pass the mid-point
• I got my first wave in the burn near the last bit of this cigar but it managed to correct itself after a small purge
• I also noticed a small tunnel at this point which likely led to this problem, a slight squeeze on the cigar managed to close up the tunnel

Smoke & Ash:
• A nice mouthful of smoke right from the first draw
• Ash appears nice and tight with clean light grey lines
• Despite it’s appearance, the ash lasted only about half an inch before gently falling into the ashtray
• Resting smoke was fairly moderate
• The first ash was likely not a good indication as the second ash reached almost two inches

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar has very little aroma, maybe just a slight tobacco scent
• The foot is similarly lacking in aroma, maybe just some hints of spice and tobacco
• Pre-light draw brought more of that spice and an added mix of cedar
• Initial draws bring a white pepper and nutmeg type spice mixed with a helping of woodsy and earthy notes
• The spice slowly settled into the background leaving the woodsy and earthy flavors to dominate
• The retrohale has been fairly mild with only a small bite and a woodsy finish
• The cigar itself has also been in the mild body range so far
• The flavors are not overly complex but they are smooth and balanced
• As I reach the half-way mark, the spice is slowly making a comeback, more of the nutmeg rather than the pepper
• The finish has also developed a slight creaminess to it although it seems to come and go
• As I approach the last third, the body has ramped up into the medium range and the retrohale has a little more bite
• As I approach the last inch, the pepper flavors have returned in full force along with a burnt woodsiness, the nutmeg and creaminess have disappeared at this point
• I got slight bit of bitterness as I approached the end and decided to let the cigar down a tad bit early at 1.5 hours before the harshness built up too much

Final Thoughts:
This was a well constructed and fairly good tasting cigar. I can definitely see how it can score high points on a lot of review sights. I’m personally slightly underwhelmed and I’ll try to explain. As I mentioned in the notes, the cigar was not overly complex. It seems like the cigar took the basic flavors of cigars and just melded them together in a well constructed stick. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing by any means but I feel it lacked character and brought nothing unique to the table. Would I smoke it again? Yes I would but it wouldn’t be my first pick. It scores big points in construction, ash, smoke, and burn. But only fairly good points in the flavor department. Don’t get me wrong here, this can be a very good smoke for most people or for those times when you want a trusty stick that is enjoyable and doesn’t require extra attention. But if you are looking for something new and different in the cigar world, this is not the stick for you.

Pairings:
Ah yes, another brew from one of my favorite Canadian breweries. I’ve had the Unibroue Maudite in previous pairings with the My Father Le Bijou 1922 and the La Aurora 1495. As I’ve said in those reviews, this is a very tasty dark amber beer that is fermented on a yeast base. It seems to do a good job of pairing with many different cigars and this was no exception. Other good pairing with this cigar would include a dark porter, coffee or my personal favorite, Tawny Port.

The post Alec Bradley Family Blend appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The La Aurora 1495 Series is a long-filler cigar line created to pay tribute to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. The numbers in the name represent the year the city was founded by Christopher Columbus. The original 1495 series cigar was a medium/full Sumtra wrapper blended from 6 different type of tobacco. The line was later expanded to include a wide variety of wrappers including Corojo, Brazilian Maduro, Cameroon, and the one being reviewed today, Connecticut.

Released in 2007, the variety of wrappers all include the same binder and filler. These cigars are a great way to discover just how much the wrapper really does affect the flavor of the cigar. If you’ve ever been curious to discover this, the La Aurora 1495 series is a great way to learn. The grouping of the various wrappers is called the Conoisseurs selection and is a fantastic idea created by Jose Blanco (Twitter: @joseblanco809). They are available in smaller bundles, as a sampler pack as well as a large case of 100. All of the non-Sumatran wrapped cigars are only available in a Robusto size while the Sumatra wrapper comes in 4 different sizes.

Cigar: La Aurora 1495 Connecticut
Drink: Unibroue Maudite
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Dominican Piloto Cubano
Price: $7.00-$7.50
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Wrapper has a slight oily sheen and a light brown color
• There are almost no veins on this cigar, very clean and smooth
• The triple cap is almost invisible, very cleanly applied
• Firmness is even throughout with a bit of give and a nice spring
• Foot appears to be well packed
• Cut was even, smooth and easy
• Draw is just right, no complaints there at all
• The cigar had two bands that were both easily removable

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even, no dark spots at all
• Burn has been perfectly straight from the start
• Burn still has not gone even slightly wavy as I pass the halfway mark, razor sharp!
• Razor sharp to the end, awesome burn

Smoke & Ash:
• Generous amount of smoke on each draw but nothing overbearing
• A light resting smoke gives off a very nice cedar aroma
• Ash seems strong but does have a bit flaking around it
• Ash fell off easily into the ashtray after about 1.5 inches
• Second ash fell off at almost the exact same length, as if this cigar was programmed to do this, I love the consistency of this cigar

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a hay-like aroma with a bit of sweetness
• The foot has similar hay-like aromas and a touch of spice
• Pre-light draw brought lots of cedar and spice
• Initial draws are mild and have a nice cedar flavor with an added mild spiciness
• Picking up some light coffee and nutty flavors as I approach the halfway point, the spice also tapered off
• Retrohale is mild, not much bite but a great cedar finish
• Getting a nice creaminess on this cigar as it progresses
• The cigar is slowly creeping into the medium range just past the half-way mark
• The coffee and nutty notes really started to shine through as I approached that last inch of the cigar
• The cedar has tapered off a bit although still evident and the spice is making a nice comeback
• A tad of bitterness crept in near the end, but it wasn’t unpleasant, more like an espresso bitterness, tasty to the end

Final Thoughts:
This was a great Connecticut cigar. Typically, Connecticuts are very mild but with the Corojo binder and some of the various fillers this one had a bit more body to make it a little more interesting. The construction was amazing on this cigar, both visibly and in action while burning. It never had any issues at all. This is something I could definitely recommend to a novice or seasoned cigar smoker. The variety of wrappers containing the same filler and binder also make it a great learning experience. I’ve had 3 of the different wrappers and although they have some similarities it’s a great way to truly appreciate the influence of a good wrapper. The price of this cigar is also quite friendly and makes for an easy purchase without hurting the wallet. I will surely be looking for more of these and trying to get my hands on each one in this line, I suggest you do the same.

Pairings:
I’m a big fan of all the brews I’ve tried from Unibroue breweries and the Maudite is no exception. It clocks in as a strong beer at 8% but it’s so smooth and tasty that you can’t even tell. It’s got lots of froth and a fantastic smooth hoppy finish. The beer is fermented on a yeast base and the cap of the smaller bottles are covered with a golden foil that displays the breweries logo. If you can find this locally, I definitely recommend giving it a try. This is one of those cigars that can pair well with many different beverages including coffee, sweet tea, light beers, dark beers, or water. The flavors are not overpowering so I wouldn’t recommend going into strong pairings such as cognac or scotch.

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The Garcia family is also involved in a variety of other cigar lines not under the My Father name.  Some examples include the Don Pepin Garcia line, the Jamie Garcia line, some Tatuaje cigars, the Ashton San Critobal line, El Rey De Los Habanos and many others.  He has also been the creator of a variety of house blended cigars for many different Brick & Mortar Cigar shops.  His son, Jaime Garcia, is just recently making a big splash in the cigar world with his original My Father cigar and the newer Jamie Garcia Reserva Especial.  Between these two gentlemen, there are a variety of great cigars attached to their name.  Aside from blending, the My Father Factory is also the home production facility of some other cigars such as the Nestor Miranda 1989 and the recently released Guillermo Leon line.

The My Father Le Bijou 1922 is blended by Don Pepin Garcia himself as a homage to his father.  The name “Le Bijou” means ‘The Jewel’ in French and the year 1922 is the year his father was born.  Don Pepin set out to make sure this was an excellent smoke worthy of his fathers name.  The wrapper used in this cigar is extremely rare and very difficult to grow.  The Pelo de Oro wrapper (commonly called Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro) is not common due to it’s sensitivity and has hardly ever been used for a large number of years.  It comes in asa lighter and creamier version of a traditional Oscuro.  Being a Nicaraguan Puro cigar, this Le Bijou 1922 is made completely of Nicaraguan tobacco.  Let’s see how this rare “Jewel” fares in today’s review.

Cigar: My Father Le Bijou 1922
Drink: Unibroue Maudite
Vitola: Toro (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $12
Burn Time: 1.75 hours

Construction:
• This cigar is instantly appealing to the eyes with it’s smooth oily appearance and a dark chocolate brown wrapper
• There are some visible medium sized veins but none that look threatening to the burning experience of this cigar
• It has a bit of give when squeezed slight but springs back quickly, there is also one spot near the head and one near the foot that is slightly softer
• The triple cap is very well applied, it’s clean and smooth and blends in extremely well
• The wrapper is very ornate and detailed, another eye appealing point on this fantastic looking cigar
• Cut was a little firm with my double bladed guillotine and produced a lot of flakes but still came out fairly clean

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly easy and even with my single flame culinary torch, the center was a little dark but glowed brightly after the first draw
• Some minor waving at the start but it has been razor sharp going into the half-way point here
• Staying lit effortlessly as well, not need to continuously draw to keep it going
• No issues right to the nub, the burn was razor sharp the whole way through

Smoke & Ash:
• Tons of smoke right from the initial draw
• A fair amount of resting smoke as well,  giving off what seems to be just a burning wood aroma
• The ash is nothing short of picture perfect, it’s clean round, no flaking and very light grey/almost white color
• Although it looks perfect it appears a little weak as the first ash fell off at around half an inch
• The second ash held on much longer, easily passing one inch
• The smoke machine did not let down, always a mouthful of smoke from each draw bringing with it all the great flavors

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a grassy aroma to it and is complimented by some spicy notes, perhaps just a touch of pepper
• The foot has a creamy cocoa and woodsy aroma, there is less spice here but still a touch of nutmeg can be detected
• Pre-light draw is very woodsy and earthy with some pepper and nutmeg spice in the mix
• Initial draws are mostly cedar mixed with a white pepper spice and a smooth creamy finish
• The retrohale has no bite despite the spicy notes I’m getting, it’s very smooth and has the same creamy finish
• As I progress I’m getting some nice espresso notes and the spice is slowly fading
• The espresso notes are balancing just perfectly with the creaminess and the cedar
• I can’t emphasize enough how smooth and balanced the cigar is as I apporach the halfway mark, the finish is just right, not even a touch of dryness.  I could smoke this easily without a beverage!
• Just passed the halfway mark the spiciness came back, specifically some more white pepper
• The cedar notes also came bursting out again leaving the espresso behind but the wonderful smooth creamy finish is still lingering
• The retrohale also developed a little bite and the finish has a lot more cedar than before
• The cigar started off with a mild/medium body but as I near the last two inches it’s definitely approaching a medium/full with a touch of cocoa appearing now and then throughout the whole time
• There was almost no harshness built up all the way to the nub, definitely a nub-worthy cigar

Final Thoughts:
This was a very enjoyable cigar.  The My Father Le Bijou 1922 had lots of interesting flavors and they changed up frequently keeping my palate constantly searching for the new notes.  This is definitely the type of cigar you want to sit down and pay attention to in order to get it’s full experience.  All factors considered I don’t really have anything I can complain about, from the pre-smoke visuals right down to the nub there was nothing I can say I didn’t enjoy.  The one gripe if any about this cigar will be the price, it rings in at over $11 and that may turn away some customers but I have to say it is a worthwhile investment.  It may not make it into your regular rotation for some people but it’s definitely worth having some around.  The construction, dimensionality, flavors and smoothness all make it a great experience.

Pairings:
The Unibroue brewery from Quebec, Canada is quickly making it’s way to the top of my favorite breweries list.  I’ve said this before but their brews never disappoint.  I’ve included the La Fin du Monde by Unbroue in a previous pairing for the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story.  The standard bottle size comes adorned with a gold foil wrapper top and an odd label with a demon and some people paddling a canoe in a red sky.  The flavors are incredibly complex bringing a variety of hoppiuness, bitterness, fruitiness, and even a slight floral note.  It is uniquely refermented on a yeast base and clocks in at 8% alc./vol.  It’s definitely worth trying and although not the best pairing here I think it actually added a layer of interesting flavors to this already complex cigar.  It may come as no surprise here but I think a Port would have been the perfect pairing for the cedar, spice and creamy notes of the Le Bijou 1922.  Other good pairings would include red wine, scotch, coffee or a dark soda.

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