The Good Stuff: While we were in Nicaragua earlier this year I got to sample Drew Estate’s newest release, the Nica Rustica which was later featured at this year’s IPCPR event in Las Vegas.  The Nica Rustica isn’t a spin off of any Liga Privada, nor any other cigars currently in the Drew Estate profile, instead it’s a completely new blend created to showcase Nicaraguan tobacco as it’s best. The sample that I smoked was actually a pre-production run and Nick Melillo (Drew Estate’s Executive Director of Tobaccos), actually tweaked the blend between then and the final production as he was unhappy with the flavor profile. I wonder how it will compare to what we smoked in Nicaragua. Only one way to find out, but before we do, here is a bit more information on the cigar taken from Drew Estate’s website.

Nica Rustica is a medium to full strength cigar that is blended to showcase native Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli and Jalapa. Aficionados will enjoy this rustic smoke that is robust and deeply satisfying. Genuine Connecticut Broadleaf encases Nica Rustica and imparts a subtle natural tobacco sweetness and spice.

Additional Info: This is a medium to full bodied smoke – it is blended to be rustic – un-polished, un-refined, for hard core tobacco lovers. Con Orgullo (with pride) is embedded deep within the people and the culture of Esteli, Nicaragua. Estelianos have embraced the image of “El Brujito” as a sign of pride and display it though-out their city in iron works, graffiti and sculpture. Carved into stone over 6,000 years ago by a flourishing Pre-Columbian civilization, “El Brujito” literally means “Witch Doctor” or to the locals “the Shaman”. Early Shamanic practices included the use of tobacco in ceremonial and medicinal rituals.

The lid of the display box is made to be hung in your shop. It has a pre-cut notch for you to easily hang it on a nail or hook. Show it with pride in your shop and home!

This cigar is just now hitting retailer shelves across the country. It’s a regular production blend which will come in only one size, 6 x 52 and will be packaged in 25 count trapezoid bundles running $6.95 a cigar.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Mediums
Binder: Mexican San Andreas Negro
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Full
Price: $6.95
Pairing: Boulevard Brewing Company Dark Truth Stout (Imperial Stout 9.7% ABV)

Prelight: The Nica Rustica’s name is very fitting considering how rough, and rustic this cigar looks. Starting with the wrapper which is very gaudy, thick, spotty dark and medium browns with lots of orangish spots which is then gently laid over the foot of the cigar adding to the rustic feel. The wrapper is very tough, extremely oily, and mildly toothy as it leads up to a twisted, tailed cap. Everything about this cigar screams handmade. The cigar is polished off with an awesome yellow, and black band with the words “NICA RUSTICA” spread across the front along with the Nica Rustica monster and a quick introduction of the cigar on the back. The Nica Rustica is a very thick, meaty cigar with a good weight to it. There are no soft spots and the cigar gives very little as I squeeze it between my fingers.

The wrapper of the cigar lets loose a tone of sweet, cedary, molasses notes while the foot of the cigar carries much of the same as the filler tobacco has been covered by the wrapper leaf. The wrapper cut extremely easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced very sweet, earthy, flavors with just a hint of black pepper.

First Smoke: The Nica Rustica started out with some nice, subtle black pepper. Much less then I expected. After a few puffs the pepper was gone and I was left with a very sweet medley of molasses, cherry, cedar, natural tobaccos, cocoa and spice. The cherryish flavor became much more pronounced as I smoked through the first third. The draw on this cigar could not be any better. Each Nica Rustica that I have smoked has pumped out mouthful after mouthful of very thick, white smoke with every little puff. Let’s not forget about the little smoke factory going on in my ashtray as this Nica Rustica is just pumping out so much stationary smoke it’s insane. The burnline is dead even and razor sharp which is impressive considering I haven’t had to touch it up since I let the unfinished foot and usually I have trouble with how consistent they light up. The ash left behind is decently compact, bright white with darker gray spots and held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of the Nica Rustica the sweetness has really taken a step back and the rich cocoa has amped up it’s flavor game. The cedar and natural tobaccos are still there with just a touch of spice and even a bit of a peat flavor coming into play. No, I don’t know exactly what peat tastes like but I’d assume it tastes a lot like the wet, mossy, earthy flavors I am picking up. The retrohale is awesome bringing out a lot of the spices in the experience while not being so strong that it burns my nasal passage. The draw has still been exceptional as well as the burn while I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at all while closing out the second third.

Finish: Into the final third of the Nica Rustica the flavors have remained very similar to what I experienced in the second third. Lots of rich cocoa, cedar and spice with some subtle sweetness, earthy notes, and black cherry. This sucker burns VERY slow. It’s taken me about 2 hours to get it down to the final inch. The burnline and draw were perfect then entire experience and I never had to touch it up or relight. I experience absolutely no harshness, and no nicotine kick as I close out the cigar.

Overview: When I first smoked the Nica Rustic sample I was given in Nicaragua I noted that I felt it was lacking definition and complexity. It wasn’t a bad cigar, but it just seemed like it was missing something that would complete it. Well, I’m not tobacco expert so I have no idea what Nick actually change but whatever he did worked, and worked well. I was expecting a similar experience with the final blend of the Nica Rustica and I was pleasantly surprised with how flavorful, and complex this cigar was. It’s not an overly complex cigar by any means but whatever was missing from my test blend has been added/adjusted and the cigar is now solid. The flavors are spot on with what I look for in a cigar leading with lots of chocolate, coffee, and sweetness while maintaining a creamy composure without being overpowering. As solid as this cigar is you would expect a bigger price tag so I’d gladly pay the $6.95 for this cigar. It’s bundle worthy for sure and the best part about it? It’s not limited, and it’s not retailer exclusive meaning you will be able to find it anywhere, anytime.

Pairing: Yay! Another stout. This time I paired my Nica Rustic with Boulevard Brewing Company’s Dark Truth Stout. Brewed at Boulevard’s brewery in Missouri, this Imperial stout clocks in at a rockin’ 9.7% ABV. One of the reasons why I love the winter ales is the natural ramp up in ABV. The Dark Truth Stout leads off with a ton of rich, dark, bittersweet chocolate followed up by lots of smoky, malty goodness before finishing with a creamy, coffee type finish. Perfect pairing for the Nica Rustica as the chocolates and cream really helped compliment each other before adding one another layer of complexity with the coffee. I think this cigar is an ideal pairing for most porters and stouts as well as the average black coffee. Just make sure whatever you pair it with has a decent amount of flavor or the cigar could easily overtake the experience.

The post Drew Estate – Nica Rustica Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Montecristo Epic is labeled as the boldest Montecristo blend in the Altidas U.S.A. portfolio. The main story in the Epic is the inclusion of Dominican tobaccos that date back as far as 2007.  Along with the Dominican filler the Epic also includes Nicaraguan fillers, Nicaraguan Binder, and a Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.

The Epic is available in  3 different sizes (Toro, Robusto, and Chruchill) with a limited edition No. 2 format available later this year. I’m not sure how much the limited edition vitola will run for, but the standard Epic sizes range from $12 to $14 a stick and will come in boxes of 10. These samples were sent to me by Altidas U.S.A.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican (some aged since 2007)/Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: ~$13
Pairing: Weihenstaphaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel (5.3% ABV)

Prelight: Lately I have had the pleasure of smoking some remarkably well constructed cigars, and Montecristo’s Epic, falls right in line. This cigar is a beauty. Starting with its crazy thick, oily, toothy, consistently medium brown wrapper with some slight, webby shades of dark brown. There is a lot of smaller, webby veins, but not really any larger ones that might mess with the burn during the experience. The large, beefy body leads up to a beautiful, round double cap. The Epic is finished off with your standard, brown and gold, Montecritso band and the addition of a secondary gold, yellow, and brown label carry the words “EPIC” and “Premium Selection ‘07” printed on it. This cigar is incredibly firm, it’s almost rock hard. There isn’t a single dense, or soft spot throughout the body of the cigar. I just hope it isn’t too tight when it comes down to smoking it.

The wrapper on the Montecristo Epic gives off a very tart, citrusy cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar pumps out a very creamy, spicy, cedar and coffee aroma. The cap on the Epic took a little extra attention to clip using my Palio double bladed cutter, but I was left with a very nice, clean cut when it finally when through. The cold draw produces some really sharp, tart cedar with some coffee and natural tobacco flavors.

First Smoke: Surprisingly, I was greeting with quite a bit of black pepper on the first couple of draw of the Montecristo Epic.  Once the pepper began to fade away this crazy tart, and I mean TART flavor took over. It reminded me a lot of orange peel only with more tart, less sweetness. Underneath the tart flavor is a nice, bold coffee, natural tobacco, cedar, and nutty profile. Despite my earlier reservations, the draw on the Epic was magnificent. Every little puff kicked out a ton of thick smoke. The burnline was razor sharp with only some slight waves leaving behind a flaky medium and dark grey ash. The ash only held on for about a third of an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The tartness started to let off a bit in the second third of this Montecristo Epic. As the tartness faded the cigar became much more creamy with some sharp cedar notes laid over lots of coffee, chocolate, and nutty flavors. The retrohale is way too sharp and tart for me, so I only did it once or twice before calling it quits. The burnline is now burning dead even and still razor sharp and I am feeling no nicotine at all at this point.

Finish: I was really hoping that by the final third of the Montecristo Epic the tart flavor would have fizzled out. No luck. In fact, along with all the other flavors, it’s actually beginning to ramp up. Other than the tartness there is still some very sharp cedar, very bold coffee, and creamy tobacco with hints of spice. The Epic didn’t require a single touch-up or relight as it took me almost 2 hours to take this cigar down. I felt a slight nicotine kick after finishing the cigar, but nothing too powerful.

Overview: While the Montecristo Epic is one of the better Non-cuban Montecristos blend I have had, it just didn’t do it for me. That tartness was a bit too overpowering, had it not been there, or even a bit milder then I think I would have really enjoyed this cigar. When you factor in a $13 price point, I just don’t see myself pulling the trigger on these. Check them out for yourself, let me know what you think. I know that there are far more reviewers out there that really enjoyed this cigar then there are who didn’t.

Pairing: Ahh yes, another wonderful German beer. Weihenstephan is labeled as the oldest brewery in the world. It takes some great beer to be around for that long and this brewery can do no wrong. Today’s selection is one from their very few darker offerings. The Hefeweissbier Dunkel, or Dunkelweizen is one of my favorite brews they make. Brewed at the legendary Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Germany, this modest 5.3% ABV is packed with flavor. The dark ale starts out with a bitter wheat followed by orange, coriander, cinnamon, and prune flavors. This is a great after dinner summer beer. It’s heavy, sweet, and paired quite nicely with the tart/sweet flavors in the Montecristo Epic.

The post Montecristo EPIC Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I am still aiming to get this review as well as my last blind cigar review from Brooks done this week, but I am actually undergoing surgery on Tuesday for my Umbilical Hernia I have had since I was a kid. It screwed up pretty bad on me the last few years, especially the last month and I am glad to finally get it over with. So depending on my recovery I may, or may not get to the last blind review this week. Wish me luck!

The Good Stuff: The Casa Miranda is among two new releases that Miami Cigar rolled out this year at IPCPR. Along with the Limited Release of the Nestor Miranda Gran Reserva, the Casa Miranda made it’s debut last month and have been circling the internet-waves ever since. The Casa Miranda is one of the only cigars in Miami Cigar’s portfolio that is not rolled by Pepin. In fact, the Casa Miranda boasts that it is a 100% USA made cigar, even down to the box. This does not mean that the tobacco is grown here in the US, it just means everything was constructed here.

The Casa Miranda is blended by Willy Herrera of ETB Cigars/Drew Estate and hand rolled on Calle Ocho in Miami by only Level 9 certified rollers. Willy has been on a hot streak lately and made news when he announced his new found partnership with Drew Estate about a month or so back. Expect good things from this guy.

The Casa Miranda is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar will be released in three sizes; The Robusto, The Toro, and the Belicoso ranging from $10 – $12 a stick. I got these from Bonita Smoke Shop. She always has the good stuff so head over before they sell out!

Size: Toro 6 x 52  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: Just by taking one look at the artwork on the band you can tell this is a different type of Nestor Miranda cigar. The band on the Casa Miranda is a very elegant, almost wine-label looking design. Creamy gold and beige accents surround a small cottage with the words “Casa Miranda – Chapter One” in scripted on the front and “Hand crafted in Miami” on the sides. The band sits elegantly on this stunning looking cigar. Willy is a stickler for perfect construction and the Casa Miranda is no exception. The wrapper starts off with just a perfectly consistent, toothy, medium brown color. There are a few vein in the thick body leading up to the seamless, round, double cap.  This cigar has a hell of a lot of weight to it and gives a whole lot of resistance when pressed between my fingers. The cigar bears no soft spots and in fact, gets increasingly more firm as I approach the cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a really mild woodsy aroma with just a slight bite of spice at the end where as the foot of the cigar boasts almost nothing but a strong spice with some woodsy aromas laying underneath. The Casa Miranda was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on this cigar was interesting. The Casa Miranda gave out this really neat woodsy, honey, and strong tobacco flavor that left a little burning sensation on my lips from the spice. In the cold draw, really?! We’ll have to see just how spicy this cigar is once we start smoking it.

First Smoke: As expected, the Casa Miranda started off with a blast of pepper right off the bat. What I didn’t expect was for the pepper to fade so quickly, just after the first few draws. Once the pepper suppressed I was left with a really bold, woodsy flavor with some nice spice, honey, and this citrusy-lemon taste. The draw is just ridiculously easy, but not too loose, kicking out a nice cloud of smoke with every puff. The stationary smoke on this Casa Miranda is great, lots of it and it seriously smells like a burning fireplace. The burnline has some very slight waves, nothing too concerning, and leaves behind a trail of almost perfect, compact, white ash. The ash held on, despite the wind, for well over an inch before giving way. And by “giving way” I mean falling into my shoe. No joke.. ughh…

Halfway There: Much more of the wood flavors have come into play during the second third of this Casa Miranda. I’d like to say they are cedareasue but the spice that accompanies the woodsy flavors puts a neat little spin on them making for a much more deeper flavor. The honey has faded at this point and the spice is still there as well as some of the citrus notes, but I’m also getting this strange little maple flavor on the aftertaste. The retrohale on this cigar is absolutely wonderful coating with a very smooth, creamy woodsy prime. I am not really feeling much nicotine from this cigar, but the body is up there and a bit more than I am used to when it comes to Nestor Miranda cigars. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t needed to touch it up at all.

Finish: As the body ramps up a bit into the final third of this Nestor Miranda Casa Miranda, the flavors start to level off and become much smoother and creamier. The main flavor is still the woodsy flavor while the sweetness and most of the citrus has dropped off leaving nothing but a faint spice mixed in with a little bit of espresso. These wasn’t any harshness built up in this cigar, even going into the final inch. I do however feel just a nice little nicotine kick from it.

Overview: You won’t hear me say this often but I think some age on this cigar will do it wonders. It’s a great cigar as it is, but with a little age it may just add that little somethin’ something’ that will really bring this cigar to a whole new level. It was an interesting departure smoking a non-Pepin blended Nestor Miranda and I think they made a very wise decision having Willy blend this cigar for them. He’s been making great things lately and the Casa Miranda is just another notch in his belt. Well balanced with an overall creamy flavor profile, plus the increased body really made this cigar an enjoyable experience with me. This is very box worthy, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be in high demand. Again, if you are looking for these Jackie over at Bonita Smoke Shop already has them, and like I said before, she is one of the best in the business and will get you taken care of.

Pairing: I decided to go for another risky pairing. This Casa Miranda was paired with Ichtegem’s Grand Crew Flemish Red Ale. Brewed at the Brouwerij Strubbe in Belgium this Flanders Red Ale style beer comes in at a modest 6.5% ABV. Most people have no idea what a Flander’s Red Ale style beer is. Basically it’s a sour beer and with it comes a very unique, but acquired taste. The beer pours a dark, reddish brown but tastes much like old orange, apple, and lemon roasted over caramel malt. It’s not for the faint of heart. There more woody flavor profile in the Casa Miranda gave an amazing balance with the sour notes of the beer and really brought the cigar to another level. This cigar would go great with apple juice, a strong brown ale, or some nice scotch.

The post Nestor Miranda – Casa Miranda Toro Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.