Blogs by Month: 02/2012

Los Hermanos Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) Review

The Corona Gorda is the the first of two new sizes we will be releasing in the Los Hermanos line in the very near future, the other being a Box-Pressed Robusto (5 1/2 x 52). The Corona Gorda that I am smoking today was created by the great people of Casa Fernandez and Tropical Tobacco, at the Raices Cubanas factory in Nicaragua. The Box-Pressed Robusto will come out of Tropical's Miami factory, the release is TBD. I was a big fan of the first run of Los Hermanos, available here, especially the Robusto. I am generally more attracted to smaller rings, and with all the strength and nuances that the larger gauges had, I'm really excited to see how the blend does in a Corona size.

Construction / Pre-light:

This size of the Los Hermanos sports the same reddish hued Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, the cigar itself has an earthy aroma to it while foot gives off a spicy pepper when inhaled through the nose. The cigar is well packed, with no soft or hard spots to speak of. The pre-light draw is sweet tobacco again with some spice.

First Third:

The Los Hermanos Corona starts off with a peppery blast of spice, an undercurrent of earthiness with an almost creamy bittersweet cocoa flavor. The draw is absolutely spot on perfect, the burn also while a little bit wavy is also very good. As the cigar progresses, there is a bit of a leathery flavor, with the spice still in the mix, with a cedar note on the finish.

Second Third:

The thick, rich smoke is heavy on the palate leaving a long creamy, leathery finish. This may not be to appealing if it wasn't for the sweetness of the tobacco that remains in the background. The cigar is probably medium - full at this point, it does have a bit of a sneaky character to it. It doesn't seem all that full and then all of a sudden you notice the strength creeping up on you. The flakey white ash falls off fairly easily on this sample, while another I smoked was like a rock.. Maybe the humidity of the cigar adjusting. There is a definite new-ness in this blend that has to be taken into account. By the time we make them available to customers, they will have had more time to settle.

Last Third:

In the last third the upfront spice has died down.. The cigar has become medium - full bordering on full.. but hasn't gotten bitter. The flavor nuances are mostly earthy with some sweetness and cedar behind it. A thoroughly enjoyable smoke. Smoke time was a little over an hour, I basically nubbed it.

Overall

The Corona size of the Los Hermanos predictably gives much more attention to the Nicaraguan Cafe Colorado Corojo wrapper. It allows the fillers and binders to play less of a dominant role in the overall profile of the cigar. This ends up working well for this blend, while not ultra complex, the cigar's Nicaraguan profile is packed full of positive flavors. It will satisfy the spice-aholics, and also people looking for a lot of flavor and body in a small package. Like I mentioned these will definitely do well with a few weeks of aging in our warehouse. Another great creation by Paul Palmer, Arsenio Ramos, and the rest of the folks at Casa Fernandez. These guys make great stuff!!

Cheers!

GC

Currently rated 3.7 by 3 people

Tags: los hermanos, casa fernandez, corona gorda, cigar reviews, tropical tobacco, paul palmer, raices cubanas, atlantic cigar company

Categories: Guest Reviews, Atlantic Cigar News

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Ortega Cigars Series D No. 12 Review
By gc
2/13/2012 5:37:00 PM

Comments(2)

Ortega Series D - No. 12 (5 x 52)

Background:
In early February Eddie Ortega announced his departure from his partnership with Erik Espinoza in their EO Brands company. Eddie left EO on good terms, and ultimately made the decision to be more independent and create his own brands. Check out full coverage of this news from our good friends at halfwheel.com.

Very shortly after that he released access to his new website ortegacigars.com, which announced his new cigar imprint, Ortega Cigars. The website lists 3 lines that Ortega will be releasing, the Serie "D", the Brotherhood, and the Aftershock. The Series D is the only cigar by Ortega that has been released, today I will be reviewing the No. 12 (5 x 52) size. Rolled at the My Father Cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, the cigar uses a Mexican San Andreas Maduro Wrapper and features Nicaraguan fillers and binders from Jalapa and Esteli. The Series D is available in 5 sizes, all box-pressed.

Eddie's website explains that the Ortega Cigar Co has a deep commitment to quality and that by using the best materials available, and by taking the time to allow the cigar to cure and age to perfection, you will be able to identify a "characteristic personality" within each cigar you smoke. What more can you ask for in a cigar? Atlantic does not currently have the Ortega Series D for sale, but they are coming soon so keep an eye out.

Appearance:
The Ortega Series D is encased in a dark, toothy wrapper, the cigars are box-pressed and very firm and well packed. The scent off the wrapper is very barnyard, the pre-light draw having the same earthiness as well as some sweet tobacco flavor.

First Third:
Upon lighting the Ortega Series D my first few draws give off a very sweet, spicy Nicaraguan flavor. The standing smoke output of the cigar is minimal which I prefer to a cigar that puts off smoke like a campfire. The cigar has a wonderful sweet nutty aroma. Lots of sweet character upfront with the perfect amount of spice through the nose on the retrohale. The body remains in the medium area in the first third, but I can feel it building. Behind the earthy, molasses core is a cashew nuttiness that creates a very nice smooth flavor. The cigar's rich profile also includes some anise or almost a licorice flavor.

Second Third:
The salt and pepper ash has been hanging on in 1 inch segments before dropping off. So far the burn and draw of the Ortega D No. 12 has been great. While the burn is a bit wavy, the draw has the perfect amount of resistance. The peppery spice has fallen into the background and almost disappeared as the cigar hits its midway point. The cigar has hit it's stride and become very smooth, the sweetness has balanced out to produce a very enjoyable creaminess. At this point the body has built to something closer to medium - full.

Last Third:
The last third continued much like on much in the same fashion, with some rich earthy tobacco sweetness. The peppery spice returns, as the body continues to build to medium - full plus. I am very much enjoying this cigar, although the profile is rich, earthy and sweet, it's not super heavy or bowling me over with strength. Even as the Series D gets down to the final few inches, the cigar remains smooth.

Overall:
Although I only smoked a few of these to write this review, I enjoyed everyone individually. Each size brought a different experience to the table. The cigars are a great reference to the rich, flavorful cigars coming out of Nicaragua these days. If someone was to ask me what a Nicaraguan cigar taste like, I would hand them this cigar. I wish Eddie well on his journey, hopefully all that he's learned in his years in the industry will go into creating great product. All indications so far point exactly to that, an awesome first blend for a new Brand from an industry veteran.

*Ortega Cigars are coming soon to Atlantic Cigar, we'll keep you posted!

Currently rated 3.7 by 6 people

Tags: eddie ortega, eo brands, ortega cigars, series d, erik espinoza, san andreas maduro, esteli, nicaragua, jalapa, my father cigars, don pepin garcia, no. 12

Categories: Product Reviews, Industry News

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Atlantic Cigar Company Moving Headquarters
By admin
2/10/2012 1:23:00 PM

Comments(0)

Atlantic Cigar Company Moving Headquarters

With our continued growth over the last few years it has become time once again for us to move our operations into a larger space. We will be moving to a new location just outside Philadelphia, PA in nearby Folcroft, PA. In the past few years we have experienced tremendous growth and would like to thank all of our customers for supporting us over the past 15 years. We will miss our local friends, and also the folks who traveled to stop in to see us however we hope to provide those customers our great Internet / mail order service. We are extremely excited about Philadelphia, it's a great city and we're looking forward to planting our feet there and continue on this journey of providing the best products and service in the industry.

The retail store in Stroudsburg’s last day open will be this Saturday, February 11th. We will be having a going away Party / Sale Saturday, from 12PM to 5PM. Stop by, bid us farewell, and grab some great deals while your at it. As we've mentioned to our regulars, we're only a click of the mouse or a phone call away. Most of our customers will attest to the fact that when you call us, your talking to people that are passionate about cigars and the industry, and we love what we do and it shows. To our national and international mail-order customers, there will be no downtime or interruptions on the website or on the phones. The move will be transparent to you folks, you may hear a little excitement in our voices as we settle into our new surroundings, but that'll be about all.

Regards,

The Atlantic Cigar Family

Currently rated 4 by 1 person

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Categories: Atlantic Cigar News

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Atlantic Cigar Company is a secure retailer of premium cigars at discount prices. Please note that Atlantic Cigar Company does not sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 (or the minimum age in your local jurisdiction, whichever is higher). Atlantic Cigar Company does not sell cigarettes of any kind. Note also that it is unlawful to even attempt to purchase cigars below the minimum age. If you are not of legal age, please do not enter our site.

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