Atlantic Cigar Company Blog
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Curivari Buenaventura BV 500 (5 1/4 x 50) - Quickie Review
The latest release from ultra-boutique Nicaraguan cigar company Curivari, the Buenaventura, has come in and man do they look good! So good in fact I decided to go ahead and try out the BV 500, which is the smallest of the three sizes in the line. This Nicaraguan puro stays close to the Curivari style of looking extremely Cuban packaging wise, with an excellent throw back band with a little bit of an updated twist. What really pulled me in was the oily, uniform chocolate colored wrapper. The cigar is just slightly box pressed. The Buenaventura took to flame like a champ and provided a near perfect draw. The cigar is well packed yet ample plumes of smokes come from every draw. The initial flavors are very grounded with earthy, cocoa notes, very balanced to start and a solid medium body in the strength department. About halfway through a baked bread flavor combined with some unidentified sweetness is very prominent. One thing that consistently blows me away about Curivari is the company's ability to create such complex Nicaraguan cigars, with unique and interesting flavors, at absolutely great prices. The BV 500 goes for approximately $5 bucks, a killer deal when taking the great construction and flavor of this cigar into account.. As the cigar moved on all the aforementioned flavors melded together into a extremely smooth, enjoyable medium body Nicaraguan cigar. I've had maduro cigars that were less sweet, rich and chocolatey… Overall great smoke, great price.. Comes highly recommended! We also carry two other sizes, the Buenaventura BV 560, which is 5 1/2 x 56, also the BV 600 which is a 6 x 60 Gordo. Thanks for reading!
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Currently rated 3.6 by 11 people
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*Sorry for the hiatus in reviews last week, there was a bug going around the office… Our palate's are back up and running, look out for more IPCPR Release Reviews this week:
Perdomo 20th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure (6 x 56)
The Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars are rolled exclusively with tobaccos grown on Perdomo's numerous farms in Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua. The 20th uses the highest primings to deliver a rich, complex flavor profile, and is available in both Maduro and Sun Grown wrappers. The wrappers are hand selected, aged for a minimum of 6 years, and then fermented for an additional 14 months in Bourbon barrels. This an extremely special Nicaraguan Puro from the Perdomo family, a representation of all of their farms coming together to create a wonderfully balanced premium cigar.
Appearance / Pre-light:
The cigar is a beauty. The sun grown wrapper is almost completely veinless and ultra smooth to the touch. The leaf color, especially for sun grown tobacco, is especially light with no blotchiness, consistent in color all the way through. It is extremely well rolled with near unidentifiable seams and an absolutely perfect cap. The cigar has a "slight" press, making it into more of a rounded-rectangle shape than a square. The band kind of reminds me of an Opus X for some reason, possibly the shape and detail put into the design. I clip the cap off easily, the pre-light draw is excellent, the open draw reveals some salty spice mixed with a cocoa sweet tobacco flavor.
First Third:
As I touch flame to cigar the first few puffs are accented with a spicy blast of flavor. The smoke output is excellent and the draw is open but not too much. After a few minutes and a few more puffs, I realize very quickly this is a complex cigar. There is a wonderful creamy sweetness on the finish intermixed with some floral flavors to go along with an earthy tobacco flavor, which seems to be increasing in depth. Although 56 is about as large as a ring as I like to smoke, the "slight" press of the Perdomo 20th gives it an easy going mouthfeel that does not get uncomfortable. So far the best way to describe this cigar would be to call it very classy. It's extremely well made with wonderful burn and draw properties. While the flavor profile is very complex and multidimensional, you don't have to be an aficionado to pick out the flavors. The cigar is very balanced and well blended, and the finish is superb. So far a phenomenal Anniversary cigar for Perdomo. As the first third comes to an end, the spice is ramped up a notch, and the cigar hits solid medium body territory.
Second Third:
The 20th Anniversary Epicure continues its smooth delivery of a variety of flavors, with more rich, leathery earthiness upfront, and while the sweetness is there it's taken a back seat. One thing that is mostly agreed upon regarding Perdomo, especially among regular smokers, is that next to Padron, they create one of the most consistent Nicaraguan cigars on the market. I would bet that once I'm done with this cigar, if I sat down and smoked another, the experience would be nearly the same. As someone who smokes a lot of cigars, consistency is something I absolutely cherish in the cigar world. It takes skill and a certain amount of determination by a company to create cigars that offer up the same qualities time over time. I just wanted to commend Perdomo for that, the brand sometimes flies under the radar so to speak. If you haven't I'd give Perdomo cigars a try, and this is a great place to start. The 20th Anniversary is a shining example of their ability to take tobacco from all of their many fields and create a solid, flavorful stick for a great price. At this point I had to remove the band because it was fairly wide. The second third continues on with an excellent combination of all the flavors I've previously mentioned in an expertly blended balance. The rich, creamy smoke has such an enjoyable sweetness to it, and the retrohale just the right amount of spice. I'm getting a very savory, salty taste in my mouth as the the smoke settles, causing my mouth to water a bit, and naturally cleanse my palate.
Final Third:
I've had to touch up the cigar a few times, but that's what a lighters for, and this Perdomo seems to be all about flavor, which is far more important then a perfect burn. Like I mentioned before, this cigar will easily satisfy a casual smoker or beginner. For someone with an advanced palate, if paying attention you will be able to hit most areas of the flavor wheel, from spice to salty to sweet, leather and earth, vegetal and floral. The depth here is striking and entirely enjoyable. The cigar is still burning smooth, and despite coming to the end is still burning cool. The final third is showing some sweetness once again in the foreground that mixes well with the salty finish. Hopefully the Maduro wrapped version of this blend shows the same complexity of character, I don't see why it wouldn't being that the wrappers were both treated to the same aging and fermentation process. After smoking this guy, the Maduro is definitely on my list of cigars to smoke. We've maintained a medium body throughout the cigar here, edging up right against the fullest side of medium, bordering on medium - full. The Perdomo 20th Anniversary Epicure, which is 6 x 54, was a very slow burning smoke, clocking in over 2hrs.
Overall, as you can tell by the review, I very much enjoyed this cigar. This is exactly what a celebratory Anniversary cigar should be. The construction was spot on, the burn and draw properties were great, and the flavors were rich and complex. The Perdomo 20th Anniversary will be available in 5 sizes, and will be in stock soon. Check back for stock availability, if you do not get our emails, make sure to sign-up below to be notified when new product comes in!
Thanks for reading..
Keep on smokin~
~G
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Currently rated 3.3 by 3 people
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| Tags: IPCPR 2012, cigar reviews, Perdomo, Nick Perdomo, 20th Anniversary, Esteli, Condega, Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua, Nicaraguan Puro, New Cigars, Sun Grown, Maduro |
| Categories: Product Reviews, IPCPR Watch |
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Review Padilla Invictus Robusto (5 x 54)
Background:
The Invictus is a new brand by Padilla Cigars for 2012. Ernesto is restructuring his entire product lines from the ground up, to focus on creating smaller batches of high quality cigars. Created in extremely small numbers, with only 300 boxes of 10, the Invictus is an ultra premium smoke created and rolled in Miami by the El Titan de Bronze factory. The cigar features a super smooth, attractive Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a proprietary blend of Nicaraguan and other tobaccos making up the filler and binder. Ernesto explains the idea behind production is to create the cigar in extremely small batches, with a few months in between, by a group of top master rollers. Padilla is starting out with three sizes, Robusto (5 x 54), Toro (6 x 54), and Torpedo (6.5 x 54) and will consider other vitolas as the next production cycle begins. These cigars are also rolled in the Cuban "Entubado" method instead of standard bunching, to create a more efficient draw.
Appearance / Prelight:
The cigar itself is very good looking, the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper gives off a slight sheen, and as always is decorated with Padilla's trademark Lion, very nice artwork on the band. The Invictus feels good in the hand, it has nice weight and feels well packed. The pre-light draw has a nice sweet tobacco taste, also an light vegetal earthiness is present.
First Third:
After clipping the carefully placed cap, I light up the Padilla. As I'm toasting the foot a wonderful aroma of toasted nuts fills the air. The initial flavor is a rich caramel sweetness, with a lighter more tart element of sweet through the nose. Medium body to start, with a light spice and so far a great mix of positive balanced flavors. The burn line wavers a bit, but for me the slight resistance in the draw is spot on. The smoke is heavy and chewy. While there is a slight earthiness present, the feature flavor is by far the caramel, candy sweetness. It's not tart or sour, its really enjoyable, and I'm not sure I've smoked a cigar that featured such a dominant caramel note. Its almost reminding me of a Snickers bar..
Second Third:
The cigar continues on in similar fashion as it moves into the second third, with the peppery spice becoming more pronounced. It works well with the blend and keeps my interest. This is my first cigar of the day, and I'm enjoying it immensely. It's an effortless smoke, that while not super complex, has a combination of great medium body flavors that blend well together and honestly taste really great. As a daily smoke, the price is prohibitive with the MSRP at $12.50 a stick but to treat yourself or to try out a good example of small batch quality, this is a great choice.
Final Third:
As the Padilla Invictus moves into it's final third, the multi-dimensional sweetness has taken a back seat to some more earthy wood flavors. The peppery spice also continues to build. Although there are only a few main flavor components here, the fact that they move forward and back independently of each other, keeping your interest is a testament to the excellent blending. I also tasted what seemed to be some mintiness, only for a very short time in the final third. One thing about the Invictus that I did not like is that the outer ash tends to fall of short of one inch increments, which may be attributed to the entubar rolling method. Either way I did end up with a couple of ash bombs on my desk as I smoked. As far as problems go, in the grand scheme this is really no big deal, and the flavors and draw of the smoke far out weight issues with ash. As if on cue the caramel sweetness came back to say so long right at the end of the smoke.
Overall:
If this is going to be the standard for the quality of the "new" Padilla cigar lines, then I'm all for it. Many manufacturers use "Small Batch" as a marketing term more than anything. With only 300 boxes produced, this is officially a very small batch, especially for the Padilla company, who in the past has put up big production numbers. I appreciate the throwback to quality over quantity and I think customers will too. And although pricey, this was an outstanding cigar. Very enjoyable experience, from start to finish, flavor and construction. I usually steer away from ring gauges larger than 52, but I enjoyed the heft of the 54 ring smoke. The ring gauge suits the blend very well. I have to say El Titan de Bronze did a phenomenal job with the production quality here, hopefully we see more from them in the future. Atlantic cigar will be carrying the Invictus and La Terraza as well as the new Padilla Miami Maduro, also made in ETB factory.
They are available here:
Padilla Invictus
Padilla Miami Maduro
Padilla La Terraza Habano
Padilla La Terraza Maduro
Thanks for reading..
Keep on smokin~
~G
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Currently rated 3.4 by 9 people
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La Sirena Merlion Robusto Review
The Merlion, a mythical combo of lion and mermaid, is a new, supposedly more tame, blend of the La Sirena. The literal collaboration of La Aurora and Guillermo Leon and La Sirena's Brand Manager and Part-time Mermaid Arielle Ditkowitch. The combination is both interesting and potentially awesome.. I appreciated the La Sirena for the flat out flavor bomb it was, and I also generally respect La Aurora and Guillermo Leon's ability to blend one hell of a complex, medium body cigar. The Merlion has quite a complex constitution, utilizing six types of tobacco. The milk chocolate colored, silky smooth wrapper is an Ecuadorian Corojo. The binder, Brazilian Sumatra, and the fillers a mix of Nicaraguan Ligero, Brazilian Bahia, Dominican Corojo and Criollo '98 tobaccos. Upon close inspection, it seems they have shrunken the original and unusually large La Sirena band down to a much more proportional size, letting the smoker admire the wonderful looking Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper that encases the Merlion. Construction seems to be top notch, the roll is tight and the cigar is well packed and carries some nice heft to it. The pre-light draw has a nice sweet hay and tobacco flavor.
First Third:
After lighting, the first few puffs offer a raisin sweetness, a very mild spice and a wonderful complex floral aroma. It's evident as soon as you light this cigar that it's very well packed, burning very slowly and drawing with just the right amount of resistance. The profile is very clean and enjoyable, with sweet hay and light earthy flavors complimented by a fruitiness that mixes well. The ash is very white and rock solid, the burn line wavers a bit but the complexity of flavor overshadows minor burn issues. The body is mild to medium and right now I'm actually wishing I smoked this earlier in the day. For me, or any cigar smoker who enjoys fuller body cigars and doesn't mind a foray into milder territory, this would be a welcome morning cigar.
Second Third:
I carefully remove the fairly large band to avoid smoking it, and make my way into the second third. The amazingly sturdy ash continues to hang on well past two inches.. Now that I've written that, it'll probably end up in my lap. The smooth flavors continue to progress and deepen, with a leathery background note and some more spicy tart and sweet fruit flavor. If I had to choose I'm guessing it would be a raspberry or cherry flavor, very nice though not overpowering, just enough to keep my attention and continue to deepen the increasingly medium bodied earthy, grassy profile.
Last Third:
As I smoked my way into the final third, the strength of the Merlion snuck up on me like a Ninja.. This cigar went from a seemingly mild-medium cigar to a sneaky medium-full, must be that Nicaraguan Ligero in the mix. I guess Miami cigar wants you to remember this is still a La Sirena cigar.. The Merlion finished very clean, didn't get hot and remained enjoyable until I was finished with it..
Overall:
This cigar has a really enjoyable profile and absolutely amazing, Grade A construction and burn properties.. I'm always interested in how a cigar will age and usually take it into consideration while smoking, especially a cigar that I've received relatively off the truck or out of a new box.. The Merlion has a ton of potential for age, while the flavors on this sample were great, I believe a little humidor time would bring them out even stronger, and make it more of a solid medium - full experience. Overall great quality as expected from La Aurora, keep your eye out for the Merlion, I can hands down recommend this, though I would suggest a smoker with some experience under their belt to fully enjoy all the nuance here. Atlantic Cigar should have them as soon as they start arriving in stores.. We'll keep you posted.
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Currently rated 5 by 1 person
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IPCPR Review - Aging Room Small Batch F55 Quattro Maestro (Torpedo) - (6 x 52)
Appearance / Pre-light:
Just released at the 2012 IPCPR, the new Aging Room Small Batch Quattro is a pressed (square, but almost rounded at the corners) cigar featuring a 9 year old Indonesian Sumatra wrapper. This Sumatra tobacco was said by Rafael Nodal, owner of Aging Room Cigars, to be found in Europe at a now defunct machine made cigar factory. The fillers and binders are a Dominican-grown, Habano-seed tobacco. The original Aging Room M356 was a fantastic cigar, scoring well with critics and also with our customers, so I was eager to try this new blend. The Quattro is well constructed, packed with tobacco and encased in a chocolate brown smooth yet toothy wrapper. Although well filled, just a minor snip of the tip of the pyramid shaped head opened up what seems to be a nice airway. The pre-light draw gives off a hint of sweet tobacco flavor with a bit of salty, sweet leather. Let's get on with it shall we?
First Third:
Right off the bat, the cigar draws ample smoke that fills my mouth with leathery, nutty smoke with some nice spice on the retrohale. The Aging Room SB Quattro starts off with a very interesting profile of flavor, mostly earthy meaty flavors, leather, cedar and the like with a dry finish on the palate. The cigar produces a ton of smoke with an effortless draw, but does not smoke or burn hot. Possibly a positive effect of the box press? The F55 is a medium in body with an aroma that matches the flavor notes of cigar, woodsy smokey flavors.
Second Third:
As the cigar moves into the second third, most of the aforementioned flavors continue with an enjoyable creaminess starting to build, more pronounced spice, and a very, very mild hint of sweetness. I would say one of the biggest differences from the original Aging Room blend is the lack of the sweeter element. Although different, I don't think it's bad per say, because sweetness can have such a strong effect on the pallet, it sometimes overpowers subtle earthier and more savory flavors. As the cigar continues to progress, it seems to hit a stride, with all the flavors melding into an enjoyable, balanced experience. The burn and draw are spot on, almost perfect, I think I may have touched it up twice total. This would be by far the most enjoyable part of the cigar, the blend is working very well here.
Final Third:
The Quattro has reached it's medium - full body strength potential in it's final third, with little further variation as far as flavor. The cigar has shown failry complex depth so far with a variety of flavors throughout. There's no mistaking the aged Sumatra wrapper plays a major role in the flavor of this cigar. Without the age, the Quattro blend may not have pulled together all these flavors into an enjoyable balance. Luckily it's had nine years to ripen up and become a headliner. Toward the end of the smoke, peppery spice was ramped up a bit. Smoked like a champ down to the nub, a truly enjoyable experience.
Overall:
Aging Room has once again created an extremely unique blend, marrying a well aged, earthy Sumatran wrapper with some flavorful Havana seed Dominican tobacco. The construction and burn performance was excellent, and the blending and balance was absolutely superb. These should be arriving in our stores and online very soon. I would definitely recommend the cigar for anyone who enjoys the unique flavor of Sumatra wrappers, or is looking for an interesting change of pace.
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Currently rated 3.6 by 8 people
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| Tags: AGING ROOM, SMALL BATCH F55, QUATTRO, IPCPR 2012, SUMATRA, HABANO SEED, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, HAVANO SEED, RAFAEL NODAL, OLIVEROS |
| Categories: Product Reviews, IPCPR Watch |
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J. Fuego Origen Maduro Originals Review
Construction:
A wonderful looking dark maduro wrapper, smooth to the touch. Although hand rolled, the construction on these Fuego Originals is superb, very tightly rolled with great pre-light draw. The pre-light flavor is sweet tobacco with a hint of earthy maduro barnyard. Because of the size, I'll break this into two halves, instead of thirds.
First Half:
As I light this bad boy up, I'm greeted with an abundance of flavors. Rich maduro earthiness, some spice through the nose, and the unique blend of the Origen coming through and mingling well with the typical Maduro profile. This is the fourth version of the Original size by J. Fuego, and so far the most flavor-packed in my opinion. As the Original continues to burn very straight, the super white ash holds on and gives off a good amount of smoke. This little cigar continues to intrigue me with its multitude of different flavors, all very well balanced. There is a definite nuttiness, mixed coffee beans, and an underlying bitter-sweetness that has been present from the moment I lit up. The original white ash hung on for over an inch. To be perfectly honest with you, I wasn't a huge fan of the "Original" Original. I appreciated the innovation of a quick, premium smoke that you could grab and smoke on a lunch break or a short ride in the car without having to worry about a cutter, etc.. very convenient. However the flavor of the first run, while I though better than the Gran Reserva Corojo Original, just didn't fit my personal profile. I'm a full body cigar smoker through and through, and although the Origen Original had some nice medium body flavors, if I'm going to have a stick to grab at any time of the day, it has to be able to deliver some strength at all times. When I saw the Maduro's come in I was truly hoping that this was going to add the "oomph" the cigar needed to be a utility cigar all day for the full body smoker. So far with the cigars I've smoked for the review, J. Fuego did exactly that. The Maduro flavor enhances the blend by adding another dimension of flavor that integrates very well with the unique Origen blend. At this point I'm almost halfway through the first half and this little guy is giving off a wonderful, complex blend of notes, mostly mentioned earlier.
Second Half:
As the second half begins the profile has introduced some cinnamon notes mixed with a balanced Maduro earthiness and a leathery dry finish. It's very enjoyable. At this rate the Origen Original Maduro will last me about 45 minutes, and I've been smoking at a pretty average rate. There's no way this cigar is going to bore any aficionado. Because I just wasn't able wait, I smoked these after about 3 days in our warehouse, so they're kind of still technically "off the truck". I can tell by smoking them early that aging will do good things for this blend. If all these flavors end up marrying together well, which I think they will, you'll have a really great pack of smokes on your hands in a few weeks to a month. The ash, burn and draw continues to be really great, I've had to touch up the cigar exactly twice, and it wasn't even necessary, it was more for ascthetics. Although full in flavor, the Origen Maduro seems to be remaining somewhere around medium plus in body.. not overly obnoxious in the nicotine department.. Instead of the cigar ending hot and bitter, it was actually quite the opposite. Most flavors, save the core that has been present throughout the cigar, have slowly dissipated leaving the Origen Maduro in its most basic form. I smoked it down to the nub and although I was smoking very slowly toward the end, it did not become negative at all.
Conclusion:
Overall, this cigar very much impressed me. As I said above, I appreciated the Original size and convenience, but never found any of the blends to be a knockout for me personally. This one is much different. For a quick smoke, this may be the most complex and nuanced cigar I've smoked in a long while. If you were a fan of the Originals, any of the blends, I would definitely recommend this one, it produces a perfect burn and draw, and will truly keep you entertained the entire short but satisfying time that you're smoking it. These are in stock now, you can click here to shop our J. Fuego Origen Maduro Cigars.
Thanks for reading..
Keep on smokin~
~G
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Currently rated 4 by 1 person
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Pinar Del Rio Flores Y Rodriguez Habano - Genios — (6 x 52)
Appearance / Construction -
The two new lines from Pinar Del Rio that we've received in the past few weeks, the Flores Y Rodriguez line along with the Pinar Del Rio Small Batch are two new Brands that were blended and rolled in the new Pinar Del Rio factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The scarce information that we were able to find on the blend was available from our friends at Halfwheel.com (naturally). The cigar is apparently a 100% Dominican Habano Vuelta Abajo blend, available in a Natural and Maduro wrapper, with the two wrappers coming from different crops. I love the band, it's very traditional feeling, and the colors really pop. The Flores Y Rodriguez cigars are packaged without cello, which has its pro's and con's, but opening up a box is quite a sight. The wrapper is a golden brown, very oily, same with the Maduro, oily and real beauties.. they're just begging to be smoked. The cigar is very firmly packed, and rolled very well, great construction on sight. On the cold draw I pickup a slight saltiness, with some woodsy, leathery tobacco flavor. Lets fire this new Pinar Del Rio stick up and see how it smokes.
First Third:
Upon lighting the cigar, all the leathery, salty-sweet tobacco flavors come to life, as if the cold draw was an exact preview of what was to come. Only difference being some nice mild spice through the nose on the retrohale. Again there is a lot of tobacco in this stick, and it's well packed, so the draw is just a tad tight, hopefully it will open up a bit as I smoke on. The cigar starts off medium in body, with some nice balanced flavors so far. I'm glad it's the first cigar of the day for me, it seems to be the perfect time for it, being that I enjoy medium to full to full toward the middle and end of my day. The Flores Y Rodriguez Habano shows it's Dominican puro roots, with a medium strength body and many very subtly interwoven flavors. This is not a Nicaraguan, in your face, power bomb. There is a nice honey and baked bread flavor running throughout so far, with some earthy tobacco, wood and leather to balance the blend. I'm wishing it had a bit more spice, but that's just the full body smoker in me! The draw has opened up to a good place and the burn has been phenomenal so far with a few minor corrections required here and there.
Second Third:
As the giant, almost 2 inch long ash dropped off, I started in on the second third.. The cigar is still around medium in strength, and has quite a Cuban'esque profile. I don't throw that term around much and to be more specific, Pinar Del Rio seems to have focused more on the flavor and balance than the strength. I can't wait to see what aging turns this smoke into. Unfortunately I smoked a few of these basically right off the truck with one day of dry boxing. The Cuban profile I speak of also refers to the "twang" I'm getting from this cigar. Yes ladies and gentlemen, its got Twang! If you smoke Cuban cigars from time to time you know will understand what I mean. The second third remains balanced, with a slight build in body, as well as more of a mineral flavor. The underlying spice of the cigar has picked up a bit and is now noticeable on each puff.
Final Third:
So far this cigar has performed like a champ. Extremely solid ash and near perfect burn. If this Flores Y Rodriguez blend is any indication of what will be coming out of the new PDR Factory, get ready to smoke some great Dominican cigars. I'm very interested to see how the different sizes as well as some more time on the shelf or your humidor changes the blend. As I said above, I think it's going to do wonders, for some reason I feel like this one will age very well. The cigar continued a similar profile in until nubbed, with the spice and body picking up, as well as some more definition in the already identified notes. Overall I must admit this one of the more interesting Pinar Del Rio blends I've smoked in a while.. It's grabbed my attention, I love the balance and Dominican profile, as I've said I can't wait to try this in a few other vitolas as well.
Look for this available at Atlantic Cigar and in our sister retail store, the Cigar Republic very soon!
Thanks for reading!
GC
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Currently rated 4 by 7 people
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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
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Currently rated 3.7 by 6 people
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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!
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Currently rated 3.5 by 10 people
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| 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
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
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Currently rated 4 by 1 person
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