Cigar Reviews

5 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews, Don Pepin Garcia

Cabaiguan Maduro

CabaiguanMaduro

I have to wonder if a maduro variation is really necessary for every successful cigar blend. Obviously this is the conventional thing to do, and manufacturers feel no need for discipline when it comes to creating new extensions for reputable brand names, but I still wonder if it doesn’t water down the label a little.

On the other hand, when your forte is making powerful, bold tasting cigars, maybe you do what you can to extend the softer side of your range. Which is what Pete Johnson has done with Cabaiguan Maduro. Cabaiguan is Johnson’s milder alternative to his bold and powerful Tatuaje line. The original Cabaiguan was rolled in Miami with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and made its debut in 2005. It was followed a couple years later by the Guapo, a slightly larger vitola with a sun grown Ecuadorian wrapper, which was slated to be a limited edition rolled in what was then Pepin Garcia’s new factory in Nicaragua.  Both are excellent cigars —  the Corona Extra is in my opinion one of the very best Connecticut Shade cigars available anywhere.

And now we have a maduro edition to tantalize our tastebuds as well. It should be noted that this wrapper is maduro in color only — it is in fact a natural sun-grown Connecticut broadleaf.  The rest of the blend is the same as the standard Cabaiguan, which is of course Nicaraguan.

Like the Guapo series, the Maduro Cabaiguan is available in only a few sizes. Two, to be precise:

  • Rx (Robusto Extra) – 5 1/4 x 50
  • 46 (Corona Extra) –  5 5/8 x 46

CabaiguanRXMad

Construction Notes

Both the Rx and the 46 are well made cigars with a dark, toothy wrapper. The wrapper is typical of sun grown leaf — it’s rough and weathered with a few chips here and there. Both varieties are rolled perfectly — these are products of Pepin Garcia’s factory, and perfection (or something close to it) is what we’ve come to expect from “My Father“.

CabaiguanMadAshBoth sizes burn very well, though the robusto was not plumb-line even; it corrected itself over time and needed no assistance from me. The 46 was spot-on all the way. The ash is a solid light gray with a yellowish cast.

Overall excellent construction.

Tasting Notes

These are both smooth smoking cigars, but the 46 is slightly more assertive. In the first third I found the Rx easy going, with bittersweet chocolate, cedar, and a touch of anise. The 46 featured more tannin and pepper, with cocoa rather than chocolate.

The robusto picks up a little more tannin in the middle section, while the corona’s peppery edge softens. Both sizes seem to level out at this point, and agree on cocoa with an interesting malty note.

The Rx finishes up with a touch of woody bitterness on the palate that balances well with the sweet chocolate on the nose.  The 46 goes in an interesting direction at this point, increasing the spice and throwing some floral notes into the mix, something almost like lilac. I was reminded a little bit of La Riqueza at this point — it’s a little unusual to find this flavor in one of Pepin’s blends, but I think it’s there in La Riqueza as well.

Conclusion

The Cabaiguan Maduro is a worthy addition to the line. The sun grown broadleaf brings a lot of balance and a little more complexity to a medium-bodied blend that is exceptional to begin with. The wrapper adds some sweet notes of chocolate and cocoa that work well with the tannins on the palate. Over time the tannins might weaken a bit, resulting in a slightly sweeter cigar, but the blend is still very good right now, as long as you don’t mind a little of that fresh green woody taste on the tongue.

I thought the 46 was a little more expressive than the Rx, but both are excellent cigars. The MSRP is a bit steep, around 8 or 9 USD per stick, but that’s not too surprising given the overall quality on display here.

CabaiguanMaduro2Final Scores

Rx: 89

46: 90

3 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Bargain Cigars, Cigar Reviews

Bargain Arganese Rundown

ArganeseBands

I don’t have too much experience with Arganese cigars. I don’t see them in the shops I patronize and I’ve never been curious enough to take a chance on a box online. But when I saw a five-pack sampler of  discontinued blends on sale for less than ten bucks, I bit.

I’m not sure why these are being discontinued, but it’s a great opportunity to pick up some decent smokes for cheap. The last I heard, Arganese was catching flak for some kind of multi-level marketing scheme,  but what I know this company best for are the gloriously cheesy ads that accompanied their entry into the market. The douchebag at a casino table with two made-up blondes draped over his shoulders, or the obese guy on a golf course with the mini-skirted coed caddies… utterly hilarious.

So it’s safe to say that I am not in their marketing demographic.  Which is unfortunate in a way, because these are actually not bad cigars. I only picked up one sampler of these so I can’t in good faith give them a complete review, but I thought I’d offer some short notes this week for the bargain hunters out there.

ArgMadThe Maduro doesn’t stray too far from what you’d expect in a Dominican Maduro. The Brazilian wrapper is very toothy, in fact rough to the touch, and the draw is a little tight but it burns well with a straight and solid ash. The flavors are typical, but good: chocolate and nuts, with negligible finish or aftertaste. There is a touch of spice in the last third, but it won’t satisfy the power smoker  — it’s really pretty smooth and mild for the most part. Light to medium in body.  Quite pleasant as an everyday light maduro cigar.

ArgDoubleThe Double Wrap is an impressively built cigar — I think I counted 4 or 5 wraps at the head of this thing. Unfortunately it was unsmokeable. I fought with it for the first inch or so, but the draw was just too tight and what flavors I could get were sharp and metallic. I had to pitch this one and move on to the next.

The CL3 ArgCL3 is 100% “first-generation” Cuban-seed Corojo, and it was probably the most interesting smoke in the sampler. It starts up with a peppery bite and a nice caramel accent. The smoke seems a little thin, but the aroma is quite unusual — the only descriptor I could come up with was “gamey.” It burns slowly and is extremely well-behaved for a blend with so much ligero. The only issue I had was the thin smoke body, which is way over-matched by the power of the cigar. This stick has too much nicotine for me, but I did enjoy its distinctive aroma.

The Nicaraguan smokes like a maduro, but it has more kick to it than the Maduro blend. This is also a nice looking stick, and while the draw is a bit tight at first it opens up after a half-inch or so. ModerArgNicately spiced with black pepper and accompanied by some caramel sweetness on the nose, it’s nicely balanced. Chocolate flavors appear in the second half and it gets a bit rough on the throat. It’s not terribly complex, but there’s enough here to keep my interest for the duration of the cigar. A good medium-full bodied smoke.

I’d recommend the Connecticut to anyone who appreciates fine shade wrappers. It’s another handsome cigar, and even ArgCTthough the draw was again a little tight it was otherwise well constructed. In most ways it’s typical of Ecuadorian Connecticut — creamy with floral notes, but at one point I thought I could detect apple notes. That was unexpected. In the home stretch it’s mostly nuts and creamy shade-grown goodness. Another really decent smoke.

The Maduro, Nicaraguan, and Connecticut cigars are available in different weights — mild, medium, and full. I honestly don’t know which these were, but I would have to guess they were either medium or full. The Connecticut in particular was quite chewy for this style of cigar.

Conclusion

I wasn’t blown away by any of these cigars, but I wasn’t disappointed either. (It wouldn’t be fair to direct the full force of my derision on the Double Wrap after one bad stick. This time it will merely receive an indifferent shrug.)  For two to three dollars per stick I could see picking up a box or two — probably the Nicaraguan or maybe the Maduro.

These are great value cigars, at least while they’re still around. I had discounted Arganese cigars as a trendy upstart, but I’m happy to report that there is more behind these blends than just a cheesy ad campaign. After smoking all of five cigars from this outfit I’ll be interested to see what’s next on the horizon for them.

6 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews

Alec Bradley Select Cabinet Reserve (SCR)

SCR

The Trojes region of Honduras came to attention last year when Alec Bradley released the long-awaited Tempus cigar. Alan Rubin has gone back to Trojes again for the Select Cabinet Reserve, but this time for a more balanced and less powerful blend.

The SCR cigar is made in the same factory as the Tempus — Raices Cubanas in Honduras — and that is a very good thing. And of course the tobaccos themselves are very similar, relying heavily on leaf from Trojes but also employing an Indonesian binder and some filler from Nicaragua.

SCRFootNow, keeping in mind that this area is still in the rich area of Central America that includes both the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua and the Jamastran of Honduras, the Nicaragua-Honduras distinction might be a little academic. Trojes is equidistant from both Esteli, the capital of Nicaraguan cigar production, and Danli, it’s Honduran equivalent. (More importantly, I wonder if people from Trojes call themselves “Trojens.” Try yelling that when USC comes to play.)

An odd thing about the SCR is its use of two binders: the expected one from Trojes, but also a leaf called “Indonesia Embetunada.” Embetunar means “to polish” or according to my somewhat wonky Diccionario, “to cover with gum-resin or bitumen.” Betún is a common word for shoe polish. What on earth are they doing to this binder?

SCR2

I haven’t been able to uncover an explanation, but in the cigar world betún is a sweet fermented concoction created from the immersion of tobacco stems and scraps in water or rum or god-knows-what-else to create a sticky black casing. This is then used to treat tobacco leaves for cigars. Sometimes this is a way to artificially darken or flavor maduro wrappers, but in this case it appears to serve a different purpose. Maybe it’s the secret ingredient?

The SCR was released earlier this year in five sizes:

  • Churchill – 7 x 48
  • Robusto – 5 x 50
  • Corona – 5 1/2 x 42
  • Gran Robusto – 5 1/2 x 60
  • Torpedo – 6 1/8 x 52

I smoked the corona and the robusto for this review and was surprised to find that these taste like radically different cigars.

Construction Notes

SCRFootbandsThe huge band on this cigar, accompanied by its smaller foot band, might lead one to believe that this cigar has something to hide. And while it’s true that the dusky colorado maduro wrapper is a bit rough and veiny, it’s not so unattractive that it must be veiled from sight. Sometimes the foot band would slip off easily; other times I had to peel it, and as usual this meant chipping the wrapper at the foot. That is why I hate foot bands.

The roll tended to be inconsistent, but in all cases fair enough with no draw problems. The SCR is topped with a nice triple-cap, which seems to be standard procedure at Raices Cubanas. They’re not the museum quality specimens that roll off Don Pepin’s tables, but they’re attractive nevertheless. Most of these burned a little off-kilter but never needed correction.

Overall very good construction.

Tasting Notes

Frequently a single blend will exhibit distinctive characteristics depending on the size of the cigar, but in this case the difference was extreme. Smaller ring gauges tend to highlight the wrapper, which is usually the most flavorful part of the cigar, and this proved to the corona’s advantage here.

SCR3

The corona starts up with a spicy sharp flavor that slowly gives rise to smoked meat with a paprika sting on the nose. There is a serious sneeze factor. Eventually the meaty notes mellow a little and turn to leather. The robusto by contrast is much mellower, focusing on wood and leather with none of the zing of the corona.

The mid-section of the corona continues to showcase sweet spicy pepper notes that really rock the sinuses. On the lower end of the scale there is leather and a touch of cinnamon. The spices kick in for the robusto at this point, but are subdued when compared to the corona. Some of the cinnamon shows up in the robusto, but it is dominated by soft woody flavors with a maple syrup-like top note.

The last third of the corona is biting with a long peppery finish and a noticeable nicotine kick. The robusto gets a little more serious, picking up some of the pepper and sneeziness of the corona, but stays pretty mellow for the most part.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed both of these cigars, but to me they seemed almost unrelated to each other. The SCR corona smokes a lot like the Tempus — it’s an expressive and fiery little guy with a lot of spice. The robusto, on the other hand, is more reticent. A little wood, a little leather, and its job is done. The corona shows up with a shot of tequila. The robusto brings a microbrew.

Both are great smokes. I just can’t believe how different they are. I probably liked the robusto a little more because it lives up to the SCR billing: a smoother and more balanced Tempus. And while the corona is a fine smoke as well, you could just as well pick up a Tempus Genesis if this is what you’re after.

I picked up the coronas for around 5 USD per stick. The robustos might run a dollar higher. In either case it’s money well spent.

SCR4

Final Scores:

Corona: 88

Robusto: 89

9 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews, Padron Series Roundup, Super Premiums

Padron 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo Maduro

Padron64Mad

Padron’s 1964 Anniversary cigars are so classic at this point that it’s hard to believe the blend is only fifteen years old. The 1964 was created to celebrate the Padron company’s 30th Anniversary in 1994. It was also, as George Padron added in a CA interview,  “something special as we went to nationwide distribution.”

There are currently ten sizes in production, all available in either a sun-grown natural wrapper or maduro. The maduro version seems to be the most popular, but I have to say I like the natural just as well, if not better.

Padron is proud of its seed-to-smoke, vertically integrated operation, so the Anniversary blend is like all the rest of their cigars: an undisputed Nicaraguan puro.  Jorge Padron, the patriarch of the family, explains that the cigars are square pressed,

“because they reminded me of the squared cigars in Cuba that I used to smoke. It is the only thing I have actually copied from a good Cuban cigar.”

The cigars I smoked for the review were from 2006. The tobaccos in this blend are aged for four years to start with, so a few more years shouldn’t make that much of a difference. This is a deliciously smooth smoke straight from the factory, but three years in the humidor might have mellowed it even more.

Padron64Mad2

Construction Notes

The Exclusivo is the robusto size in the 1964 Anniversary line —  a simple 5 1/2 x 50 parejo with an obvious square press. The wrapper is a little dry but consistent in color. As is typical with Padron cigars, it’s a little hard to tell the difference between the sun-grown natural and the maduro wrapper.  (In the top photo the maduro is on the left, the natural on the right.) They’re both pretty dark, and a little rough — some of these have really prominent veins, discreetly situated so they run laterally down the cigar. But that’s sun-grown leaf for you. What you lose in aesthetics you gain in flavor.

The cap is sub-par for a super-premium cigar, but at least it’s more attractive than what you’ll find on the Padron standard series. Aesthetically the cigar suffers a little, but the rest of the construction is almost perfect — a firm roll, an easy draw, and an even burn — which is worth noting because this is a square pressed smoke. Even the ash is firm and hassle-free.

Padron64Mad3

Tasting Notes

This is a smooth, medium-bodied, very flavorful cigar. It starts up with cedar and coffee with cream. After an inch it becomes more complex, adding some sweetness and a silky aftertaste. The aroma is mild but nicely spiced, reminding me in a way of incense. At one point it occurred to me that smoking this cigar is almost like being in church.

The mid-section is a little heavier and exhibits that typically Nicaraguan acidic flavor on the sides of the tongue and back of the mouth. Cocoa notes are up front with some mild spice that keeps pace with a sweet woodsy aroma. The smoke texture is medium-bodied and stays very smooth.

The Exclusivo finishes up with a classically maduro finale — coffee and chocolate with a beautifully creamy texture. This cigar lacks the third stage bitterness that makes an appearance towards the band of most ordinary cigars — only at the very end is there some bittersweetness and a little char.

Conclusion

The Padron ’64 doesn’t get reviewed too often, probably because it’s so well known and because there is a general consensus that it’s a damn fine smoke. It’s a cigar you’d rather enjoy than analyze. It’s not as bold as many other Nicaraguan puros, but it’s perfectly balanced: smooth and creamy, yet nicely spiced. It burns without a second thought. And it’s simply one of my favorite cigars. If you’ve never smoked the Padron ’64 before, you really need to treat yourself sometime.

Average retail is around 11 USD for the Exclusivo.

Padron64Mad4Final Score: 94

Other Reviews of Note

In the Humidor takes a look at the Exclusivo Maduro

Cigar In Hand grapples with an aged Exclusivo, also Maduro

Nice Tight Ash reviews the Superior Maduro

moki checks out the Natural Exclusivo for Cigar Weekly

4 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews

Verdadero Organic Torpedo

Verdadero

Organic agriculture is always a challenge for the farmer, but you’d almost have to be crazy to try to grow and process tobacco without recourse to fertilizers and pesticides.  The tobacco plant is notoriously susceptible to blight and infestation — cigar makers contend with everything from blue mold to the lasioderma t0bacco beetle before those beautiful brown sticks are layered into the dress box. The wrong amount of rain, an influx of hornworms, any number of untold misfortunes, and your cigars never see the light of day.

Nicaragua_mapNestor Plasencia Jr. produced the first organic cigar, the Plasencia Organica. It’s a decent cigar, though I admire Plasencia’s success more than I appreciate the cigar itself.  But in the last year or so another organic cigar has arrived, the Verdadero Organic, so I thought I’d give it a go. This one is made in the Dona Elba cigar factory in the scenic town of Granada, which is situated by the shore of the giant Lake Nicaragua.

Silvio Reyes grows  tobacco for the Verdadero on family land at the base of the Mombacho volcano near Granada. (Bottom center on the map.)Granada2 Before the land was cleared for planting it had never been used for any kind of agriculture, so it can truly be called “virgin soil.”  This  Nicaraguan grown Cuban-seed filler is the heart of the Verdadero Organic cigar, but it is completed with a binder from Sumatra (Indonesia) and a Connecticut seed wrapper from Ecuador.  I have seen no claims that the binder and wrapper are organic, so maybe it should be called the Verdadero (Very Nearly) Organic?

Construction Notes

The Verdadero torpedo is an attractive stick with a perfectly pointed tip that snips off easily with a guillotine. Prelight, the scent is bright and grassy, like freshly mown hay. The shade wrapper is slightly glossy with minimal veins, and the roll is mostly solid; the only exception was a bunching error that resulted in a lateral furrow running down one cigar. It was similar to a “soft spot” but rather than a spot it ran down the entire side of the cigar. It didn’t affect the burn, but it was a defect nevertheless.

The draw is trouble free, and while the burn is a little fast the smoke never gets hot. The light gray ash flakes a bit and crumbles in the ashtray. Overall very good construction.

Verdadero2

Tasting Notes

The Verdadero Organic is a mild cigar that offers a minimal amount of drama but is unique enough to remain interesting. It starts up with a dusty, toasty flavor that has a hint of anise about it. The aroma is earthy with some cedary spice, and it has an unusually herbal aftertaste that coats the tongue in a waxy sort of way. I’m not sure if I dislike this, or if it’s just strange to me. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but it seems to supply a subtle note of pumpkin or banana.

The cigar picks up a little more body and grows woodier as the the stick burns down. The aroma is classic Connecticut Shade — creamy and mildly floral with a touch of cedar. The smoke texture is buttery.

The last section continues on in the same vein but gets a little bit sweeter, adding a cotton-candy like element, and it finishes up with a light touch of caramel. The aftertaste remains mild but earthy with a relatively short finish.

Conclusion

The Verdadero Organic is a very well constructed cigar with a distinctive flavor profile. I wasn’t crazy about the waxy aftertaste, but I was able to overlook that and appreciate the stick’s other fine characteristics. The aroma has some really unusual qualities, making this more than just a conventionally mild Connecticut Shade cigar. Folks who gravitate to mild cigars and are looking for something a little different might want to check this one out. Retail prices hover around the 5 USD mark. Grab yourself a 5-pack at CigarsDirect.com, or try your luck on the auction sites.

Verdadero3

Final Score: 85

3 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews

Cuchillos Cubanos

CuchillosCubanos

As the humidor slowly empties of my small supply of cigars from Casa Fernandez- Tabacalera Tropical, I still find myself gravitating  to the rich earthy flavor of Nicaraguan tobaccos. Cuchillos Cubanos are from the maker of Illusione and Cruzado cigars, Dion Giolito, and even though these were designed with economy in mind, they’re top-notch full-bodied smokes.

Giolito prefers narrower ring gauges to showcase the blends he likes, so these are all relatively small cigars, with the exception of the Churchill sized ~47~. This makes a lot of sense to me, because I think the real treasure here is the wrapper. This cigar utilizes an esoteric blend of long and medium filler, with a double binder to encourage good combustion. The wrapper is advertised as “silky grade A,”  secretly grown by a specially trained order of hermetic tabaqueros.  Or so I’ve heard. (Not really.)

They’re sold in convenient five packs (four for the ~47~) at an equally convenient price: around 18 USD per pack. Four sizes are in production:

  • ~40~  5 1/4 x 40
  • ~42~  4 3/4 x 42
  • ~46~  4 1/2 x 46
  • ~47~  7 x 47

I picked up a pack of the ~42~, which is almost a standard corona size, and smoked them up in short order.

CuchillosCubanos2

Construction Notes

All of the cigars in this line arrive unbanded and encased in an attractive Davidoff-style white box. The imperial double-headed eagle is an impressive touch, and a fitting statement for the cigars that lie within.

Despite the fact that the wrappers are billed as “silky grade A” they are actually pretty rustic looking: veiny and inconsistent in color. The cap is slapped on tightly without regard for aesthetics, and there is an occasional surface nick. But the roll is solid and the draw is good, and that is obviously what matters most here.

Overall good construction.

Tasting Notes

Cuchillo is Spanish for knife, and that is a good one-word summary of what this cigar has to offer. It starts up with earth, black pepper, and a long leathery finish. There is no preamble. It takes you by the collar and demands your attention without any introductory niceties. Within a few puffs it is clearly full-bodied and it doesn’t let up from there.

Along with the sharp spicy flavor on the palate there is a nice subtlety to the aroma. There is a little of the hickory smell that I look for in Giolito’s blends, but there’s also an earthy, bready quality that reminds a lot of the Cuban Fonseca KDT Cadetes.

This cigar doesn’t have much of a transition — it punches the accelerator and keeps it there. The sharp, bright, peppery tobacco flavors just keep pouring in. The finish remains lengthy and the leathery aftertaste lingers as the ash grows and flakes off into the ashtray.

I was reminded as I smoked this of what Jose Blanco once said about Cuban cigars — he said smoking Cuban tobacco was like getting a big mouthful of dirt. That’s what this cigar is like, except it’s much more expressive and powerful than most current production Cubans. The distinctive and highly desirable quality of Cuban tobacco is, for me, the aroma, and Cuchillos Cubanos emulates that very nicely. It should also be noted that the nicotine hit here is not inconsiderable. It may be small in stature, but this cigar sticks up for itself just fine.

CuchillosCubanos3

Conclusion

While the Cuchillos Cubanos can be a bit harsh on the throat at times and they’re not much to look at, they’re great economy smokes if you’re in the mood for a full-bodied Cuban-style cigar. They’re not as refined as the premium Illusione and Cruzado lines, but for less than four dollars a stick you won’t find this kind of flavor anywhere. Not that I’ve found anyway.

Final Score: 86

4 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews, Tropical - Aganorsa

Condega Corojo 1999 Toro

Condega

Next up in this series of cigars from Tabacalera Tropical (aka Casa Fernandez, aka Aganorsa) is the Condega Corojo 1999 (2006 Series.) For more information about Tabacalera Tropical and Aganorsa, see last week’s review of the Lempira Fuerte.

Since Condega is the least well known region of Nicaragua’s three primary growing regions, it’s nice to see it get some name recognition. The Condega Corojo is not only a Nicaraguan puro, it’s a Nicaraguan Corojo puro — a cigar composed entirely of corojo leaf from Condega, Jalapa, and Esteli, Nicaragua.

From what I hear, Condega has appeared in more than one formulation, but the Corojo 1999 was unveiled sometime in 2004. The version that I smoked for this review was the 2006 series.

For a long time I associated the term “corojo” with power — maybe that came from smoking Camacho’s Corojo blend — but the Condega cigar sets the record straight once and for all. Corojo is after all just a black tobacco varietal; a cigar primarily composed of corojo ligero is going to be a powerhouse. A more balanced blend of corojo volado and seco leaves will be a lighter cigar, which is actually what Condega is — a medium bodied cigar with fairly mild strength.

Condega “Cuban Seed Corojo 1999” is available in four sizes:

  • Robusto – 5 x 52
  • Toro – 6 x 52
  • Torpedo – 6 1/2 x 54
  • Churchill – 7 x 50

Condega2

Construction Notes

The Condega Corojo Toro is a nice looking stick, but I have to join the growing chorus of complaint about foot bands. If a company wants to use them, fine, but make sure they are applied in such a way that they can be easily removed or slipped off. These cigars have delicate wrappers, and both samples cracked when I removed the foot band. Once I got over that initial irritation, I really liked the look of this cigar. The wrapper is smooth and attractive, similar to Connecticut shade but darker and thinner. The triple cap is attractive, though it also cracked slightly when I cut the stick prior to smoking. Fortunately the crack didn’t grow beyond that, but there’s no doubt that this is a very finicky wrapper leaf. The draw was fine on both samples; the burn was even and the ash was solid.

Overall excellent construction. (Incidentally, reviews of this cigar have in the past zeroed in on faulty construction. Evidently the factory is employing better quality control these days.)

Tasting Notes

I think this might be the lightest Nicaraguan puro I’ve ever smoked — the smoke texture is medium-bodied, or becomes that way eventually, but this cigar has only the slightest kick to it. It starts out mild and smooth with an acidic twang typical of Nicaraguan cigars. There is caramel on the nose and a touch of cocoa on the palate.

The middle section of the cigar showcases a stellar aroma — soft woody spices that remind me of Pepin Garcia’s El Centurion cigar. The underlying flavor is toasty with a hint of leather, but the aroma is where the action is. This is a sweetheart of a cigar.

The last third gets a little more serious, but not by much. The acidic accent becomes more pronounced, accompanied by a hint of black pepper and some sweetness on the front palate. The body of the cigar peaks at about a medium, but this cigar never really flexes much muscle at all. This toro is all about finesse, not power.

Conclusion

The Condega Corojo 1999 shares many of the nuances of Don Pepin Garcia’s cigars, but none of the strength. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on your preferences. While the overall experience is pretty mellow, the aroma is quite dramatic: mild to medium bodied smokers will enjoy this cigar a lot and others may find it a pleasant morning or mid-day smoke. Five to six dollars is a reasonable hit for this stick, but it is a little hard to find. If your local tobacconist carries Tropical products, definitely give it a shot.

Condega3

Final Score: 89

3 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews, Tropical - Aganorsa

Lempira Fuerte Robusto

Lempira

When Pedro Martin stepped off his flight from Puerto Rico into the -17 degree cold of a Detroit winter he knew it was time to head south again. Soon after leaving Cuba in 1961 Martin found work with a business associate in Detroit, but it wasn’t long before he planted roots in Miami, working for various tobacco outfits until he finally started Tropical Tobacco in 1978.

One of the first cigar shops I patronized as a neophyte stogie chomper was a small discount cigarette shop that had a tiny humidor. I knew next to nothing about cigars, but I grew fond of a cigar they sold called Maya. It turns out that this is an old Tropical Tobacco blend. Later on I found a cheap smoke called V Centennial that I enjoyed as well (even though one bundle arrived with a bonus lesson in tobacco beetle containment.) Also a Tropical cigar, and a good one.

Since then I’ve enjoyed many of Tropical’s blends, as well as many of the other cigars that are made with Aganorsa leaf, so I thought I’d go straight to the source and survey the Tropical product line.  But first a little more about Aganorsa.

AGANORSA and Tabacalera Tropical

When the Sandinista government came to power in Nicaragua, they began the familiar and disturbing process of nationalizing private industry, including tobacco growing and processing. The Cuban government traded assistance in the form of native Cuban seed and expertise in exchange for foodstuffs and other items difficult to acquire under the U.S. embargo. At that time the tobacco industry was known as TAINSA and operated in many of the areas where Nicaragua’s best tobacco is grown. Unfortunately these were also areas beset by political unrest and violence.

Around the same time, Eduardo Fernandez and his brother built and presided over one of the largest fast food chains in Europe, a giant called Telepizza. Starting from a single pizza joint in Madrid, the company became the second largest fast food chain in Spain (after McDonalds), and then spread to other countries. When he sold his share in that company in the late 90’s, the Sandinistas were gone and Fernandez was in an excellent position to acquire some of these old TAINSA fields and start a new venture with Aganorsa.

Fernandez brought in agricultural and fermentation experts from Cuba to help get his project started. Eventually he would also acquire Tropical Tobacco from Pedro Martin, and with it another valuable asset — Pedro Martin himself. The result was an enormous bank of tobacco expertise, rich fields in Esteli and Jalapa, and old-fashioned Cuban methods of processing and rolling cigars. Tropical Tobacco later became Tabacalera Tropical, which is now subsumed by Casa Fernandez and is part of the Aganorsa Group as a whole. (The precise business affiliations are hard to pin down, but I think that’s how it goes.)

Aganorsa leaf is praised and highly sought after by makers of full bodied, Cuban style cigars — some of Aganorsa’s best known customers include El Rey de Los Habanos, Padilla, and Illusione. Though each of these cigar makers has a distinctive style, the similarity is unmistakeable. It’s Aganorsa.

Lempira

The lempira is the currency of Honduras, so naturally the Lempira cigar is entirely Nicaraguan. The discrepancy is probably due to the fact that this cigar has changed composition over the years. It’s one of the oldest brand names in the Tropical catalog, blended by Pedro Martin not long after he first formed Tropical Tobacco in 1978.

This incarnation of the Lempira is still blended by Pedro Martin, but it’s a slightly heftier blend that was introduced in 2004 as the Lempira Fuerte. The robustos I smoked for this review were from the 2006 vintage.

Lempira2

Construction Notes

This is a seriously oily cigar. The maduro wrapper on the Lempira Fuerte is a very dark brown that verges on black near the seams. It’s quite striking. The roll is solid, but the cap exhibits none of the Cuban “finesse” that I was sort of expecting. It’s functional and applied well, but it’s none too pretty. Shearing off the cap I found the draw to be just right. And while the burn is a little erratic the ash is solid and doesn’t flake. I can also attest to this robusto’s durability: I accidentally dropped it in the sand while reaching for the ashtray and the only damage it sustained was to the ash (hence no first-inch ash pic.)

Overall very good construction.

Tasting notes

From the first puff I realized this cigar was going to be one of those very charry tasting maduros — the aroma is bittersweet and woodsy, with a flavor that graduates from fairly mild to rather strong at the smoke’s conclusion. The flavor is somewhat nondescript at first — a little earth, sweet chalk maybe, with a dry finish. The body of this cigar is also lighter than I expected, but it does eventually ramp it up to about a medium.

The middle section features dark roasted coffee — Vienna roast, verging on burnt — with peppery spice on the upper palate. I don’t retrohale most cigars, but this one gains entrance into my sinuses anyway. Intentional retrohaling would probably not be advised with this cigar. The flavors are increasingly bitter on the palate and the sweetness from the wrapper has a hard time maintaining the balance.

By the last section this cigar starts tasting more like a charcoal briquette than anything else. At times I thought I detected lighter fluid, but I think that was my imagination. There is a rich meaty aroma that I did enjoy, but it is completely overpowered by the bitter char taste up front. I had a hard time finishing this one.

Lempira3

Final Score: 79

Conclusion

The Lempira Fuerte isn’t a bad cigar, but the flavors here are a little too one-dimensional and bitter for me. I can see how someone who likes the dark bitter semi-sweet flavors of some maduro cigars might get a bang out of this one, but for me it was just too burnt tasting. It scores very well on construction and appearance, however. It’s just not for me.

Up next in this series of Tabacalera Tropical reviews: Condega 2006.


2 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Cigar Reviews

Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve Robusto

RyJHabana

There seems to be no end to the number of different Romeo y Julieta cigars: the Anniversario and the Vintage Maduro are just a couple of recent additions that I’ve reviewed for KOTF.  But since the uncontrolled proliferation of cigar blends is not a phenomenon I wish to see curbed, I won’t complain, even though it did take me a long time to get around to this one.

The “Habana Reserve” was introduced about two years ago in half a dozen sizes. Today the range has been expanded to eight vitolas, including a perfecto and a short churchill. Four sizes are available in aluminum tubes, including the one I’m reviewing today. For some reason Altadis assigns different frontmarks to the tubed versions; e.g., the tubed version of the Toro is called “Titan,” and the tubed Robusto is called a “Rothchilde.”

The Habana Reserve is the only non-Cuban Romeo y Julieta not made in the Dominican Republic. And even though they are mostly composed of Nicaraguan tobacco, they are actually made in Honduras in the Flor de Copan factory. Both the wrapper and binder are Nicaraguan, and the filler is a Nicaraguan-Honduran blend.

I try to smoke at least two samples in a critical manner before reviewing a blend, which I accordingly did in this case but with a little twist: the same size in both cases, but one was tubed and the other was not. With a 54 ring gauge the Habana Reserve robusto is a little larger in diameter than most robustos, but retains the standard length of 5 inches. The tubed version is called a Rothchilde (not a Rothschild?) even though it has  the same dimensions as the robusto.

RyJHabana2

Construction Notes

The Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve Robusto is a svelte looking stick. A nicely wrapped flat head is finished with a clean double cap, and the slightly grainy wrapper shines in the light. In comparing the two cigars it is evident that there is a difference — the wrapper on the Rothchild is considerably lighter. Without the band you might think these were the same size, but different brands of cigars.

The robusto is quite firm to the touch and looking down the foot it appears to be very well packed. Not surprisingly, the draw is a little tough — it puts up more resistance than I prefer but it’s not too tight to smoke comfortably. The ash is solid and a consistent light gray in color. This cigar is cosmetically almost perfect.

The Rothchilde is more pliant, but it doesn’t burn as evenly. It drew better though, and the cigar’s overall performance was thereby improved.

Tasting Notes

The robusto starts out milder and thinner in body than I expected from this purportedly “heaviest” of Romeo y Julietas. Perhaps it is due to the tight roll, or maybe my definition of “heavy” has been weighted down with too many Nicaraguan puros of late. The flavor is in any case unremarkable — graphitic and a little salty. Despite this the aroma is very nice, so I chose to direct my attention to its pleasant cedar and floral notes instead.

The overall flavor improves after an inch or so, becoming smooth and woody with a touch of pepper and an earthy aftertaste. The smoke texture gains a little weight as well.  The highlight continues to be the aroma though — fresh cedar sawdust with a minty edge and a few brief hints of fresh bread.

Toward the band the flavor becomes one-dimensionally earthy and burnt, but the aroma is still quite nice, cedar giving way to some vanilla and what I think might have been coconut. Very unusual.

The Rothchilde exhibited most of the same characteristics as the Robusto, as would be expected, but it is immediately identifiable as a medium to full bodied cigar and opens up with a much bolder and better balanced flavor.  By the half-way point the cigars were performing at pretty much the same level.  The difference between the two was probably attributable to the Robusto’s tight bunch, but the aroma of the Roth also seemed to be less subtle. I’m not sure if the roll can account for that.

Conclusion

True to the “Habana” label, the Habana Reserve is an earthy, pungent smoke that may suffer from some construction inconsistencies. The flavors are good, though not superb, while the aroma is outstanding.

Even though I wasn’t exactly bowled over by these cigars, I’ll probably try them again, mostly because my experience with them was not terribly conclusive, but also because they’re priced so attractively — 3.50 to 5 USD. Not bad at all. Get ’em from Cigars Direct by the box (27) or grab a tester five-pack for 25 bucks.

RyJHabana3

Final Score: 84

5 Comments Posted on by cigarfan Bargain Cigars, Cigar Reviews

J. Fuego “Casa Fuego” Belicoso

CasaFuego

Jesus Fuego is perhaps best known for his work with Rocky Patel’s 1990 and 1992 Vintage blends, but he has come into his own in the last couple of years with Tabacos S.A. and his “J. Fuego” line of cigars.

Like so many other premium cigar makers, Fuego’s family tree stretches back several generations to the fertile soil of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.  His family has been in the tobacco growing business since the 1870’s, in a part of Cuba that would eventually become known as “El Corojo.”  The Fuegos were mostly tobacco producers for the factories in Havana, but Jesus took it a little further along the production line to become an expert in post-harvest tobacco processing.corojo

Fuego holds a master’s degree in agronomy and wrote his thesis on tobacco fermentation after studying at Havana University and receiving training at the Fabrica de Tobacos Francisco Donatien, where he worked on the emerging new Cuban marca called Vegueros.

In the late 90’s he left Cuba and arrived in Honduras, where he went to work for Camacho’s Julio Eiroa.  Later on, while he was working for U.S. Tobacco, he impressed Rocky Patel, who at the time was in the development stages of the blends that would become known as the Vintage 1990 and 1992. Fuego eventually would become Rocky’s “right-hand man,” not only assisting in the blending of his cigars but also supervising many of his factories.  Along the way he would also help to blend my favorite RP blend, the Sun Grown, and the Olde World Reserve as well.

But in late 2006 Fuego decided to step out on his own. With the help of the ubiquitous Plasencia family (the Fuegos and the Plasencias have a long history as neighbors going back to the nineteenth century in Cuba) Fuego introduced his inaugural J. Fuego cigars: the Natural, and the Gran Reserva Corojo No. 1.

Since then he has lent a hand in several other blends, both for his own J. Fuego brand and others such as Defiance by Xikar, a house blend for Famous Smoke (Royal Nicaraguan), and this one for Cigars International: Casa Fuego.Corojo3

The Casa Fuego is made in Honduras with Nicaraguan tobaccos: the wrapper is Nicaraguan Habano, while the binder and filler are corojo. Fuego has a long history with corojo — in fact, his family’s farm in Cuba was called Corojo No. 1 — and the fact that his first employer in Honduras was the Eiroa family says something as well. This guy really knows corojo.

Casa Fuego is available in five sizes:

  • Corona (5.5 x 46)
  • Double Corona (7 x 50)
  • Robusto (5 x 50)
  • Toro (6.5 x 52)
  • Belicoso (6 x 52)

Construction Notes

The Casa Fuego Belicoso features a slightly oily golden brown wrapper that shows a nice amount of fine tooth. The roll is a little bit spongy and irregular in places, particularly toward the head of the cigar, but once cut the draw and burn are perfect. These sticks are box pressed, but not square. After they have been in the humidor for a couple weeks the press is barely noticeable.

The ash is a solid dirty gray with lots of white speckles, a common occurrence with grainy wrapper leaf. The toothiness of this wrapper is quite reminiscent of Cameroon, as are some of the other smoking characteristics.

CasaFuego2

Tasting Notes

The Casa Fuego starts up with that typically tannic Nicaraguan flavor — woody, with a smattering of black pepper. The finish is dry and leaves an acidic tang on the tongue. The aroma contributes a sweet note of caramel and blends well with the drier flavors on the palate.

The sharp nature of the smoke softens up a bit after a couple inches. The pepper drops off and is replaced by cocoa or mild coffee, which combined with the residual tannins might come across as bittersweet chocolate. The aroma is spicier at this point, cedary with some mint, which strikes me as very Cameroonian.

The last third turns up the nicotine a couple notches, giving this medium-weight cigar a little more punch. The aroma is almost piney as the ash approaches the band. The aftertaste gets heavy and a bit tarry if rushed, so take it easy across the finish line.

Conclusion

Aside from the fact that the Casa Fuego is a very well made and pleasant cigar, what impresses me the most is the price. The retail price is around 5 USD, but these can be easily had for half that on Cigarbid, the auction arm of Cigars International. For less than three dollars this is a great everyday cigar. Even though it isn’t a spectacular smoke, dollar for dollar this is one of the better buys I’ve made this year.

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Final Score: 85