Guest Review: CAO Brazilia Box Press
Brian and I met Matt, of Review Cigars, on Saturday while attending the Tatuaje event at the Humidour in Cockeysville, MD. Below you’ll find a sample of how Matt review’s cigars, and I think you’ll agree that he has a interesting persepctive.
CAO Brazilia Box Press- I read somewhere, can’t remember where, that when CAO was developing the Brazilia line, they were warned against using the Brazilian name and national colors. Evidently, there were some old-school cigar-world prejudices against the Brazilian tobacco industry or something like that. Turns out that didn’t affect the cigar smoker’s buying power. Just the opposite; the Brazilia line is one of CAO’s leading sellers and I can’t think of a smoker I know that doesn’t think this is a decent smoke for the money spent.
The Brazilia is a beautiful and unique looking stick. The wrapper is made of a Brazilian tobacco called Matafina. The Matafina is so dark that it almost looks black and shimmers with oil. CAO finished out the Brazilia with Nicaraguan filler and binder. The label is eye-catching, boasting the bright colors of Brazil’s flag. It might be me, but anything related to Brazil makes me think of beautiful beaches and gorgeous women. With that in mind, I reach for the Brazilia often.
Graycliff 1666 Pirate
Today a have for you a stick that seems to show up in every sampler pack ordered from the big online sellers. I accumulated a bunch of these sticks when I was in that on-line buying phase and although I rarely buy on-line anymore, I built up a nice stash of smokes when I did. This lends itself to me having some smokes that have had a bit of time to rest in the humidor.
I have smoked a few of these 1666s when I first received them and a couple recently that I kind of “forgot” about in my humidor. These sticks are now over 2 years old and when I smoked one the other day, I thought it would be interesting to put up a review and talk a bit about how the stick has done with some rest. Without further ado, let’s see how these smokes held up to the extra time…
Don’t forget to get involved in our March Contest.
Gran Habano Azteca Prototype
Today’s review is a little different. This cigar is a prototype cigar for a possible line Gran Habano cigars. Its a medium bodied maduro that they call the Azteca and comes in a 6 x 54 toro size. They asked me to be on a tasting panel to give them feedback on the cigar so they can decide if any tweeks need to be made before they release it. I decided to film my last review sample to give viewers an idea of what is important in prototyping and why its important. I want to thank Gran Habano Cigars for giving me the opportunity.
Tatuaje Black Tubo
Two weeks ago I smoked the Tatuaje Verocu Tubo with you. This time I’m lighting up the companion release, the Tatuaje Black Tubo. The Black is known as Pete Johnson’s personal smoke, and came out in two other sizes previously, a corona gorda (my favorite) and a robusto. It’s a Nicaraguan puro, and features an unfinished foot. It’s a little pricier than the Verocu tubo at a MSRP of $14, and comes in the same 10 count boxes.
El Triunfador: Petit Corona vs. Lancero
Over the weekend Brian and I attended a couple Tatuaje events in the DC Baltimore area. During those events we got a chance to talk to Pete Johnson about his cigars, hear a few stories, and smoke a ton of his cigars. One fo these cigars, was the newly blended El Triunfador. Prior to the event I purchased a fiver of the Petit Coronas that we sampled prior to the events. During the course of the events we acquired a few Lanceros, and without giving too much away, we were amazed at the differences between the two vitolas.
So check out the video as we smoke both the Petit Corona and Lancero; you might find our views interesting.
Name: El Triunfador (new blend)
Company: Havana Cellars
Made by: Don Pepin Garcia
Made in: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Comes in: Boxes of 25
Vitola: No. 5 Petit Corona (4 3/8″ X 42) & No. 6 Lancero (7 1/2 X 38)
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Nestor Miranda Collection Dominicano is Launched
Nestor Miranda and Miami Cigar teamed up with Don Pepin Garcia and My Father Cigar Company about 9 months ago, and their latest collaboration is now available, the Nestor Miranda Collection Dominicano. This cigar was definitely a collaborative effort with La Aurora S. A. providing the tobacco, and Don Pepin doing the blending and manufacturing. It uses Nicaraguan filler and binder, and a Dominican Corojo wrapper. It’ll be in the $7–8 price range.
The cigar will come in boxes of 20. Like the Nestor Miranda Special Selection cigars made by Don Pepin, two wrappers will be offered: Rosado and Oscuro. You’ll have your choice of five sizes:
- Lancero — 7–1/2″ x 40
- Coffee Break — 4–1/2″ x 50
- Robusto Grande — 5–1/2″ x 54
- Belicoso — 6–1/8″ x 52
- Ruky — 5–5/8″ x 48 x 52
There’s going to be three big in-store events to celebrate the launch of the Dominicano. The first is a two-part event in San Diego with a dinner on March 11th and a store event on March 12th. The second will be at the Grand Havana Room in New York City on March 19th. And the last will be on March 20th at Sabor Havana in Doral, FL.
For more details on the events, you can read the full press release.
Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie
Today Brian and I are firing up the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie. This cigar has actually been in a limited amount of stores for almost a year, but now seems to be creating some buzz. We were able to procure some samples from Drew Estate, the distributor for Joya de Nicaragua, so after smoking through a few it’s time to smoke one more and let you know what we think.
First thing that caught my eye with this cigar is the obvious use of two wrapper leafs. The lighter wrapper, an Ecuadorian Shade, runs the entire length of the cigar. Then a secondary leaf, a Nicaraguan Criollo, tops the cigar from the head down to the band. Secondly, the construction of this cigar appeared to be flawless. Seams were not visible on either wrapper and the cigar was just jam packed full of tobacco. Brian and I had slightly different opinions on the pre-light aroma. Brian picked up on cocoa while I got a bit more of a mocha aroma. Pre-light draw was perfect, but absent of any recognizable flavor.
So watch the video and find out what we thought. Video runs just over 20 minutes, but we had a good time dissecting this cigar… and dealing with a few technical issues.
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Don Pepin Garcia Blue Invicto
We’ve done a lot of Don Pepin’s stuff over the past year but for some reason we never did the blue label. For those veterans of the site, you know that Pepin’s Black label still ranks as my all time favorite smoke. So lets see how this Blue Label compares.
Don’t forget to get involved in our March Contest. We have an absolutely spectacular prize for this one.
Joya De Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo
This week I review the newest cigar from Joya De Nicaragua, the Antano Dark Corojo. This cigar was released at the 2009 IPCPR show and it made to be even more full bodied and powerful than their famed Antano 1970 line. Its made with 75% Ligero that is actually a special ligero that they make called Ligeron. Usually that much ligero means two things: 1. They are STRONG. 2. They usually don’t burn well as ligero is hard to burn. So, how did this cigar turn out? Watch the video and find out.
Also, don’t forgot about our contest we are running sponsered by Drew Estates for some Drew Estates swag and some Liga Privadas!
March Contest
Xikar Ultra Cutter & Lighter
You can have a ton of great cigars in your humidor, but before you enjoy them you have to have a way to get the cap off and set the end on fire. For years now, I’ve carried a cutter and lighter in my left hip pocket, so I’ll always be ready for a smoke when the opportunity arises. The cutter has changed a few times, and the lighter has changed even more often. Whichever cutter and lighter pair I’ve carried, they all add bulk. It’s still two items I have to carry. Add in my car keys, some gum, and a small Leatherman, and pretty soon it takes me 3 minutes just to get something out of my pocket. The folks at Xikar have found a way to reduce some of that bulk you carry, and introduced the Ultra Cutter and Lighter combo.
The Ultra combo is a single-flame butane lighter with two magnetic sides to hold the thin guillotine cutter to it. The cutter was introduced first a couple of years ago. It’s thin enough that it can fit in your wallet. Back in the fall, I was at Mt. Washington Cigar Co. in Baltimore, and saw a customer with the new cutter and lighter combo. The lighter is thicker than the cutter of course, but still pretty thin, and when you attach the cutter to the lighter, you still end up with a piece that is only 5/8″ thick. I’ve been using the combo for about 2 months now, and I’m ready to give my thoughts on it.