Press Release: Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie
Below is the meat and potatoes of a press release from Drew Estate about the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie. Â I’ve also included a couple pictures that accompanied the press release. Â Not only do I think this makes for an interesting read, but I’m also foreshadowing a review that I’ll be doing in the next week or two.
Esteli, Nicaragua – Joya de Nicaragua, S.A. (JdN), the makers of the respected JOYA DE NICARAGUA® brand of premium handmade cigars, announced today that they will continue to slowly expand their release of their Cabinetta Serie® line to select retailers. Well known for their powerhouse Antaño® line, the Cabinetta Serie is an unexpected departure from their classic full-bodied style of blends. This new blend is a marriage of a creamy, milder filler recipe of tobaccos complemented by the spicy taste sensation of its unique double-wrapped, Habano-Seed leaf head.
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Oliva Connecticut Reserve Toro
A while back I reviewed the Camacho Connecticut and discussed the other Connecticut that was entering the fray around the same time. Both of these sticks were marketing a fuller bodied smoking experience than your usual Connecticut wrapped cigar. Although I enjoy mostly full bodied sticks, I do enjoy a mid bodied cigar when the time is right and I usually reach for a Connecticut wrapped smoke. Past favorites have included the RP 1999, the RP Connecticut, the NUB Connie, and Devils Weed. While I for one was all for adding a little spice to “jazz up†the typical flavor profile of a Connecticut, I was hoping that these blends would not be over the top and find a nice niche somewhere in between. Well…you seen what I thought of the Camacho, now let’s see how the Oliva stacks up…
Diamond Crown Maximus Robusto #5
The Diamond Crown Maximus was one of the first super premium cigars that came on the market near the end of the cigar boom. Made by Tabacalera A. Fuente for JC Newman in the Dominican Republic, it was a bolder version of the Diamond Crown line that was to appeal the rapidly growing full bodied smoker market. The secret weapon of this cigar is the El Bajo sun grown wrapper grown in Ecuador by the Oliva family. The filler and binder are grown in the Dominican Republic. This super premium cigar was one of the first really high priced cigars on the market. Is it worth it? Watch the video and find out.
Padilla Achilles
I’ve been doing a little digging in my humidors lately, and as a result I’ve found some cigars that I either forgot I had, or haven’t had in a while. So is the case with the Padilla Achilles.
The wrapper on this cigar is a wonderful caramel shade of brown and slightly oily. There is an incredible amount of tobacco rolled up in this cigar; not only visible but the weight can be felt in my hand. Pre-light aroma was light with hints of hay and straw and manure. Overall, this cigar looked ready for smoking, so check out the video to see how things went.
5 Vegas Cask Strength
The 5 Vegas Cask Strength features a blend of tobaccos from 4 different countries: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras and Peru. These tobaccos were blended to create a medium to full-bodied cigar that’s full of flavor. But as always, I’ll give it a try and let you know what my take is.
Just like many cigars these days, the Cask Strength comes double banded. The wrapper is a medium shade of brown with a reddish hue. The texture of the wrapper reminds me of velvet, and has quite a few veins. The cigar appears to be constructed well and actually feels slightly heavy in my hand. Pre-light aroma is nothing more than classic tobacco off the wrapper and becomes stronger at the foot. Pre-light draw seems promising so it’s time to add fire to the mix.
Quick Smoke: 601 Green Oscuro Corona
I am back with a quasi quick smoke. Although this is a bit longer than the 45 min lunch time smoke I enjoy, this is a good 55 minutes to an hour of smoking time that is perfect for when you don’t have that 1.5 hours of down time to enjoy a Toro or larger. I am also doing a repeat of a line which I believe is the first revisit of a line (other than the Opus X) since the site started. Today I have for you the 601 Green Oscuro in a corona size from EO Brands manufactured by the Garcia Family. You can see what Chris thought of this smoke in the Trunco size here. Back then I left a comment on Chris’ post (this was before I was part of the NTA family) and stated that the Trunco is a top three cigar for me. Now it has been knocked down a bit with some of my new experiences over that past year but it is still a fine smoke. So let’s see if the Corona is as good, or better, than the Trunco and how my tastes for this line vary with Chris’
Chateau Real Maduro
Drew Estate is well known for their innovative approach to infused cigars, and because of that their traditional lines of cigars don’t get very much attention. At least that’s my opinion. So today I’ll be smoking the Chateau Real Maduro, which is comes with a maduro wrapper from San Andres, Mexico.
The Chateau Real is a dark, nearly black, shade of brown. The wrapper has a slightly oily feel and few prominent veins. The cigar felt like it had a consistent bunch and there were no visible flaws with the cigar.
So I’ll fire up the cigar to see what it’s all about.
Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Corojo
For whatever reason good cigars fall in and out of my smoking rotation all the time. I’m not completely sure why that happens, but it probably has something to do with all of the great cigars that are out there to try. Much is the case with the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve (OWR) Corojo. This is a cigar I used to regularly smoke, however, in the last year of so I can’t remember picking one up. However, about a month ago I decided to pick a few up and rediscover what I used to like about this cigar.
The OWR is a wonderfully constructed cigar with a delicate vein structure. The wrapper is a medium shade of brown and has little more than a classic tobacco aroma. For this review I smoked the robusto which comes in at five inches long with a 54 ring gauge. What I find nice about this line of cigars is the soft box-press, which actually hides the fact that this cigar has a 54 ring gauge.
Time to break out the cutter and set fire to the end.
Cigar Review – Gran Habano Cabinet Selection
I haven’t smoked many cigars from Gran Habano, but what I have had I’ve liked and I thought the price point for the cigars were outstanding. I’m talking about the Connecticut, Habano and Corojo lines. This newer line, Cabinet Selection, is something that I haven’t had or even seen until I visited Crescent City Cigars in New Orleans. While I was there, the owner Armando, suggested I give this on a try as he enjoyed the cigar. The $8.90 price tag didn’t seem too bad, but it was more than any other Gran Habano that I’ve tried. Its a Nicaraguan puro and has a corojo wrapper. How does this cigar stack up? Watch the video and find out.
PS – WHO DAT!
Arganese ML3
Today I’m firing up the Arganese ML3. I’m a sucker for maduro, and a Brazilian maduro generally excites my palate so I’m naturally excited to try this cigar. Since I’m putting this review together during the Super Bowl I’ll let the video do the talking.
