Brand evangelist, digital marketer, cigar and spirits expert specializing in consumer tasting and educational events. Matthias made the long trek from his hometown of Portland, Oregon to New York City in 2007, and in nine years has hosted more than 120 events and helped promote and launch dozens of cigar and whiskey brands in the U.S. In 2016, he joined the Cigar Journal Tasting Panel, blind-reviewing pre and new release cigars.
I dropped by the Cigar Inn recently and figured I’d give the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor another smoke. I was a big fan of it when it came out, and a big fan of it when the brand took #2 Cigar of the Year for 2011.
Blend Specifics
Size: Magnifico (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Construction & Appearance
This cigar features a dark rust- brown wrapper in a box pressed vitola. Construction is well done, though there were consistently some minor imperfections. After clipping the cigar, I can tell the draw is perfect – not too permissive or too tight. The prelight draw gives me a bit of earth and spice.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
This cigar is, in my opinion, fairly straightforward. Notes of toasted bread, cinnamon, wood, and cocoa hit the tongue and the nose in very enjoyable fashion. As one would guess, there was a good deal of spice in this stick, though in the second third and onward the spice dies down a bit to reveal the root flavors more clearly. Very few cigars can zero in on dark, rich notes, and remain balanced at the same time. For that reason, this is a stick to pay attention to.
Conclusion
This stick is a must-smoke. It isn’t in my top ten, but it probably makes top twenty, and for good reason. You get a clear, enjoyable profile, good construction, and ultimately a very enjoyable smoking experience.
December 5, 2012 — Ted’s Cigars, a leading manufacturer of premium branded cigars announces the collaboration with famed race car driver and celebrity Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ted’s Cigars has partnered with JR Motorsports on a licensed hand-crafted cigar showcasing Dale Jr.’s facsimile autograph and his iconic #88. As the ten-time consecutive winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award, race fans admire Earnhardt’s authenticity and common sense approach.
Indeed the Earnhardt name evokes excellence, thanks to his incredible 19 career victories, including the 2004 Daytona 500. Upon winning the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, Earnhardt became the only third-generation NASCAR champion. Earnhardt’s crossover appeal is unmatched among today’s celebrities and athletes. The officially licensed Dale Jr. “88” cigar is distinctly fashioned to appeal to race fans, cigar enthusiasts, and casual smokers.
With over 15 years as an industry leader, Ted’s Cigars is known for its exceptional cigars, packaging, and branding. The Dale Jr. cigar blend received a rating of 88 (excellent) by Cigar Aficionado, a fitting mark for a cigar branded by NASCAR’s iconic driver. Earnhardt’s winning attitude bridges generations’ young and old. He is refined and raw, charismatic and rebellious, simple and cool, as is the Dale Jr. “88” cigar.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.® 6 x 50 Toro features a mild, creamy smoke with a smooth finish. Individually sealed in a glass tube – no humidor required. The cigar is hand rolled in the Dominican Republic.
Available individually and in boxes of 3, 10, & 25 cigars at www.tedscigars.com/dale-jr-cigars
BALLANTINE’S CHRISTMAS RESERVE IN DEMAND AHEAD OF FESTIVE SEASON
Ballantine’s, the No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe, is rolling out Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve Limited Edition to more markets than ever before this year, due to increased demand from markets looking to capitalize on the lucrative festive season.
The third edition of Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve will now be available in fifteen markets – including France, Germany, Poland and China – following the success of the limited edition seasonal expression since 2010.
To support this year’s release, the brand is launching a new Facebook app that invites users to virtually ‘pass the parcel’ to their friends, with a chance of winning a bottle of Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve. To further engage consumers with the festive blend, the app provides seasonal recipes made with Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve, including mince pies and Clementine Bauble cocktails.
Peter Moore, International Brand Director for Ballantine’s, comments: “The festive period is notoriously competitive for retailers, so we’re delighted to be offering Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve to more of our customers around the world this year. This special edition provides consumers seeking the ideal festive gift with exceptional quality and excellent value.”
He continues, “Our customers rightly expect fresh thinking from Ballantine’s so we hope our new Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve Facebook app will be well received and will help spread some festive spirit this Christmas.”
Available from October to December 2012, Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve is presented in a superior white presentation box, decorated with snowflakes and elements of gold foil. The design adds a premium festive feel and ensures maximum shelf stand-out for Ballantine’s during the busy sales period.
With its luxury seasonal aromas including cinnamon, orange, raisin, candy apple and pear, Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve is ideal served on its own over ice or as the base for seasonal cocktails.
To access the Facebook app, consumers are asked to visit: Ballantines facebook
Notes:
*The facebook app is available to consumer in the UK, Poland, Bulgaria and Germany
About Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve
Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve is available in Switzerland, France, Mexico, Netherlands, Vietnam, Poland, Denmark, Bulgaria, China, Thailand, Germany, Slovenia, Taiwan, Croatia and Hong Kong.
On the nose, Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve is rich, deep and fruity with hints of moist raisin fruitcake and sweet candy apples perfectly balanced out by caramel toffees and soft ripe pears. It tastes sweet with succulent tangy orange and a superb liquorice root and ginger flavour. The finish is very long, round and sweet.
About Ballantine’s
Ballantine’s is the No 1 ultra-premium whisky in Asia Pacific and the No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe, selling more than 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 80 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the iconic 30 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.
About Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.
In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.
For further information please visit www.chivasbrothers.com
Another gorgeous luxury watch on the market today: the MB&F Legacy Machine N°1. It is a bit out of place when compared to some of its MB&F siblings. Still, it captures an elegance all its own.
Wild, extreme, outrageous, unrestrained: might be used to describe MB&F’s futuristic Horological Machines, but traditional, classical… round? With its monumental central balance; superlatively finished movement; completely independent dual time zones; unique vertical power reserve indicator and elegant annular case, Legacy Machine N°1 (LM1) is a tribute to the great innovators of traditional watchmaking; and above all, an authentic three-dimensional MB&F Machine.
Legacy Machine N°1 was conceived when Maximilian Büsser started fantasising: “What would have happened if I had been born in 1867 instead of 1967? In the early 1900s the first wristwatches appear and I would want to create three-dimensional machines for the wrist, but there are no Grendizers, Star Wars or fighter jets for my inspiration. But I do have pocket watches, the Eiffel Tower and Jules Verne, so what might my 1911 machine look like? It has to be round and it has to be three-dimensional: Legacy Machine N°1 was my answer.”
Gazing down through Legacy Machine N°1’s crystal clear bubble sapphire dome to the micro-mechanical fantasy below, it’s easy to imagine Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo looking upon the mythical underwater city of Atlantis.
Legacy Machine N°1’s transcendental in-house movement bears testimony to the enormous talent of its creators. Jean-François Mojon and his team at Chronode (Best Watchmaker Prize at the 2010 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) met the considerable challenge of developing the calibre for LM1 from a blank sheet, while acclaimed independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen took responsibility for the aesthetic design and for strictly ensuring the utmost respect for tradition and fine-finishing. The movement of Legacy Machine N°1 proudly bears the names of both its creators, and is the first calibre other than Voutilainen’s own to bear his name.
With Legacy Machine N°1, MB&F has majestically reinterpreted traditional 19th century watchmaking excellence to create a contemporary, three-dimensional objet d’art.
December 4, 2012 (Philadelphia, PA) — Atlantic Cigar Company will be releasing the first small batch of a new brand, La Mia, in the next few weeks. Blended along side the old Cuban masters in the Casa Fernandez Family, the La Mia makes use of tobacco from a special field with its namesake. The La Mia comes in four sizes including: Perla (4 x 44), Corona (5 ½ x 52), Robusto (5 ½ x 50), and Toro (6 ½ x 52).
The number of boxes will vary year to year depending on the availability of the tobacco needed to create this unique cigar.
For the 2012 release, 100 boxes of 15 of each size will be released. The La Mia farm is located in the rich, fertile soil of the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua, and has been tended to lovingly by master grower Chandito and his Cuban “Dream Team”. This Aganorsa farm has a long history going back many years. It was once owned by the Somoza Family, and there has even been rumors of the Cuban government showing interest in this farm, because of its unique, rich, terroir, and the tobacco it produces. Atlantic Cigar is proud to release the first cigar containing tobacco from this field since it was acquired by Eduardo Fernandez.
The blend consists of the La Mia tobacco in conjunction with Criollo ’98 from the Aganorsa farm in Estelí, a double binder, and a Corojo ’99 Rosado wrapper finished with a traditional triple cap and flag head. The cigar is medium to full in body and full of unique flavor, with an excellent balance and clean finish. The La Mia is rolled using the traditional entubado style in Tropical Tobacco’s Miami facilities.
While Atlantic Cigar is currently the only outlet available for sale, there are plans on the table for the brand to become available nationally soon.
