Randolph Beers

About Randolph Beers

http://www.randolphbeers.com

Randolph Beers is a passionate tobacco enthusiast, introduced to cigars in 2006, and was an occasional smoker for four years after. Following, his passion for hand rolled and manually cured tobacco, old and new preparations and techniques grew, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and complex details.

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Cigar Review: Manolo Estates Maduro Heavyweight

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Manolo Maduro_1

Established on January 5th, 2015, Manolo Estates began its foray into the cigar manufacturing aspect of the cigar industry. Established by Luis Gutierrez and Juan Carlos Rojas, also purveyors of Ash Fine Cigars, located in Hoboken and Newfoundland, New Jersey. Manolo Estates is named after both Juan Carlos’ father and Luis Gutierrez’s great-grandfather who both bared this name. The cigars are rolled in Tamboril, Dominican Republic and samples for this review of the Maduro Heavyweight were sent it by Charlie Freeman of FineTobaccoNYC.

Cigar: Manolo Estates Maduro Heavyweight

Blend Specifics:

Vitola: Gordo 6”x60

Wrapper: San Andres Maduro

Binder: Criollo ‘98

Filler: Nicaragua, Pennsylvania, and Dominican Republic

Manolo Maduro_2

Appearance and Construction

The Manolo Maduro has a very dark chocolate wrapper that is thick, oily, and toothy, almost sand-paper-y. Minimal veins, a tight even pack and tight visible seams, with just enough sponginess. Rolled to an extended pigtail and then looped.

Smoke and Flavor Characteristics

Cold Aromas: The wrapper gives off chocolate, earth, and leather with a touch of barnyard. The foot shows sweet tobacco, a little pepper zing and faint leather. The cold draw has just the right amount of tension and presents just a sweet tobacco core with just a faint hint of both, chocolate and leather.

Manolo Maduro_3

First Third: The first few draws open to a deep dark bitter wood with a decent amount of black pepper that can also be felt on the tongue. The pepper quickly dials back and overall the draw becomes much softer. Though, the finish is long and a touch of pepper can still be experienced here. The ash is a pale, slightly flaky gray and makes for a nice contrast between the dark wrapper-color. Draw is quite effortless and the foot pours smoke even while sitting. The burn line isn’t even but isn’t near being problematic; it’s just fine. There’s also a bit of bread that comes into play as well. The body is full, the flavor is medium to full and the strength is medium to full. The aroma is a nice cedar and leather. As it starts to near the end of the first third, the burn is becoming a little more wonky but still not affecting the draw or flavor. The bread and tobacco start to dominate at the core with the wood sticking around but dropping back a bit.

Manolo Maduro_4

Second Third: The ash is almost two inches so I’m going to knock it off at this point before it drops where I don’t want it to, but can easily keep going if one wanted to as well. The profile is mainly holding up from the first third, with flavors being a dark wood, bread, leather and tobacco. There’s also an underlying metallic that lingers and pops up every now and then. The ash fell at 2 inches, as one solid chunk. The body is full; the flavor is still medium to full and strength also holding at medium to full. Removing the band is quite easy. One the finish, a bit of espresso bean comes in, though; it’s not heavily noticeable but can be detected.

Manolo Maduro_5

Final Third: Entering into the final third, the strength starts to ramp up to full, while the body is still full and the flavor at medium to full. The espresso bean has also come up a bit more but still not a dominant factor. Outside of that, the profile hasn’t changed much and has stayed pretty consistent throughout the duration. During the final third, the burn of cigar starts to slow down significantly and provides an entry way to a cool slow burning finish.

Final Thoughts

The Manolo Estates Maduro Heavyweight is just that, full bodied from start to finish and fairly straight forward flavor profile make for a consistent and relaxing smoke. Where one can ruminate on the few flavors that pass through but also leaves one open to fully divest on other thoughts with ease. Not a cigar that needs to be babied or paid a great deal of attention, as even when it is set down will keep the burn for a while till one is ready to pick it up for another draw. A relaxing and easy-going smoke, but keep in mind, the strength does pick up at the end. The flavors that dominate this profile are deep wood with an earthy undertone, bread, leather, a strong tobacco core, a touch of black pepper early on and bitter espresso bean in the final third rounded out with a dry bitter chocolate that shows up here and there with a lingering metallic note. The cigar is characterized with its full body, medium to full flavor and full strength profile and makes for a good after dinner smoke.

Smoking time was 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Grade: A

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Cigar Review: Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars Draconian

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Recluse Draconian_1

The Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars Draconian is the second iteration of the Recluse line of cigars. Rolled at the Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas in the Dominican Republic and headed by J.R. Dominguez, the company takes pride in its 8-fermentation process for each of its leaves that go into each of the Recluse’s product lines. Scott Weeks of Recluse Cigars sent in samples for this review of the Draconian.

Cigar: Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars Draconian

Blend Specifics:

Vitola: Box-pressed Robusto 5”x52

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro

Binder: MBC (proprietary)

Filler: Brazilian and Dominican

Recluse Draconian_2

Appearance and Construction

The Draconian has a slight dark to milk chocolate complexion wrapper, with minimal veins and a smooth texture with a slight oily sheen. Dense packing and an even spongy give throughout. Features a double cap, ribbon foot-band and a second label band. Nice construction and presentation.

Smoke and Flavor Characteristics:

Cold Aromas: The wrapper gives off a rich chocolate and not much else. The foot shows more chocolate with a hint of coffee, sweet tobacco, and a touch of white pepper. The cold draw presents a bit of earth with a gravel-y mineral taste.

Recluse Draconian_3

First Third: The Draconian is very easy to draw and provides plumes of creamy smoke almost immediately. The retohale is also quite easy and satisfying early on. Chocolate and espresso bean abound, the blend is very smooth and balanced. There’s a touch of earth and leather here and there but they aren’t major players at this point. Burn line is a little less than razor sharp due to a small tear in the wrapper but quickly fixes itself and other than that the burn is phenomenal and the performance is good. A bit more leather and earth start to push on to the palate, with also a slight dry mouth feel. The aroma is a mix of leather, earth, salt, and a little cedar. The finish is long lasting and takes on a characteristic of chocolate and sweet tobacco. The body is medium to full, the flavor is medium to full and the strength is medium. The ash fell off as one chunk at 1.25”.

Recluse Draconian_4

Second Third: The second third doesn’t see much change from the first in terms of profile, but there is a new element that enters. There’s a sort of twang-y note, not fruity or citrusy but somewhere along the lines of that affect. The blend stays smooth and balanced and still producing plumes of creamy smoke, with a long finish and an exceptionally smooth retrohale. Chocolate and espresso bean still dominate but are almost equally matched with the leather and earth combo, which provides a nice interplay and subtle complexities. So far, there hasn’t been any pepper or spice detected and allows for a very easy smoke. The body is still holding at medium to full, flavor at medium to full and the strength at medium. Removing both bands goes fairly easy and applied using self-adhesive glue.

Recluse Draconian_5

Final Third: More of a dry mineral grit has come into the fold but not overwhelming the other notes. The burn line is still razor sharp and the ash formation has been consistent throughout. The notes are still holding up the same and quite pleasantly. The Draconian is a very consistent smoke with a lot of attention to detail. The smoke is very cool and dry burning and the aroma is still nice as well. As the cigar winds down to the nub, the mineral grit becomes the focus of the profile, with the leather and earth still holding the middle and the chocolate fading into the backdrop. The blend finishes at a solid medium to full in body, flavor and strength.

Recluse Draconian_6

Final Thoughts

The Recluse Draconian proves to be a very consistent blend and touts to recluse as a company for their attention to detail all their brand lines. While not overly complex, the blend has a great deal subtle interplay between its notes, and they work very well together. The palate jumps around a lot between chocolate and espresso bean to leather and earth, to a touch of gravel here and there. The cigar is fairly dry through the session and lacks any presence of spice and pepper, which also makes this a great novice cigar or to anyone looking for a smoke that lacks the spice characteristic. The profile is a solid medium to full, which makes this a good afternoon and before dinner cigar.

The smoking time was 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Grade: A

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Cigar Review: Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars OTG

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OTG_1 The Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars OTG (Off-The-Grid) was released in 2012 and marks the first release of the Recluse Cigars brand. Rolled at the Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas in the Dominican Republic and headed by J.R. Dominguez, the company takes pride in its 8-fermentation process for each of its leaves that go into each of the Recluse’s product lines. Scott Weeks of Recluse Cigars sent in samples for this review of the OTG. Cigar: Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigars OTG

Blend Specifics:

Vitola: Box-pressed Robusto 5”x52
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Select / Proprietary
Filler: Dominican Republic OTG_2

Appearance and Construction

The Recluse OTG has a very dark chocolate, mottled and rustic looking wrapper, minimal veins, slightly oily and grainy texture. Featuring a double cap and two bands. There seems to be a bit of press pinching on the edges of the cigar but overall the construction looks good. Even bunching shown at the foot. A little spongy give but mainly has a dense feeling, even though the cigar feels very light in the hand. Smoke and Flavor Characteristics: Cold Aromas: The wrapper gives off a sweet chocolate with a hint of cherry and wood. The foot opens to a good deal of spice and black pepper. There’s also a good amount of dry earthy oak, a little cherry sweetness and dry cocoa powder. The cold draw is slightly loose and just fine. There’s a dry sweet wood to be found here, with a touch of black pepper and sweet tobacco. OTG_3

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

First Third: Right off the bat there’s a heavy coffee bean with a dry bitter oak. A touch of pepper but not heavy at all. The draw is very open and pulls effortlessly. Starting off, the burn line is razor sharp and crisp. There’s also a dry grass and hay note to be found and compliments the very bitter wood notes. A hint of cocoa pops up here and there and the finish is long and lasting with lingering wood notes and the rising of a pepper kick in the back of the mouth. The aroma is dank and pungent with cedar and heavier and darker earthy wood notes. The sitting aroma also has notes of chocolate and salt that waft around. The ash formation and rings are nice and tight. The profile of the first third has the body at medium to full, the flavor at medium to full moving up to full, and the strength at medium to full. The black pepper moves up to full on. There are also cooking spices like cumin that can be found intermixed. The ash falls off as one solid chunk at 1.25”. OTG_4 Second Third: The second third picks up from where the first was, the flavors haven’t changed much, but that’s not an unwelcomed encounter. The black pepper rises a bit more and the chocolate has also become slightly more pronounced. The wood and coffee bean still hold the main stage, though. The aroma is a wonderful bouquet and the draw gives off plumes of creamy smoke so easily. Removing the first band goes without a hitch. Well into the second and the razor sharp burn line holds steady. Also, a bit of a nutty creaminess enters the ensemble, reminiscent of an almond or cashew, and is very smooth and buttery. The profile here stands at medium to full in body, full but starting to drop to medium to full in flavor, and medium to full in strength. The second band comes off just as easily as the first. OTG_5 Final Third: The Start of the third, the flavor and the strength has come way down. The black pepper is still present but mainly hangs around through the tingle on the tongue. The coffee bean had dropped and been replaced with a semi-sweet tobacco while the dark wood still holds strong. The aroma is till quite pleasant as well. The profile ends with the body at medium to full, the flavor at medium to full and the strength dropping to medium to medium to full.

Final Thoughts

The Recluse OTG is quite pungent and earthy with a full of flavor character early on and that plays through for most of the smoke. Though, somewhere in the final third, most of that drops. The myriad of flavors coalesces into a more straightforward heavy wood, by way of oak and semi-sweet tobacco flavor. The smoke production and burn characteristics hold true all the way through and provide for a constant and cool burning session. Early on, well really the first two thirds, the blend is surprisingly complex and robust. Notes of coffee bean, cocoa powder, dark oak, hefty amounts of black pepper, and the occasional cooking spices and buttery nuttiness dance around the palate and make for an interesting smoke. The aroma and smoke that pours off the foot has such an intoxicating bouquet as well, leading to this cigar becoming a wonderful experience. The smoking time was 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Grade: A

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Cigar Review: Giacomo’s Cigars 102 M

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102 M_1

About a month back we hosted our Straight Up & Toasted event, which featured Giacomo’s Cigars and this review will focus on the brand’s 102 M line. Giacomo’s, established in 2010 is based out of Tampa Bay, Florida and their cigars have found their way into many of the shops in the Tampa, Bradenton, and Sarasota, Florida areas. Giacomo’s uses a five-country blend in all their lines and is supplied and by the Oliva Tobacco company and rolled at the Llaneza factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Blend Specifics

Vitola: 6.5’ x 60 Box-pressed Perfecto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro

Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Honduras

102 M_2

Appearance and Construction: The Giacomo’s 102 M has a semi-dark chocolate wrapper with a slight reddish tint. A very even and satin feel, with a slight tooth but is generally oilier to the touch, with an oily sheen. Very minimal veins, an even give and sponginess, this cigar has an exceptional construction and features a double cap and two presentation bands. The foot also shows an even and dense pack.

Smoke and Flavor Characteristics:

Cold Aromas: On the wrapper is a faint chocolate with a drier mineral undertone, and a faint cedar. Off the foot, much more chocolate and a hint of creamy coffee, and a slight white pepper. Refreshing and sweet! The cold draw opens to a fresh tobacco, a light and dry mineral, and the faintest hint of chocolate. 102 M_3

First Third: The first pulls open to a slightly salty chocolate, a heavy mineral grit base and can also be felt in the back of the mouth and a decent amount of tobacco notes. The draw is open and effortless, with just the right amount of tension. A dark wood is also found in the aroma with a hint of leather to complement. Burn line isn’t razor sharp but is close and fairly even. Also to note, from the start there isn’t any presence of spice or pepper in the mouth or the nose. The body is medium to medium to full, flavor is building to medium to full and strength is medium with a decent amount of smoke output. Ash is a gray to dark gray with nice looking rings. The finish started off short and crisp but has since developed into a much longer and tongue coating kind of finish. The oils are definitely present on the tongue and lips. The dark wood is also developing into a deeper note with bitter pungent leather adding to the gritty mineral base. The ash fell off as one chunk at 1 inch. The finish is still quite clean even though it does last longer.

102 M_4

Second Third: As the second third draws on, the wood, leather, and mineral mix still hold the base and profile, with the flavors intensifying to a deeper presence. There is also the introduction of a hint of licorice. Burn line is still close to even, the ash is looking good, and the aroma is still pleasant wood and leather. The body is now at medium to full, flavor at medium to full and strength at medium to medium to full. The first band is quite easy to remove even though it is applied with the glob of glue. As the second third develops, the flavors stay pretty consistent but are fairly complex on the palate so consistency at this point is welcomed. Even with a tapered head this cigar smoke fairly cool, which is nice.

102 M_5

Final Third: As the final third begins, it picks up from second third, flavor wise, with another introduction. This time it’s a hint of clove and a bit of white pepper coming in on the retrohale. Removing the second band was done with little effort, just like the first. The finish also starts to leave a little tingle on the tongue, not really a pepper tingle but could also be attributed to the clove or white pepper. The profile tops out with the body at medium to full, the flavor at medium to full and the strength at medium to medium to full. The flavors hold true throughout with a base of dark wood, leather and mineral along the lines of rocky grit, and also a fairly dry smoke. The aroma holds up with a nice leather and wood mix. 102 M_6

Final Thoughts

My first impressions with the Giacomo’s 102 M through the cold aromas and cold draws were that this would be a fairly sweet, almost dessert like smoke but working my way through, it proved to be quite the opposite, much more pungent, drier, and bitter woodiness. Which was a nice surprise and totally caught me off guard. This cigar has an exceptional feel to it, both in the mouth and in the hand. I would classify this as a semi-complex cigar, totally not one-dimensional but the complexity that is there tends to stick to a certain range of being on the drier and bitter side. Though these notes add up to a very pleasant experience and range from a deep rocky mineral as the overall base with the addition of a dark heavy wood and a musky leather. Throughout there are hints that also come into play but don’t really ever stay long and they are licorice, clove, and white pepper. There is also a bitter dark chocolate that can be found in hints throughout the session. A good anytime of day smoke but best savored as a before dinner cigar.

Smoking time was 1 hour and 45 minutes

Grade: A

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Cigar Review: Montecristo Relentless

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Montecristo Relentless_1

The Montecristo Relentless, joining a long line of Montecristo brand extensions, is manufactured at the Tabacalera de Garcia in La Romana, Dominican Republic by Altadis S.A., a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco Group. The Relentless is specially made for Famous Smoke in Pennsylvania. The cigar for this review came from Famous Smoke.

Blend Specifics

Cigar: Montecristo Relentless

Vitola: Toro 6” x 54

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Mexican San Andres

Filler: Nicaraguan and Brazilian Mata Fina

Montecristo Relentless_2

Appearance and Construction: The Montecristo Relentless has a very light coffee with milk complexion, very minimal veins, tight, almost invisible seams, a slight oil sheen, and a very smooth silky feel. Evenly dense feel throughout with a nice spongy give. A good-looking triple cap and overall presentation looks great.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

Cold Aromas: Off the wrapper is a hefty cedar and dry wood. The foot shows cedar, caramel and hay, with a hint of hazelnut to cashew note. Dry yet, sweet. The cold draw presents hay, a slight buttery nuttiness, cedar, and a salty taste left behind on the lips. The draw is very open and airy with just a touch of tension.

Montecristo Relentless_3

First Third: The first notes are dry and bitter hay with a touch of bitter coffee bean, with a transition into cedar and a dry woody finish. The draw is very open and airy, providing plumes of creamy smoke right off the bat, though the smoke has a bit of grit to it. Burn line looks phenomenal from the start, and the aroma is a salt and cedar mix. Ash is a salt and pepper grey and has a nice formation. There’s also a slight touch of cinnamon on the draw but doesn’t last long at all. Settling in, the smoke does start to develop a creamy buttery feel and that feeling also last through on the tongue and in the nose until the next draw, which starts to develop a cashew and almond note. From the looks, this may be a fast burner, but we’ll see how things progress. The butter and hay hold the main stage while the cedar has dropped a bit.

Montecristo Relentless_4

The profile is medium in body, medium in flavor, and medium in strength. While the flavor is weighed at medium, I find this cigar to be quite flavorful and semi-complex. There is also a slight grass and vegetable note that lingers for a bit but doesn’t come that far into the fold. The ash holds very nicely, and pretty well, even at 1.5 inches. Starting the transition from the first third to the second, the caramel that was found on the foot is starting to become more present in the smoke. It is not heavy but noticeable, and provides a nice smooth creamy texture, slightly syrupy, to the already smooth and creamy smoke. There is also a touch of white pepper that also comes up on the finish, and leaves a little tingle on the tongue. The finish is clean but not short-lived.

Montecristo Relentless_5

Second Third: The ash is still holding strong, and usually I would have tapped it off by this point but I’ll do the cigar justice let it see how far it wants to go before falling off on its own. Flavors are holding steady with the hay, caramel, butter, cedar, and touch of white pepper mix. Aroma is hay, cedar, and a touch of saltiness; that saltiness can also be found in a minimal amount on the finish in the nose as well. Burn line still looks really good and performance is phenomenal. Smoke production is still airy, clean, thick and plumy. The ash fell off on its own at 2 inches as one solid chunk. The smoke is extremely cool. The profile is still holding at medium in body, medium in flavor, and medium in strength. Removing the bands is fairly ok, the smaller top band comes off easily and the larger black band comes off fairly easy as well, but it did pull a little bit of the wrapper. Though, this was minor and shouldn’t affect the performance. The caramel has dropped a bit, leaving more of a dry hay and slight cedar profile. The white pepper has also been completely dropped.

Montecristo Relentless_6

Final Third: The butter is transitioning into a fuller nuttiness and taking on the characteristics of almond. The hay is still the main note but dropping a bit as the almond becomes a greater competing factor. The cedar is still sticking around as well. The smoke is still creamy, thick and plumy. The aroma is still wonderfully cedar and salt. This cigar ends at medium in body, medium in flavor, and medium in strength for a very consistent smoke.

Montecristo Relentless_7

Final Thoughts

While not a very complex or heavy cigar, there’s a decent amount of flavor and roundedness to be found in the Montecristo Relentless. The profile stays consistent throughout the session as a medium, through and through. This cigar is filled with great billows of smoke, aided with its open and loose draw with just the right amount of tension, providing greater control to the smoker. As stated earlier, this cigar is surprisingly flavorful and something I’ve always enjoyed about cigars that utilize an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. They tend to provide much more flavor and durability than U.S. Connecticut Shade wrappers. The blend here delivers a concoction of hay, caramel, cedar, touches of grass, salt and white pepper notes and a roundedness of buttery almond. An enjoyable any time of day smoke, though preferable for the morning and early afternoon before breakfast or brunch.

The burn stays consistent and doesn’t stray at any point, and can also be put down for a minute or so without fear of going out. While it does come off as a fast burner, this is mostly an illusion as the cigar definitely last a good smoking time, which satisfies the appetite but also doesn’t last too long.

Similar cigars are the Gurkha Park Avenue.

Smoking time was 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Grade: A

Update: you can read a list of our top three favorite cigars from Montecristo cigars here.

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