The Blanco Nine is, from what I can tell, the most highly acclaimed cigar from Blanco Cigar Co. I’ve had the Blanco Nine Lancero many times and I have to say it lives up to the hype. It has phenomenal flavor, great balance, and is really a joy to smoke. I recently picked up a few robustos for review to see if they could stand up to the lancero vitola. So here we go…
Blend Specifics:
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Corojo Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Ligeros
Flavor and Smoke Characteristics
Off the foot on the prelight draw I smell nuts, hay, dark chocolate, and leather. When I light up the cigar, I’m greeted by a very full bodied smoke that carries with it dark chocolate, white pepper, and hints of leather. About a quarter of an inch in, the body comes down a notch, but before long it’s back up again. This is a real powerhouse cigar in terms of body and flavor – be sure you have a glass of water or a whiskey/rum on hand.
The second third is a continuation of the profile in the first, with a bit more white pepper and some black pepper thrown in the mix as well. In the final third, the body of the cigar draws down a notch revealing more dark chocolate notes along with the heavy pepper.
Conclusion
I enjoyed this cigar, but I have to say I am still partial to the Blanco Nine lancero vitola. As much as I liked this cigar, the body was a bit much for me and I would have enjoyed to have a bit more diversity of the flavor profile. If you are going to try the Blanco Nine, I recommend starting with the lancero. If you’ve already had and enjoyed the lancero, this is still a cigar to try, especially if you are a fan of bolder profiles and textures.
La Pluma Cigars is rolled out of Nicaragua and blended by Jonathan Maccia of former O.K. Cigars that was based in Soho, New York. The Principia is one of three regular production lines from La Pluma and the company recently celebrated their first year anniversary on June 2nd. Jonathan Maccia provided samples for this review of the Principia.
Cigar: La Pluma Cigars Principia
Blend Specifics:
Vitola: Soft Box-pressed Robusto 5”x50
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance and Construction: The La Pluma Principia has a dark chocolate wrapper with a very slight reddish tint. Very minimal veins and very smooth, satin texture. Dense, even packing and a dense even sponginess. Construction looks good and is topped off with a double cap.
Smoke and Flavor Characteristics:
Cold Aromas: The wrapper gives off leather and chocolate and slight wood. The foot shows leather, a spicy-sweetness like the cinnamon flavored candies “Red Hots” and a touch of caramel. The cold draw is perfect on the tension; the notes are leather, wood and tobacco.
First Third: Right off, lots of leather set atop a thick creamy backdrop. Not much spice detected, though the cream is almost milk thick and has a milk-like flavor. So far, it’s leather, through and through with a slight caramel sweetness. The smoke is thick and the aroma is also leather dominant. The burn line isn’t razor sharp but isn’t far off the mark, either. The ash is a salt and pepper gray with a nice ring formations. The ash fell off as one solid chunk at 1”. The body is medium to full, the flavor is full, and the strength is medium to full. The retrohale shows a hint of dry wood, as well.
Second Third: Leather dominates well into the second. There’s also a cookie sweetness on the retrohale now, as well. Still very creamy and thick, the finish is long lasting and a bit of white pepper comes into the fold but it’s very soft and adds a bit of diversity to the mouth feel. The wood is starting to take more hold on the palate, as well as cinnamon spice and black pepper slowly building as the burn carries on. Very subtle in the roll-in, which makes for nice dynamics. The body is full, the flavor is full and the strength is medium to full. Still extremely smooth on the draw, even with the ramping up of pepper and spice notes.
Final Third: Removing the band is fairly easy. The pepper is sitting will in the back of the mouth and lasting through the finish. Working its way through the third, the smoke is still rich, creamy and thick, lots of cream still on the profile as well. Leather still dominates the palate and a fairly cool smoke toward the end, still. The profile is holding at full in body, full in flavor, medium to full to full in strength, but moving up to full in strength.
Final Thoughts: The La Pluma Principia is surprisingly complex, even if it has one main note that defines most of this cigar; there are many subtle and hidden notes that lay underneath. Lots of nuance and great interplay between these notes. Consistent burn and smoke production, and steady and subtle progressions make for an extremely interesting smoke. As the cigar progresses, I find many similarities between this and the Puro Authentico produced by Man O’ War, in terms of that firecracker characteristic. This cigar has a medium to small format but packs lots of flavor and body and can be quite fooling to the eye. The main notes are leather and a milky cream that dominate the core with minor notes of white to black pepper, cinnamon spice, wood, caramel and cookie sweetness. Another thing I found interesting but didn’t include it in any of the sections because it wasn’t like a note that stood out, but rather a mood-inducing sort of thing, is this cigar also has an herbal / floral / perfume-y kind of characteristic to it that I find pleasant and amusing. The profile stands at full body, full flavor and medium to full to full strength.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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”. 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. 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.
