CAO Nicaragua Review

11 1 8.1k

CAO Nicaragua Grenada Review

Up for review today is the CAO Nicaragua, a cigar released at IPCPR 2018 that is an extension to CAO’s WORLD series that includes popular cigars like CAO Brazilia, America, and more. I don’t smoke a lot of CAO these days, but the CAO Italia was one of the first cigars to wow me, and one of my first ever reviews over eight years ago.

One interesting thing to note about the Nicaragua is that—strangely—the tobaccos don’t all hail from that country. Both the wrapper and binder are from Honduras, with the filler tobaccos from three regions of Nicaragua.

Let’s see how the CAO Nicaragua stacks up.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: CAO Nicaragua
  • Producer: CAO Cigars / General Cigar Co
  • Wrapper: Honduras
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Esteli, Jalapa)
  • Size: 6″ x 50 (Granada)

CAO Nicaragua Grenada Review Closeup

Appearance and Construction

The CAO Nicaragua is presented in traditional CAO fashion. Lots of strong colors on the band like sky blue, gold and red. The band is nice but a bit much for me (I prefer bands with a bit less of a cartoony feel).

The outer wrapper leaf is a moderately dark wooden brown, with some noticeable veins and a shiny oily sheen. The cigar is packed tightly but has a decent amount of give when squeezed.

After using a straight cut, the draw reveals itself to be fairly restrictive, about a 7/10 in terms of restrictiveness. There’s a very faint spice on the cold draw along with raisins and some chocolate. Off the foot, I pick up notes of pepper and dried wood.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The CAO Nicaragua opens nicely and with a good amount of complexity. The smoke sits just below medium in terms of strength and carries with it a bouquet of rich flavors. Strong espresso up front, followed by chocolate, leather, roasted peanuts, with a slight white pepper note on the retrohale. The texture of the smoke is very smooth and rich. Smoke production is excellent.

About 20 minutes in, the straight white ash is holding strong and the burn is straight. Not much changes until a few minutes in to the second third, where the body increases to medium. Flavor wise, chocolate and spice are still dominant, though there are now some additional buttery touches that add an enjoyable creamy character to the smoke.

The final third is interesting. The flavors condense and the strength ramps up, with the smoke producing extremely rich notes of espresso and cocoa powder with cream on the finish. It’s a great way to close the cigar, and I smoke it down to the final inch.

Conclusion

I’m a fan of the CAO Nicaragua. It puts forth an enjoyable bouquet of flavors and has enough progression and complexity to keep things interesting. If you’re a sucker for cigars that feature notes of cocoa, espresso, and leather, this is a good place to start. And if you’re a CAO fan, this isn’t a cigar to miss.

Final Score : 90

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Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Review

6 0 5.3k

Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Review

In the second half of the year, a lot of the new 2018 releases finally start becoming available for purchase online, which means over the next couple of months we’ll be reviewing a steadily increasing number of 2018 cigars. This will help us get a lay-of-the-land, and hopefully put together a Top 10 list at the end of the year that’s a fair assessment of the industry.

All that said, today we’re reviewing a new release from General Cigar Co., the Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez. Ramon Allones is a name that seems like it carried a lot of weight a couple of decades ago when the industry was still largely dominated by all of the old Cuban brands and their Dominican derivatives. But the name faded into obscurity. General Cigar Co, who bought the rights to the brand long ago, is attempting to resurrect the brand by leveraging the star power of AJ Fernandez, a master blender who has worked for countless brands over the last three years.

I’m always skeptical of reboots. Let’s see how this goes.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez
  • Producer: General Cigar Co.
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 1/2″ x 50

Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Review Closeup

Appearance & Construction

The Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez is presented in regal fashion, with a bold and intricate double-band featuring predominant colors of gold and red with accents of deep blue. It’s a really attractive brand, and I hope the quality of the cigar lives up to it. You can really see the Fernandez factor on the brand as well. General Cigar is clearly trying to leverage Fernandez’s brand–his first and last name are listed twice. Once on the primary band and again in larger letters on the secondary band.

The cigar itself is a beauty as well. The outer habano oscuro wrapper is impeccable, with very few veins and a dark, dusty brown look. The cigar is packed quite tightly and with no soft spots. After using a straight cut on the cigar, the draw reveals itself to be fairly restrictive, probably a 7/10 in terms of restrictiveness. The pre-light draw doesn’t reveal much more than some chocolate and earth. A whiff off of the foot has about as much character, with aromas of dry wood, dust, and coffee.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Wow, lots of flavor as this cigar kicks off. Smoke production is fantastic as well, seemingly unaffected by the slightly tighter than average draw. Lots going on: the smoke coats the whole palate with rich, dark flavors. First and foremost is leather and dark chocolate, followed by some oak. The aroma is a fascinating counterbalance, with a touch of vanilla and orange peel. After the first five minutes, the strength settles down from medium to full to a solid medium. Texture-wise, the smoke is smooth and slightly creamy. The influence of AJ Fernandez on this blend is obvious.

The white ash holds all the way up to the start of the second third, and the burn remains almost completely straight.

As the cigar burns into the second third, strength inches just above medium, and the overall flavor profile and the retrohale becomes quite sweet. On the tongue, a dark cherry note emerges, alongside heavy wood. The cream on the finish does a great job of balancing out the upfront strength. Construction remains impeccable and the smoke doesn’t heat up at all.

In the final third, flavor and body remain at a touch above medium. The flavor profile as well stays mostly the same, but the sweetness shifts near the end of the cigar to become bitter (and a bit overly so). Still, a strong performance in the final moments of the cigar.

Conclusion

General Cigar Co made a good decision in entrusting the reboot of the Ramon Allones brand to AJ Fernandez. This cigar puts forth a number of great flavors that are characteristic of habano oscuro wrappers. More impressively, the flavors remain balanced as they develop throughout the smoke. Probably my favorite part of this cigar is the interchange of flavors and aromas evident on the palate, the retrohale, and in the smoke itself.

Time will tell of course whether or not this brand can be expanded successfully enough to really stick around and become a staple among cigar smokers. If they keep Fernandez on, I’m optimistic.

Final Score: 91

Yame Eight Goddesses 10 Year Whisky Review

10 0 10.6k

Yame Eight Goddesses 10 Year Whisky Review

I’m a creature of habit. Every time I’m walking down Madison Avenue on my way to a business meeting, I’ll stop by Park Ave Liquors to take a quick look at what the new offerings are. As it so happened, when I stopped by yesterday there was a tasting going on of a Japanese whisky I had never heard of called Yame. I’m pretty skeptical about purchasing full bottles of whisky I’ve never heard of, but after having a tiny tasting pour, I was pretty much sold. Or more accurately, the bottle in front of me became sold (to me). I paid $60 for this bottle, with full retail price being $65.

In any case, the gentleman doing the tasting mentioned that this whisky is actually not for sale in Japan and is only available in the US, with about 800 cases released each year. The whisky is a blend of whiskies that have been aged in American Oak from 10 – 13 years, and it definitely shows on the palate and the aroma. It is the sole whisky in the Kitaya Distillery portfolio.

Here’s a bit more info from the Yame website:

Yame – Eight Goddesses – is a Japanese Whisky blended from whiskies matured in oak for 10-13 years inspired by the mythical Yametsu Hime said to protect the scenic mountainous beauty of the Yame Region, home of the famed Kitaya distillery.

Product Specifics

  • Whisky Reviewed: Yame Eight Goddesses 10 Year Whisky
  • Distiller: Kitaya Distillery
  • Region: Kyushu
  • Mashbill: 100% malted barley
  • ABV: 42% (84 proof)
  • Age: blend of whiskies aged 10 – 13 years in American Oak

Yame Eight Goddesses 10 Year Whisky Closeup

Appearance

The packaging that Yame 10 year comes in is underwhelming to say the least. I like the reflective logo / YAME in the middle of the label, but the font choice for the white lettering is a real detraction. It also doesn’t help that the label is plastic (along with the twist off cork), giving the bottle a cheap feel. What’s most notable though about this whisky is just how dark it is. It’s a deep gold color that borders on amber, clearly very influenced by the lengthy amount of time spent in oak.

Nose

The nose is where things start to get interesting. The nose is awesome. Extremely bright and sweet, with very little ethanol. Aromas wafting off of the glass include heavy vanilla (that’s the oak), ripe fruits, honey, caramel, and a slight maltiness. Judging just by the nose, one might almost be led to wonder if they’re really about to taste a light bourbon.

Palate

The whisky activates the salivary glands as soon as it hits my tongue, mainly because of its dominant sweetness. The sweetness is similar to rock candy, with accompanying citrus, a touch of caramel, and a strange herb note that I can’t quite place. Not extremely complex, but incredibly enjoyable.

Finish

Fairly short, and the only aspect of this whisky that has even a twinge of disappointment in it. Just some lingering sweetness, spice and a touch of heat.

Conclusion

Most of our reviews here on Fine Tobacco NYC start with a photo of a full bottle of whatever spirit we’re reviewing. In this case, the full story is that at my business meeting, I made the mistake of cracking this bottle open. Over the proceeding two hours, the gentleman involved and yours truly drank about 75% of the bottle. But, as you can guess, that’s because this whisky is really just wonderful.

At $60, it is in decently competitive territory. But I’d take Yame 10 Year over many $60 bottles of whisky, and perhaps even over some more expensive whiskies.

If you see this bottle, buy it. You won’t regret it.

Final Score: 90

Macanudo Inspirado Red Toro Review

7 0 5.0k

Macanudo Inspirado Red Toro Review

Continuing our reviews of cigars released in 2018, today I’ll be reviewing the Macanudo Inspirado Red toro.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Macanudo. Most of their older, more standard blends are (in my opinion) bland and uninteresting. But it can’t be denied that under the leadership of General Cigar Co., Macanudo has made some big strides in recent years, especially after releasing the Macanudo Inspirado Black, White, and Orange.

The Inspirado Red is the most recent addition to the line and leverages an interesting array of tobaccos (more on that below). So let’s get to the review.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Macanudo Inspirado Red
  • Producer: General Cigar Company
  • Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
  • Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
  • Filler: Honduran (Jamastran), Nicaraguan (Esteli, Ometepe)
  • Size: 6 x 50 Toro

Appearance and Construction

After spending a bit more time with this cigar, I’ve decided that I really like the band. At first it looks like a straightforward red and silver band, but on closer inspection the secondary geometrical design elements are actually very cool. The outer wrapper leaf is a marbled brown color with two noticeable veins.

The cigar seems packed fairly well, though there is a significant softness when squeezed about halfway down the cigar, which I hope won’t cause tunneling or other burn issues. Off the foot, I pick up lots of red and black pepper as well as some earth and leather.  The draw is just right, about a 6/10 in terms of restrictiveness.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The Inspirado Red kicks off in a surprising way, and thankfully with great smoke production. The cigar is very bold on the palate, coming in aggressively with lots of strong spice, pepper, a bit of blackberry and chocolatey sweetness on the palate. On the nose, however, the smoke is rather gentle and nuanced, with classic macanudo aromas of floral, dried grass, and touches of white pepper. As other reviewers have noted, the retrohale is decently aggressive and heavy on red pepper. Overall, I’d put the cigar at medium to full flavor, medium body.

An inch in, a nice caramel note sneaks into the aroma. The burn is mostly even and the ash is still holding solidly. Then, as the cigar burns into the second third, the strength actually decreases slightly, which is welcome since the first third was at times a bit much. There’s little change to the flavors, with cocoa, coffee, and oak in the fore and a slight grassiness in the aroma. The burn is almost perfect, just some slight waviness. Smoke production stays excellent.

The final third is where some problems arise. The soft spot in the filler tobacco that I noticed before lighting loosens the draw considerably, and the flavor becomes dominated by red and white pepper with very little sweetness to balance it out. Thankfully, that only lasts a few minutes, and sweet cream and blackberry notes come back in to round the profile out.

Near the last inch, the smoke has turned very hot, providing a good opportunity to set the cigar down.

Conclusion

At roughly $7 a cigar, the Macanudo Inspirado Red is a stellar value.  I like how the cigar presents a new take on the classic Macanudo profile while still retaining the best of the traditional Macanudo vibe.

As a side note, this cigar pairs remarkably well with Sherry-finished single malts. I’ve paired this cigar with Aberlour 16 Year with great results.

Final Score: 89

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Guardian of the Farm JJ Review

5 0 4.2k

Guardian of the Farm Review

Brand owner Kyle Gellis owner of Warped Cigars collaborated with Max Fernandez of Casa Fernandez to create The Guardian of the Farm. The cigar pays homage to their dogs who live on the farm and “secure” its perimeters. Much more than just a fun attachment to their pets, the Guardian of the Farm is a well crafted cigar with serious flavor. This Nicaraguan puro once again demonstrates why the country continues to deliver some of the best smokes out there.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: The Guardian of the Farm
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 5 1/4 x 50 (JJ)

Appearance and Construction

The Guardian of The Farm band is simple in it’s labeling, with “Guardian of the Farm” and a basic picture of a bulldog in the center. The understated band is a refreshing change from many of the flashier bands out there. The cigar is firm to the touch with just the right amount of heft and full of tobacco. There are some veins to this slightly light shaded wrapper which doesn’t detract from the apparent quality.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

Upon first lighting the Guardian you are hit with a lot of spice that’s more Indian spice than pepper. The distinct taste of cardamom gives that citrus and spice character to start. The spice tapers off rather quickly to reveal leathery and savory notes.  The mouthfeel intertwines cedar and toast that coats the palate. The changes in this cigar from its onset are moving rather quickly.

The second half of the Guardian becomes rather silky on the palate with creamy and buttery notes. The spice soon returns along with earth and a swath of fresh tobacco. The flavors become really pronounced at this point with earth dominating along some salinity. The finish is of almond and wood.

The final third is where spice and leather return with a bit of drying on the palate. The toast picks up as well as a touch of minerality. Increased citrus along with leather keep this cigar interesting at its end. Cardamon returns with a coating of cedar that rounds out the final profile. The finish delivers much of the how this cigar began.

Conclusion

While the Guardian of the Farm does not deliver the most complexity I’ve experienced, the taste profile is quite satisfying. From spice to leather and earth, the style of this cigar hit the spot for me. I have enjoyed a lot of what Warped has put out and this smoke is an addition to the portfolio that differentiates rather than homogenizes itself into the other lines. I recommend this farm style cigar as another example of the various choices Warped offers its consumers.

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