Moore & Bode American Fire Review

2 0 4.1k

Moore-Bode-American-Fire-2

Today, we continue our investigation of cigars from Moore & Bode, a small boutique company out of Florida that has produced some stellar smokes. Adelante, for example, scored a rare 93 rating. Candela scored a 91.

The American Fire is the next in our lineup. It’s a cigar which uses fire cured tobacco, a tobacco process popularized (though not created) by Drew Estate with the Kentucky Fire Cured. In an email with Robert Bode about American Fire, he expanded on its place in the Moore & Bode portfolio saying,

“The rational for the ‘American Fire’ branding is deliberate and twofold.  As part of our ‘FireWorks’ segment it showcases Dark Fired tobaccos, namely the U S. product.  Secondly, for us, it encompasses countless emotions and thoughts.”

The Moore & Bode website expands:

American Fire ® showcases U.S. Shade Grown and Dark Fired leaf tobacco as the focal point of this cigar blend’s unique sensory experience. Moore & Bode American Fire ® reintroduces to the Premium Handmade Cigars category a venture into this specialized segment of leaf production and tradition in Kentucky and Tennessee tobacco farming.

Now that the backstory is out of the way, let’s light up.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Moore & Bode American Fire
  • Wrapper: USA Connecticut Shade
  • Binder: USA Dark Fired
  • Filler: European / Caribbean
  • Size: 5 x 46

Moore-Bode-American-Fire

Appearance & Construction

The cigar features an outer wrapper that has quite a bit of sandy texture and a few very noticeable markings and imperfections. The band on the foot is a nice touch, but the quality of the paper and the print could be improved. The logo for instance is blurry to the naked eye and there’s really no reason for that.

Off of the foot, there’s some sweet grass, hickory, barn yard, an herbal note and touches of finely ground black pepper. The draw carries touches of lingering spice, plain bread and dry wood. The draw is perfect.

Moore-Bode-American-Fire-closeup

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The American Fire opens with plumes of lush, cool, flavorful smoke. In the mouth, the smoke is creamy, light, but very flavorful. There’s a nice balance between sweet cream, bitter hickory, and pepper. The retrohale is dominated by dry cedar and barbecue smoke.

An inch in, the white, layered ash is holding and the burn is remarkably straight. Body of the smoke is mild, and flavor strength clocks in at medium. At times, the bitterness of the hickory gets a bit too aggressive, with a quick purge bringing it back in balance.

Burning into the second third, the flavors shift, favoring fresh cut grass, cream, and a spice on the tip of the tongue which slowly fades after each puff. On the nose is hickory, toasted oak, white pepper and a variety of herbal notes. The burn stays straight and smoke production is ideal.

Damn. It’s really good.

The final third ramps the flavor up a bit past medium, with a nice smoked meat flavor coming to the fore along with some heavy black pepper. Otherwise it’s essentially unchanged until the end, which I’m happy with because the smoking experience is phenomenal.

Conclusion

Moore & Bode proves again that the company is capable of producing cigars at the highest level of quality. It’s actually difficult to emphasize enough just how different this cigar is from anything else I’ve smoked before.

What I like most about this cigar is its balance and harmony of flavors. It brings together a number of different flavors and textures masterfully to create a profile that smokes like a barbecue dinner. Construction and smoke production are effortless.

Easily box worthy.

Pair with Middleton to balance the pepper and hickory with sweet honey notes of Irish whiskey.

Final Score: 92

Joya Silver Robusto Review

3 2 6.8k

Joya de Nicaragua Silver Robusto Review

Joya de Nicaragua is on a bit of a tear this year with new releases. The company released a new size of the Antaño Gran Reserva, Clasico, Cinco Decadas, and Joya Silver. The Cinco Decadas Diadema received an enviable score of 93 from us for it’s stellar complexity, balance, and flavor.

The Joya Silver is one of the company’s less expensive releases, with prices ranging from $6.30 – $7.80 per cigar depending on size. The company describes the cigar on the website saying:

The national release of Joya Silver is a shining representation in the Joya family of our continuous quest for a truly unforgettable, yet quotidian, smoke. Silver is a box pressed cigar that delivers a dynamic complexity of fresh spice, chocolate and cherry notes. Its oscuro upper-priming wrapper showcases the perfect complement between the richness of the Nicaraguan fillers and the refined sweetness of the Ecuador grown wrapper and Mexican binder. The result is a medium to full body smoke that achieves an indulging matching of flavors.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Joya de Nicaragua Silver / Joya Silver
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Oscuro
  • Binder: Mexican
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: box pressed 5 x 50 robusto

Appearance & Construction

The box-pressed Joya Silver features a dark brown Oscuro wrapper with minimal veins and just a bit of toothiness. When squeezed, it is clear that it is packed firmly and consistently the length of the cigar.

Off of the foot, the aroma is strong and intensely woody. Quite a complex smell actually, with something resembling wet mulch and almonds layered in the background. Testing the draw, it’s perfect, with 7/10 restrictiveness. On the cold draw, I get a lot of finely ground black pepper and lingering spice on the tongue, along with some leather and natural tobacco notes.

Joya de Nicaragua Silver Robusto Review 2

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

First of all, it’s clear after lighting that Joya Silver has excellent smoke production. The cigar kicks off with plumes of lush, medium to full strength smoke. The flavor profile is is dark, with dominant leather, ground black pepper, and oak. Beneath that core profile are some sweeter supporting notes, with some dark cherry and slightly creamy espresso. Every couple of puffs I also pick up something that reminds me of wine that’s just about to turn a touch vineagery.

At an inch in, strength and body settle at a notch above medium. The salt and pepper burn is flawless, and the cigar maintains great smoke production. As the cigar burns into the second third, the flavor profile begins shifting rapidly, some puffs featuring notes of bitter chocolate and leather, other puffs favoring notes of milk chocolate, cream, nuttiness, and dark fruits. Initially, the alternation between flavors is enjoyable, but after a while I find myself wanting a bit more steadiness to the experience. The retrohale is smooth but flavorful, with light black pepper and charcoal.

At halfway, the body and strength both jump to medium plus. Black pepper becomes a much more dominant feature of the smoke, with cocoa, peanuts and dry wood as supporting characters. Quite nice.

In the final third, the Joya Silver ramps way up to full strength. The smoke, though still smooth, is much heavier and more flavorful. Sweet and bitter achieve an better balance, with loads of black pepper, fresh espresso, cedar, toasted bread, and cocoa.

Conclusion

I enjoyed Joya Silver. For a cigar priced in the $6 – $7 range, it’s a great value. Still, the cigar had a lot of trouble settling on a flavor profile. Extremely complex cigars have a lot of change throughout the smoke, but the changes are measured and deliberate. In the case of Joya Silver, the flavors change so quickly that the smoke experience often feels disjointed.

Regardless, Joya Silver is a cigar to pick up, especially if you are a fan of full-bodied smokes and enjoy richer, darker profiles.

Final Score: 88

John Drew Rye Review

6 0 4.5k

John Drew Rye Review

John Drew Rye is the second John Drew Brands spirit reviewed on Fine Tobacco NYC. We recently reviewed the Brixton Mash Destroyer, a rum/bourbon blend which is a damn nice dram, if a bit eccentric.

The John Drew Rye isn’t quite as ambitious an undertaking as the Mash Destroyer. It’s aged four years in “Specially Toasted” oak barrels. Not sure what “Specially Toasted” means in this context, but it reminds me of the brilliantly vague marketing strategy for Lucky Strike in Mad Men S1 E1: “Lucky Strike. It’s toasted.”

In any case, I’ll say up front that John Drew Brands provided this bottle for review. Hats off to you guys, we appreciate it.

John Drew Rye Review

Product Specifics

  • Whiskey Reviewed: John Drew Rye
  • Distiller: unknown
  • Whiskey type: Canadian Rye
  • Age: 4 years
  • ABV: 45%

Strange factoid. The John Drew Brands website states of John Drew Rye:

John Drew Collection “Rye Whiskey” was distilled in Alberta, Canada, then aged in Oak Barrels for 4 years before being shipped to Florida and held for Jonathan Drew for an additional three years…

I’ll be honest, the one thing that is a bit unsettling about this description is the note about the whiskey being “held for Jonathan Drew for an additional three years.” What the hell does that mean? From a marketing standpoint, it certainly sounds like a way of implying 3 additional years of age. Why even note that the whiskey is “held” anywhere if it isn’t actually being aged? I don’t have an answer to that question, but it is marketing language that should probably be abandoned (and I’ll note that it isn’t included on the bottle itself).

John Drew Rye Review Glass

Appearance

As with any John Drew product, the branding is absolutely spot on. I don’t know anyone who gets presentation right the way JD does on every product he makes. The textured paper label features bold copper-toned lettering and it’s absolutely a bottle that will stand out on any shelf.

In the glass, the John Drew Rye is a warm, golden color.

Nose

Taking a whiff off of the rim of the glass, I’m surprised and overwhelmed by vanilla. There are some standard rye spice notes, along with some butter, oak, and a faint plastic smell, but everything is overwhelmed by sweet, sweet vanilla.

If you like vanilla, you’ll enjoy the smell of this whiskey. It’s just a bummer that vanilla dominates the show to the degree that it does.

Palate

As I take another sip, the vanilla once again takes front and center for most of the experience on the tongue. As other reviewers have noted, the mouthfeel is nice, but the whiskey itself lacks complexity.

Finish

The finish is decently long, with a bit of spice and some lingering peanut notes. It’s not a particularly clean finish, lingering with a yeasty note for a bit too long.

Conclusion

As you might have guessed, I’m a bit disappointed that there isn’t more going on with John Drew Rye. Vanilla dominates almost every aspect of the experience. If you’re going for a flavored/infused whiskey, that’s one thing. But if you’re selling a premium aged rye whiskey, then it simply has to be better (more complexity, more flavor, more clarity). Especially priced at ~$50.

John Drew Rye thus receives a score of 78. It has some nice qualities (mainly texture), but falls flat because of its overly sweet character.

Final Score: 78

Casta Mago Review

7 0 3.8k

Casta Mago Review

Casta Cigars is a brand hailing from York, Pennsylvania. Unlike most cigar brands, Casta has a dedicated retail location that features Casta products and accessories. The claim to fame for Casta is their tobaccos which are aged an incredibly long time. The Casta Brazilian maduro, for example, features a 15 year old Brazilian maduro wrapper, which as you’ll read below lends a lightness to the smoke which is commendable.

The Casta Cigars website describes the cigar saying:

10 year Mata Norte Brazilian maduro wrapper & filler from Cuban seed. Indonesian binder. Boasts an earthy aromatic taste and always hand-rolled using the tubular technique used at Cohiba in Cuba, providing a satisfying and smooth finish.

Note: though the website says the tobacco is aged 10 years, I’ve been assured by the company that the wrapper is in fact aged 15 years. Hopefully at some point in the future, they’ll update their website to the correct age.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Casta Mago
  • Wrapper: 15 year Brazilian maduro
  • Binder: Indonesian
  • Filler: Cuban seed Brazilian
  • Size: 5 3/4 x 50

Casta Mago Review 2

Appearance & Construction

The Casta Brazilian Mago comes wrapped in a dark, evergreen-tree bark colored wrapper. There’s a layer of oil which is felt just handling the cigar in my hand. Veins are minimal, and as I squeeze the cigar down its length, it is clear that it is packed fairly tightly and consistently.

From a brand standpoint, the band certainly stands out. It features light blue and orange swirls serving as the background to the logo placed firmly in the middle.

After cutting using a straight cutter, the draw seems good, though just a bit tight, probably an 8/10 in terms of restrictiveness. The cold draw is mellow and releases notes of light earth, oak, coffee beans, and touches of raisin. The aroma off the foot is more centered on dry wood, with some additional black pepper and paper.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Casta Brazilian Mago opens mild with average smoke production. The profile is initially dominated by a bitter espresso note that is accompanied by earth and mild spices. After about a quarter inch, a clear chocolate note balances out the bitterness, with raisin and wood coming in as supporting characters.

Overall, I’m struck by the lightness of the smoke, especially when the profile is full of notes typically associated with heavier cigars. The retrohale, for instance, is totally mellow, contrasting with the bitter espresso on the palate. This I’d guess is the direct result of the extra aging of the tobacco.

An inch in, the ash (which is pleasingly almost completely white) is still holding strong and the burn is just about perfect. A touch of white pepper has entered the retrohale but even then is ephemeral. The palate is interesting, balanced between white pepper, bitter espresso, and dry wood, but a paper flavor enters which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience. On the nose, there are some additional flavors, including a nice chocolate paired with floral.

The first ash drops right as the ember hits the second third mark. The profile in the second third contains most of the same flavors but in different proportions. The bitter espresso is still dominant, which at this point is out of balance, dominating the sweeter flavors. Earth, cocoa, light black pepper and some dry leather strips. The aroma of the smoke continues to be my favorite quality of the cigar, primarily because it’s there that the balance is struck well between the bitter and sweet notes. Construction in the second third remains basically flawless.

In the final third, strength edges up to medium, and the wood notes shine through, adding nice complexity and improving the balance of flavors somewhat. The nose continues to be very enjoyable, especially as the intensity grows.

Conclusion

The age of the tobaccos that comprise the Casta Brazilian Mago are very much on display throughout the smoke, primarily in the form of mellowness in the aroma. My favorite aspect of the smoking experience with the Brazilian Mago is the aroma of the smoke, which is light, slightly creamy, and contains more nuance than the palate.

Unfortunately, after smoking a few of these cigars, the balance between sweet and bitter notes isn’t often struck. For most of the cigar, bitter espresso dominates on the palate, elbowing out some of the subtler notes that, if stronger, could really make this a great cigar.

To learn more about Casta Cigars, stop by their website or read our interview with Jon Kindig, Co-Founder of Casta Cigars.

Final Score: 85

Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas Diadema Review

5 3 7.0k

Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas 2

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas celebrates the 50th anniversary of Joya de Nicaragua cigars, the first cigar producer in Nicaragua. Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, the company’s owner and chairman, described the cigar in the following way:

“This cigar is intended to celebrate a special moment in our company’s history and offer an opportunity to pause, reflect, give thanks – and look to the future. It is our most memorable milestone yet and the most memorable of celebrations always require that you rise to the occasion. That’s what Cinco Decadas represents. We want consumers to know that in Cinco Decadas, they will find a cigar so premium that the fact that there’s one in the humidor, will be enough to celebrate.”

That last line strikes me as a bit gutsy, and of course is why we’re here reviewing the cigar today. It’s also fascinating that this cigar doesn’t have blend information released, though all tobaccos would logically hail from Nicaragua.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas Diadema
  • Wrapper: Undisclosed
  • Binder: Undisclosed
  • Filler: Undisclosed
  • Size: 5 x 54 Diadema

Joya-de-Nicaragua-Cinco-Decadas-Perfecto-review-closeup

Appearance & Constructions

The Cinco Décadas is presented with a flawless dark brown wrapper. Minimal veins and a light oily sheen. The band hangs together nicely as well. It is quite ornate, with gold, red, and cream as the dominant colors and a large “50 ANIVERSARIO” designation on the back.

After using a straight cut, I test the draw which is about a 7/10 in terms of restrictiveness. The cold draw is a mix of oak, fallen leaves, granola, earth and raisins. The foot smells similarly, though with more wood influence.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

As I light the cigar using a soft flame, it’s immediately apparent that producing smoke on this cigar could be challenging. I have to puff four or five times to produce even an average amount of smoke. I’m hoping this is mainly the result of the tapering, because it’s very frustrating.

When I am able to experience the smoke, it is dark and rich, with a backbone of charred oak, charcoal, leather, and bitter espresso. The aroma is another story, with sweet cream, cocoa and wood. The retrohale is very smooth and understated, mostly channeling the charcoal from the palate. Strength and body wise, it isn’t far above mild, which is surprising given the size and darkness of the wrapper.

Half an inch in, the draw opens up and smoke production ramps up (thank God!).

And what a difference it makes. The bitterness tones way down, becoming much more balanced with sweeter notes of cinnamon, cream, cocoa and raisins. On the retrohale, the charcoal is joined by light baking spices and fresh bread. Overall, the smoke remains light and elegant, with constantly improving smoke production.

In the second third, the balance of flavors really hits its stride, with strength and body both at medium. Each puff enters sweet and creamy, with tangy and bitter notes adding depth and finesse that keeps the cigar interesting. There’s a lot going on: sweet cream and cocoa on entry, followed immediately by wood, baking spices and leather on the tip of the tongue and bitter espresso and charcoal on the retrohale. Construction never wavers, with the burn remaining straight and the ash holding for an inch and a half on average. I can’t imagine a smoker who wouldn’t appreciate the experience that the Cinco Décadas has provided up to this point.

As the cigar burns into the final third, strength increases to above medium, and the profile becomes more potent. The balance of flavors with each puff, sometimes favoring bitter, other times sweet, and still others spicy. It’s a hell of an experience.

The final inch of the cigar moves into full strength territory, dominated by wood, dark chocolate, charcoal and baking spices. A marvelous finish.

Conclusion

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas presents a flavor profile that no JdN fan could miss: dark oak and charcoal, creamy cocoa, leather, and light spiciness. What Cinco Décadas achieves is to take the JdN flavor profile that we know and love and elevate it into the realm of art. I know that is high praise, but it is true, particularly given the cigar’s sheer complexity and balance.

Still, the Cinco Décadas is not without flaws, struggling initially to produce adequate smoke–a flaw I’ve encountered more frequently with Joya de Nicaragua cigars in 2018 than I’d like to admit.

Overall, construction issues can’t stop the Cinco Décadas from achieving an enviable score, and one that all but guarantees it a spot on our Top 10 of 2018 list.

Final Score: 93

«‹ 98 99 100 101›»