Randolph Beers

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Cigar Review: Padilla Cava

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Padilla Cava_1

The Padilla Cava, which translates in Spanish to “it digs” or “digging,” is blended by Ernesto Padilla at the Oliva factory in Nicaragua. This is Padilla’s first foray into large ring-gauge cigars, as he has usually favored to blend in smaller vitolas in the past. The sample for this review came to us by way of Famous Smoke in Pennsylvania.

Blend Specifics:

Cigar: Padilla Cava

Vitola: 8” x 60

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Ecuadorian Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance and Construction: This massive 8” x 60 cigar has a slightly darker than milk chocolate wrapper, a large foot band with an embossed Padilla lion’s head on the front and a poem written by Padilla’s father on the backside. Slightly veiny, which stand out with a lighter color than the rest of the wrapper, but they are small and smooth enough to not distract from the cigar’s appearance. Very smooth texture; slightly oily with a satin feel, a nicely applied triple cap, and an evenly bunched look on the foot. Not dense, but not really loose looking, either. This sample appears to have a crack underneath the foot band, and we’ll see how things get on during the session.

Padilla Cava_2

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics:

Cold Aromas: On the wrapper, a slight cocoa and coffee bean but not much else. The foot shows a nice amount of baking spice, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon, a dry plaster mineral note, and sweet tobacco. The cold draw is very sweet, loads of chocolate, a very airy draw, and not much else, but the chocolate stands out very nicely, very dessert like.

Padilla Cava_3

First Third: The Cava starts with a very airy draw, almost feels like one isn’t even puffing at all but produces a decent amount of cool smoke early on. A little white pepper on the front with a bitter dark chocolate in the middle and back to white pepper on the finish and retrohale. The most noticeable and dominant note is a faint sweet tobacco, with a very tiny touch of nutmeg. Overall, the finish is the most dominant characteristic of this cigar, so far, with a cinnamon tingle lasting long on the back of the tongue and white pepper in the nose. The aroma is chocolate and cedar, and is quite pleasant. Burn isn’t really even but manageable. The side with the crack seems to lag a bit but looks like it’ll catch up on its own. Producing a very cool smoke, contrasting with the tingle of the cinnamon. Ash formation is a light grey to almost white, slightly flaky looking but seems to hold nicely. Profile so far is medium in body, medium to medium to full in flavor and medium to full in strength. Spice wash dominates! Wrapper is starting to crack more but smoke and performance are maintaining. Burn line is also becoming uneven but I’ll hold to touch it up to see if it changes on its own. The cigar definitely needed to be touched up and with doing so; I also knocked off the ash at 1.5 inches. Knocking the ash off is very flaky and breaks off in several pieces. Flavors are holding steady with not much change in the progression. The cigar is very airy with the profile on the sweeter side on the draw and spicy on the finish. The spice starts to drop back a bit and leaves more room for the sweet tobacco and slight chocolate note that shows up here and there.

Padilla Cava_4

Second Third: The flavor comes up a bit, mainly with the dark chocolate note with now a dry mineral note, as well. The spice has fallen way back but is still present at times. The burn overall is evening itself out. There’s also a very metallic note that also comes into play. Smoke production is becoming greater but flavor is still is still very much lacking. The profile is holding consistently with minor changes and is at medium in body, medium to medium to full in flavor, and now medium in strength.

Padilla Cava_5

Final Third: The start of the final third is still holding through from the second third with no change since that point. The band comes off easily and is held together with self-adhesive glue. The metallic note is now a more dominant characteristic with the aroma still being cedar and chocolate. The chocolate on the draw has come down and is now faintly on the finish. About halfway into the final third the sweet tobacco is met with nutmeg, in not so much of the spice but the flavor of nutmeg. The smoke is still extremely cool and is becoming a bit more creamy and thicker. The cigar finishes at a solid medium in body, medium in flavor, and medium in strength.

Padilla Cava_6

Final Thoughts

To note, this cigar has great construction and is blended very well, the burn is consistent throughout and I’m sure the uneven burn early on was due to the crack, once passed that point the burn line stayed pretty even. Smoke production is nice, as it gets creamier, even if only by a little as the cigar progresses. The smoke was generally smooth with a tiny bit of grit that could be felt on the tongue. Flavor wise, when it did show some, was pleasant and enjoyable but totally lacked overall in flavor and enough of it to keep one concentrated on the cigar. The blend tended to be fairly bland with primarily a sweet tobacco flavor mingled with a metallic note. Not a bad cigar by any measure of the meaning, and performed quite well, just no flavor to it. When it did show flavor, notes were characterized by a bitter dark chocolate and nutmeg, which I found as a nice combination and complemented each other quite well. The cigar burns very cool, but for a three-hour smoke, I found myself asking for more. The room aroma is very pleasant and actually shows more flavor (of chocolate and cedar) than the cigar itself. A blend that shows potential, maybe in a smaller vitola. The cigar is also a slow burner, which in addition to its massive size comes to about an hour a third.

Smoking time was 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Grade: B

Purchase the Padilla Cava Here

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Cigar Review: SoHo Cigars El Jeffe

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SoHo El Jeffe_1

Blend Specifics

Vitola: 6” x 52 Box-pressed Torpedo (advertised as a Toro)

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

SoHo El Jeffe_2

Appearance and Construction

The El Jeffe has a dark brown wrapper with a slight reddish tint and darker spots throughout. The wrapper has a smooth satin feel, invisible seams and a variety of veins the run the length of the leaf. Some very small, some medium sized, but nothing too large or thick. There’s a pinch on the leaf from the pressing process but other than that, a very nicely constructed cigar with an added double cap on the torpedo-shaped head. There’s an even sponginess and the foot shows an even and dense bunching.

Cold Aromas: On the wrapper there is a light cayenne pepper with a bit of earth, which is also on the very light side. Woodiness starts to come up as well. On the foot there is a mix of cayenne and black pepper, cocoa, sweet tobacco, a touch of coffee bean and a slight oak. The cold draw opens to a nice even tension, with a sweet wood and tobacco, a little white pepper but nothing heavy, and a hint of espresso is left behind on the lips.

*Note: I am removing the band early because it is too loose and will keep sliding around for the duration of this review. The band is a thin paper and is loose enough to slide right off the cigar. Will still be shown through the progression photos of this review.

SoHo El Jeffe_3

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

First Third: A nice even draw and the first notes are a blast of red pepper followed with an oak core, a little cedar and salt. The smoke is dry on the palate but is very smooth and has a smooth mouth feel. Not gritty at all, but more velvet like. The burn line is near razor sharp but not quite there, though it does have a nice look to it. Ash is light grey with slightly darker rings and is very tight. This cigar has a nice and easy draw, which is something I keep noticing when I take them, with just the right amount of tight tension and the ability to produce a good amount of smoke. The smoke also pours off the foot quite freely between draws. As the first third progresses, notes of cedar come up a bit with espresso coming into the fold. The oak gets a bit deeper, and the pepper is still present but has dropped back a little. Though it does leave a bit of a spice tingle on the roof of the mouth and tongue. There’s also a creeping in of licorice on the draw that last through to the early part of the finish. The ash is holding well and the burn is staying even and consistent. The aroma is also very pleasant, with a mix of leather and oak, a bit on the strong side but not overwhelming. The profile toward the end of the first third is medium to full in body, medium to full in flavor, and medium to full in strength. The ash fell off as one solid chuck at 1.5 inches.

SoHo El Jeffe_4

Second Third: Starting the second third the flavors are holding steady, with the espresso coming up a bit, the pepper still dropping back and the same with the licorice. Leather is now making itself present on the retrohale, with a bit of char on the draw and the smooth oak still holding the core. The salt is way down and the mouth feel is still very smooth but dry. The cigar is holding an even burn line and there’s a sweet note that comes in on the finish. The second third is medium to full in body, medium to medium to full in flavor, and medium to full in strength. At this point things are staying pretty consistent with not much change. Also to note, this cigar burns fairly cool, which is always a plus. Progressing through, as the flavor in general starts dialing back, a chocolate comes in and mixes nicely with the sweet tobacco and espresso notes. The oak is still the core but as stated, the flavor on the whole is coming down. The cigar is becoming very mellow, an easy going smoke with creamy plumes.

SoHo El Jeffe_5

Final Third: Into the final third things are staying pretty consistent with not much change from the second third. There was a moment of a tarty cherry coming at the transition point but quickly faded. Overall, the flavor is moving down and the profile is medium to full in body, solid medium in flavor and medium to medium to full in strength. Through the second and final thirds, the finish has been clean and short and the characterizing notes are a light oak, espresso, with hints of chocolate and sweet tobacco and a touch of char lasting through. The strength does pick up a bit more at the very end but not much else than that.

SoHo El Jeffe_6

Final Thoughts

I don’t know why, but I’m generally leery about house blends. Maybe due to the anonymity to their production, tobaccos used, or even their blending process. The SoHo Cigar El Jeffe is contrary to that belief, as throughout the session one can taste the quality of tobacco used is of a generally good selection. Though the first third starts off very flavorful, that soon changes in the second and final thirds, opting for a more power-based profile rather than a flavor focused one. The cigar stays consistent in burn, smoke and ash production throughout, and the aroma stays pleasant as well. The main notes encountered are an oak core with notes of leather, espresso, chocolate here and there, a good amount of spice early on and licorice. There was a brief moment of cherry and wished that stuck around longer. In all, a decent cigar, and an exceptional house blend.

Similar cigars would be Tatuaje’s core lines, characterized with a big kick in the front and very mellow from then on.

Smoking time was 2 hours.

Grade: B

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Cigar Review: La Hoja Edicion Clasica 1962

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La Hoja Edicion Clasica_1

This cigar was featured at our last Straight Up & Toasted cigar and whiskey tasting event. The Clasica is a new release from La Hoja Cigars, one of New York’s most up-and-coming brands known for it’s dedication to quality, construction, complexity, balance, and flavor.

Blend Specifics

Vitola:Toro 5.5” x 56 soft box-pressed

Wrapper:Ecuadorian Corojo

Binder: Dominican

Filler:Dominican

La Hoja Edicion Clasica_2

Appearance and Construction

The Edicion Clasica has a dark chocolate wrapper with minimal smallish veins, a very slight oily sheen, and a very smooth dry satin texture. The seams are visible but the wrapper is noticeably wrapped well around the cigar and still shows good construction. A nicely applied double cap, and comes packaged with a foot band. The cigar also has an even sponginess throughout and the foot shows an even dense bunching.

Cold Aromas: On the wrapper, there is cedar, a touch of earth and not much else. On the foot, there is cinnamon, a touch of white pepper, a hint of chocolate, and overall on the sweeter side. The cold draw is salt, cedar, a bit of earth and musk, which makes present the good amount of fermentation and aging this tobacco has gone through. Also to note, the wrapper tobacco leaves a salty taste on the lips from the head of the cigar. The draw is an even to slightly loose tension, which is great.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

First Third: The first notes give way to a very soft white pepper, salt, a touch of cedar, and a bit ofmusk. A nice cream with a bit of a gritty earth on the finish rounds out the initial draws. From the start of the cigar the mouth-feel and retrohale of the smoke are exceptionally smooth. The aroma is characterized of cedar, dark chocolate, earth, and leather notes. Staring off with a close to razor shape burn, the ash is tight but fragile looking (flaky, but not) and is a pale gray with slightly darker, very thin ring lines. The smoke is medium to full in body, medium to full in strength, and medium to full in flavor. Progressing through the first third, the earth, cedar, musk, cream and leather take hold as the main notes, with minor notes of salt, dark chocolate and a slight soapy floral. The smoke is still very smooth, with a clean crisp finish in the mouth, while leather and salt last through on the finish in the nose. The smoke is overall very dry feeling, and cool with no spices to be found. Only a touch of white pepper comes through here and there. Toward the end of the first third, a touch of bitter cinnamon start to also last on the finish.

la Hoja Edicion Clasica_4

Second Third: Transitioning from the first to second third, a little spice comes up, but only last for a moment and primarily on the tongue. Notes are still characterized of earth, leather, musk, even though it has come down a bit, cedar, chocolate, salt, and a slight floral. The ash fell off on its own as one solid chunk at 1.5”. The cigar starts to lose its razor sharp burn and seems to do so when the wrapper leaf is overlapping another part of the wrapper leaf with concentration at the seam. Though, the cigar is still performing well and flavors aren’t being lost due to the burn. It may need a minor touch up here and there. The chocolate comes up a little, with now entering a slight espresso note to complement, while the salt has moved down a bit. The earth, leather and cream are still holding strong. The aroma is also still of leather and salt notes. The smoke is medium to full in body, medium to full in strength, and now moving up to full in flavor. The smoke stays fairly cool as the cigar progresses through the second third. This cigar also gives off nice creamy plumes of smoke.

La Hoja Edicion Clasica_6

Final Third: Starting into the final third, I did have to give the cigar a minor touch up. The flavors are still holding with the cedar and leather taking the fore, with the earth moving down just a little. The espresso has come up a bit with the chocolate; the salt is still moving down but sticking around. The band is a self-adhesive and comes off cleanly. The musk is making more of presence in the aroma and the profile is still holding at medium to full in body, medium to full in strength, and the flavor moving back down to medium to full. The cream is also lasting through the finish, while the smoke in the mouth is getting slightly grittier and the retrohale being very smooth. As the cigar gets down to the nub, the chocolate and espresso both begin to last on the finish, and the smoke stays fairly cool. The leather, earth, cream, musk, and cedar still hold their notes quite strongly to the end.

Final Thoughts

This cigar screams class, from its top-notch construction, to its choice selection of rare filler, binder and wrapper tobaccos, its complex earthy profile and extremely smooth smoke production. All these characteristics make up an exceptional cigar and a one-of-kind experience. Though, I did have to touch it up a couple times throughout the session, each time was only a minor case. The cigar, its construction and flavors held strong and never strayed away from its intentions of providing a fine experience. The complexity lasts through the duration of the smoke, with its major notes being leather, earth, musk, cedar, and cream and minor notes of salt (though, the salt is a major and minor note, depending on where in the session one is experiencing this note), dark chocolate, and very slight hints of espresso, floral notes, and white pepper.

Grade: A

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Cigar Review: Cesar Cigars Habano

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This is the first cigar review by avid New York City cigar reviewer and friend of Fine Tobacco NYC, Randolph Beers. Welcome Randolph!  Cesar Cigars is a recent Fine Tobacco NYC event sponsor, so I’m very happy to see a community member contributing a review on such a relevant cigar. Now I’ll pitch it back to Randolph:

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The Cesar Cigars Habano is a cigar new to the northeast market out of the Dominican Republic via Doral, Florida. Let’s jump in to the review.

Blend Specifics

Cigar: Cesar Cigars Habano
Vitola: Torpedo 6” x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Dominican and U.S.

Appearance and Construction

This cigar has a milk chocolate complexion or can also be classified as a medium to light coffee with cream. Very even coloring throughout. The construction is very good, with only noticeably small veins, a tight, almost invisible seam, a slight even sponginess but very densely packed. The wrapper has a nice velvety, slightly oily touch that is smooth and with minimal tooth grain.

Pre-light Aromas

The wrapper is grassy and hay with dry cedar. The foot gives off a bit of cocoa, on the sweet side but not like milk, a red / cayenne pepper spice that lingers in the nose for a while, with hints of cinnamon. The cold draw gives off more cedar, grass and cocoa.

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First Third

Starting the cigar off, the burn is slightly uneven but is most likely due to my lighting and is not indicative of the cigar. The cigar evened itself out pretty quickly and did not require any touch-ups. The first third sees notes of dry cedar, touches of cocoa, and notes of cashew with the finish being a medium white pepper lingering on the back of the tongue. As the first third progresses, grassiness and salt come into the fold with notes of an oatmeal kind of bread. The cigar itself is medium to full in flavor, medium strength and medium to full body smoke. Smoke pours freely off the foot and burns to a light grey to white ash, which is slightly flaky but holds on fairly well. The initial ash was 2” before I decided to tap it off and fell as one solid chunk.

Second Third

In the second third, I begin to notice how nice of a tobacco aroma this cigar gives off to the room, very classical and traditional. The saltiness and cashew nuttiness come to the front and the spice falls to the far back. The cigar is very mellow and smooth at this point, the smoke is thick and creamy. Bread moves to the front more as well a presence of earthiness that complements the grass notes. Reaching the halfway point, a good tobacco core makes itself more known and as the cigar warms the nuttiness comes up. Salt moving back and the finish is a nice clean cocoa with the cashew nuttiness.

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Final Third

The band comes off nice and easy and is a self-adhesive. Transitioning from the second to final third, an herby sort of spice enters, along the lines of oregano or thyme. Adding to the grassy notes that are still apparent. Also coming back into the fold is a white pepper that lingers with a buttery nuttiness. Also, a decent amount of saltiness comes from draw that lasts through to the finish. The cigar finishes off a solid medium in strength, medium body, and medium to full in flavor but closer to the medium side. Toward the end, the cigar also leaves a peppery tingle on the lips and loses some of its smoothness, as the smoke gets warm.

Final Thoughts

This cigar carries thick plumes of rich, flavorful, chewy smoke. Though not overly complex, there’s more than enough to keep one interested. No one flavor becomes dominant or overpowering but rather the flavors have a great interplay with one another. Every few draws switches around the profile from grassy, to salty to cashew nuttiness, cedar, touches of dry cocoa, bready with touches of white and red peppers. A clean, anytime of day smoke and rather refreshing in it’s finish. The finish never lingers too long but doesn’t die short, either. The cigar burns evenly and smooth and stays lit very well to be sipped on leisurely.

Similar cigars would be Puros Rocha Toro Especial, Hispaniola El Trabuco 1844, Vegas de Santiago D8, and Jose Blanco Senorial

Smoking time was 2 hours and 10 minutes but I’m generally a slow smoker.

Grade: B+/A-

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