Casa Fernandez Miami Reserva

The Casa Fernandez brand is one of Aganorsa's Leafs and has been producing decent smokes for many years now. For example, this cigar, The Casa Fernandez Miami Reserva, was named one of Cigar Affcianado's top cigars in 2011.  The Miami Reserva is a assembled in Miami but is made of Nicaraguan long filler tabacco that is wrapped by a Media Tiempo leaf. This line of cigars is offered in three sizes: 5.2x50 Robusto, 6X54 Toro, and a 6x60 Gordo. Pricing for the line is fairly consistent across the various vitolas at just a bit less than $10 USD per stick.

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Length: 6"

Ring Gauge: 54

Size: Toro

The Smoke: I smoked this one around mid day on a Saturday. I have been looking forward to these smokes since I bought a 5 pack around 3 months ago. The construction of the cigar was good. There was little movement to the cigar when it was squeezed. I removed the cap using my Palio straight cutter and when doing so a small part of the wrapper leaf tore. I had to remove the hanging chad, otherwise it would have been bothersome to me during the smoke.

The cold draw was excellent. It brings with it some light grass and earthiness to the palate. Lighting the cigar adds some pepper that later subsides and allows a light cedar note to come forward. As the smoke progresses into the middle of the cigar, notes of coffee begin while the cedar transitions to become more oak like. In the final third, light sweetness enters in the form of graham cracker; the coffee note remains during this point too. 

The construction of the cigar is good too. The burn rate is more or less even and the construction of the cigar is retained during the life of the 1:15 smoke for the Toro sized vitola. The draw remains excellent from beginning to end as well.

The Casa Fernandez Miami Reserva is a medium strength smoke and the cigar provides plenty of complex flavor while not overwhelming the senses. Looking at the value, I think this is well worth the sub $10 USD price of admission. It has a very Habano like flavor complexity and is a good value.

The Score: Buy a 5 pack

Rocky Patel Winter Collection (2020)

Once upon a time, Rocky Patel had a seasonal release cigar line that covered all four seasons of the year. That "time" was 2008. The first Winter Collection release in 2008 was a collaboration with AJ Fernandez. The Winter Collection line was released a second time in 2012 as a limited edition. This current Winter Collection was released in July 2020 and can be easily found at most retail outlets that carry Rocky Patel Cigars. 

The current line can be found in traditionally accurate sizes such as a Corona, Robusto, Toro, and Gordo. The Corona is the cheapest option and will cost around $8 USD and the Gordo being the most expensive at around $12 USD. Much like the last Rocky Patel cigar I review (The World Smoking Championship), this cigar features a San Andreas wrapper that is stuffed with tabacco from Honduras and Nicaragua. 

Wrapper: Mexico

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua

Length: 5 1/2"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: The cigar feels well made when held in my hand. There is some firmness to it when it is squeezed. The San Andreas wrapper is a dark chocolate hue and feels very oily. The wrapper has a velvety texture too. The cap came off with the help of Xikar Xi2 Cutter. Pre-light draw is good and has a solid black pepper flavor note. Once lit, the black pepper continues and has some leather and earth that compliment. Like the World Championship line, this cigar is fairly one dimensional in the flavor department. The three dominate notes of pepper, earth, and leather are about the only three I get during the life of the smoke.

The burn rate of the cigar is even, and the draw remains excellent from beginning to end. The ash is tightly packed, and the cigar creates an ample amount of smoke. The body and profile of this cigar is medium strength and the 5 1/2" Robusto created an hour-long smoke session. The Rocky Patel Winter Collection (2020) is another solid, if not mundane, Rocky Patel offering.

The Score: Buy a Single

Rocky Patel Smoking World Championship

 

Coming soon to ESPN 8 "The Ocho" is the Cigar World Smoking Championship! No, really. This is a thing. The Cigar World Smoking Championship (CWSC) has been around for 10 years and is a worldwide competition for "slow smoking" of cigars. The slower a competitor smokes their cigar, the better. Time penalties are, then, added for such faux pas as breaking ash or burning the band. The winner of the competition is the person who smokes the longest without the cigar burning out unintentionally or the ash reaching the band. The 2019 winner smoked a 5 1/8" 42 ring gauge cigar in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 8 seconds. Sounds like it is just this side of watching grass grow or water freezing. And what fantastic prizes are in line for The World Champion, you ask?

PRIZES OF GRAND FINAL

• Rocky Patel Farm & Factory Tour
• Rocky Patel Special World Champion Humidor
• Rocky Patel Travel Humidor
• Rocky Patel Burn Lighter
• Rocky Patel V-Cutter
• ST Dupont Golden World Champion Lighter – one in the World, 24k Gold, hand made
• 24-hour all-inclusive mega-yacht experience for the World Champion and 10 guests – 180 ft Seagull yacht, private chief, cigars, champagne, water fun, cruising.
• Cuervo y Sobrinos World Champion watch
• Writing Instrument
• Boveda Humidor and Humidification Pack
• A unique bottle of spirits
• Les Fines Lames Golden Cigar Knife – only one made with gold for the World Champion
• World Champion Ring

I mean, the 24 hours of the yacht sounds cool, I guess. But otherwise, count me out Cotton.

Let me take that back for a second. Look at how they deliver the winner the trophy! Okay, count me in.

The 2020 competition was the first year that Rocky Patel was the official cigar. Rocky provides a Nicaraguan assembled cigar that features tabacco from Honduras and Nicaragua and is wrapped by a Mexican San Andreas wrapper.  These Rocky Patel cigars should not be too difficult to source and should only set you back around $9 or $10 USD per smoke depending on which of the 3 available vitolas you select.

Wrapper: Mexico

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua

Length: 5"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: I smoked the Robusto sized cigar on my drive to work the other morning. It was paired with a plain old cup of Joe. I used my Palio straight cutter to remove the head. The San Andreas wrapper is oily with some toothiness. The wrapper is a burnt sienna brown hue. 

The dry draw is a bit tight. It features a large amount of cedar on the palate. After lighting the cigar, the smoke is a bit harsh. The draw remains tight for the first half inch of the smoke before it begins to open to a more acceptable standard. Once open, the draw remains good for the remainder of the session. Flavor for the cigar is fairly one dimensional. The notes are leather, cedar, nuts, and some light earth. The notes are good but lack complexity during the life of the cigar. 

The construction of the cigar is okay. The burn rate is slightly uneven during the first 1/3 but it straightens out after that and never becomes an issue. Overall, the cigar is decent. Pretty one dimensional and probably not quite worth the price of entry. If you are wondering, I blazed through the 5" cigar in about hour. Far from World Champion status. Damn, I am no where near getting yacht time.

The Score: Buy a 5 pack.

Ashton Symmetry

 

One of the things that drive me nuts is the lack of attention paid to some brands. Ashton is one of those... Ashton cigars are made in the Dominican at the Tabacalera A. Fuente (yes... that Fuente) with the Symmetry blended by Carlos "Carlito" Fuente Jr himself. This blend was first put together in 2014 and was named one of Cigar Aficionados Top 25 cigars in 2015 (number 8 to be exact).

The tabacco for this smoke comes from the Dominican and Nicaragua and is wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habana leaf. This was the first Ashton cigar to feature any tabacco from Nicaragua. These cigars are not hard to find, which I find endearing. Most B&Ms carry Ashton and this cigar is one of their main cigar lines. You can find the Symmetry in five vitolas: Robusto, Belicoso, Corona, Toro, and Churchill from smallest to largest. These vitolas are more or less the traditional size for each. The other nice thing about this line is the price point. Regardless of vitola, these smokes should cost around $11 to $13 USD per cigar. 

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: The Dominican Republic

Filler: The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua

Length: 5"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: I smoked two of the robusto sized vitolas to form my opinion on this review. Both samples had a nice mild chocolate hued wrapper that felt oily to the touch. The cigars felt well-constructed in my hand and both had a slight give when squeezed. They never felt overly hard and never too spongy... pretty much exactly what you would want to see in this regard. The cold draw was good once the cap was removed via a straight cutter.

The smoke was abundant and light on the palate. The flavor of the cigar featured cream and nougat up front that is complimented by notes of leather and cedar in the background. Some coffee and earth undulate in and out. The flavor also leans slightly sweet with the body of the smoke somewhere between mild and medium strength.

The burn rate was even, or should I say even enough. It ran slightly askew on one of the cigars but in no way did it become an issue. No re-lights or corrective burns were required. The cigar also retained its construction during the life of the smoke too and the draw was consistently good.

This cigar was very enjoyable. The flavor was good and made for a great mid-day cigar. Some smokers may find the body and flavor profile to be too light to their liking but that is the trait I enjoyed the most. The flavor and body were light, but the complexity was ample, and I did not feel like I had to have my face melted off to appreciate the nuances of the smoke. This cigar is just ol' reliable.

The Score: Buy a 5 Pack

Camacho Ecuador Robusto

I have had the Camacho Ecuador a few times over the last few years but have never had a chance to review it since I started this blog in 2020.  As I was researching this smoke, I was shocked to find that it is not an Ecuadorian puro as the only item sourced from Ecuador is the dark and oily Habano leaf wrapper. Bare with me a second: this cigar is manufactured in Honduras with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Brazilian binder, and filler tabacco from The Dominican and Honduras..... and this qualifies to be called "Ecuador?" 

Whatever, I'mma just be over here mad for Ecuador.  The size and thickness of the Robusto is at least the traditional 5"x50. The Robusto vitola can be purchased with a tubo, if desired, as well. The Camacho Ecuador can also be found in Toro, Churchill, Gordo, and Figurado vitolas with each of them also being, more or less, traditional lengths and ring gauges. 

Price wise, these cigars do not fall in to my "daily smoker" category because they retail for around $8 USD per stick. You may be able to squeeze that down a bit using auction sites and waiting for sales as these are very common smokes. 

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Brazil

Filler: The Dominican Republic and Honduras

Length: 5"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: I paired this smoke with an Old Fashioned. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper leaf provides a nice milk chocolate hue. It is oily and has some toothiness to it that gives it a bit of a velvet like texture.  It has a huge teal/aqua/turquoise band that provides a nice contrast to the wrapper leaf's color. 

I used my Xikar V2 cutter to take a wedge out of the head. The cold draw was good and felt open despite the smaller cut. The cold draw had some wood and earth. Toasting and lighting the cigar came with ease. The light cigar had cedar and earth as well but also added some pepper. The cigar is slightly sweet. This cigar and its flavor profile changed very little and provided consistent flavor from beginning to end. 

One thing I felt was an issue was the construction. The burn rate of the cigar was uneven and required multiple corrective burns. Towards the end, the wrapper leaf began to unwind too. It took an hour and ten minutes to work through the robusto, which I did smoke down to a nub. 

Overall, the cigar was decent. The consistent flavor made the cigar fell less than complex and more like a one trick pony. The flavor it did have was pronounced and enjoyable. The construction could have been better. For $8 USD I would not buy this cigar again but for $5 or less I would consider it. 

The Score: Buy a Single

Bespoke Super Belicoso

Bespoke is a relatively new brand (2014) but is founded by a heavy weight in the Cigar industry (Jeremy Casdagli) and manufactured at Kelner Boutique Factory (KBF) which is owned by former Davidoff master blender Hendrik Kelner Jr. To say the Bespoke Brand has a deep lineage would be an understatement. 

The Bespoke Super Belicoso features a Brazilian Cubra wrapper that keeps a Dominican Criollo binder and Nicaraguan fillers bound. The cigar is assembled in the Dominican at the aforementioned KBF. It is only offered in the 5/7" x 60 Figuardo and retails for around $18 USD per stick.

Wrapper: Brazil

Binder: The Dominican Republic

Filler: Nicaragua

Length: 5 3/4"

Ring Gauge: 60

Size: Figurado

The Smoke: This cigar is well constructed. The wrapper leaf provides a nice Colorado hued brown; it also covers the foot of the cigar to provide more protection against damage. The cap is well rounded and well formed. I used my Palio straight cutter to slice the cigar's head. The cold draw was poor but that is to be expected with the wrapper still covering the foot. Toasting and lighting the smoke solved this problem. The initial notes from the smoke are caramel, cream, nuts, and cedar. Chocolate and espresso join quickly. The cigar is slightly sweet too. The smoke is light but abundant. As the smoke ages the flavor notes mold to chocolate, cinnamon, and bread. The slight sweetness remains. 

This cigar is a slow burner. The 5.7" smoke took almost two hours to work through. The burn-line was straight as an arrow and required no corrective burns. The construction and draw were impeccable during the life of the smoke. I would peg the Bespoke Super Belicoso as a mild to medium strength cigar. 

This cigar was perfect for a mid-afternoon break on the back porch. This cigar has complex flavor notes along with mild sweetness that runs from beginning to end. I think $17 USD per cigar is at the upper echelon for what I would consider purchasing but this one is worth every penny. I put this one into my collection of nub worth smokes.

The Score: Buy Box of 20

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