Kip Fisher - Co-Founder, Author at Half Ashed

Cigar Review: JC Newman Brick House Maduro robusto

September 6, 2013 By Kip Fisher

JC Newman Brick House Maduro robusto

Rummaging through the samples I brought back from IPCPR 2013, I came across the JC Newman Brick House Maduro, in robusto (5″X54). Previously only available in 6″X60, this new offering piqued my interest. I tried the Mighty Mighty Maduro last year, but can’t say that I had revisited the line because I’m not typically a fan of the larger ring cigars. While the flavors in that stick were enjoyable enough, I’m just not especially comfortable smoking the size. I do, however, enjoy the standard Brick House line – especially in the robusto format. I am also a maduro fan, and nearing fanboy status with Aripiraca wrapper leaf. I was eager to put fire to today’s featured cigar after noting in the press release that it carries a Brazilian Aripiraca wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder/filler blend. Much of my experience with JC Newman is with their Fuente-made Diamond Crown lines, and Perla del Mar from their San Rafael factory in Nicaragua, with the addition of the standard Brick House robusto – which, along with the Brick House maduro, is also produced at their Nicaraguan factory.

Prelight

The Brazilian wrapper on the Brick House Maduro is a very deep, dark brown color with but a slight oily sheen. The samples I received were moderately veined, with only one prominent vein visible for much of the length of the cigar. The pack is very even, although I did note it was a bit spongy near the foot. Once clipped, the cold draw is deliberate but well within normal range, and provides a slightly sweet oat or undefined grain flavor profile. Before first light, it has a sharp leather and pepper aroma at the foot, and a similar but more faint aroma along the wrapper. The cursory sniff at the foot actually drew a sneeze from me with its spice.

The Smoke

With the initial firing, the Brick House maduro starts out with a solid zing, mostly felt across the soft palate. Strangely, this peppery zing does not translate 100% through retrohale. The pepper is still there, but a bit more subdued. Behind this early spice lie flavors that are in line with – although different from – the noted oat/grain flavor on the cold draw. There is some sweetness, but it is NOT the light, baking spice or citrus you might imagine. It’s dark and chewy – almost leathery.

By the middle portion of the Brick House maduro, it has really developed into the woodsy character I often get with Aripiraca wrapper leaf. As we’ve discussed on Half Ashed a number of times, I appreciate this much more than my co-host Craig. He’s not much of a fan….while I have identified it as a pattern in my enjoyment of a number of cigars and actively seek it out. I’ll take a moment here to mention that the burn and construction on this cigar has been dead-on in all respects. This is something that I too often overlook or take for granted, but feel strongly that it’s the very foundation of a good cigar. Tobacco selection, care, and blender’s skill are certainly key….but if a cigar is poorly assembled it’s all for naught. It’s an exceedingly rare occurrence to find a construction flaw in a JC Newman product – in both their Fuente-made products and San Rafael rolled lines. The Brick House Maduros I’ve had are no exception. Both have been expertly crafted.

Coming into the final stretch, much of the earlier spice has receded and been replaced almost entirely with a mildly sweet woodsy family of flavors. Drawing from my years in wood furniture factories, it reminds me of Ash (fitting, right?) that has been machined a little too slowly – becoming heated by the tooling, but not quite burned. Ash has some inherently oaken characteristics, but is mild in aroma – hence my use of it for the illustration. I don’t want to overstate the woodsy tone of the cigar. Overall, it’s quite pleasant. The strength peaked during the middle portion of the cigar for me, although it was neither overtly strong nor mild at any point in the cigar. You will not forget you’re smoking a cigar, but I believe the Brick House Maduro is approachable for any level of nicotine tolerance. I’d place it firmly in the medium range throughout the smoke.

Summary

The robusto is a welcome addition to the Brick House maduro lineup. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll admit I had not really found myself interested in the maduro line previously because it was only offered in the 6″X60 Mighty Mighty vitola. Being more of a corona-lonsdale-robusto kind of guy, I had largely overlooked it. With the addition of a robusto, it has added a new option for those of us who prefer somewhat smaller cigars – an option of which I’ll happily take advantage. I found the blend entirely pleasurable, and the Brick House is well within the confines of affordable pricing at a $5.15 MSRP. That makes for a homerun on the value scale for me. The non-maduro Brick House is one of my all time favorite cigars to fire up when nothing else jumps out as a particular craving. I know I can expect solid, classic cigar flavors and aromas with consistently good construction, and a fantastic pricepoint. This is a cigar I’ll buy by the box and stash in a readily accessible section of the humidor, for those times when nothing else will do. If you’re a maduro fan, an Aripiraca fan, or a Nicaragua fan (or any combination of the three), I think you’ll really dig the Brick House maduro….

Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda SS Exclusivo Regional

September 4, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Nestor Miranda Special Selection Exclusivo Regional

I recently had the opportunity to try a couple of new cigars from Miami Cigar, one being today’s tobacco du jour – the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Exclusivo Regional (Midwest). Assistant Director of Marketing Barry Stein, who provided the samples, tells me these cigars are a limited production line for the US Midwest, will be available in two vitolas (Robusto Extra 5.5″X54, and Toro Grande 6″X60), and will retail for $8 and $9 respectively. The wrapper on this stick is San Andres, a departure from the NMSS core line offerings in (Ecuadoran) Connecticut, (Nicaraguan Habano) Rosado, and (Nicagraguan Habano) Oscuro wrappers. The Exclusivo Regional also has Nicaraguan filler and binder, and both vitolas will be box-pressed.

Prelight

Knowing my proclivity for loving San Andres leaf, it took all the self-control I could muster to give the cigar a cursory exam before lighting. It comes with a beautiful milk-chocolate brown wrapper, uniform in color and covered with sparse but evenly distributed tooth. It has little sheen and is very dry to the touch, with moderate veining. The veins and seams are largely obscured by the press, with the seams being all but imperceptible. I find neither soft nor hard spots across the length of the cigar; it is solidly built and the bunch feels evenly distributed. I did note that the weight feels slightly lighter than I would have expected before picking it up.

The aroma before lighting is very faint along the wrapper, more pronounced at the foot, and of molasses and some mild hay. The cap clipped perfectly – I have, at different times, had some issues with cracking San Andres wrapper leaf while clipping…but both examples of today’s featured cigar I’ve smoked thus far have performed admirably. The draw resistance is firm but free; just about perfect for my tastes, and provides an unusual sweetness before light.

The Smoke

Once lit, the initial puffs are somewhat toasty, and lean toward a caramel character. I don’t find quite as much sweetness as I might have expected in these early minutes. The flavors, however, are quite malleable and greatly influenced by the dilution of air:smoke when drawn. It seems much more sweet when you take a puff with more “fresh” air in the mix; the smoke, when drawn with little air, takes on more of a dry toast flavor, and if pushed will develop a slightly earthen taste, or chalky even. It quickly begins to progress into what I’ve come to appreciate and expect in San Andres-wrapped, Nicaraguan-filled cigars – some dry cocoa. Approaching the midsection, both cigars smoked for this review really began to settle into that cocoa-ish sweetness I commonly find in accompaniment to San Andres wrapper. The flavor development at this point is quite impressive, actually. It is far bolder and more pronounced than in the first few minutes. The cocoa is accented by a flavor that reminds me of well-worn leather; not with the sharpness of a hide fresh from the tanner’s bench, but more akin to the mellowed sweetness of a long-used, much-loved baseball glove.

It is worth noting that for the entire length of both samples I smoked for this review, I never even had the thought of reaching for my lighter cross my mind. The occasional scallop would develop in the burnline, but would quickly self-correct without intervention from me. Overall, the burn has been impeccable. The flavors in the final portion of the smoke continue to intensify – drawing back from the sweetness into the aforementioned toasty range…and onward into a sharper, slightly woodsy profile. If you’ve ever burned any of the fruitwoods – apple, cherry, or even citrus – you may know exactly what I mean. The smoke carries its sweetness, but is tempered by an ever-present, albeit moderate astringency. As one who has a habit of piling various cuts of meat into the smoker and watching for hours on end with bated breath, this interplay is very appealing to me.

The Wrap

It is well documented that I am generally a big fan of San Andres wrapped cigars. I love the mellow cocoa and leathery flavors that the leaf can contribute to a cigar. Once in a while, a blend comes along with this wrapper that just “works.” This, for me, is the case with the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Exclusivo Regional. Producing none of the cloying sensory overload that may be found in an infused or flavored cigar, it merely creates an association that draws a palate-memory from your mind….firing synapses that remind you of something good. Something pleasant. Something you’ve enjoyed before. I could go on and on with accolades and recommendations for this cigar based on my pure enjoyment – but I have a couple emails to send to some guys in Illinois who might have a line on a box of these for me….

Half Ashed Episode 030: illusione ECCJ and a giveaway!

August 31, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone, and welcome back for Episode 030 of Half Ashed. This week, we’re smoking the illusione ECCJ, a cigar originally produced for the 15th anniversary of the European Cigar Cult Journal (now known as Cigar Journal). Tune in to get our thoughts on this how time has treated this phenomenal cigar. Our giveaway for this month is coming to a close – the prize this time around is a 10 pack of fantastic cigars. This is a selection of cigars that I enjoy and wanted to share with someone else. They are pictured below. With the exception of the new Cubao, these are from my personal humidor. The Cubao were some extra samples provided by Eddie Ortega – I think the soon-to-be-re-released line is an outstanding smoke and wanted to share a couple with a lucky listener. All you have to do to enter into this giveaway is send me or Craig an email ([email protected] or [email protected]) with a comment, question, complaint, or compliment about Half Ashed. That will get your name in the running when we randomly pull one from the pile next week (Sept. 6).

The current giveaway (Left to Right):

Tatuaje Wolfman (2012 Halloween)
Ortega Cubao (prerelease)
Ortega Cubao (prerelease)
Casa Fernandez Miami toro
Opus X
Sam Leccia Black robusto
Sam Leccia Black robusto
JC Newman Julius Caeser
Fuente Anejo 46
Fuente Between the Lines

In other news, we also discussed the current charity raffle going on over at Cigar Federation. Every $10 donated to the chosen organization gets you an entry into the raffle – which has about two dozen prizes, ranging from hats and T-shirt prize packs, boxes of cigars, and other swag – culminating in a grand prize of a 3-day trip to the Dominican Republic to visit cigar factories and other local attractions.

We also covered a couple of Gran Habano/GAR items, some sweeping changes to the executive team at Joya de Nicaragua, a partnership formed in the world of online cigar media, and some packaging issues in the recent Viaje DESII. Finally, we talked over what we’ve been smoking this week, had some pipesmoking chat, and reviewed a few emails that have been postponed the past couple of weeks.

Next week, we’ll be featuring the Casa Miranda Chapter Two when we have guest Barry Stein of Miami Cigar sitting in with us. Be sure to check back in then as Barry is a great guest, and has an upcoming cigar line in the works that you’ll want to hear about. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed Video Archive.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected]. This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in. I will provide an address to send them. Thanks!

Press Release: Sotolongo Cigars

August 29, 2013 By Kip Fisher

As we’ve mentioned here on The Cigarmy as well as during the Half Ashed cigar podcast, Grace Sotolongo – since leaving My Father Cigars – has partnered with Christian Eiroa to launch Sotolongo Cigars into the marketplace. Grace has garnered a great reputation within the industry for being a charming, personable young lady, with knowledge of the industry beyond her years. I’m really looking forward to seeing the fruits of her labor hit the market, and wish her well in this, the first line of cigars to carry the name. From Sotolongo Cigars:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Miami, FL (08/26/2013): Grace Sotolongo is proud to announce her first cigar, Hechicera, from her newly formed partnership with Christian Eiroa.

The meaning of Hechicera is a female sorceress, [Read more…]

Press Release: Jose Blanco departs from Joya de Nicaragua

August 29, 2013 By Kip Fisher

In the wake of earlier organizational changes at Joya de Nicaragua, it has now officially been announced that José Blanco is stepping down from his role as Senior Vice President. As the news was spreading throughout the cigar community last night, José initially confirmed this on his Facebook page:

After two years of blending and participating in the Nicaraguan cigar-business at Joya de Nicaragua I now feel even more experienced in this great tobacco which I now cherish even more than before. And as I am now back in my beautiful Dominican roots I definitely plan on staying active

A press release has been issued this morning from Joya de Nicaragua, detailed below. José is one of the good guys in the industry – in terms of personality, dedication, and knowledge base. I wish him the best in whatever is next for him…I know it will be something fantastic.

From Joya de Nicaragua:

Estelí, Nicaragua – JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A announced today that José Blanco has stepped down from his role as Senior VP of the Company. The move comes at the end of a two-year contract that resulted in a fruitful collaboration between José and Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, from which the popular CYB brand of cigars was born. Now José returns with his family to his roots in the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, Chairman and CEO of JOYA DE NICARAGUA expressed “We are very grateful for Jose’s company over the past two years. It’s been another big learning experience for all of us at JOYA, as much as we hope it was for him, and we thank him for his contributions and for helping spread the love for Nicaraguan cigars, especially during his tireless trips in the USA. We wish him and his family the best in theirfuture endeavors”.

“Working for JOYA fulfilled my curiosity and love for Nicaraguan tobacco and it’s been a great and very interesting couple of years for me to work hands-on in a true and traditional local factory.I express my appreciation to JOYA DE NICARAGUA for these two years of collaboration and I wish them all the best. I would also like to thank Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel and the entire Drew Estate team for all their great work and support during my stay and my US-trips” said José Blanco.

About JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A.

JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A., is a family owned, Nicaragua-based cigar factory that handcrafts traditional cigars for the premium luxury cigar market. First opened in 1968, it is Nicaragua’s oldest cigar factory in operation and home to the legendary JOYA DE NICARAGUA® brand of cigars. Joya is regarded by many as the patriarch crafter of robust, unique puro blends of locally grown black tobaccos, and its cigars are sold in nearly 40 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.joyacigars.com.

News: Organizational Changes within Joya de Nicaragua

August 27, 2013 By Kip Fisher

News of some organizational changes and executive appointments emerged from Joya de Nicaragua today in the midst of celebrating its 45th anniversary. A series of executive changes were detailed in a letter from Chairman and CEO Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca earlier this afternoon. Dr. Cuenca will continue as Chairman and CEO of Joya de Nicaragua S.A.; additionally, the Board of Directors has elected Mr. Juan Ignacio Martínez as Executive President, [Read more…]

Press Release: Blessed Leaf Founded

August 27, 2013 By Kip Fisher

8/27/13 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Kyle Hoover, co-owner of Ezra Zion Cigar Company and CigarFederation.com, announces the launch of a new cigar-themed Christian ministry, Blessed Leaf. “Blessed Leaf is a unique idea, something that has never been done before. It’s a faith community–or in more basic terms–an “online church” for cigar smokers.” noted Hoover.

On BlessedLeaf.com, aficionados can create a profile page to join the Blessed Leaf community. Members can post content, access media, read faith-based articles and cigar reviews designed to strengthen them in their Christian walk.

“I know two things: The Bible and cigars. This is the culmination of a dream to bring those two passions together. My prayer is that this is a catalyst for cigar enthusiasts to become closer to Jesus, whether they have a relationship with Him now or not.” Hoover continued.

Beginning September 4th at 6pm CST, “Blessed Leaf LIVE!” will air on the BlessedLeaf.com homepage. This hour long show serves as the weekly service and will air every Wednesday evening. It will be hosted by Kyle Hoover and Chris Kelly. Guests will include believers from all around the cigar industry.

“A major part of this vision is the Featured Contributors. I want to create a platform where these guys can share their testimonies and teachings that will bless and encourage the members of Blessed Leaf. These are BOTL that either work professionally in the cigar industry or are avid cigar smokers in full-time pastoral ministry. Guys like Brian Berman, Kip Fisher, Nate McIntyre, The Don Fonseca, and my pastor Niles Holsinger will be posting some life-changing stuff.”

For more information visit BlessedLeaf.com.
Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @Blessed_Leaf

Cigar Review: Felix Assouline Ringo Colt

August 27, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Felix Assouline Ringo “Colt”

As I mentioned in one of the summaries of IPCPR 2013, Felix Assouline was a company I was unfamiliar with before the show. I ran into my friend Benny Gomez, who has partnered with them to field his Havana Sunrise blend, and he pointed the booth out and introduced me to Michel Malek. The company is launching with four brands, the “EGO,” “Something Special,” “Havana Sunrise,” and “Ringo.” In the first of four reviews, we’re taking a look at the Ringo today. I’m smoking the “Colt,” a 6.5″X38 boxpressed lonsdale. The company literature describes the Ringo as “a call to our Western heritage. Ringo Cigars blend the past with the rich flavors that can only achieve with blending and processing tobaccos from many regions of the world. This results in a medium to full flavor cigar.” In speaking with Michel, I learned Felix Assouline strives toward vertical integration, growing some of their own tobacco (Jamastran, Honduras), producing cigars in their own factory (Esteli, Nicaragua), building boxes…and even an internal function for graphics design. ~~I did not manage to get the blend info for this cigar yet, but will update this page once I acquire that bit of information~~ [EDIT: I have received further information from Michel Malek: The wrapper is Habano 98, binder is Indonesian, and the filler blend is Nicaraguan/Honduran. MSRP is $6.00, which I believe is a great price for this cigar].

Just taking a quick look over the Ringo, it has a medium-dark brown, uniformly colored wrapper with moderate veins. The wrapper has a very silky complexion, and is quite oily and smooth to the touch. I find neither void nor soft spot in the roll; the bunch is very evenly distributed. The prelight aroma is mild on the wrapper, but more pronounced and earthy in character at the foot. The cold draw provides more earthiness and a bit of hay as well, and is in the sweet spot of resistance.

The initial 10 minutes of smoking reveal a great deal of “zing” through the nose upon retrohale, and a subtle toasty nature in flavor. There is a healthy and pleasing dose of spice felt on the soft palate. Not that it means a lot to most, but I notice the ash is a brilliant white at this point. As I progress into the second third of the stick, the flavors really begin to soften into a sweet spiciness – much like some indeterminate baking spice. The aroma of the smoke from the Ringo is noteworth. It is very meaty and full in texture; somewhat reminiscent o f allspice in aroma. It provides a very classic cigar room note, with only the tiniest bit of “bite.” Moving into the final third of smoking, the flavors have continued to build, yet smoothed out in feel – almost a sweet citrus. The burn rate has been moderate and comfortable, with not so much as a single touchup being required for either of the samples I smoked. The sweet spice mentioned above has begun to fade at this point. A more toasty profile has developed, with some leather and a slight nuttiness coming to the forefront.

The final stretch of the Ringo continues to build, in both flavor and strength. It never reaches at point that it overwhelms me with a nicotine rush, but its effect is definitely noticeable. I would have placed it near-center medium for the first half of the cigar, but well into the full strength spectrum by the end of the cigar. Nearing the end of my final sample, I’m left hoping my local shop puts these on the shelf. The size is perfect for my preference, the press is comfortable, and the flavors very pleasant. What’s not to like? Depending on final MSRP, I can definitely see adding the Ringo to my purchasing patterns…

Half Ashed Episode 029: Nadi Cigars

August 24, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to another episode of Half Ashed. I’m glad you’ve joined us again this week as we host guests Jeff and Nada Jumper of Nadi Cigars. We’re spotlighting their line of cigars, Nadi, but you may be interested in knowing that the two of them have extensive involvement in the cigar community as a whole – making the rounds to a considerable number of cigar events, blogging, publishing YouTube cigar reviews, as well as managing the day to day aspects of owning a boutique cigar line (you can find Nadi Cigars on Twitter as well). We’ve smoked both their original Habano Classic line, as well as the Connecticut this week. Tune in to find our thoughts about them.

Also during the show, we take advantage of having our guests’ knowledge of the industry available to discuss current news and happenings around the world of premium cigars, a charity raffle going on over at Cigar Federation, and a couple of upcoming releases we’re anxious to get our hands on when they hit the shelves.

We all shared what we’ve been smoking this week – both impressive sticks, and those not-so-impressive. We once again had to postpone answering some listener emails, but will definitely cover those next week when we return to a normal schedule.

Next week, we’ll be featuring the illusione ECCJ as out Cigar of the Week, so be sure to check back in then to see what it has to offer. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected]. This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in. I will provide an address to send them. Thanks!

Cigar Review: Kings Cigars "King of Kings"

August 20, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Kings Cigars “King of Kings”

I was introduced to Kings Cigars just prior to IPCPR by Scott Hartog, who recently went to work for them. I subsequently met principals Anwar Mithavayani and Pete Tyndale at the show, as well as the Chattanooga Tweetup. All are very enjoyable company….and Pete has some pretty impressive domino skills as well! According to the Kings Cigars website, the company “has two factories, the first in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and the second in Esteli, Nicaragua. We are blessed to have access to the finest tobaccos in the world, and even more blessed to have the most skilled of hands roll our cigars. Our cigars go through a very rigorous aging process before they end up at our Headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida. Once the cigars are in the United States we age them a rich Spanish Cedar Humidor room for weeks before they are shipped to the stores. We don’t cut corners, it is what makes us the Kings.“

Prelight

The King of Kings is a firmly square pressed 6″X64 offering from their Nicaraguan factory, and has an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper around a binder/filler blend of Nicaraguan Viso, Seco, & Ligero. According to Scott, it will be released in late September. In conversing with the folks at Kings, they are adamant about not releasing a cigar into the market until it is absolutely ready and up to their expectations. Their other two existing lines, the Conde and the Baron, are currently shipping. The King of Kings has an MSRP of just over $9 per stick.

A preliminary exam of the KoK shows a medium light brown wrapper leaf, uniform in color and with light veining. The leaf is extremely delicate, as is often the case with habano wrapper. Through no fault of the cigar, I managed to bump one on a hard surface during my travels and put a significant crack in the wrapper (more on that below). The complexion of the cigar’s surface is very smooth to the touch, with little oil. I didn’t detect any inconsistencies in the pack. It seemed quite even in distribution throughout the roll. The prelight draw resistance is normal-to-free, falling within what I’d consider optimal and provides an aroma and flavor that were both slightly earthy, with just a touch of spice that could be felt in the nose.

The Smoke

The spice that I was detecting on the cold draw becomes quite subtle when lit, even at first light. I didn’t really taste a great deal of the noted earthy character, either. What I did notice is a pleasant cedar flavor, followed by a long lasting nutty finish. Rounding out the first inch, the cedar presence has strengthened, and the sweetness faded into the background. I would place the strength at this point a firm medium, while the flavor ranks noticeably higher on that spectrum (a good thing, in my eyes). During the 2nd third of each of the two samples I tried, I didn’t notice any radical changes in the flavor provided by the King of Kings, although both did develop a more woodsy character. The burn on both was very good – despite the fact that I managed to damage one of the wrappers in transit. I dropped it and put a sizable crack in the foot. The cigar actually responded well, and managed to overcome that crack – managing to produce a very straight, well-behaved burn. The draw has been nearly impeccable for both cigars as well – slightly on the open side, but within normal expectation. Construction has been flawless throughout.

Summary

In the final stretch, the earlier cedar comes back into the limelight, taking the primary spot in the palette of flavors. This never rises into the nether regions of bitterness (as can happen with some cigars when cedar becomes too dominant), but definitely became more frenetic as I neared the end of the smoke. In the final analysis, the King of Kings is a well-blended, properly built cigar with traditional Nicaraguan flavor. Being one who normally reaches for a corona or robusto vitola, the size was a bit out of my regular comfort zone – but I have to admit it wasn’t uncomfortable while smoking. For someone who enjoys larger cigars and prototypical “Nicaraguan” flavor, this would seem to be a homerun. If you’re in that camp, you should by all means be on the lookout on your local shop’s shelves.