Padron 110 Legacy Maduro

Size: 6″ x 48

Vitola:  Long Corona

Wrapper: 5-year old Nicaraguan Maduro (?)

Origin: Nicaragua

Age: a few months

This is an exclusive from Holt’s to celebrate their 110th Anniversary (really?).  Here’s a blurb from their site:

To celebrate Holt’s 110th year of business our good friends the Padrons decided to blend a brand new, extra-special cigar exclusively for our customers: The Padron Legacy. Not only is this a momentous release due to the fact the Padron’s rarely produce anything new, but also because the cigar itself is spectacular. An incredibly well-aged blend of all Nicaraguan tobaccos in this gem, providing it with a complex, but balanced, full-bodied flavor boasting layers of earth and leather interwoven with nuts and spices, culminating in a smooth, chocolaty finish.

Now normally I buy local, but this LE I could not resist!

So this is still from the Serie 1926 blend, so the only thing really new about this is the size.  It features a 5-year aged Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper that is dark, luscious and inviting.

I punched this cigar because most Padrons have a single cap and often unravel with clipping.  The draw is nice and easy as expected.

I am enjoying this cigar with a home made B-52 cocktail (Kahlua Especial & Starbucks Irish Cream) that should pair perfectly with the maduro wrapper.

The first few inches are surprisingly strong and peppery.  This cigar packs more of a punch than most of the 26s I remember.

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New La Flor for Charity – La Flor Dominicana El Museo!

Here’s an article from Cigar Aficionado on the new limited La Flor release:

La Flor Dominicana creator Litto Gomez has teamed up with artist Ruben Toledo and his wife, fashion designer Isabel Toledo, to make limited-edition cigars and boxes that will be sold to benefit El Museo del Barrio, New York City’s only Latin American museum.

The La Flor Dominicana El Museo Limited Edition is a Churchill-sized cigar measuring 6 3/4 inches by 52 ring gauge. The filler and binder were grown on the La Flor de Palma farm in the Dominican Republic, and the wrapper was grown elsewhere in the country. Gomez describes the cigar as a rich, smooth, full-bodied smoke that has sweetness as well as complexity.

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Don Lino 1989 Robusto

Size: 5″ x 50

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: US Connecticut Shade

Origin: Dominican Republic

Age: 3 months

This is Miami Cigar’s new release from the 2008 show.  It is made in the DR at the Aurora factory.  This is a quick review.  You’ll see why…

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Manufacturer Spotlight – AVO

Normally I would have just included the AVO write-up with the Manufacturer’s Spotlight on Davidoff as they own this brand.  But AVO Cigars, have a special place in my heart and I felt they deserve their own individual Spotlight.  So without further ado:

Avo Uvezian is a cosmopolitan who began his career as a musician and went on to become a composer, cigar aficionado and even a creator of fine cigars. Avo, who lent his name to AVO Cigars, has nurtured all these talents in his quest for perfection.

In 1982, while seeking a suitable manufacturer, Avo made the acquaintance of master cigar maker Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic and a harmonious relationship developed between them. The first AVO cigars went on sale in New York in 1988. Two passionate aficionados had come together and the outcome was predestined: “Cigars in Perfect Harmony”.

Avo Uvezian

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New Oliva Connecticut Reserve!

Here’s a little news on the new White Label from Oliva.

Oliva Cigar Co., maker of a host of top-rated cigars, is coming out with a mild version aimed at entry-level cigar smokers. The Oliva Connecticut Wrapper Reserve will be out in February. It will be the company’s only boxed cigar that wears a Connecticut-seed wrapper.

The new brand comes in five sizes: Churchill, Torpedo, Toro, Robusto and Lonsdale, and will range in price from $4 to $7. The wrapper is grown in Ecuador from Connecticut seed. The filler and binder blend is all-Nicaraguan tobacco, but it’s devoid of ligero, and made only with the lighter viso and seco tobaccos.

The cigars were rolled in October, and are almost ready to ship. [Source: Cigaraficionado.com]

A cheaper Davidoff-esque cigar??  I am looking forward to these!

Update:  Just tried these tonight.  They are very flavorful albeit mild-medium.  Great bang for the buck!  I’ll try to get a review on one soon!

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Manufacturer Spotlight – Davidoff

Synonymous with luxury, the Davidoff brand for years has produced the finest clothes, fragrances and cigars.  Davidoff cigars have been long heralded as the symbol of luxury and decadence.

But who is the man behind the name?

Zino Davidoff

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Partagas Shorts

Size: 4 3/8″ x 42 (110mm x 16.67mm) 

Vitola: Petite Corona (Minutos)

Wrapper: Havana

Origin: Cuba

Age: ~3 years

I love Partagas Shorts.  These tiny little flavor bombs always seem to deliver.  This came from I box I have been putting away for a few years.

This stick is almost three years old, and it has been a while since I have checked on it.  The wrapper has a lovely reddish hue, that hints at a richness below the surface.  It took a light easily, but the pre-light draw was a little tight.

Right off the bat I can tell that it has lost some of the spiciness with just a few years of age, but in this case the change was OK. Party Shorts can be hit or miss but this is drawing nicely after the first quarter of an inch.

This cigar has a leathery and woody tobacco core with just a little less spice than a “fresh one”.

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