REVIEW: Casa Miranda by Miami Cigars

Today's cigar review is on a stick I have had sitting in my humidor for awhile now. A few months back, I was sent a very generous package from Miami Cigars which , amongst some prototypes and some other new releases, included a pair of Casa Miranda robustos. I have no excuse as to why it took me so long to smoke this, other than there are so many new cigars coming out each week and once a stick goes into my humidor, it might not see the light of day again for weeks or months.

The official Press release from Miami Cigars about Casa Miranda: Rolled exclusively by level 9 rollers from world re-nown factories in Cuba. The cigar is being manufactured in historic Calle Ocho by Titan de Bronze blended by master blender Willy Herrera. 

What makes this cigar special is that it is 100% handcrafted in Miami and will be Miami Cigar & Company’s first ultra boutique cigar with the tagline of “A new approach to an old school tradition.”

This was a good looking cigar that I really didn't know a lot about. I do know that they were on display at the 2011 IPCPR, but these are the first two that I've had the opportunity to smoke.
Specifics
Vitola: Robusto 
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $10
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: Water

Pre-Light 

The wrapper on my Casa Miranda was medium to light brown in color with some large, thick veins. There was a little tooth present, but mostly the texture on the leaf had a waxy feel to it. The pre-lit aroma was of hay and natural tobacco. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw had a sweet taste to it with some hints of plum. I would also to mention the artwork on the band of this cigar because I think it's a bit different than what we normally see and I like it. It is a bold design with lots of different elements, but I don't feel it's over done or cheesey. Nice job.

First Third   

Lighting up my Casa Miranda was an easy task and, right away, I started to get some enjoyable flavors. The front of the profile had a not-too-spicy, yet distinct black pepper. The finish was a little more interesting in that it had a strong taste of bread or oats. I am able to pick out this bready flavor in a lot of cigars, but this one was slightly different. Now that I think about it, it was more a raw grain taste than of baked bread. Interesting, to say the least. The burn was great and the draw had zero issues. I'd put the strength of the cigar in the medium range.

Second Third  

The second third of my Casa Miranda was similar to the first third, but the black pepper flavor completely disappeared unless I pushed the smoke through my sinuses. I missed a bit of the spice from the first third, so I found myself reto-haling a lot during this portion of the cigar. The finish returned with the oats/grain taste which, although heavy, left my palate feeling clean. Toward the end of the second third, a bit of sweetness began to creep into the finish. The construction was still spot on and the strength maintained in the medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third smoked exactly how the second third left off all the way to the nub. The heavy grain with hints of pepper and sweetness dominated the palate from draw to exhale. Even though this stick burned quite quickly and produced a lot of smoke, it never got hot or harsh, not even toward the end of the smoking experience. Strength stayed consistently in the medium range.

 

My final thoughts on the Casa Miranda by Miami Cigars? This is a solid release from Miami cigars and I will go on record as saying that it may be the second best cigar they have ever made. (I'm still a big fan of a fresh La Sirena.) It's not crazy complex, but it's an easy cigar to smoke with some interesting flavors.

Would I buy it again? Yes, I would buy more of these. I think it's a great stick to share with friends because it has real cigar flavors, but will not kill any new smoker with nicotine.

Would I buy a box? I don't think I'd buy a whole box for myself, but I would go in on a split.

Dan

REVIEW: Nestor Miranda Art Deco

Today's review is a newly released (I'm not sure where you can get them) cigar from Nestor Miranda, founder of Miami Cigars, and Don Pepin, creator of Don Pepin Cigars, amongst many others. As most of us know, Pepin is regarded as one of the masters of Nicaraguan blends. The story behind this cigar goes like this: With this cigar, Nestor wanted to give Pepin a challenge to use Domincan tobacco and still come up with something great.
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"We wanted to get Pepin out of his comfort zone, which is using Nicaraguan tobacco," said Nestor Miranda. "He accepted the challenge and came out with an amazing blend using 40% Dominican tobacco."

I am a huge Pepin fan, so after reading about this stick (and finally getting my hands on one), I am very excited to light this up and see what comes of it.

Vitola: Robusto Grande
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo '06
Binder: Dominican Corojo '98 & Nicaraguan Habano '00 (duel binders)
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Price: $7.50
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.miamicigarandcompany.com/

Pre-Light  

My Art Deco from Nestor Miranda had a inviting, smooth, chocolate-brown wrapper. The cigar was fully and evenly packed with just a slight bit of a give when pinched. The pre-lit aroma was very peppery with just a hint of a scent of sweetness -- an aroma I have come to really love, as it is present in most of Pepin's blends. The large cap on the stick clipped easily and the draw was excellent, tasting of hay with some natural tobacco flavors.

First Third

I lit my Art Deco with the normal triple torch I use for bigger ring gauge sticks and the cigar starting drawing effortlessly. I've really been having a great run of cigars recently when it comes to the draws. Not only with the sticks I write about, but also with the ones I've smoked for more casual purposes. All have been winners in the last few weeks. The starting flavors on my cigar are mild, but still easy to pick out. The classic Pepin pepper is there, but more muted than normal. On the finish I picked up some hints of coffee, but they were very slight. Like I wrote above, the flavors are mild, but not boring in anyway. The burn is a little crooked, but
nothing to be worried about at this point. The body was in the medium range. 

Second Third 

The second third of my Art Deco brought on a lot of changes from the first third. The distinct peppery flavors had subsided and now a strong, sweetened coffee and cream taste was what this cigar was about. The finish was very clean and, with the creamy notes, left my palate feeling refreshed. It was a drastic change and happened pretty much between one draw and the next. Speaking of the draw, the cigar was once again drawing perfectly, producing huge clouds of smoke. The ash on this stick held on for just over an inch before falling off. The body was still right in the medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts  

The difference in the final third of my Art Deco was not what the flavors were, but just how powerful they came through. The sweet coffee and cream flavors were in my face and lingered on the finish for well over a full minute. It might sound overwhelming, but the flavors were so smooth that it never felt like too much. The construction was perfect and the draw never got hot -- even all the way to the nub. Toward the end, the body stepped up to what I would call the medium-full range.


My final thoughts on the Nestor Miranda Art Deco? Even though I was looking forward to a spicy Pepin blended cigar, and got quite the opposite, I was not disappointing at all in the Art Deco. This is a wonderfully strong-flavored cigar that really takes off in the second third. As I burned through, the flavors just got stronger and stronger, so if you are smoking one and think it's weak, give it time

Would I buy it again? This is the second review in a row I have written where I think I would pay more than what the MSRP is listed. I noticed on my cheat sheet that this stick comes in a 4.5 x 50 vitola, too. I'm a big fan of that size, so next time I think I'd like to try that one out.

Would I buy a box?  This is a box-worthy cigar.

Dan  

Review: Nestor Miranda Special Selection

This weeks cigar is another that came to me in a trade with a fellow BOTL.  The Nestor Miranda Special Selection seems to have lots of different information written about it all over the web. So much information, in fact, that I'm not exactly sure what to believe and what to discredit. After reading countless websites, I think it's pretty safe to say that is cigar is now (from 2009 and on) produced by Pepin Garcia in his Tabacalera Cubana factory in Nicaragua. A variety of information is on the web about it's production prior to 2009, but I think I'll keep this review to what is most current. With that said, I'm not sure how old this stick is, so I'm not positive this is the Pepin blend. The Nestor Miranda Special Selection was ranked in Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 of 2009. This was a bit of a gamble smoke, but a gamble I was willing to take.

Specifics (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Vitola: Robusto Grande
Length: 5.50
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduran
Price: $5.50
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

 

My first impression of this Nestor Miranda Special Selection was a good one.  The cigar had a nice to look, with a dark oscuro wrapper, minimal veins, and a oily sheen. The stick was well packed, lacking any soft spots, and the band was a nice twist on something modern but not cheesy-modern like a few bands I've seen recently. The un-lit cigar gave off no aroma and when clipped, the cold draw only had a very slight, sweet tobacco taste.

First Third

  

After the slightly difficult time torching my Nestor, the cigar burned very well. Large clouds of thick smoke were easly pulled from the cigar on each draw. The smoke had a creamy texture to it and almost felt like I had been drinking something rich after every exhale. The initial flavors were black pepper mixed with some cedar wood notes. Neither of these flavors were very strong. The body of the cigar was medium.

Second Third

 

The second third started out with a much stronger flavor profile than the first. The black pepper had weakend a bit, but I was now getting a interesting black cherry flavor mixed with charred wood notes. Unfortunately, this didn't last for the entire second third because it was really a great taste. As I inched towards the band, all I got again was a mild black peppery spice. The burn on the cigar was great and the smoke volume was terrific, but I was finding myself hoping that the flavors would return to make it better. The body of the cigar was again a solid medium.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

 

Sadly, the final third of my Nestor Miranda Special Selection was dissapointing. I never got that nice black cherry flavor back and once I was past the band, the cigar started to taste somewhat metallic. I did not enjoy that at all so I decided to put the stick down. The burn was still great but I couldn't get past that flavor. The body ramped up a bit in the final third to what I would call a medium to medium full.

Would I buy it again? I don't think so, but I wouldn't be upset if I got some in a trade now and again. In the middle of the stick, there were about ten minutes that I really enjoyed and actually told my smoking buddy, "Hey, this got pretty good." It was unfortunate for me that those flavors were short lived.



Would I buy a box? No. There are too many other cigars in this price range that I like more.


Dan