Alpha Cigar Co. Absinthe Infused Connecticut

Alpha Cigar CoNow I’m not normally an infused cigar kind of guy but since a few of our members are ambassadors for the company and a few of our DR Friendly Shops offering discounts on these cigars I figured it was time to give them a try.

The Alpha Cigar Co. Absinthe Infused Connecticut is their debut blend. Made from Cuban seed Piloto Cubano leaves make up the filler of these mild-to-medium bodied cigars, with the native Olor Dominicano leaf making up the binder and upholding Cuban traditions, the cigars are rolled in pairs, and bunched in the Cuban entubado style for optimal draw. Prior to rolling, a single leaf in each cigar is lightly infused with a premium French Absinthe.

The wrapper is milk chocolate in color. It is smooth and silky with very little veining, the seams are tight and feels well rolled and solid. No apparent dead spots and lite yield to pressure. The cap was easily cut with no damage to the delicate wrapper.

The smell from the body was a mix of botanical with a hint of sweet citrus like an orange blossom. From the foot the smell was less sweet and gave off the scent of sage and other kitchen herbs along with a punch of tobacco. The cold draw had the flavors of savory spices like rosemary and sage that was noticed in the smell.

The flavors from the first half are citric and salty with a bit of warm bread and slightly tannic. Over all it’s fairly mild smoke that, thanks to the difficult entubado rolling style they employ, it has an even easy draw with little resistance and rich lightweight smoke production.

Reaching the half-way point the botanical flavors start to jump in a bit more and help pull the flavor up along with a bit of pine but it keeps a solid citric flavor through the entire stick. While it does get a bit of spice towards the final third it remains a nice mellow smoke.

For everyone that might be worried about smoking this because it’s an infused stick don’t sweet it. Its very lightly infused and just adds a hint of flavor to the cigar, which I really enjoyed. The 15 different herbs used in the production of this Absinthe lend diverse botanical subtleties to the cigar, especially on the retrohale. Now until you’ve tried it I would run out and buy a box of them but I would say it’s a solid investment as a five pack to start. Check out the DR Friendly shop London Tobacconist to order yours with our 20% off code. (Contact us for discount code.) As always if you’ve ever had these sticks we’d love to know what you thought by commenting below.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut

Binder: Olor Dominicano

Filler: Piloto Cubano

Price: Around $36.00 for a 5 pack

Website: Alphacigar.com

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 pints

Cigars By Nicholas J: The Sea

Nicholas J CigarsWith all of the cigars out there being produced by what seems to be just a handful of companies it’s fun to change it up a bit and try something from more of a grassroots line. While rambling through various social media outlets I stumbled across Cigars by Nicholas J. After checking out their website I discovered that they are just that kind of company. They offer only two types of blends however they are available in a variety of vitolas and both blends have a story behind them. I chose to try The SEA, which is their Maduro wrapped medium-full cigar. This cigar was created to honor Nicholas J.’s father, Samy. The name, SEA, represents the initials for Samy’s first, middle, and last name.

The smell from the body is a mix of fresh cut pine and leather. From the foot there are much sweater notes, licorice and hay.

The overall appearance is a wrapper with a color of a dark roasted coffee bean and has a nice oily sheen to it, the seams are tight and well rolled. There is some veining but nothing that ruins the overall visual appeal of the cigar. The roll of the cigar feels full and even and it gives to pressure between the fingers without any damage to the structure of the cigar.

Cap cuts easily with no damage to the wrapper. Cold draw has a slightly sweet tobacco flavor, which always reminds me of fresh brewed tea.

It lights easily and my first impression is that it is a bit on the bitter side but within a couple of draws it quickly mellows to nice chocolate and citrus notes with a hint of leather.

Moving into the second third the flavor profile changes to a darker chocolate with a hint of pepper that starts to show up.

Reaching the final third the flavor deepens and becomes richer and the cedar notes become more apparent and more pepper starts to pick up on the back end.

During the course of the entire smoke the draw is easy and produces a fair amount of smoke that is light on the tongue. Ash holds tight until I knock it off and the burn is even without the need for a touch up.

Over all I enjoyed the experience. It was a good medium bodied cigar with some flavor profile changes that kept it interesting and easy to smoke. With the ability to buy sampler packs that contain 2 of each type of cigar ( The Sea and The Alma) for just a little over $30.00 its worth the investment to try a new smaller company that offers a more personal touch to their brand. In addition to reasonable prices customers can take advantage of the “Nicholas J Promise” where you can earn points with each purchase and once you’ve gained 70 points you get a free 25-count box! I recommend trying a couple and let me know what you think.

Filler and Binder: Dominican

Wrapper: Maduro

Price: $32.00 for a robusto sampler pack

Website: Cigarsbynicholasj.com

Rating 4.3 out of 5 pints.

 

90 Miles Unidos

90 Miles UnidosAs stated in my last review of a 90 Miles Cigar I was a late to the FDG party, so I wanted to get another review up quickly just incase anyone else has been missing out on these. The 90 Miles Unidos is a lovely looking barber pole style cigar with a story behind it. The name of the company 90 Miles is, of course, the distance from Florida to Cuba. Inspired by the changes taking place both in Cuba as well as in the relationship between Cuba and the United States, the two wrappers of the Unidos are symbolic of the two countries.

The overall look of the cigar shows great construction, the seams between the two wrappers are tight, visible veining but nothing off putting to the overall appearance and it is fairly smooth to the touch. There is an interesting paly between the different oils and texture of the two different wrappers, which adds to the entertainment value of the cigar. The body feels well rolled with no apparent dead spots and gives to even pressure when pressed between the fingers. The double cap is well applied and is removed easily with no structural damage to the cigar.

The smell from the body reminds me of standing in a wheat field. It’s airy, light and gives off a grassy aroma, from the foot the grass scent is more apparent but also muddled with dried apricot, chocolate and a hint of leather.

The first half of the cigar lands a bit on the mellow side with a dry citric and coffee flavor, reminiscent to an espresso with a twist of lime. In the background is a touch of bread. The draw is on the medium side but is not a struggle, the burn line remains even and it produces plenty of smoke that weights nicely on the tongue.

Normally I don’t notice much difference between thirds and tend to keep my reviews broken into halves but, with this stick in the second third an interesting grapefruit taste kicks in adding to the citric flavors. The ash remains consistent and is charcoal in color, has nice tight rings that fall off about every quarter inch.

Reaching the second half there is a generous increase in spice and pepper. As the flavor picks up the cigar takes on a new life for me. The light citric tones drop off with the addition of these spice and pepper. In the final third the leather and chocolate flavors that were first noticeable in the aroma come in. The cigar finishes with a medium-full flavor.

This was not only a fun cigar to smoke because of the design and thought behind it but was also great in the flavor profile. With the flavor changes it’s a cigar that will keep you on your toes. Cigar pairs well with coffee, a crisp lager or, for me, a nice bourbon that has just a touch of sweetness to it. I recommend going out and picking up a few sticks and trying them out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade/Ecuadoran Habano

Binder: Dominican and Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Price: Around $10.00

Website: FDGCigars.com

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 pints