Cigar Reviews

Tarazona 305

Tarazona Cigar 305

Until last week I had never heard of Tarazona Cigars, much less the Tarazona 305. That all changed after talking with Eddie Tarazona when I discovered they have been around for quite some time. During our conversation I received an assortment of his cigars and once I smoked one I knew the next article needed to be about the 305. Named 305 for the area code in south Florida he is in and according to Eddie the “305 exemplifies everything a connoisseur ever wanted in a true, full-bodied maduro.”

The Tarazona 305 is wrapped in a milk chocolate colored Costa Rican maduro that has some light veining and a velvety finish. The seams are tight, the body feels full with no dead spots found. From the body I notice scents of fresh bread, leather and floral notes, these odors are greater from the foot. The cap cuts causing no damage, from the pre-light draw I pick up flavors of sweat tea, nutmeg and tobacco.

The first half of the cigar gives notes of citrus, wood and a punch of red pepper for the finish. The burn is sharp with ash that holds tight for about an inch along with ample light weighted smoke production.

The second half has the pepper mellowing a bit and wood and leather being the stand out flavors. This profile remains until the end of the cigar. For the entire duration the burn was even and required no touch ups. The ash kept tight and the smoke continued to bellow generous amounts.

This cigar, just like the others I’ve smoked from Tarazona, was a great smoke. Full in flavor and body it never disappointed. While Tarazona has been around for a while they can be a little tricky to find. Eddie doesn’t believe in flooding the market as he likes to focus on the quality of production and that quality is noticeable in each cigar you smoke from his lines. When you see any of his cigars in your shop make sure to grab enough to stock up your humidor and if you don’t see them ask your shop to bring some in.

Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $7.00 – $9.50 a stick.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

 

 

Alec Bradley’s Tempus

Alec Bradley TempusWith so many great cigars in the Alec Bradly line it’s always a difficult choice deciding which one to write about next, in this case it was the Tempus. The Alec Bradley Tempus is a great Nica puro and it’s made in the Raices Cubanas (Cuban Roots) factory in Honduras. This factory is one of the go to factories for Alec Bradley.

The wrapper has a lovely color of tanned leather. It has a bit of toothiness and a slight oily sheen. Some light veining is present but not excessive and the cigar feels firm and dense. The smell is mild and reminds me of dried fruit and pepper while the cold draw is sweet and crisp and, while I generally stay away from ridiculous comparisons and my next statement is what one, it almost reminds me of flavors from a fresh apple.

In the first half there are decidedly spicy notes along with the flavor of toasted bread and cream. The draw has the correct resistance that you would want and, not too loose but not a struggle to smoke. The burn is accurate and sharp with plenty of well weighted smoke.

The second half increases in intensity. The spice picks up quite a bit but the smooth cream never leaves making it a wonderfully relaxing and easy cigar to smoke. The burn remains sharp and the smoke never fails to produce ample amounts.

In all, this was a great well rounded cigar, a real tribute to the blending style and to the torcedors at Raices Cubanas. While I consider this to be a slightly strong cigar, the flavor profile is such that either a novice or experienced smoker will enjoy it. Check your local shops for these cigars and when you see them its defiantly worth grabbing a fiver or if you’ve had them before you know you should just grab a box.

 

*Footnote. Honduras shut down all non-essential business due to coronavirus, Raices Cubanas being one of them. People were only allowed to leave they’re homes in segments based off of identification numbers making it increasingly difficult to get basic supplies needed to live, especially considering that Honduras is a developing country. In order to support the people that support them, Alec Bradley for an entire month, provided both food and hygienic supplies to the factory workers and their families and older retired factory works and their families from Raices Cubanas. (A number around 2,800 people.) Since the restrictions were so stringent, if the employees were not able to get the supplies themselves they made arrangements to have them delivered. For storage of the food they converted the tobacco freezers into food coolers. It is gestures like these that make me proud to be a part of the tobacco industry and happy to continue to support companies like Alec Bradley.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaraguan Double Binder
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
Price: Around $7.00 – $9.50 a stick.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 pints

 

Joya de Nicaragua introduces Cinco Décadas El Doctor

Cinco Decades El Doctor

Estelí, Nicaragua – Two years ago, when Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua reached its 50th anniversary, it released its most emblematic blend to date: Cinco Décadas, a commemorative cigar conceived as a tribute to all of those that have shaped the company and thus the Nicaraguan cigar industry.

Every Cinco Décadas vitola has been named after historic icons, Diadema as it was the first shape ever made at the factory, El Fundador is a tribute to founders of the company, and El General, reminds us of one of the pioneers of tobacco in Nicaragua. Today, Joya de Nicaragua introduces “El Doctor”, a 6×52 Torpedo honoring , Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, JDN’s visionary Chairman and Owner since the early 90s, and an impactful leader of our organization and industry

“Giving identities to these special products is one of the most exciting things we do when we are about to release one of these gems that we have created at the factory. With Cinco Décadas it hasn’t been easy, as we want to recognize all the important icons or milestones that have shaped our history in the last five decades. For me it was very touching when our agency and marketing team proposed to me to name this vitola after my father, because it was a realization of how much he has been an influence to all of us,” said Juan Ignacio Martínez, Executive President.

This very special limited batch of just 600 boxes will be sold exclusively in the UnitedStates, and only by retailers that belong to the Drew Diplomat Retailer Program. Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Doctor will be shipping in August 2020, and will be available along with the 2020 annual batch of 600 boxes of each of the rest of the sizes in the Cinco Décadas series.“ Cinco Décadas is the cigar we are most proud of in Joya de Nicaragua. We are truly limited in the amount of cigars we can roll in this blend, because we use our most talented torcedores and because we use the best tobacco in our factory. Our plan is to release one new size every year until the next big anniversary, but this year we may have another surprise, so stay tuned,” said Daniel Barrios, Global Commercial Director of Joya de Nicaragua. This limited edition cigar will be introduced to the public by Juan Ignacio Martínez and the Drew Estate sales team in digital events across the country next month. Priced in line with the rest of the vitolas in the brand, Cinco Décadas El Doctor will be sold at MSRP/$20.00 per stick or $200/box.