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Kevin Sun

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Blind Review: Casa Cuevas Limited Edition Maduro Flaco

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Persistence, determination, endurance and perseverance. These are few words that I would use to describe Casa Cuevas. The lineage started with Juan Cuevas in the late 1800’s when he migrated to Cuba from Spain, and began cultivating tobacco. As successful as it became, Juan Jr. joined the family business and expanded it even further. By 1959, the Cuevas family fled Cuba and Fidel Castro’s regime. They left their success behind and reestablished their roots in the Dominican Republic. Juan Jr’s son and grandson, Luis Sr. and Luis Jr continued the family business and created Tabacalera Las Lavas in Santiago in 2011.

While the name Tabacalera las Lavas isn’t a well-known name to the consumers, the factory produces for major brands including Torano, Gurkha, Villiger, Cigar International and Thompson just to name a few. By 2016, the cigar company bearing the family name was created. Currently the newest Director of Operations is Alec Cuevas, the 5th generation to join the family business.

Today, I will be doing a blind review on the Casa Cuevas Limited Edition Maduro Flaco. Through a Casa Cuevas Cut and Light hosted by Luxury Cigar Club, I found out that in Spanish, flaco means skinny and this limited edition vitola was created to honor Alec, who is also skinny.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Casa Cuevas Limited Edition Maduro Flaco
  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and USA Pennsylvania
  • Size: Long Panatela (7” x 43)

Appearance & Construction

Like a classic Cinnabon, the pigtail rested itself at the top of the cap. The silky Mexican San Andres wrapper was dry to the sight, yet slightly oily to the touch. The wrapper had few minor veins, but it didn’t take away the beauty from the cigar. The cigar seemed to be well packed and had a nice firmness throughout as I rolled it around between my fingers.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

There was an alluring sweetness coming off the wrapper; molasses, vanilla and milk chocolate. As I brought the foot of the cigar closer to my nose, I was greeted by oats, brown sugar, tree bark, sea salt, and hints of baking spices which tickled my nose. After shaving off the pigtail, the flavors from the cold draw were very bright and warm. Sweet citrus green tea, with a light barnyard hay, dry plum and a hint of spice at the tip of my tongue. Without wasting another second, I lit up the cigar.

This was a perfect medium start. The flavors were a very rich, dark cocoa, bark and hay were the initial taste. There was a creamy aftertaste and a floral scent as the smoke exited my mouth. The retrohale highlighted leather and a perfect amount of white pepper for a kick. Just when the spiciness from the retrohale dissipated, a scent of green tea returned which was a nice follow up on the cold draw. As the Maduro Flaco reached the end of the first third, a taste of sweet, creamy, toffee emerged.

Just when I thought I’ve understood this cigar, the complexity evolved and took me for another ride. Soft candied sweetness sneaked in and out while the velvety smoke waltz around like a halo above my head. Upon retrohaling, my eyes watered as the white pepper darkens to black. As if I was watching Emeril Lagasse on Food Network, “BAM” screamed the final third. The strength steadily increased to medium plus. The soft toffee flavor hardened to a salted caramel, with tea leaves and hay playing a support role and a hint of red pepper spice and mint. The Maduro Flaco launched one last surprise forcing me to nub the cigar. The shorter the nub becomes, the spicier it gets. It was an exquisite exit.

Conclusion

What a smoke! I personally would place the Casa Cuevas Limited Edition Maduro Flaco in the same category as a dessert smoke. However, unlike the Le Careme by Crowned Heads or Brulee by Saka (Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust) where it is focused on traditional style desserts, profiling sweet and creamy, the Maduro Flaco is more similar to contemporary desserts. It plays with the combination of sweet, savory and spicy without overpowering one another. I would highly recommend to seek one out and give it a try.

Final Rating: 93

La Palina Bronze Label Review

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La Palina Bronze Label

Droplets of water ricochet off the brown marble base of the waterfall taking flight into the air, creating a cool mist in the immediate surrounding space. People in business attire bury their faces into their cellphones, shoving food into their mouths.

After choosing a seat by the base of the waterfall, I dive into my bookbag and pull out a cigar to accompany me for the next hour. As I toast the foot of the cigar, all eyes within my immediate vicinity shift towards me instead of their cellphones. Some look confused, some with disgust, and others go back to their lunch without skipping a beat.

Fun fact about Paley Park: it’s the only park in NYC where you can smoke tobacco freely.

Coincidentally, the founder of Paley Park, William Paley is also the founder of La Palina Cigar which I’ll be reviewing today.

Originally, La Palina closed its door when William decided to retire. However, by 2010 his son Bill Paley re-opened La Palina. Since then, La Palina has successfully introduced several high quality cigars including the La Palina Goldie which received a whopping 94 on Cigar Dojo. Below I will be doing my very first blind review of the La Palina Bronze Label. The dissection and comments are thus completely unbiased.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Palina Bronze Label
  • Wrapper: Honduras (Habano-Seed)
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Size: Toro (6.5” x 52)

Appearance & Construction

Overall, this cigar is a beauty. The wrapper has a nice Colorado rosado sheen with a smooth and slightly oily touch. Packed but not over stuffed. There was a minor vein but it didn’t take away from the construction.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

At the foot of the cigar, I pick up a scent of sweet hay and light vanilla accents. I’m pleasantly surprised on the cold draw; plum, cranberry and a mouth full of zesty flavors. At the same time, at the tip of my tongue there is a hint of spiciness and a tingling sensation at the inner part of my lips. The sweet, tangy and spicy combination is an immaculate start for this cigar.

With a soft flame, I toast the foot of the cigar. As the base turns from charcoal to salt and pepper ash, I take the first puff. Sweet hay, dry berries, and a hint of cinnamon spice are the initial taste. The smoke itself is ample, cool and has a lush creamy texture.

One inch in, the sweet hay becomes creamier, almost like sipping on a latte. There is a festive dry fruit note in the aftertaste. The retro-hale is very easy with this cigar, there is no harshness to it, the taste is fruity and leaves a light floral scent in my nose. Towards the end of the first third, a light caramel emerges.

Upon arriving at the second third, a sweet taste reminiscent of sunflower seeds emerges. There is an undertone of light milky caramel and a consistent aftertaste of sweet hay, and dry fruits. One thing I want to point out is that the smoke itself is on the lighter side of medium body. And unlike majority of other cigars, this one doesn’t leave any strong, heavy tobacco aftertaste on the palate.

The Bronze Label continues to impress me as it reaches the final third. All the previous flavors mellow out, taking a step back as it introduces an even more festive flavor, pine. Experiencing it, there is an instant warmness over me like a kid waking up on Christmas Morning.

Conclusion

The Bronze Label was a complex cigar, yet simple in its own way. Not only would it be my ideal daily smoke, but in my opinion, it would be a fantastic introductory cigar for any new comers. This cigar is light enough for anyone to enjoy and to understand its beauty.

Final Rating: 90

Alec Bradley Medalist Review

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Alec Bradley Medalist review

Alec Bradley cigars are almost always associated with a fuller bodied cigar in terms of strength. Alan Rubin, the founder of Alec Bradley wanted to create a different kind of product that could be enjoyed by the everyday smoker. The Medalist successfully carried out that profile by using a shade grown Honduran wrapper, Honduran binder and a mixture of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco fillers.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Alec Bradley: The Medalist
  • Wrapper: Honduran
  • Binder: Honduran
  • Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan
  • Size: Robusto 5×52

Appearance & Construction

The band on the cigar is very thought out when designed. It incorporates a traditional AB logo in maroon and gold with a complex tan background. The cigar I’ve received had a small crack on the head of the wrapper that I hope won’t affect my experience, and two minor veins on the front and back side of the cigar. As I cut into the cigar, a small part of the wrapper undone itself which was expected due to the crack previously mentioned. However, it didn’t affect the structure of the cigar in any way.

Alec Bradley Medalist review

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

At the foot of the cigar, there was a light scent of tangerine, bread, hay and milk coffee. The flavors solidified as I took a dry pull with a nice addition of spicy pepper notes at the tip of the tongue.

As the cigar was being lit, the white silky smoke danced around my hand and I was overwhelmed with an image of a cool fall afternoon and the scent of warm pie as the ember grew at the foot of the cigar.

The first puff of the Medalist solidifies all the presumptions I had. The smoke was ample, cool, and silky with a nice creamy texture. At the forefront of The Medalist, a pleasant taste of nuttiness, hay, vanilla and Hawaiian roll with a hint of white pepper spice at the exhale. This left a tingly sensation at the tip of my tongue. The retro-hale was light just like the cigar, with a nutty and citrusy taste.

Half an inch in, a new taste of a French vanilla latte was introduced due to the vanilla and nutty flavor combination. I’ve also realized the burning has become uneven. I promptly set the cigar down, hoping it would fix itself. A few minutes passed and the burning became even again which was a win in my book.

During the second third, a crack appeared along one of the veins, but it wasn’t significant enough to affect the smoking experience. Hay and toasted bread dominated the flavor profile with a lite flavor of leather and vanilla at the finish. Usually I don’t purge the cigar this early on into the smoke, however, I purged it in attempt to prevent any other cracks or mishaps that happen for the duration of the smoke. As I took a longer pull from the freshly purged cigar, the creaminess and sweetness of the Hawaiian roll reappeared alongside some bitterness from the hay and leather profile.

As I reach the final third, the sweetness of bread is completely gone. All that’s left is hay, leather and charcoal in the profile. In my final attempt extract any flavor the Medalist has left to offer, I decided to purge the cigar again. Luckily the charcoal flavor subsided, and the hay, cream and nutty flavor was revived to provide a proper ending for the smoke.

Conclusion

Alan Rubin achieved his intent for the Medalist. The smoke was mellow throughout the whole experience, even though there were few hiccups along the experience (might only be this specific cigar since there aren’t any other construction complaints from other people) and not as complex as I hoped for. Overall, it was a great stick for your everyday smoke.

Final Rating: 88

My Father The Judge Grand Robusto Review

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my father the judge review

“Emotional roller coaster” is the term that comes to mind when describing my experience with My Father: The Judge. This cigar was first showcased at IPCPR 2016. The Judge was inspired by a dear friend of the Garcia family, who’s an actual judge. Just like the name implied, The Judge grand robusto has a larger and unique vitola at 5”x60” with a soft box press and a medium to full body in terms of strength. It is also worth mentioning that it was No. 7 Cigar of the year for 2017 on Cigar Aficionado.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: My Father: The Judge
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo & Criollo)
  • Filler: Nicaragua (3 different types of tobaccos from Garcia’s farm)
  • Size: 5×60 Grand Robusto

Appearance & Construction

As usual, the MF line impressed me with their band design. The golden scripted “MF” logo centered itself at the beginning of the final third mark, followed by “The Judge” right beneath it with its background fading into the walnut shell colored wrapper. Since it was the first time I’ve encountered this type of vitola, the cigar felt bulky, yet it rested comfortably between my thumb and index finger. The cigar had two very minor veins and a little weight to it, and firm to the touch. The wrapper appears dry visually, but there was a slight oily feel to it. Overall, The Judge has a very solid construction.

my father the judge review

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

When dry pulling, I mainly get barn yard, dry wood, leather and a hint of caramel with white pepper spice at the finish. At the foot of the cigar, I was able to smell more of a barn yard funk and spice which made me sneeze a couple of times.

I took my time toasting the bottom foot of the cigar, making sure each side was toasted properly before making my way to the middle. Once smoke started to emit, I smelled the scent of sweet granola, dry hay and pepper. Upon taking my first pull, I was surprised as to how mellow the actual smoke was. Flavor wise; dry wood and hay was the main profile with a creaminess of raw almond and a sweetness of caramel. There was also a bitter and earthy accent as if you were gnawing on an old bark and soil. There were two interesting characteristics that I wanted to point out; the smoke was silky but dissipated quickly with a bitter taste that I can only associate to the bitterness from a bitter melon. On the contrary, the bitter smoke left a long-lasting lingering sweetness on my palate.

The Judge continues to evolve as I arrived to the second third of the cigar. The nuttiness took the lead at this point, the bitterness and the spiciness in terms of flavor toned down to a hint. The lingering sweetness still existed as well as the bitterness in the smoke, but I realized my mouth was drying out quicker than usual and the only experience I can compare this experience to is when you accidentally chewed on peanut shells.

To my surprise, The Judge still had much life to offer at the final third. In addition to the bitterness in the smoke, a much more delicate floral essence emerged. The white pepper spice was gone, and the hint of sweet caramel at the beginning became a salted caramel instead which offered a savory aftertaste along with the lingering sweetness.

Conclusion

The Judge was a very unique smoke, it was very complex and balanced. The cigar structure remains consistent throughout the whole session, which is why I barely mentioned it in my review. I enjoy the shift of flavor every now and then. However, it would not be one of my go to if I had choices between the MF line. The bitterness in the smoke is very off-putting, unless you enjoy the taste of a bitter melon.

Final Rating: 87

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