MoyaRuiz Dim Mak (5 x 54)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)

Dim Mak – The Death Touch is the third limited edition cigar to be released by MoyaRuiz Cigars. The limited editions from MoyaRuiz have all had a common theme – they have been a tribute to the Cigar Dojo community. MoyaRuiz has attributed the Dojo community to much of its success it has had. As such, each of the limited edition cigars have had an Asian or Martial Arts theme. With the Dim Mak, MoyaRuiz has said that given the pending FDA regulations, this could very well be the last limited edition it releases. This is an outstanding cigar and continues what has been a very strong 2016 for the company owned by Danny Moya and Nelson Ruiz.

Dim Mak refers to a mythical martial arts technique, which is said to cause delayed death due to a single blow by the hand (thus the name “The Death Touch”). It typically is used by grandmasters as a last resort when death becomes the only option. This theme has what MoyaRuiz calls a “not-so-subtle message to the FDA and their overbearing regulations.

Dim Mak has the most traditional look of the three limited edition releases. The first limited release was 2014’s La Jugada Nunchuck, for which the company received a patent. What is unique about this release is that it joins two cigars with a fuse similar to an actual Nunchuck. This was followed in 2015 by the,The Chinese Finger Trap – a somewhat controversial release incorporated the novelty game theme.

Dim Mak incorporates an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler. This is the first MoyaRuiz cigar to utilize Dominican tobacco. As with all MoyaRuiz cigars, Dim Mak is made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Zona)

Vitolas Available

The Dim Mak will be produced in one size – a 5 x 54 Robusto. The cigars are packaged in ten count boxes with total of 700 boxes produced.

The cigar has a nice feel in the hand. Here is a shot of the foot.

The cigar also has a triple cap.

The test draw after cutting the cap was very good. The cigar has a dense feel but the draw was perfect. The initial flavors at light up were a cream and boysenberry mix. There was a nice amount of black pepper. I rated it at an 8. This cigar produced a ton of smoke as you can see in the video review. There is almost a white chocolate flavor but I'll stick with a cream description.

About 3/4 inch in the cigar has greatly changed. This may sound a little odd but the flavors remind me of strawberry preserves. There are butter notes, some brown sugar and cream. The flavor combination is very nice. There is black coffee at the base. The flavors are full flavored and work well together. The cigar comes across as medium to full bodied. The finish is a nice cream with ample lingering black pepper.

At the midpoint I lost some of the buttery notes. There is still that high pitched strawberry flavor along with cream and brown sugar. The cigar is now full bodied. The pepper has moved up on the finish. There is quite a bit of lingering black pepper. The finish is still a sweet cream with some toasted notes; a toasted cream.

The cigar ended much like the previous post but I noticed here and there some dry roasted nut flavors. They were quite faint all through the cigar but at the end they came out much more. The cigar is still full bodied. The finish is unchanged. Losing the buttery notes did not ruin the cigar. I enjoyed this cigar and the strawberry-type flavors, cream, brown sugar, and coffee. The black pepper was very, very good in this cigar. I suggest you scoop these up if you find them as there were only 7000 made!

Score: 93

Caldwell Savages Toro (6 x 54)

Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)
At this year’s 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, Caldwell Cigar Company launched a new line called Savages. Savages is described as a limited edition extension off of the Long Live the King line. It’s a cigar that was only offered to retailers on the first day of the IPCPR Trade Show.

Caldwell Cigar Company hasn’t been disclosing blend details of its releases for 2016, but the company has described Savages as having a Habano wrapper. It’s made at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic. The cigar is available in five sizes – each packaged in 10 count boxes.

Wrapper: Habano
Binder: n/a
Filler: n/a

Savages Corona Extra (6 x 46) — $11 (Box of 10, $110)
Savages Corona Larga (8 x 45) — $15 (Box of 10, $150)
Savages Piramide (6 x 50) — $14 (Box of 10, $140)
Savages Super Rothschild (4 3/4 x 52) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)
Savages Toro (6 x 54) — $13 (Box of 10, $130) REVIEWED TODAY

The cigar is well made with a nice little pigtail cap.

The cigar has a nice feel in the hand. It appears to have a good density.

The test draw after cutting the pigtail cap was very good. The initial flavors were black licorice, heavy cream, and brown sugar. The cream is almost as intense as the licorice. There is a lot of black pepper rated at an 8. Even the lingering black pepper is very good at light up.

1 1/4 inch in the cigar has pivoted and made a huge change. Now the flavors are caramel, butter, and brown sugar. The black pepper is still very intense. The buttery caramel is very nice and when you add brown sugar it becomes very enjoyable. The finish is a cream with caramel influence. There is also a nice amount of lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. 

At the midpoint the flavors are getting darker. There are now fudge-like flavors to go along with the buttery caramel and brown sugar. There are also obvious dark coffee notes at the base which were not as noticeable before. The cigar is still medium to full bodied but moving up. The finish is unchanged.

The cigar ended with massive fudge/dark chocolate notes. The coffee notes were also increased. The caramel and buttery notes decreased significantly. The brown sugar decreased but was still noted. There were dry nut notes mixed in the flavors. The finish was one of light caramel, dark chocolate, and cream with nice lingering black pepper. This was a good cigar which made major changes. Look for these at retailers who carry Caldwell cigars.

Score: 92

Caldwell Cigars Eastern Standard Midnight Express Pyramid (6 x 50)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)

Caldwell Cigar Company’s maduro offering, the Eastern Standard Midnight Express had its official launch at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show.

Eastern Standard Midnight Express uses the Araparica Connecticut Shade Hybrid leaf found on the company’s Eastern Standard line. The difference is the leaf is subject to additional fermentation to transform it into a maduro wrapper.

The Eastern Standard Midnight Express is packaged in 20 count boxes and is available in the following sizes: 

Corona (5 3/8 x 46)

Robusto (5 x 50)

Toro (6 x 52)

Pyramid (6 x 50) REVIEWED TODAY

Pricing ranges from $10.00 to $13.80.

The cigar is a dark brown but not the typical look of a maduro cigar. The foot is the largest ring and it tapers quickly and consistently to the cap. 

The test draw after cutting the minimum from the pointed cap was very good. The initial flavors at light up were an earthy chocolate and coffee. There is a minor amount of sweetness in the chocolate and comes across as a lightly sweet cedar with some brown sugar. The cigar does not start off overly sweet. There was black pepper rated at a 7 1/2.

About 1 1/2 inch in the burn is already off. I want to try and let it catch up on it's own. I am losing some of the massive earthy notes. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is a sweet cream with some influence of the chocolate. The sweetness has picked up and it appears to be coming from the brown sugar. This is a rather dark noted cigar but it lacks significant sweetness. 

Around the midpoint I am still fighting the burn. I may have to touch up the cigar. There are a lot of chocolate notes, brown sugar, coffee, minor amount of earthiness. There is now a small amount of butter noted which helps. The cigar is medium to full bodied now. 

With about 2 1/2 inches remaining I had to touch up the cigar. The burn did not even out. The cigar is the best it's been so far. There are a lot of chocolate notes, more butter notes,  brown sugar, touch of cedar, and coffee. The pepper is improving and is up close to an 8. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. There is an average amount of lingering black pepper. The sweetness has improved greatly at this point.

The cigar ended on the uptick. The cigar continued to get better the smaller the ring gauge got. There are a tremendous amount of chocolate, brown sugar, and cedar notes. The coffee held the base. The slight amount of buttery notes greatly helped the cigar. The first third of the cigar I would rate an 88. The midpoint I would rate a 90 and the final third a 92. In the end I rated the overall cigar a 91. With the cigar improving so much as it burned and got to a smaller ring gauge I wonder how a small ring cigar in this version would be.

Score: 91

Anastasia Opera by Caldwell Cigars (6 x 52)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar Aficionado website)

Caldwell has joined forces with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo of EPC Cigar Co. to create Anastasia, the follow-up project to The Last Tsar, a Caldwell cigar brand that depicts Nicolas II, the last Tsar of Russia on its band artwork. The new cigar shows an image of Princess Anastasia, the long lost daughter of Nicolas II, on its band. 

Anastasia has shipped to a small group of retailers in the United States and Europe and is available in four sizes: 

Caspia, at 5 3/4 by 43 ($12.50)

Kartel, 5 by 49 ($13.30)

Mercure 7 by 47 ($14.00)

Opera, 6 by 52 ($14.70) REVIEWED TODAY

The cigar ships in 20-count boxes and is rolled at Perez-Carrillo's Tabacalera La Alianza S.A., located in the Dominican Republic.

Caldwell Cigar Co. has declined to release full blend details of its new cigars at this time. 

The cigar is a light-medium brown color and well made. It has a slightly above average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was very good. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet whipping cream and apricot mix. The pepper was a white pepper rated at a 7 1/2. There were also some light coffee notes at the base.

One inch in and the flavors are changing bit time. There are now mango/apricot notes, brown sugar, and black pepper rated at an 8 1/2. Yes, the white pepper changed to a large amount of black pepper in one inch. The finish is a brown sugar laden cream with a nice amount of lingering black pepper. The change was major but nice. The mango and apricot flavors are quite unique but I like them!

Close to the midpoint the flavors are about the same. The black pepper remains very good. There is a touch of sweet, creamy butter attached to the front end flavors. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is about the same.

At the end I still had the mango/apricot flavor with some buttery notes and black pepper. The cigar hit medium to full bodied. The finish was unchanged. If this cigar had an abundance of richness this could easily be my cigar of the year but it lacked significance richness. Caldwell Cigars has a very good cigar here and the added touch of the Carillo's really helps this cigar stand out. It will do well for Caldwell. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Score: 92

Consigliere‏ by CAO (General Cigar IPCPR Release)

There was a great CAO cigar that came in a red lacquered box. One day it was gone. Everyone assumed it was sleeping with the fishes.

A certain crew of guys who smoke CAO made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. They said bring back that wise guy cigar, or else. So we delivered the goods.

CAO Consigliere is a straight sequel -- the five-country blend is the same as before, the one that made it to Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list in 2006.

Consigliere is handmade in Nicaragua, with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, bound with a Honduran leaf and features a blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Colombian leaves. This is a bold cigar with flavors of espresso, wood and spice.

Consigliere will be pulled back in as a full-time member of the CAO family starting in October, with suggested retail prices that are less than the original. Three new sizes were created for the launch. They are:

Associate -- 5 x 52; SRP per cigar is $6.99

Soldier -- 6 x 54; SRP per cigar is $7.99

Boss -- 7 x 56 Torpedo; SRP per cigar is $8.99

Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador was mostly tight-lipped about the new Consigliere launch. “Right now, all I can say is leave the cannolis and take the cigars. Capisce?”

Rick will hit the road later this year, doing events across the U.S. to celebrate the return of this tough guy smoke.

CAO

Facebook: CAO Cigars

Twitter: @caocigars

Instagram: @caocigars

Cohiba Macassar‏ (General Cigar IPCPR New Release)

Distant from even the most primitive modes of transportation, Indonesian Macassar is arguably the most difficult ebony in the world to procure and one of the world’s most beautiful exotic woods. In a fitting tribute to this extraordinary work of nature, the artisans of Cohiba have created Cohiba Macassar, a new collection that lends itself to extravagant smoking occasions as readily as it does to life’s most treasured moments.

Only the finest leaves were selected to meet the exacting standards of taste and aesthetics set forth for Macassar. As such, this super-premium expression is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged for more than four years including a year of finishing in Dominican rum barrels.

The blend of Cohiba Macassar is centered on a supple Connecticut Havano wrapper grown in a micro climate that helps to achieve a richer, more flavorful tobacco, yet with far less yield than traditional plants. To deliver a refined wrapper with barely perceptible veins, only the finest seco leaves are chosen for Cohiba Macassar.

The blend is made with a proprietary Dominican seed cultivated by Cohiba’s agronomists in Mao, complemented by a Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf grown exclusively for Cohiba. The Connecticut Broadleaf binder is aged six years to impart a mellow flavor and optimal combustibility.

Cohiba Macassar brings forth nuanced notes of wood and spice. The flavor is distinctive and unmistakable, bearing subtle references to other blends in the Cohiba portfolio.

Handcrafted in the Dominican Republic, Cohiba Macassar will make its debut fine cigar shops nationwide beginning in August. This remarkable collection will be a full-time addition to the Cohiba portfolio and will be launched with three sizes, each protected in 10-count boxes.

Toro Grande -- 6 x 52; SRP per cigar is $21.99

Gigante -- 6 x 60; SRP per cigar is $23.99

Double Corona -- 7.25 x 54; SRP per cigar is $24.99


Cohiba

Facebook: Cohiba

Twitter: @cohiba

Instagram: @cohibacigars

General Cigar/La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli Maduro

La Gloria Cubana is launching two new lines, one created solely for sale at brick and mortar cigar shops and the other developed for internet and catalog retailers.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli Maduro

Serie R Esteli made Cigar Aficionado’s list of the Top 25 Cigar of 2014. With a 91 rating, the magazine called the line “one of the best La Glorias in years.” This outstanding collection is now being extended to include a new Maduro offering created exclusively for brick and mortar retailers. Made with the same Nicaraguan-forward blend that won the brand critical acclaim, the new expression is wrapped in rich Connecticut Broadleaf to deliver a cigar that’s medium in strength, deep in sweetness and brimming with leather notes and spice.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli Maduro began shipping in July, and is available in three sizes. Each box contains 18 cigars.

No. 54 – 6 x 54; SRP per cigar is $6.99

No. 60 -- 6 x 60; SRP per cigar is $7.49

No. 64 – 6.25 x 64; SRP per cigar is $7.99

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black Maduro

With large ring vitolas, deep, rich flavor and a bold Nicaraguan blend, La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black debuted as an unbeatable addition to the Serie R line. The trend continues with the addition of La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black Maduro. This deep and full-bodied smoke delivers a powerhouse of flavor, filled with pepper, earth and coffee notes and the slightly sweet, creamy taste that can only be found with an aged Maduro wrapper. With an SRP of less than $8, Serie R Black Maduro has all the makings of a top-selling new smoke for cigar lovers who demand Nicaraguan flavor at an accessible price.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black began shipping in July and is available in three sizes through internet and catalog retailers only. Each box contains 18 cigars.

No. 58 – 6.875 x 58; SRP per cigar is $7.79

No. 60 -- 6 x 60; SRP per cigar is $7.49

No. 64 – 6.25 x 64; SRP per cigar is $7.99

La Gloria Cubana

Facebook: La Gloria Cubana

Twitter: @LaGloriaCubana

Instagram: @lagloriacubana

General Cigar releases Hoyo La Amistad

The legendary Hoyo de Monterrey brand continues its bold march into the future with an intriguing, limited edition collaboration called La Amistad. The blend was developed by AJ Fernandez, the Cuban expat cigar maker best known for producing highly-rated cigars in Nicaragua.

Hoyo La Amistad is bold and full-bodied, and showcases the artisanal cigar making techniques and modern packaging of the new Hoyo launched earlier this year. Named for the camaraderie forged when creating this exciting new release, La Amistad means friendship in Spanish.

Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar said, “AJ Fernandez embodies the same ethos as the Hoyo brand. His passion for the craft of cigar making is what led us to collaborate with him on La Amistad. This collection combines AJ’s love of tobacco and blending with the knowledge of Hoyo’s cigar makers in Honduras and Nicaragua.”

AJ Fernandez noted, “I grew up very near to the Hoyo de Monterrey farm and I have always had a love for the brand. When it came time to develop this blend, I put my heart and soul into it. To me, this project represents how far my family and I have come since Cuba, and how our expertise in tobacco continues to be recognized. This cigar represents the best of me and my factory and I am proud to be a part of this collaboration.”


La Amistad is brawny and robust, with notes of leather and spice. The wrapper is a bold Ecuadoran Habano, bound with a Nicaraguan leaf cultivated by AJ Fernandez in Esteli. The blend features powerhouse Nicaraguan tobacco from Esteli, Ometepe, Condega and Jalapa.

La Amistad is handcrafted at the AJ Fernandez cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It will be available in four sizes beginning in September. They are:

Rothschild – 4.5 x 50; SRP per cigar is $6.49

Robusto – 5 x 54; SRP per cigar is $7.59

Toro – 6 x 50; SRP per cigar is $7.79

Gigante -- 6 x 60; SRP per cigar is $7.99




Hoyo
Facebook: Hoyo De Monterrey/Excalibur Cigars
Twitter: @hoyocigars
Instagram: @hoyocigars