(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)
Last year, Vandermarliere Family of Cigars—the owner of J. Cortès and Oliva Cigar Co.—purchased the rights to the Cuba Aliados, Puros Indios and Roly trademarks, three Honduran brands made popular by the late Rolando Reyes Sr. While those brands were once popular names in the cigar business, they had fallen into near dormancy in modern times.
Now, the Cuba Aliados brand is returning, though the cigars aren’t being made by Oliva Cigar Co. Instead, it will be relaunched with two distinct lines, one of which is a regular production being made Julio Eiroa of JRE Tobacco Co. while Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. of E.P. Carrillo will make the other, which will be a limited edition release. The decision to release the two blends are being done as a nod to Reyes’ travels after leaving Cuba in 1970 as he sought to find soil and growing conditions similar to his homeland, a journey that led him to Honduras in 1990.
The Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is a limited release that uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that has been aged for five years, along with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. It is available in the same five sizes, but with different pricing:
Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Robusto (5 x 50) — $14 (Box of 20, $280)
Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Toro (6 x 52) — $14.50 (Box of 20, $290) REVIEWED TODAY
Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Torpedo (6 x 54) — $14.75 (Box of 20, $295)
Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Churchill (7 x 50) — $15 (Box of 20, $300)
Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ReGordo (6 x 60) — $15.50 (Box of 20, $310)
Production of the Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is limited to a total of 15,000 boxes, with 10,000 of them destined for the U.S. and 5,000 for international markets.
“We are incredibly indebted to all Cubans who were so brave in leaving their home country to follow their dreams and passions in keeping the heritage of cigar-making a life, outside of Cuba,” said Fred Vanermarliere, owner of the Vandermarliere Family of Cigars, in a press release. “This project is to honor all of the sacrifices they’ve made. It also symbolizes the united front and alliances we need to make as cigar companies to stand together in light of new regulations. To be able to bring this iconic brand back to life and include both Julio and Ernesto, especially with their strong ties to Rolando, is very special. We made sure to take every step possible to pay homage to its storied past.”
These are not the first new Cuba Aliados cigars since Oliva purchased the brand. There’s an AJ Fernandez-made release that appears to be a private label for catalog retailers.
The cigar is nice looking and has a nice feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good with a touch of firmness. The initial flavors at light up were a grouping of light citrus, citrus peel, cedar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. It's like they're in a flavor pod. Then there was light to average leather and light black coffee. There was black pepper rated at 7 to 7 1/2. A nice mix initially.
At the first third (21 minutes) the ash is still intact and the flavors are about like they were initially. But, there is earthiness and it has increased from the light up. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is a little citrus and leather with good lingering black pepper. At this point the cigar is quite good. I like the "flavor pod" of citrus, citrus peel, cedar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. But the increasing earthiness is a cause for concern. I rated the first third 93.
Moving through the second third (49 minutes) the earthiness continued to increase. It hurt the sweet notes quite a bit. The leather has increased and the black coffee is more noticeable. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is heavy on leather with hints of citrus and brown sugar with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is still rather good but it took a hit. I rated the second third 90.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 9 minutes. The earthiness decreased somewhat allowing the sweet notes to blossom a little. The black pepper is a little better. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is unchanged with good lingering black pepper. The cigar improved a little. Not to the point of the first third though. I rated the final third 91.
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