Cigar Previews, Part 2

One thing I was amazed about at the IPCPR show was just how many new blends there were. Yes, you can read it on one of the other cigar blogs that reports the news (Cigar-Coop is my personal favorite for that, which is why I end up referencing them in most of these little previews I’m doing), but for me that ends up being much more abstract…it just didn’t take hold how many new blends I would be exposed to until I started visiting booths and collecting samples.

Truthfully, I’m not going to be giving you previews of every sample of new blends I picked up, either. I ended up picking out what I felt I needed to try and putting the rest in the hands of the shop I work for, which is only right…they did pay my way, after all. Even after choosing out which ones I wanted to try out for myself, I don’t think I’ll end up writing about all of them here…even with 4 or 5 a day, it could fill up a month or more of my writing duties. At some point I’m going to get back to regular review mode.

As before, I’m not doing full, scored reviews of these samples. I can’t vouch for the conditions they were kept in before I received them (New Orleans was humid, but the convention center was very dry) and some blends don’t ship quite the same as early samples represent them to be. Plus, I’m smoking several of these a day and I’m pairing them with a variety of beverages when the mood is right. I’m basically evaluating these as a retailer would…would I bring them into my own shop or not? Maybe give them a second chance a little later? That kind of thing…let’s dive in…

Enclave by AJ Fernandez

I found the band on this one a bit odd…”enclave” yet showing an American Indian scene. It’s attractive and original, and when the story behind the band is told, it’s not quite so odd:

The name Enclave is typically a term used to describe a group enclosed or isolated within a larger group. In the past and present, many native Americans are a part of communities which can be considered enclaves. The same analogy can be made for cigar enthusiasts, who gather together from different walks of life to escape the everyday grind.

The blend on this one is interesting, too, as it features Nicaraguan PIloto Cubano (a varietal most closely associated with the Dominican Republic) in the filler, along with a Cameroon binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper. It’s another blend (along with New World) that A.J. Fernandez developed with his father, Ismael. Early reports said that pricing would be in line with the New World prices. (Cigar-Coop)

Enclave starts out with a blast of pepper and cedar from the closed foot wrapper portion, then settled into a spicy earthy flavor profile in the medium to full bodied range. As I smoked through I got plenty of earth, plenty of cedar, and a nice, mellow sweetness.

I won’t say this was the most complex offering I’ve had from the A.J. Fernandez factory, but it was very enjoyable the whole way and should be very popular with its budget-friendly price point, a buck or so north of the prices set by New World.

Flathead Steel Horse by CAO

Last year’s Flathead was a pretty big hit for CAO and has the distinction of being my favorite blend from the brand since they became a General Cigar subsidiary. This year, they did an offshoot brand to appeal to motorcycle fans: Steel Horse. Only two sizes are available in this blend, both of them quite fat. The head remains very flat, but this cigar is not box-pressed like last year’s. The blend consists of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a Brazilian Arapiraca binder, and a Connecticut Habano Grueso wrapper leaf. They are expected to be $9 to $10 per stick. (from their press release)

This cigar was bigger than I generally like but it did has a beautiful oily wrapper that made it appealing. The band was a good tie in with the original Flathead but with motorcycle graphics. The olive drab color was not the most appealing but if it’s like the rest of the FHs each vitola will have its own color.

Ten minutes in I was very impressed by the sweetness and spiciness of the blend. I dare say it’s better than the original Flathead and that if this came out from a “boutique” brand it would be very popular with cigar geeks.

Rocky Special Reserve Sun Grown Maduro

This is a line extension to the original Sun Grown brand, but it features a Broadleaf wrapper. It is available in 5 sizes. (Cigar-Coop)

The dark wrapper was well offset by the brightwork on the band, which bordered on being over-the-top.

Once lit I got a smooth cocoa powder note with a touch of pepper spice. The retrohale gave up some additional pepper. It started off in the low end of the medium-bodied range and within 15 minutes most of the pepper dissipated.

It didn’t take long for this blend to die on my palate. It started off mildly interesting before becoming bland and not-pleasant before long. I ended up putting it out before I got halfway through. I’d be willing to try it again, but I can’t see that I would bring this into my own shop unless a second sampling was much, much better.

Falto Dos Banderas 

Falto has a different philosophy…instead of doing a few blends in a variety of sizes, they tailor each blend for a particular vitola and palate. This results in about 20 different cigars that apparently only a trained professional can tell apart. This is sure to cause problems in almost any shop. I can’t see how we could carry more than a handful of sizes…but which handful?

I was given the Dos Banderas, a 6.875 x 40 Lancero using Cameroon and Dominican fillers, along with a Dominican Corojo wrapper.

This was my first experience with a Falto. Started off medium in body with notes of earth and hay on the palate. I got a touch of pepper on the back of the throat and the retrohale and a subtle but pleasing sweetness.

It was mostly a smooth and elegant blend but I couldn’t help but think of La Aurora’s Preferido blend with a Habano wrapper. That makes me wonder where it fits into a store’s lineup when you already carry La Aurora, Fuente, and Davidoff to name 3 of the Dominican brands it would compare well with. They have plenty of other options, though, so there may be something that works…just have to sample the other 20+ blends.

Nomad Therapy Habano

Fred Rewey’s latest journey is to find the right tobaccos to offer a good smoke at a reasonable price. Therapy is available in 3 different wrapper types (Connecticut Shade, Habano and Maduro) and 2 different sizes (Short Robusto and Toro). Prices are reasonable at $7 to $7.50 per stick, though not “bundle level” pricing (and it’s not a “bundle level” stick, either…it uses long fillers). I decided to give the Habano a try first. (Cigar-Coop)

This started off with rich cedar and chili pepper notes, followed by a good earthiness. It was soon firing on all cylinders, chugging out plenty of smoke and delivering a very nice flavor.

Not the most complex blend but it was continuously good. It also showed why I don’t score show samples when the wrapper split on me. Definitely worth another look later on.