Vitola: Lonsdale Deluxe- 6.5” x 44 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$11.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
In 2016, Willy Herrera took his Herrera Esteli line of cigars back to his roots with the Herrera Esteli Miami, a single-vitola limited edition crafted at Titan de Bronze in Miami. It was a good cigar (I reviewed it HERE), but didn’t sell exceptionally fast everywhere…I was able to pick up a 10-count box of them on clearance near the end of last year. Part of the problem was the $13 MSRP on the 5.75 x 48 ring cigar…and part of that was the very limited nature of the run.
They must have been happy enough with it, though, as they announced at IPCPR 2018 that the blend would be making a comeback as a regular production cigar. This brings to 3 the number of factories that make Drew Estate cigars: their own factory in Nicaragua; the factory of their sister-company, Joya de Nicaragua; and Titan de Bronze, the factory where Willy Herrera learned his craft.
The blend is declared to be the same as the previous cigar: Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper leaf. This time there are five sizes, none of which is the same as the original release, but all of which have suggested retail prices below that of the original release.
I was able to pick up a few of these when they arrived at Burns. I smoked a couple before this review sample got fired up. Both of our retail sponsors, Cigar and Pipes and Small Batch Cigar, carry this blend.
Prelight
The original Herrera Esteli Miami had the red and gold banding of the “limited editions” using the Herrera Esteli naming. For this regular release, they opted for a black background with white lettering and the same gold border that you have seen on the regular HE releases, as well as all the limited editions. The secondary band declares it to be “Miami” in case you were unaware of what you purchased. I like the re-branding that Drew Estate has done with the Herrera Esteli lines since last summer…utilizing the same basic banding designs with more color-coding to differentiate lines.
The wrapper of the cigar was a milk chocolate brown with a decent amount of oiliness and a bit of veininess. The wrapper had an aroma of earth and leather. The foot of the stick had a mix of hay and cedar, with a touch of earth.
I clipped the stick with my favorite Xikar Xi cutter and got an excellent prelight draw. Cold flavors were of grass, wood and a slightly chemical note that felt familiar, but I couldn’t place. I have to say the chemical flavor wasn’t pleasing, but it’s also the first time I’ve picked it up on any of these.
Flavor
The HE Miami lit up fairly quick and very evenly, with tons of cedar right up front, followed by a grassy and earthy mix and a little bit of black pepper heat. There was more cedar on the nose, along with an intense red pepper burn. As I burned through the first third, I got a nice mix of grassy Dominican and earthy Nicaraguan notes, while cedar backed off quite a bit. The pepper burn stayed fairly low-level on the palate, but I did pick up some sweeter notes along the way.
Sweeter notes of dried fruit began to come more into focus during the second third, approaching the levels off the grassy and earthy notes. Pepper continued to fade on palate and nose.
The last third had woody notes come back into play while the grassier flavors died down. There was a little more pepper on the palate toward the end and the sweetness continued on at a moderate rate.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash.
Value
I really liked this cigar the first time it was released; with the regular release benefiting from increased production to lower the price, I think it delivers value even better.
Conclusions
I am pleased to report that the Herrera Esteli Miami continues to be a very good cigar, with a flavor profile and complexity that is very pleasing and as close to the original release as I can remember. In addition, the price tag has dropped a buck or two, so they are easier to enjoy on a more frequent basis without impacting your pocket book quite so much. Great addition to the Herrera Esteli lineup from Drew Estate.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 9/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
