Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda Collection Habano

Vitola: Robusto
Size: 4.5” x 50 ring gauge
MSRP ~$7.25
Sample provided by Miami Cigar & Company

Background

Last week, I took a look at the Connecticut Shade version of the new Nestor Miranda Collection (and last year I looked at the Maduro); today it’s time to wrap up the trio of reviews of the Nestor Miranda Collection by looking at the Habano. If you remember, back about 6 or so years ago, the original Nestor Miranda Special Selection line came out. It was made in Nicaragua by My Father Cigars and utilized Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with a choice of Nicaraguan Habano wrappers: Rosado or Oscuro. I heavily preferred the Oscuro version myself, although there were fans of the Rosado.

When I talked with Miami Cigar Vice President, Jason Wood, about this project he admitted that all cigar lines have a peak in terms of marketing and sales. He didn’t give all the details, but from what I’ve seen it’s something like this: It starts with hype and building interest. If the cigar hits the market and it’s well received, it will continue to sell well for six months to a year, then it will start to drop off a bit as newer blends hit shelves. After 2 or 3 or 4 years, sales of most lines start dipping and within a year or two of that, the brand is likely to be re-branded, re-blended, or dropped (unless the sales hit a steady point where it just becomes one of those “old regulars”). That time had come in the life cycle of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection, so they decided to not only re-brand, but to re-blend and add something new to the game.

The re-branding went across the line, but most obviously in the Connecticut Shade version; it is the exact same blend as the Special Selection Connecticut, but with a different band and box. Adding something new is what happened with the Maduro, which was not offered at all under the old brand. Then they decided they wanted something in the middle…and they wanted to carry on the Special Selection to some degree. The decision was made to go with the Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper, but to tweak the filler/binder a bit to make it stronger than the old Rosado, though perhaps not quite as strong as the Oscuro. Boom! Re-blending!

Thanks again to Miami Cigar & Company for providing the cigars I smoked for the reviews last week and this week.

Prelight

The Habano looks pretty much like the rest of the Nestor Miranda Collection, though with lime green accents and the word “HABANO” tucked around the right side of the band from the front. The Habano Rosado wrapper on this cigar was roughly the shade of milk chocolate, felt oily under my fingertips and appeared to be as well-made as just about everything you’ve seen come out of the My Father factory. Giving it a sniff, I picked up a bit of earth and leather on the wrapper, while the foot was a sweet chocolate and rich earth note.

The cold draw was just a bit snug, but had flavors of earth, mocha and cedar. It also left a lingering pepper spice on the lips.

Flavor

Getting the NMC Habano lit wasn’t much work and it started off rich and rewarding, with a sweet chocolate note up front, followed by cedar and some red pepper. There was a touch of leather on the finish and a solid earthiness emerged after a few puffs went by. The retrohale had cedar and pepper notes in abundance.

As I cruised into the second third, I found the NMC Habano to be quite smooth and a bit creamy in smoke texture. I got more cedar in the mix with less sweetness; the chocolate took on more of an cocoa powder characteristic instead. The pepper had diminished significantly.

The last third found the earthiness picking up and taking center stage, while cedar and cocoa powder notes were in a more supporting role. The pepper was still hanging around but was very mild.

Construction

Just about perfect construction on this one again…what else is there to say?

Value

Very good flavor, excellent construction and a wallet-friendly price = great value.

Conclusions

I enjoyed the old Special Selection Oscuro, but didn’t care much for the Special Selection Rosado. As such, I wasn’t expecting to like this all that much. Big surprise…I really enjoyed it! Tweaking the blend to fall somewhere in the middle of the two previous offerings was a great move that should please fans of both. I found this Nestor Miranda Collection Habano to be medium-plus in body with a nice complexity and overall enjoyable flavor profile. Definitely one that I will continue to come back to, especially for the excellent price point.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10