Vitola: Short Churchill- 6” x 48 ring gauge
- $8.49
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
In August of 2016, the cigar industry was burdened by the start of heavy-handed regulations by the FDA, promising to make new blends difficult, time-consuming and costly to produce and get approved for sale. The long-term result will be that there will come a time when far fewer new blends hit the market; in the short term, however, companies produced dozens…hundreds…even thousands…of “phantom blends,” cigar lines that shipped in minimal quantities before the August 8, 2016 deadline just so they could be properly rolled out nationally at a later date. I think one of the unintended consequences—something neither cigar manufacturers nor the regulating government bodies saw—was that the new blends that came out after the deadline would be better overall.
I think that is what has happened, though. Faced with uncertainty about the future, brands are under pressure to release their best blends while maybe holding back phantom blends that aren’t quite so good…why waste time and energy on blends that aren’t going to make money for you now (so you can afford to comply with FDA regs) and later (when the overall cost of being in business will be higher)? Case in point: AJ Fernandez Cigars. They highlighted two very large-scale releases at this year’s trade show: New World Puro Especial and Enclave Maduro, extensions to very popular lines from the company. Using the previous releases’ name guarantees immediate sales, while keeping the prices low and producing what are arguably better cigars than their predecessors keeps expectations and sales up over the long term.
The New World Puro Especial, like the original New World, is a Nicaraguan puro. I was told by one of the company reps that was in our store recently that the filler and binder of this blend are pretty much identical to the original New World, except with longer aging time, while the wrapper is totally different. A couple sources (including a company press release) say the wrapper is a Nicaraguan Criollo 98, but the company’s website says Nicaraguan Habano.
Initially the New World Puro Especial is being released in 3 vitolas. I got to smoke the Robusto and Short Churchill so far, opting to purchase additional Short Churchill sticks for review purposes.
Prelight
One change in the Puro Especial is that the boxes used are painted wood instead of paper-covered panels. The band uses the same “discovering America” artwork that the original New World used and even the same placement of gold medallions, but just about everything else about the band has changed. While the original was mostly white background, trimmed in gold and red, with straight top and bottom edges, the new one has more gold foil and emboss area, along with a designed and shaped die-cut top edge and the addition of a section for “Puro Especial” to be added below the main part of the band. As with man of AJF’s recent releases (both for themselves and other companies) a secondary band is used with “A.J. Fernandez” on it. In direct comparison, the bands have quite a bit in common, but at just a glance, the new one appears more ornate and richer.
The wrapper leaf was a dark chocolate brown color with a decent amount of both oils and tooth under my fingers. It is not listed as “Maduro” or “Oscuro” but it will probably be called one (or both) before long. The aroma from the wrapper was earthy and leathery, while the foot of the cigar had more earth, cocoa powder, coffee bean and baking spice notes.
My standard straight cut gave an excellent cold draw that tasted of cocoa powder and earth.
Flavor
The New World Puro Especial starts out with flavors of cinnamon and cedar, earth and espresso bean, cocoa powder and just a bit of char. There was a hint of red pepper around the edges of the flavor profile, though it was more pronounced on the nose than on the palate. It seemed to carry about as much of the flavor and complexity of Nicaraguan leaf than I’ve experienced in a single cigar before…at least at this price point. As I got close to the end of the first third, I could feel the pepper burn building up a bit, creating a nice burning sensation, but not even close to overwhelming.
Nothing about the flavor profile was overwhelming, for that matter. As I headed into the second third, the balance was very nice and the smoke was mostly smooth and earthy, with just enough wood, cocoa powder and coffee notes.
Though there was a lot of complexity in each puff of the New World Puro Especial, I didn’t find that the flavors changed much third to third. Instead it was a uniformly very good profile that kept emphasizing earth and cocoa powder notes, with coffee and wood notes right behind. The pepper spice kept up a moderate burn on the palate and nose without ever becoming a pepper bomb.
Construction
All the samples of the Puro Especial that I’ve had so far have had a great draw, with even-enough burn lines and solid ash.
Value
One of the best AJF cigars I’ve ever had with a price tag that still only just approaches $10 at the biggest size…great value.
Conclusions
The Puro Especial definitely stays true to the New World brand, showcasing the rich flavor and complexity that can be drawn from Nicaraguan tobacco. It had a medium-plus body with a steady delivery of earthy and slightly sweet cocoa powder notes, with accents of cedar, cinnamon, espresso bean and pepper spice all along the way. I found it to be a very enjoyable cigar that didn’t get boring at any point despite the lack of change along the way…and the price point makes it an easy recommendation for a box purchase.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
Thank you David!