Reviews by Joe

Cigar brands come and go. 

Whether it’s due to a lack of quality tobaccos, changes in production requirements, a necessary re-branding, or a blend just being underappreciated, there’s an ebb and flow to the availability of many premium cigars. 

And typically in this tale as old as time, you’ll hear the same marketing refrain – new look, same blend! Or: “the classic you love with a new, contemporary band.” “A phoenix risen from the ashes”, “the prodigal son returns”, etc. Inevitably those cigars will return to the same level of sales they had before, and the “New Coke” vs. “Coca-Cola Classic” cycle will spin on. 

Today, we’ve got something a little different for you. The keen-eyed out there might recognize the Latitude Zero name as one that’s been around these parts before. However, this ain’t no “same blend, new look” story. 

Latitude Zero is all new. New look, new blend, new everything. And it’s good. Scratch that — it’s damn good. 

So what’s the deal? I’m glad you asked. 

Latitude Zero is rolled at NACSA, a little-known factory in Esteli, Nicaragua that has been secretly behind the scenes of some of your favorite cigars for decades. Seriously. You see, NACSA is the manufacturing arm of the Oliva Tobacco Family (not to be confused with Oliva Cigars, a different company that makes the ‘Oliva’ branded items like Serie V or Melanio). And the Oliva Tobacco Family is arguably the most prestigious and important grower of tobacco in the cigar industry today. If you’ve ever had a cigar with Ecuadorian leaf, chances are they grew it. In fact, Oliva Tobacco sells to Drew Estate, Arturo Fuente, Rocky Patel, Nick Perdomo, Don Pepin Garcia, and many more. Long and short: if you’ve tried more than a couple cigars in your day, chances are you’ve enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

Anyway, back to NACSA. Short for “Nicaraguan American Cigars, S.A”, this factory has access to all the premium leaves that Oliva Tobacco grows, and produces cigars for some truly prestigious clientele. Perhaps most famously, they make many of Steve Saka & Dunbarton’s current products, like Mi Querida and the Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor. In fact, one rumor goes that NACSA was the factory that first figured out the fermentation technique used on Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9 — but that’s neither here nor there. 

Besides the tobacco, NACSA has another secret weapon at their disposal. Raul Disla. Raul is the Production Manager at NACSA, and oversees all 65,000 cigars they roll per day. In addition to his attention to detail and strict quality control, Raul is a master blender in his own right, helping cigar makers who use NACSA pick the perfect tobacco for their products. Keep that name in the back of your head — I guarantee you’re going to hear it more and more in the next few years.

So that’s the pedigree with Latitude Zero. Blended by Raul Disla, at the industry’s best-kept-secret cigar factory, with tobaccos from the most renowned growers in the world. Interested? 

You should be, because this baby delivers in every way imaginable. Before you even get into the cigars themselves, just look at the gorgeous presentation on this brand. Open the simple, yet elegant, box and a detailed, hand drawn world map with beautifully embellished compasses and flourishes greets you. The small touches here are top-notch: the compass on the band is made up of tobacco leaves, and the cloth foot ribbon brings a level of polish to the whole affair. It’s a real looker.

On paper, this blend is not unique. But don’t let that fool you. An Ecuadorian Habano wrapper leaf sits atop Nicaraguan binder and long-filler. What is special about this one though is the quality and hue of that wrapper. I mean, just look at it! Dark, oily, and rich – in a blind test, I’d peg this as Broadleaf before I’d say Habano. That just shows you how masterful NACSA’s fermentation technique is. A lesser factory would never be able to get this color and performance out of their materials.

But now, the piece de resistance – the flavor. Lighting up Latitude Zero, I was instantly reminded of old school Liga Privada. Truly, this blend is reminiscent of the types of cigars that got me into this industry in the first place. It’s full-bodied but the flavor is shockingly smooth. For how dark the wrapper on this cigar is, you barely get any spice. Instead, sweet caramel leads the charge, with rich, dark chocolate joining shortly after. The cigar remains enjoyable to the end, with roasted nuts and a bit of dry cocoa flitting in and out throughout the back half. 

And the price. Come on! I kid you not, this cigar is worth easily double, maybe even triple the price. 

The recommendation here is easy folks — get yourself a box of Latitude Zero, use the money you save to grab a nice bottle of bourbon and a thick steak, and clear your weekend plans. You’re not going to want to leave the house as long as you have a couple of these around to enjoy. 

Ladies and gentlemen, AJ’s done it again.

Today, I’m going to be diving into the Man O’ War Valkyrie. This cigar from AJ Fernandez has been one at the top of my mind lately, and I want to explain to each of you just why that is. Get your credit cards at the ready, though, folks – without spoiling the punchline, this one’s a huge BUY from me. 

There’s a lot to talk about here, but I want to mention very quickly up top the Desflorado wrapper that AJ utilizes on this cigar. It’s very rare, and you typically only see it on uber-high end (and expensive) sticks like Davidoff or Padron Damaso. Peep our write up above this review real quick for a little more info on the process to make this leaf.

Back? Good. Let’s toast this sucker up and get started.

The flavor on Man O’ War Valkyrie is brilliant from the beginning, as each draw delivers a smooth mixture of cream, cedar, and very slight hits of pepper. That combination of words together is nothing new. Hell, check out almost any review of a Connecticut wrapped stick on this site, and you will easily find the same phrase. However, the way Valkyrie delivers this to you is truly unique. Each note melds together in one, as Valkyrie delivers a flavor unlike anything I’ve had before. Familiar, but exotic – simple, but elegant. 

Truly, cigars like this remind me over and over that we are witnessing a generational talent, a true master of his craft, in AJ Fernandez.

As the Churchill I’ve chosen to light up continues to burn, let’s talk about the other Connecticut line in the Man O’ War arsenal – Virtue. There’s one question I feel I have to address: is one better than the other? If you’ve always smoked Virtue, should you switch to Valkyrie? 

For me, there’s space in the humidor for both. 

Virtue was AJ’s first exploration with the “new wave” Connecticut trend that has dominated the market over the last decade. For those unfamiliar, these blends define themselves by packing a lot more flavor and traditionally, a lot more spice, into a Connecticut than one might expect from something like a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real or a Macanudo Café. 

And Virtue absolutely fits that bill. While the body of the cigar is mellow enough that you can light it up first thing in the morning, the flavor is just as full as a traditional Man O’ War or Ruination. There’s a lot of toastiness. Warm, spicy notes dominate the game, and the cigar is a perfect companion to a sweet, creamy drink like a cappuccino to help balance out the sharper notes of the blend.

Valkyrie is a different animal. While there is some spice, it’s rather light, and the finish is clean and short. No lingering flavor on the palate. What that means is that this is a cigar, in my mind, best enjoyed without an accompanying beverage. Adding a cup of coffee to the samples I enjoyed actually dampened the experience – there’s a lot of subtlety and balance to Valkyrie, and it tends to be a “blink and you might miss it” experience. In short, Valkyrie is a cigar best enjoyed by giving yourself over to it. 

For my money, that makes Valkyrie slightly better than Virtue if I had to choose between the two. I’m sure the times we’re living in contribute to this. When I’m looking to enjoy a cigar nowadays, it’s to take a break from the non-stop cycle of crazy news and hectic emails. I want something that will slow me down, that provides an experience in itself, as opposed to my normal routine of smoking cigars as a background to clearing out my inbox, grilling, or hanging out with friends. 

Coming back to the cigar, Valkyrie finishes much as it began. Bready notes enter the mix, with some of the creaminess petering out, and the cigar edging a tad closer to medium-body, though still staying just slightly shy of the mark. 

I’m adding Valkyrie to my regular purchase list for a few reasons. As a fan of AJ’s work, trying a blend where he utilizes a wrapper out of his normal rotation is already an awesome experience. As a lover of Connecticuts, it’s great to find a cigar that provides so much richness without strength. And as a guy who’s lucky enough to get to burn cigars for a living, it’s very refreshing to have one that truly knocks my socks off. 

Long story short, this is an easy recommendation for me. The Churchill rules the roost as my favorite size, though I’ve enjoyed the Robustos I sampled immensely as well. Whatever size you go with, I guarantee you’re going to love it. 

A few months back, I did a quick review on all of the Oliva 2nds blends that we carried and told you my favorite. It’s one of my shortest reviews ever, but has a ton of views. Since then, the review has become a little dated (we get new sizes and versions of their 2nds all the time), but it remains one of the most useful pieces I’ve penned. Two lessons from that write-up: 

1.) I write too much in these things. (Gotta put this Bachelor’s in English Literature to work somehow!)
2.) People like when you compare stuff. 

True scientific conclusions there. And as a man of the people, it’s my duty to take these lessons to heart. So, today, we’re going to take a quick glance at all four of the current Macanudo Inspirado releases, focusing on the latest blend to hit our shelves (Orange) and trying to help you decide where to jump in on this fan-favorite line. 

Let’s start with a little context: Inspirado is a relatively recent set of releases from the famed Macanudo brand. While they’ve long been known for their uber-popular Café line, Macanudo isn’t a one trick pony, and Inspirado proves that. By taking a more “boutique” approach to their blending and focusing on sourcing the best, aged tobaccos, they’ve produced a line of cigars that both small batch and big brand lovers can agree on. Without further ado, let’s check ‘em all out. 

Inspirado Black: Black was the Inspirado that arrived first on our docks, and my introduction to the brand. And at the risk of sounding corny, this one ain’t your daddy’s Macanudo. Weighing in at a medium to full-bodied profile, Black utilizes a proprietary growing technique to showcase a dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Lighting it, you’ll find a lot of dark chocolate, accented by some black pepper and roasted nuts. Classic maduro. I’d happily enjoy one if somebody handed it to me, but it’s not my favorite of the lot: 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado White: Oh yeah. Now we’re talking. Wrapped in a six-year-aged Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf, Inspriado White is the closest to the classic Café brand. But while Café remains smooth and mellow throughout, this is more of a “new age” Connecticut flavor. The creamy, toasty notes you love are there, with spikes of white pepper and cedar. An easy one to recommend, especially in the Churchill size. My humidor now always contains a couple of these sticks. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado Red: If you blindfolded me, I’d never, ever guess this is a Macanudo. Full-bodied, dark, and box-pressed, Red has more in common with CAO Flathead or Rocky Patel Decade than it does Café. But that’s not a bad thing! The fullest cigar to ever bear the Macanudo Name, Inspirado Red offers a bold mixture of dark fruit, red pepper, cedar, and leathery notes. A must-try, especially for the uniqueness of the product. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado Orange: My other favorite. To give you a peek behind the curtains here, we were accidentally shipped a ton of Inspirado Orange torpedos in a tube back when these were a retail exclusive, and (luckily) the folks behind Macnaudo told us to keep them. So I did what any cigar lover would – grabbed a couple handfuls and went to town. Spicy and complex without being overbearing, Orange delivers a flavor that reminds me most of Espinosa Laranja (maybe I’m just stuck on the orange theme here). Slight fruitiness mixes with a cedar spice, in a soft, creamy profile that’s just as good at 9 AM as it is at 10 PM. Another easy recommendation. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

If you can only try one Inspirado, Orange or White are my frontrunners. From there, it depends on you – if you’re looking for the best cigar to accompany your morning coffee, White is a no-brainer. If you want a blend with a little more body that you can burn all day long, go for Orange. Or, pick up a 5-pack of each and take them all for a test drive… I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. These four Inspirado releases are truly some of the best Macanudo cigars to date. 

Ramon Allones is the best cigar AJ has made to date. That’s right boys and girls, I’m skipping all the mumbo-jumbo and history I normally stuff into the beginning of my reviews and jumping right to the good stuff: this cigar is the best. Seriously. My favorite cigar I’ve tried this year. And when you’re going through 10-12 cigars a week that says something. Call me a sucker, but I love everything AJ makes: from the boutique, full-bodied creations of Man O’ War and Diesel, to his collaborative projects like Punch Diablo and H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez, to his national brand lines like New World and Enclave, I can’t get enough of this stuff. Hell, I even love his older, discontinued lines like Spectre and Pinolero. 

Suffice to say, when a co-worker at this year’s IPCPR (the industry trade show) told me that the new cigar from AJ was his best work yet, I was hesitant to believe him. How could he make something more flavorful than Diesel Unholy Cocktail? Bolder than Montecristo Nicaragua? Fuller-bodied than New World? I high-tailed it to the booth and finagled myself a few samples, and went about my day. You see, while the trade show is awesome for trying new stuff, it’s hard to really enjoy a cigar there. Every 10 feet you walk you’re running into another cigar maker who wants you to try his latest release: basically meaning I end up tasting every cigar for 15 or 20 minutes before I’m forced to move onto the next. 

I packed the Toros I had scored up into my travel case, threw them in my suitcase, and waited. When we got back from Las Vegas, I had a ton of new cigars to sample, but I knew I’d be going for Ramon Allones first. And I’ll be honest with you, I liked it, but it didn’t really “wow” me from the moment I sat down with it. I continued working through the samples, figuring out what we want to get online, pricing out new products, and going on with my life. But I kept thinking about that Ramon Allones. Like when you get a drunken craving for Taco Bell at 3 AM (just me?) I just couldn’t shake this cigar out of my brain. I knew I needed another one. 

So, a few weekends later, I lit up the second sample I had. It was awesome. The next day, I burnt the last one. That Monday, I went in and bought 5 more, handing a couple out to some of the fellas in the office, and saving the rest for myself. By that Friday, those were gone. 

And boys, I took the plunge. I hate shelling out cash for cigars, especially when we get so many in the office for free (tough job, huh?). But this thing is worth every penny. I’m happy to report there’s a full box sitting in my cooler under my desk right now, and I’m considering even grabbing a second size. 

The flavor is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I’d be doing this cigar an injustice by just skipping all the history. Originally created in Havana, Cuba, Ramon Allones has a ton of firsts: the boxes were the first cigars to feature colorful artwork in order to help market the product. On top of that, this was the first cigar to use bands. Yes, that’s right boys, back in the day every cigar was unbanded. And finally, this cigar was the first to be packaged in the classic 8-9-8 fashion (though there’s a few other brands that try to claim that milestone). The cigars have gone through multiple non-Cuban versions, but AJ always wanted to make the brand: you see, this was the cigar his father enjoyed the most when they lived back in Cuba. AJ’s at his best when he’s focusing on heritage and family, and believe me: there’s a ton of it here. 

The packaging on this cigar is awesome, but as regular readers of my reviews know, I ultimately don’t care how nice a cigar looks as long as it performs well. That being said, really take a moment to study the wrapper. It’s an ultra-dark Habano Oscuro Medio Tempo leaf, one that makes this cigar looks like a rich chocolate bar. Oily and shiny, every sample I enjoyed had minimal veins. 

Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: the flavor. The profile is medium to full-bodied, if not outright full, but the cigar is never harsh or overpowering. Instead, uber-smooth waves of flavor greet you on every puff. In the beginning, lots of pepper booms forth, reminding me of some old school Pepin blends. Keep going, and the cigar mellows out, delivering a rich, fruity sweetness, creamy chocolate, and hints of cedar (no doubt thanks to the cedar sleeve). Draw is awesome, burn line is razor sharp, and construction is spot on. Zero complaints. 

I don’t love assigning a point value to cigars (I’m not sure what the real difference between a 93 and a 90 is, honestly) but I’m giving this one the highest-rating I’ve ever given: 96. Just knocking a couple points off for the price. If this cigar landed at $10, I couldn’t find a single fault with it. As is, it’s still in the top ten cigars I’ve ever had. Get some. 

The year’s winding down around here, which means it’s almost time to start enjoying the holiday season and pack on a few pounds for my upcoming hibernation. As a man of habit, there’s a few things I do every Thanksgiving and Christmas: stuff my face until my belt is uncomfortably tight, drink what some fun-suckers would consider “too much,” and then throw some football on TV, crack open a bottle of bourbon, and hand out the cigars. That’s right lads, these festivities offer us up the perfect excuse to take down an extra cigar or two after dinner and to splurge on something a little nicer than our everyday fare. 

Now there’s your “go-to” brands for occasions like this, and if you stick with the classics, I won’t blame you. You’ve got your Padrons, your Davidoffs, your Ashtons, your Cohibas… all great selections that no sane man with a pulse in his body would bat an eye at. But if you want to try something a little off the beaten path after you put ol’ Tom to rest this November, I’ve got a little under-the-radar gem for you: Micallef Experiencia La Crema. Or, in English “Micallef Experience The Cream.” Hm. I think the Spanish sounds a little better.

To burst my own bubble, I’m not too much of a trendsetter here. This cigar did receive a well-deserved 90-rating a few months before I wrote up the review you’re perusing today. But, still, I haven’t heard too much buzz around it and frankly I think the brand deserves a bit more. 

For those that enjoy it, here’s the history: if you just want to know about the tobacco, skip ahead two paragraphs. The Micallef story is an impressive, though familiar, one. The family behind the brand, the Gomez Sanchez tobacco family, got their roots in Cuba all the way back in 1934 growing and selling premium cigar tobacco. Today, decades later, Joel Gomez Sanchez (the grandson of the founder) follows in his grandfather’s footsteps in their factory in Mexico. It’s a true family run business, with a laundry list of Gomez Sanchezs helping to operate the growing, fermentation, rolling, and distributing of their tobaccos around the globe. 

And believe me, these guys have some bona fide credentials. Joel alone comes from Cuba and began working as an apprentice in the Partagas factory when he was just sixteen. In 92, he rolled Cuban H. Upmanns. In ‘94, he left Cuba to go to Miami, and learned everything he could from his grandfather about the business and culture of cigars. 

That knowledge and history – that’s where the magic happens. Each Micallef cigar is rolled to precise specifications straight out of old-school Cuba, and they’ve learned that you can’t rush perfection. The proof is in the pudding, and this cigar is no exception. Each leaf in the Micallef Experiencia La Crema is aged an extensive four years before the cigars are even rolled. And then, just to make sure the tobaccos have adequate time to really marry and develop, the cigars are aged another full year after rolling. To put a little perspective on that fact, a majority of premium cigars on the market only spend 30 to 90 days in the aging rooms after they’re rolled. 

All that’s great on paper, right? But as I’ve harped on in my reviews before: packaging, story, and history only add up to so much. At the end of the day, the cigar has to actually taste good or nothing else matters. And Experiencia La Crema tastes good. Really, really good. 

A lot of cigar descriptions call cigars balanced and if you’ve ever wondered what that word means, light this thing up. A little bit of cedar, a little bit of sweetness, and little bit of spice: they all combine together to create an incredibly smooth and satisfying blend that burns true and cool. And I don’t normally love Churchills, but this cigar is worth the time commitment: subtle changes throughout the burn time keep things interesting, and the cigar never inches a notch above medium-bodied. 

If you’re still reading this, thank you for indulging my ramblings yet again. Let’s wrap this thing up. Micallef Experiencia La Crema is well worth the money – go for a fiver if you don’t believe me, but don’t be shocked when you’re eyeing up a box soon after.