Staff Reviews

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.

Today, we live in the world of small batch. From the thousands of coffees and bourbons on the market to the bizarrely hipster artisanal water bars and toast houses (thanks, Portland!) it seems all you need to do to make a mark in this day and age is tell people something’s rare. Off-breed, exclusive, the forbidden fruit… I’m not even sure what artisanal means, really, but it’s damn provocative and gets the people going. 

And indeed, our beloved cigar hobby is no stranger to the limited-edition phenomenon. From anniversary releases to limited run productions, it seems like there’s more “small batch” cigars coming out every year than regular production ones. For this review, I’d like to dive into one of these rare gems from everyone’s favorite cigar manufacturer: AJ Fernandez. 

You may be familiar with AJ’s Man O’ War brand. If you’re not, stop what you’re doing, and go buy a 5-pack of the regular Man O’ War Toro, and a few Ruinations. Seriously. For those who’ve already been initiated, you know as well as I that this boutique blend from AJ’s factory is synonymous with full-flavor, full-bodied blends that are remarkably dark and rich.

Side Projects are tweaked, special edition versions of the Man O’ War brand, with each blend crafted in a single size that perfectly encapsulates the experience. Specifically, we’re going to dive into the Little Devil – a 5.5”x44 corona. For me, this is the perfect size. I know, I know, a ton of you out there prefer the value of Churchills and gordos, but I love smaller cigars and I always will. It’s tough for me to find a time frame I can really sit down and go through a whole 7”x54 monster in one sitting – plus, its way easier to burn through five or six cigars in a day when they’re robustos or coronas. 

Let’s get this out of the way up front — if you glance at this cigar’s smaller frame and assume it’s going to be short on flavor, you’re dead wrong. Incredibly full-bodied and heady, this firecracker packs a real punch. That’s thanks to the wrapper: utilizing a potent, extra-fermented Habano Sun Grown wrapper leaf from Nicaragua, Little Devil is (arguably) even more full-bodied than its full sized counterparts. 

Toasting the foot on this sucker, it reminded me immediately of some old school Don Pepin or Tatuaje brands. Loads of black pepper rush forth, but give it an inch or so, and things mellow out a little bit with the pepper replaced by roasted coffee, earth, cedar, and a rich, natural sweetness. It’s intense, for sure, but in all the right ways. 

Truth be told, this still isn’t my favorite Man O’ War, that honor goes (easily) to Ruination. Hell, it might even be my third favorite, behind Armada. But in this case, third place is still a gold medal – take the affordability into account, and Little Devil is a no-brainer that I can heartily recommend. 

I love cigars. If you’re surprised by that, you may be reading the wrong website… but bear with me a moment, because I want to lodge a little complaint against our handmade industry. Quite simply – there’s a lot of “noise” out there. Every cigar brand likes to hearken back to their century old history, their great-great-grandad’s original vision of “proper, Cuban” fermentation methods, the magic beans they purchased from an Ecuadorian peasant for two cows that went on to become the basis for their farm, or the secret song they sing to their tobacco plants to make them grow big and strong. It’s a lot of marketing nonsense, to be blunt. At the end of the day, here’s what I care about: does a cigar taste good, or nah? 

Why do I bring this up? Because as much as I love Nub cigars, the story behind them is a little hocus pocus-y. Here’s the pitch: standard length cigars take a little while to develop, yeah? If you read the crazy cigar blogs out there, they’ll tell you all about how a cigar’s first through twenty-ninth puff tasted of lemongrass and alfalfa sprout waffles before it finally blossomed into lightly roasted coffee, Madagascar vanilla beans, and licorice sticks. Nub cigars by Oliva, on the other hand, are supposed to start at their “sweet spot” right away – basically, hit the good notes from the beginning and keep things short and sweet (unlike this lengthy Oliva cigar review.) Is it true? Who knows. But today we’re going to ask the more important question — the new Nub Sumatra… does it taste good? 

Yes. Yes it does. 

Oh, you want more? Alright, let’s do this thing. Nub Sumatra by Oliva is a recent release of one single size, a 4”x60 Gordo (sort of the Nub standard) in 10-count boxes. Easy on the eyes and easy on the wallet, I knew I’d be doing a little employee order as soon as these babies hit the dock. Sumatra is an entry in the recent “Studio Tobac” sub-brand of Nub: a series of single-size expressions that each offer something totally unique to the Nub lineup. So what’s this cigar’s claim to fame? It utilizes the same wrapper leaf as the uber-popular (and my personal favorite) former #1 Cigar of the Year – Oliva Serie V Melanio.

Basically, if you love Melanio, but wished it came in a bigger and badder version, stop reading this thing now and pick yourself up a box ASAP. 

Sparking this sucker up, I was nervous. I friggin’ love Melanio, and if this thing didn’t perform as expected, it’d feel the same as watching someone pour out a glass of Pappy Van Winkle and then taking it like a shot of Jack – exciting, and then real, real disappointing. Luckily, the folks behind Oliva Tobacco Company did not let me down. Nub Sumatra is a little smoother and mellower than the Serie ‘V’ Melanio, but beyond that, it was everything I love about that sultry Sumatra profile. The wrapper leaf is dark, thick, oily, and seamless in appearance. Coming in just a notch below full-bodied, this full-flavored Napoleon complex of a stick delivers rich and unique nuances including a slightly-sweet baseline of flavor, complimented by leathery notes, some chocolate, and a nice hint of black pepper that’s never overwhelming. Overall, one of the best Nub cigars I’ve tried to date.

I’ll be clear – this is never going to replace Melanio for me. But it’s definitely an awesome “tweaked” version of the blend that I’ll be sure to keep in my humidor for the foreseeable future. Or, more simply: does Nub Sumatra taste good? Hell yes. 

All day, Every day, Ave

Everyone knows AJ by now, but most people associate him with his full-bodied Nicaraguan blends. Immaculata shows he’s just as capable at crafting a gentler cigar. Before I divulge into the cigar, let me tell you why I chose to review this cigar – Every year, CI sends a group of its “greener” employees (guilty) to Nicaragua to tour the farms, the factories, do some taste tests, meet the makers, do some blending and roll our own, drink some Flor de Cana, and overall just get more acquainted with this lovely product we work with every day. A few months ago I got the invite and we went to stay at the AJ Fernandez guest house which is attached to his factory. And as you might expect, cigars were plentiful. Anytime you wanted one, you just walk up to the bar in the pool house and take your pick. And to my surprise it wasn’t just the core AJ brands, you know the Enclaves, New Worlds, San Lotanos, no sir. Every day there was a good variety of cigars they make in the factory. But without fail, every day there was a batch of Ave Maria Immaculatas fresh off the rolling tables. I came to find out that this is a cigar they are quite fond of in the factory. So I started each day with one. I couldn’t get enough of them. I was smoking 4-5 cigars a day down there and two of them were these Immaculatas. Upon my return to the states, the boss man greeted me with “I hope you learned something, go write about it.” 

And here we are. Back in sunny Bethlehem, PA sitting in my cubicle with an Ave Maria Immaculata. I’m paring it with a cup of coffee (Dunkin K-Cup, ‘cause I’m fancy like that). The wrapper is a nice golden brown, silky smooth Ecuador Connecticut. The blend is aged, Cuban-seed and Nicaraguan grown. I gotta admit - I’ve been told smoking a cigar in its home county is a different experience, and while I can’t remember who said it, they were right. The air here is dryer and the tobacco has clearly dried a bit more than the ones I was having down in Nicaragua. Now that these tobaccos have had more time to rest and “marry” in the cigar as they call it, I find it to be a little mellower than I remember, but still has enough pepper on the retro to keep it at a mellow to medium bodied cigar. The flavors are little less pronounced than I remember but it makes for a smoother blend. Less pronounced, yes, but it still has a deep stable of pleasant notes. Cedar, white pepper, toasty tobaccos, maybe some nuttiness, and an undeniable creaminess that I always look for in a morning cigar. I puffed on a toro for this review and it took me about an hour and 10 minutes (some call me a binge herfer). It wasn’t the same experience I had when burning them in their homeland, but I still enjoyed it and it’s still a cigar I’ll continue to reach for in the mornings. 

I’m younger that most guys that work here, so I have a lot of young friends who are just starting to get into cigars. I always feel bad unloading subpar cigars to people who don’t usually burn them. So when I want one of these noobs to actually enjoy it, this is the cigar I now hand them. I recommend it to anyone who is new to the scene or anyone who just enjoys a good Connecticut. But if you’re a seasoned vet and just looking for a new morning cigar, this is a good choice for you as well.