The Knuckle Sandwich maduro might be my favorite cigar of the last year, and this one comes close to it. It is more refined, but without the power and spice that define the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro. I only have one of these cigars and I can't wait to pick up more to age and enjoy. This collaboration between Espinosa and Guy Fieri knocks it out of the park at every opportunity, and everyone should try a Knuckle Sandwich whether it's this one, or one of the other options.
I have always enjoyed the idea/premise of the chef's editions. Everyone loves a good cigar pairing be it a pairing with bourbon, whiskey, beer, or even my favorite. Coffee. One thing we do not get a chance to do is pair cigars with food as it's not easily done in today's world. I was excited to see the chef's for this year's edition as it has Masa Takayama on the panel who by all rights is very much a true cigar smoker. You can't google his name without stumbling across him with a cigar. I have had the pleasure of smoking the chef's editions the last few years and this hands down is the best yet.
Cigar Info Earlier this month, Drew Estate announced the “Freestyle Live Event Pack.” This interesting concept is meant to coincide...
There's almost a sneaky level of nicotine that keeps building slowly the entire time. It wasn't enough to make me dizzy but I could feel that warm sensation in my stomach. The burn was pretty good but it was slightly wavy the entire time but I didn't need to touch up or relight it at any point so it had that going for it. The draw was snug but the smoke output was ample and had a creamy mouthfeel. There's not a crazy amount of flavors that will keep you guessing but the experience that it provides is very solid and almost the classic Nicaraguan experience I look for in this style.
You get what you pay for here. A unique experience with clean defined flavors that were perfectly well balanced throughout the entirety of the duration of this ultra premium cigar. Complexity is unmatched to any cigar I’ve ever had making this smoke a dream. Construction and draw were phenomenal however this particular sample had some issues with the burn line until the second half where it caught up. Because of the fullness and richness of this medium to medium full bodied smoke, it is not something you’ll reach for (providing you have the available funds) everyday. This cigar is meant for those special occasions when you want something that screams quality in terms of very rich flavor that is defined, unique and unmatched to any other stick. Whilst not my sweet spot for flavor profiles, as it was a tad too sweet for me, this definitely goes into my top echelon of cigars I have ever enjoyed.
Cigar Info Family X Loyalty is a fairly new cigar company having launched in 2021. They came out with three...
This cigar was a great addition to the Epic line from Montecristo, maybe the best yet. I was a big fan of the Epic Craft Cured, a cigar that I thought went kind of under the radar. This is just as good as that or better. The flavors were harmonious and left me wanting more and more. I really dug the caramel sweetness combined with the on an off oak flavor. The burn and draw were perfect the whole time and just added to the great experience. I will be picking up some more of these for myself, I think you should too.
I was prepared to write this cigar off a average based on the first third, but thing really came around in the second and final thirds. The addition of baking spices, pepper, and nuts really set things off. I don’t know if the $50 price tag is justified but this is a really good cigar. It is for sure up there with some of the previous limited edition My Father cigars. I wish I knew what a few months or a year of age would do to this cigar would do but unfortunately I doubt I will ever find out. I was lucky enough to find one of these and this was my only one. If you are able to find one to purchase, do it. I really enjoyed the full transition of flavors and body from the first to the final third and would recommend this to anyone.
From the first third to the final third I really enjoyed this cigar. If I could smoke all cigars in this format I would be a happy fella as lonsdale is typically my favorite size in any cigar this is just a slightly thicker lonsdale coming in at a 6 1/4 x 48. The cigar had a consistent profile from beginning to end but I thoroughly enjoyed the smoking experience. I would probably rate this cigar a bit higher if it had a bit more of a wow factor but I would be happy to have boxes of these.
While I have never smoked the original Don Lino I have seen them in catalogs etc. but I can't make any comparisons. I did enjoy this cigar but it's not in my top 5 cigars that come from Miami Cigar and Company. The creaminess at the end really brought this cigar home and I do recommend picking up a fiver at the very least.