Monday, December 21, 2009

A Coffee Break on a Snow Day


Today since I'm in the house, in my study, and somewhat tired of working on actual job-related activities I decided to take a "Coffee Break". Not your typical coffee break, but today I decided to light up a creation by Miami Cigar Co. bearing the signature name of Nestor Miranda Special Selection. The Special Selection line is a mix of Nicaraguan & Costa Rican tobaccos specially blended by Don Pepin Garcia. The nickname "coffee break" comes from the small stature of this particular vitola that I have chosen. We'll see if the burn time lends itself to a normal length coffee break.

Size: 50 x 4.5
Filler: Nicaraguan/Costa Rican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
MSRP: $6.50 (approx.)

Construction: The cigar is nice and firm but not hard to the touch. There are some predominant veins in the wrapper but the color is consistent.
Pre-light aroma: The cigar smells of strong barnyard tobacco odor with a hint of coffee/cocoa.
Pre-light draw: The draw is fairly loose with hints of tobacco and coffee.

1st third: First couple of puffs produce loads of smoke with a rich earthy flavor. Roasted spice notes are present on the retrohale. The coffee note begins to build toward the end of the first third. The ash held for about the first half inch; however, the burn stayed even.

2nd third: The middle of the cigar really opened up with a flavor that was almost like hickory smoke or barbeque. Either I'm hungry or that was one awesome flavor encounter. Either way, I enjoyed it nevertheless and I hope it stays for a while. The coffee flavor is also present on the finish and the cigar continues to pour out lots of smoke which enhances the experience. The "barbeque" has now given way to a slightly sweet spiciness on the retrohale. So far, I must say that this cigar is very complex and quite surprising.

Final third: The cigar continues to be a little flavor firecracker. While it has not been anywhere near strong it has been fairly medium to full-bodied in the flavor department. It is still putting out lots of smoke even as it is getting closer to the nub, and the flavors of coffee, sweet spice, and an occassional hickory barbeque are ever-present.

Final thoughts: With a burn time of about 45 minutes, I could never smoke one of these on a coffee break at my job, but it was certainly nice to get lost for that time with this cigar. The price point is not intimidating and the experience was worth every penny. Overall, I give it 4.5 out of 5 smokes.

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