Brett, you described that Viaje so well I feel like I am smoking it as I sit here! Definitely want to try one now. I have liked all of the viaje's I've smoked (not too many) and find them all to have a rather unique taste and profile. This one sounds like it, even more so.
I always love your reviews Brett so keep it up. Having spent the last 2 years with my first child, and loving every minute of it, I tend to have much less smoking time so I live dangerously thru the reviews of what I've missed. I'm lucky to get a cigar every 3 to 4 days, so you guys doing awesome reviews keep me informed of what I know I will like. So I stock up, and my little man Owen has his 18th birthday 18yr old cigars ready to enjoy with his old man. If I can keep my hands off that special box of my fathers for 16 more years...
Mostly this is a bump to the top, but I am finishing up an Ezra Zion Reagan, not doing a full review but will put down some overview notes and a few pics when this wraps up in an hour or so... Teaser pic.
Ok teaser period over time for my little write up, let's see if I still got this
This cigar came to me by way of my brother Eric (Ehehat) in a bomb early this year, so with neatly 9 months on it in my humi I decided it was time to light it up. Cigar looks fantastic though, little give when squeezed and a gorgeous reddish brown wrapper that is damn near seamless. Used my Xikar 009 punch and Xikar EXII Room 101 lighter (yes I'm basically the poster boy for Xikar lol but bith of these we're gifted to me by FTG Brett) and the Reagan lit with very minimal effort to this perfect draw, which for me is a touch looser than many enjoy but the smoke is instantly smooth and very cool.... Already off to a great start! The first inch or so is a bit heavy on the black pepper with it really coming out through the retro. Other flavors are a very dry wood, mostly cedar but a little bit of oak in there as well and some dry leather. First inch's impression that was left was just that, dry. Not sure how else to say or explain it, mouth felt a bit dry and so did the smoke. This is a big cigar though so I just settle in and decide to be patient and see where it takes me. My patience is well rewarded however because after the first quarter gives way, the flavors finally start to build and evolve in the first major change of the stick. By this point it is a very good stick and I'm just a little surprised in how little has changed in the profile as I've smoked it down but I am finally starting to notice some development. I'm picking up a dry cedar and hickory combo with highlights of almond and creamy aged leather. The finish through the nose is a bit of spice and black pepper. Undertones lingering on the palate for a few moments are of hay and maaaaybe a touch of cinnamon and black coffee. It is a long cigar though and as I give it some time it is slowly developing. Another inch in and it takes a slight evolution by adding in stronger and more prominent notes of a creamy vanilla that is really complimenting and carrying that aged leather taste that I'm enjoying so much, and the slightly tart finish of almond keeps this not only interesting for me but very very balanced, something that I really look for in a cigar.
In the final third I see a final shift in the profile with a dark and gritty dark chocolate with a hint of peanut blended in.. It's a sweet and somewhat immediate shift that adds a final facet to this cigar and completely rounds it out. The neat thing about the Reagan is that anytime there is a shift it doesn't just move to the new notes it adds them in and retains the profile that was their previously while incorporating the new notes onto the palate. It really is much more akin to an evolution than a real profile shift or change. With a cigar that smokes for as long as the Reagan does it was great to see this do that because it really was able to hold my interest as I smoked it for just shy of 2.5 hrs, granted I do smoke a bit slowly.
Overall this was a fantastic stick, without doing a full review I'd rather not set a score to it, but I can definitely say that it would easily hold up to a 90+ rating of some type for me. The last third of this stick was just outstanding and the only real retraction I got was the meh first quarter/third. Complexity was decent but the balance was excellent!! Thanks again Eric this a killer smoke and I really appreciate the chance to smoke it!!
Nice too see you active again Brett!! I thought it was a solid stick and was much under rated when it comes to name recognition
Thanks Lee great to be seen brother Amanda has not been in much of a cigar mood for a while, but when I can convince her we will post up a tandem review like we used to.
Love this stick and really enjoyed reading your take on in. Glad you enjoyed it brother, I'll have to send more...
Thanks Eric, really did love this stick! Took a while for it to fully grab me and keep me entertained but once it did I could not stop smoking this bad boy and looking at it going daaaaaaaaaamn this tastes good! Especially the last half, holy cats!!
Reagan is a fantastic smoke, same wrapper as Domus Magnus by Plasencia. The inception/jamais vu is excellent as well, made at Casa Fernandez.
Thanks for the info Dustin! Never had the Inception let alone had it in my humi, but will be on the search now.
It's the Jamais Vu now, if you find the Inception that's the OR.
Kewl and yeah that'd be pretty slick to trip across Would enjoy seeing what that one is like after enjoying the Reagan as much as I did, think the smaller size which is what I typically reach for anyways might fight my normal a bit better. All in all killer stick though
It is much different. The Aganorsa leaf from CF is very unique, and much different then the Plasencia tobaccos. The Jamais Vu is excellent, and best in the smaller box press.
Size/Vitola: 5 5/8” x 54 rg Robusto Extra
Factory/Marcas: El Titan De Bronze Cigar Mfg.
Time in Humidor: 9 months
Rolled: March 2013
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder/Filler: Ecuador/Nicaraguan and Dominican
Main Review:
First light: 5:20pm MST December 1st, 2013
I fire up my white Xikar Executive II lighter that I recently received from my friend Jim (works PERFECT Jim thank you sir!) and the Laguito starts with an initial blast of red pepper that fairly quickly dissipates to a floral black tea note and some very aromatic dry cedar with undertones of vanilla and sweet cream. I normally get a lot of leather from most La Palina blends, one of the things I love about them, but it's strangely absent here and I honestly don't mind. So far it's a very "delicate" profile, meaning there's a lot going on here but all of the flavors are very light and expertly balanced, I guess it's just best to describe it as nuanced. I keep picking up this black cherry note that flits in and out in the first third. It really is highlighting the depth that this has developed into and around an inch in and a buttery baked bread note joins to mix to balance out the red pepper which is smoothing out considerably. The burn is just a touch wavy but doesn't affect the burn.
In the No. 2 many people raved about a banana peel note, I'm getting a light but very distinct black cherry note that the further it burns the more noticeable it becomes, but I must say I can't help but catch a whisper of a note here and there that is delicious and DOES remind me of banana peel. Maybe it's just stuck in my head I'd maybe it's really there, it's so faint and intermittent it's hard to say this early. The smoke is just pouring out and so smooth and cool with a tight medium gray ash that holds firm well over an inch. As I get nearer to the end if the first third the toasty creamy time increases with the biggest surprise being, once again very distinct, a toasted marshmallow flavor coming out that sets off the sweet toasty profile perfectly. At least to my palate it really does taste like I just bit into a roared marshmallow that I took off of a campfire.
At the beginning if the second third, the black cherry note I mentioned is still in play but as before it just hangs in the background behind everything and shines brightest on the finish. Te red pepper has nearly disappeared but does still show up in the retrohale and helps to keep the strength and body at a solid medium. If I haven't said it yet I will say it now.... DAMN this is a good cigar! Well into the second third and nearly an hour after first light, the banana peel is coming to the front a bit more but is accompanied by a pecan/caramel note. Just fantastic! The remainder of the second third is pretty much the same as earlier just with the banana, caramel, toasty notes and black cherry just changing places in which come out when. Same profile just different order.
At the start of the final third the toasted marshmallow really jumps up and gets in your face with the red pepper picking back up in the retrohale. A new flavor comes to play on the finish that mingles through your with the marshmallow and that would be a currant flavor. Each time I think the Laguito has hit the best profile it will achieve I am proven wrong by it somehow still getting better. It is starting to heat up just a little bit with less than 2" of the cigar left and the strength has increased to medium-full which I suspect is where it will end at. The currant and black tea flavor is much stronger now than it ever was at any point in the cigar, but with the heat starts a but of the bitter tannin finish that I get with any stick as it heats up. Bear in mind though it is very mild at this point and is only slightly detracting from the overall profile as of now. As it nears the nub I'm glad I stayed with it, the banana note takes center stage and one final new flavor makes its entrance; black licorice. What a phenomenal finish to a cigar that I came into with ver very high expectations.... I will say it now, it lived up to it and more at least in my mind and for my palate. Another 6-12 months of rest and I think these will truly hit their stride, even out the wavy burn, and rid itself if the very mild tannins that were present at the end. If any of y'all have some of these napping I encourage you to hang onto them, these are special indeed. Final Smoking Time: 7:10pm MST
Total Smoking Time 1 hr 50 min
Balance: 10/10 This cigar was always in harmony with itself and all of the different profile shifts and palate changes, it was just spectacular and notes that I would have never thought would go together ended up complimenting each other flawlessly.
Development: 10/10 I have rarely come across a cigar that can start with something as bold as red pepper to settle down to something as delicate in flavor as roasted marshmallow, black cherry, and banana peel. Talk about a massive shift but it just kept changing with nearly every puff, THIS is what development in a cigar means brothers and sisters.
Construction: 8/10 Now while I wanted to rate this category higher I simply couldn’t. The construction issues really weren’t present but I lump burn into my construction category and that is what lowered the score. The burn was always a bit wavy and at times even ran for half an inch or more. Not perfect, but not terrible either.
X-Factor: 10/10 There was so much hype around this cigar, the roller Maria Sierra, the factory of El Titan De Bronze Cigar Mfg, etc etc. The list goes one, but suffice to say I was more than a little built up on anticipation for this stick, and holy cats did it truly deliver. One of the few cigars that, at least for me, lived up to its hype and MORE.
Pairing Recommendations: First off, I typically don’t drink and smoke at the same time since I tend to lose a lot of the subtle nuances in my smoke by my palate being muted by the flavors of what I am drinking. This stick is one that I think that would be especially true on since there are a lot of very subtle and nuanced tones and flavors here. But if I were to pair it with something, I would suggest something equally sweet and refined, maybe a nice Pinto Grigio, champagne, or possibly a Trappist Ale Tripel or Quad, I would recommend in those cases either Westmalle Tripel or Trappistes Rochefort 8 or 10.
Final Score: 93 pts. World Class Cigar
Notes
* These cigars were rolled by Maria Sierra, a 95 Rated Category 9 Roller trained by Avelino Lara and Eduardo Rivera Irizarri (Fidel Castro’s Personal Roller). The construction and quality is more than evident, these are easily some of the finest rolled and constructed cigars I have ever had the pleasure of smoking. Maria cut her teeth in the El Laguito factory in Havana where Cohiba is produced, she is also one of the very first trained female torcedor in Cuba. In my box she hand signed when the cigars were rolled, in my case March 2013 which just happens to be my birthday month, very kewl.
* I got a box of these back in April earlier this year and this is the first one that I have smoked from the box. I had heard that when they were first released that they were still a touch young so I wanted to let them rest a while before I burned the first one. Great choice, these are just killer.
* I smoked this at Barlow’s Cigars and Pipes in Louisville, CO and have stored these in my Vinotemp Wineador at 63% rH and 64 degrees F.
* The wrapper on these do seem very very delicate, there is a small crack in one or two of the cigars in the box I have, they are very very minor and shouldn’t affect the smoke at all.
* Thank you all for reading and commenting on my review, it’s the first full review I have done in many many months, so I appreciate you grinding through my ramblings and musings!
Comments
90+Irishman reviews are so beautiful.
Whats's the difference between Chuck N and 90+Irishman?
90+Irishman can describe the taste of water!!!
And cute baby!
This cigar came to me by way of my brother Eric (Ehehat) in a bomb early this year, so with neatly 9 months on it in my humi I decided it was time to light it up. Cigar looks fantastic though, little give when squeezed and a gorgeous reddish brown wrapper that is damn near seamless. Used my Xikar 009 punch and Xikar EXII Room 101 lighter (yes I'm basically the poster boy for Xikar lol but bith of these we're gifted to me by FTG Brett) and the Reagan lit with very minimal effort to this perfect draw, which for me is a touch looser than many enjoy but the smoke is instantly smooth and very cool.... Already off to a great start! The first inch or so is a bit heavy on the black pepper with it really coming out through the retro. Other flavors are a very dry wood, mostly cedar but a little bit of oak in there as well and some dry leather. First inch's impression that was left was just that, dry. Not sure how else to say or explain it, mouth felt a bit dry and so did the smoke. This is a big cigar though so I just settle in and decide to be patient and see where it takes me. My patience is well rewarded however because after the first quarter gives way, the flavors finally start to build and evolve in the first major change of the stick. By this point it is a very good stick and I'm just a little surprised in how little has changed in the profile as I've smoked it down but I am finally starting to notice some development. I'm picking up a dry cedar and hickory combo with highlights of almond and creamy aged leather. The finish through the nose is a bit of spice and black pepper. Undertones lingering on the palate for a few moments are of hay and maaaaybe a touch of cinnamon and black coffee. It is a long cigar though and as I give it some time it is slowly developing. Another inch in and it takes a slight evolution by adding in stronger and more prominent notes of a creamy vanilla that is really complimenting and carrying that aged leather taste that I'm enjoying so much, and the slightly tart finish of almond keeps this not only interesting for me but very very balanced, something that I really look for in a cigar.
In the final third I see a final shift in the profile with a dark and gritty dark chocolate with a hint of peanut blended in.. It's a sweet and somewhat immediate shift that adds a final facet to this cigar and completely rounds it out. The neat thing about the Reagan is that anytime there is a shift it doesn't just move to the new notes it adds them in and retains the profile that was their previously while incorporating the new notes onto the palate. It really is much more akin to an evolution than a real profile shift or change. With a cigar that smokes for as long as the Reagan does it was great to see this do that because it really was able to hold my interest as I smoked it for just shy of 2.5 hrs, granted I do smoke a bit slowly.
Overall this was a fantastic stick, without doing a full review I'd rather not set a score to it, but I can definitely say that it would easily hold up to a 90+ rating of some type for me. The last third of this stick was just outstanding and the only real retraction I got was the meh first quarter/third. Complexity was decent but the balance was excellent!! Thanks again Eric this a killer smoke and I really appreciate the chance to smoke it!!
Happy smoke trails all
if it did, did the foot band read "inception" or "Jamanis Vu" ?
Size/Vitola: 5 5/8” x 54 rg Robusto Extra
Factory/Marcas: El Titan De Bronze Cigar Mfg.
Time in Humidor: 9 months
Rolled: March 2013
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder/Filler: Ecuador/Nicaraguan and Dominican
Main Review:
First light: 5:20pm MST December 1st, 2013
I fire up my white Xikar Executive II lighter that I recently received from my friend Jim (works PERFECT Jim thank you sir!) and the Laguito starts with an initial blast of red pepper that fairly quickly dissipates to a floral black tea note and some very aromatic dry cedar with undertones of vanilla and sweet cream. I normally get a lot of leather from most La Palina blends, one of the things I love about them, but it's strangely absent here and I honestly don't mind. So far it's a very "delicate" profile, meaning there's a lot going on here but all of the flavors are very light and expertly balanced, I guess it's just best to describe it as nuanced. I keep picking up this black cherry note that flits in and out in the first third. It really is highlighting the depth that this has developed into and around an inch in and a buttery baked bread note joins to mix to balance out the red pepper which is smoothing out considerably. The burn is just a touch wavy but doesn't affect the burn.
In the No. 2 many people raved about a banana peel note, I'm getting a light but very distinct black cherry note that the further it burns the more noticeable it becomes, but I must say I can't help but catch a whisper of a note here and there that is delicious and DOES remind me of banana peel. Maybe it's just stuck in my head I'd maybe it's really there, it's so faint and intermittent it's hard to say this early. The smoke is just pouring out and so smooth and cool with a tight medium gray ash that holds firm well over an inch. As I get nearer to the end if the first third the toasty creamy time increases with the biggest surprise being, once again very distinct, a toasted marshmallow flavor coming out that sets off the sweet toasty profile perfectly. At least to my palate it really does taste like I just bit into a roared marshmallow that I took off of a campfire.
At the beginning if the second third, the black cherry note I mentioned is still in play but as before it just hangs in the background behind everything and shines brightest on the finish. Te red pepper has nearly disappeared but does still show up in the retrohale and helps to keep the strength and body at a solid medium. If I haven't said it yet I will say it now.... DAMN this is a good cigar! Well into the second third and nearly an hour after first light, the banana peel is coming to the front a bit more but is accompanied by a pecan/caramel note. Just fantastic! The remainder of the second third is pretty much the same as earlier just with the banana, caramel, toasty notes and black cherry just changing places in which come out when. Same profile just different order.
At the start of the final third the toasted marshmallow really jumps up and gets in your face with the red pepper picking back up in the retrohale. A new flavor comes to play on the finish that mingles through your with the marshmallow and that would be a currant flavor. Each time I think the Laguito has hit the best profile it will achieve I am proven wrong by it somehow still getting better. It is starting to heat up just a little bit with less than 2" of the cigar left and the strength has increased to medium-full which I suspect is where it will end at. The currant and black tea flavor is much stronger now than it ever was at any point in the cigar, but with the heat starts a but of the bitter tannin finish that I get with any stick as it heats up. Bear in mind though it is very mild at this point and is only slightly detracting from the overall profile as of now. As it nears the nub I'm glad I stayed with it, the banana note takes center stage and one final new flavor makes its entrance; black licorice. What a phenomenal finish to a cigar that I came into with ver very high expectations.... I will say it now, it lived up to it and more at least in my mind and for my palate. Another 6-12 months of rest and I think these will truly hit their stride, even out the wavy burn, and rid itself if the very mild tannins that were present at the end. If any of y'all have some of these napping I encourage you to hang onto them, these are special indeed. Final Smoking Time: 7:10pm MST
Total Smoking Time 1 hr 50 min
Balance: 10/10 This cigar was always in harmony with itself and all of the different profile shifts and palate changes, it was just spectacular and notes that I would have never thought would go together ended up complimenting each other flawlessly.
Development: 10/10 I have rarely come across a cigar that can start with something as bold as red pepper to settle down to something as delicate in flavor as roasted marshmallow, black cherry, and banana peel. Talk about a massive shift but it just kept changing with nearly every puff, THIS is what development in a cigar means brothers and sisters.
Construction: 8/10 Now while I wanted to rate this category higher I simply couldn’t. The construction issues really weren’t present but I lump burn into my construction category and that is what lowered the score. The burn was always a bit wavy and at times even ran for half an inch or more. Not perfect, but not terrible either.
X-Factor: 10/10 There was so much hype around this cigar, the roller Maria Sierra, the factory of El Titan De Bronze Cigar Mfg, etc etc. The list goes one, but suffice to say I was more than a little built up on anticipation for this stick, and holy cats did it truly deliver. One of the few cigars that, at least for me, lived up to its hype and MORE.
Pairing Recommendations: First off, I typically don’t drink and smoke at the same time since I tend to lose a lot of the subtle nuances in my smoke by my palate being muted by the flavors of what I am drinking. This stick is one that I think that would be especially true on since there are a lot of very subtle and nuanced tones and flavors here. But if I were to pair it with something, I would suggest something equally sweet and refined, maybe a nice Pinto Grigio, champagne, or possibly a Trappist Ale Tripel or Quad, I would recommend in those cases either Westmalle Tripel or Trappistes Rochefort 8 or 10.
Final Score: 93 pts. World Class Cigar
Notes
* These cigars were rolled by Maria Sierra, a 95 Rated Category 9 Roller trained by Avelino Lara and Eduardo Rivera Irizarri (Fidel Castro’s Personal Roller). The construction and quality is more than evident, these are easily some of the finest rolled and constructed cigars I have ever had the pleasure of smoking. Maria cut her teeth in the El Laguito factory in Havana where Cohiba is produced, she is also one of the very first trained female torcedor in Cuba. In my box she hand signed when the cigars were rolled, in my case March 2013 which just happens to be my birthday month, very kewl.
* I got a box of these back in April earlier this year and this is the first one that I have smoked from the box. I had heard that when they were first released that they were still a touch young so I wanted to let them rest a while before I burned the first one. Great choice, these are just killer.
* I smoked this at Barlow’s Cigars and Pipes in Louisville, CO and have stored these in my Vinotemp Wineador at 63% rH and 64 degrees F.
* The wrapper on these do seem very very delicate, there is a small crack in one or two of the cigars in the box I have, they are very very minor and shouldn’t affect the smoke at all.
* Thank you all for reading and commenting on my review, it’s the first full review I have done in many many months, so I appreciate you grinding through my ramblings and musings!