New releases part II

Hello cigar smokers,
In this post I'm detailing the second half of our new holiday items here at the shop. We have lots of rare Fuentes available, not just the Don Carlos Personal Reserve.
First we got 3 new facings of the Fuente Anejo, these cigars feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with certain Opus X fillers finished in Cognac barrels. These cigars are very rich and give a faint barrel taste. These are much different than the American Bourbon barrels that Camacho uses for their American Barrel Aged line, I would describe it as a much more subtle barrel taste that only comes to the forefront on the finish.

Each of these vitolas offer a different experience and have their nuances. Each size is named after its ring gauge. First is the #46, this cigar is a corona size then the #48 is a Corona Gorda and finally is the #55 Torpedo. Each of these cigars come in boxes of 25 and feature lots of red on the box and finished with a red ribbon. All that red packages well as a Christmas present, it has an unmistakable look that hops out to all Fuente fans. In my experience this cigar is harder to get than the Opus X for much of the year, and if you ask me it is a better cigar.
Next we have the Fuente Best Seller in a Maduro wrapper. These cigars are a strange perfecto shape that is similar to the Fuente Short Story. These cigars rarely come with a Maduro wrapper and these are not going to last. These are rarely seen and a great take on the famous Fuente Hemingway line.

Here is a side by side comparison to show the difference in wrapper between the Maduro and classic Best Seller cigars.

Exciting times and even more exciting cigars! Please consider doing your holiday shopping for the cigar smokers in your life with us at Disocunt Cigarettes and Cigars, located at 801 Woodside Road Redwood City, CA. Happy holidays and happy smoking,
JT

Holiday releases

Hello Cigar smokers,
This holiday season is shaping up to be a good one for us at Discount Cigarettes and Cigars in Redwood City. There is a multitude of new releases and old favorites making a comeback at our shop. I'm going to detail what's going on with us below.
First off we have the newest addition to the My Father family. First is a brand new release, The Judge. This cigar is a box pressed Gran Toro, measuring 6"x56. This cigar is a dry, slightly peaty blend that goes excellent with scotch whiskeys. It features the familiar My Father Band and has a new box inlay that is in line with the style of previous releases.

Another new release by My Father is their popular Flor de Las Antillas cigar, now available in a Maduro wrapper. These cigars are identical fillers and binder to the original with a new Maduro wrapper. I prefer these much more than the original Flor de Las Antillas, it's about time there is a Maduro if you ask me!

Third we have the Fuente Don Carlos Personal Reserve. It is said that these were the cigars that Carlos Fuente Senior blended for himself, and since his passing they will be on the market for a limited time. They're much richer than the regular Don Carlos line and they only come in a traditional Robusto size. They're a great treat for any Fuente fan.

There are some other items to promote that will be detailed in a new post. The My Fathers are regular production items for the market to enjoy, but the Don Carlos Personal Reserve are a limited run so if you're interested don't hesitate! Happy smoking and happy holidays we hope to accommodate your cigar needs here. Like always any cigar related questions can go to jtcigarsofwoodside@gmail.com or feel free to call at (650) 366-8888

Cigar Review: Casa Magna Jalapa Claro Box Press Toro

Hello Cigar Smokers,
Today I'm reviewing a special cigar from an old favorite brand. The Casa Magna Jalapa Claro is the newest addition to the Casa Magna family, and possibly my favorite yet. The filler and binder tobaccos are the same as the old favorite Casa Magna Colorado, which is known as being 2008's Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado. The difference with this cigar is the sizes and the wrapper. This cigar is a 6"x52 Box Pressed Toro wrapped in a Jalapa Wrapper. The new wrapper is worlds different than the Colorado wrapper featured on the classic. This cigar gives a lighter flavor with more nuance, but gives up the richness of the Colorado. This is a limited release, with Casa Magna only releasing 1,000 boxes of each 3 sizes.

The colors on the box match the wrapper. The Colorado is a deep brown color on the box and wrapper, while the Jalapa Claro has an Orange tint on the box and wrapper. I really like the continuity between lines, it makes them display well on the shelf. The themes of the Casa Magna line stay consistent, but the color coding makes the eye distinguish from lines at a glance. This cigar comes packed in boxes of 20 in more compact boxes than the Colorado. The box pressing is a little inconsistent and each cigar is not exactly the same dimensions, but this is just cosmetic. Each cigar I've smoked draws perfectly with zero burn issues. Casa Magna has been around for long enough to not have quality control issues, this cigar's small production also adds to the overall quality of each box.

Now on to the flavor! This cigar is well balanced and a good step lighter than the Casa Magna Colorado. The most prominent notes I get are Caramel, Cedar wood and a generic pepper taste. These notes balance into being a full bodied cigar, with a medium plus strength. The filler tobaccos are the same as the classic Colorado line which make it more or less equal in strength, but the wrapper takes away the richness of the Colorado and makes the Jalapa Claro woody, peppery and smooth. If you are a fan of Casa Magna this cigar will blow you away with the different taste just a new wrapper makes. As the cigar progresses the caramel note goes away quickly, but the remaining pepper and wood notes come and go and develop into a sweet finish. I smoke these cigars down much further than I normally do, they finish that well.

For a frame of reference the Jalapa Claro is pictured on the left, with the classic Colorado on the right. I highly recommend this cigar to anybody who is familiar with Casa Magna and wants to try a new take on that brand. This cigar is also great for fans of Habano and Cameroon wrappers, the Jalapa wrapper in my opinion is a good flavor profile to try while being in a similar strength range for most cigars. This cigar would pair really well with a scotch whiskey or even a blended scotch that has some malt to it. These cigars won't be on the market for long, so if you're intrigued try them sooner rather than later. Happy smoking,
JT

Cigar Review: La Aurora 1495 Robusto

Hello cigar smokers,
Today I'm reviewing a new product in our shop, the La Aurora 1495 Series Robusto. This cigar is named after the year Cristopher Columbus made the voyage to land on the islands off of the East Coast, and the Spaniard people discovered smoke-able tobacco. This cigar measures like a standard Robusto 5" by a 50 ring gauge and is wrapped with a Cameroon wrapper, which is La Aurora's trademark wrapper. This cigar comes in simple cardboard boxes with some striking artwork on the bands of the Lion that is present in all La Aurora lines. This cigar, like all Cameroons are right in the middle strength wise a solid 3/5.

Flavor wise this cigar doesn't overwhelm, I would describe it as a lighter body with a medium flavor. This cigar has the prototypical Cameroon flavor, to me the body feels light like a Connecticut shade wrapper but it offers much more flavor than a Shade. This cigar gives notes of cedar wood and a kind of generic spice feeling that comes and goes throughout the cigar. This cigar is characterized mainly by the wood notes with the smoothness that gets bolder towards the end. Overall this cigar is very well balanced, not one dimensional and not flashy with it's flavors.

 This cigar draws well and I haven't experienced any burn issues. I haven't experienced a plugged up cigar from any La Aurora products and these are constructed about as well as I expected. While the box feels cheap, the cigars speak for themselves. Many smokers associate the cardboard box with inferior cigars, but that is not the case from La Aurora. I highly recommend these to any fan of Dominican cigars, fans of Cameroon wrappers, or anybody who is interested in stepping up from mild bodied cigars. I consider the Cameroon wrapper a good transition to fuller bodied cigars for beginner smokers. Happy Smoking!
JT

New item: Fuente Fuente Opus X Rosado Oscuro Oro

Hello Cigar smokers,
We have a new rare Fuente in stock for fans of the Opus X. The Opus X Rosado Oscuro Oro. These cigars are a limited edition rendition of the famous Opus X line. They feature an Oscuro wrapper that is significantly darker than the regular production Opus X. These are sold in a sampler of 15, split between five sizes. The sizes range from a Corona to a Curchill, each featuring the Fuente "Destino al Siglo" band and a yellow ribbon at the end in a striking orange/yellow box. "Oro" is Spanish for gold, but the packaging isn't quite gold.

I haven't smoked one of these to review, we're keeping the sampler together to sell as a set. I hear these are quite special and offer something quite different from the main Opus line. The box in of itself is something special to hold and look at, Fuente definitely doesn't go cheap when it goes to packaging special product like this.

These would be a great gift for a fan of Fuente cigars, or even a personal purchase for those of you that enjoy rare cigars on occasion. You may find that we are priced lower than certain online sources, if you wanted to treat yourself or somebody special jump on these before they go!

Cigar Review: Matilde Quadrata Robusto

Hello Cigar Smokers,
Today I'm smoking the newest addition to the Matilde line, the Quadrata. This cigar is the third release by Matilde and is blended to be inbetween the Renacer and Oscuro. This cigar features an Ecuadorian grown Habano wrapper with a Dominican binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The Quadrata Robusto measures 5 1/4 by a 50 ring. This is the first Matilde cigar to be box pressed, which I think is a nice touch. The box and bands on this cigar are a matching shade of orange. I like how Matilde color codes their boxes, with the Renacer being natural wood the Quadrata being Orange and the Oscura is Green.  Like each previous release these cigars come packed in compact cabinet boxes of 20. The colors don't exactly contrast, but when they're in order they guide the eyes down the shelf. I think this is a nice courtesy to retailers, in my opinion many brands will make beautiful boxes that don't display well on a crowded humidor shelf.

 

I notice when I light this cigar up is is reminiscent of the Renacer, the main difference being the draw due to the box pressing. These cigars draw wide open from the start, but aren't loose. A definitely more open draw than the other Matilde cigars I've smoked. The first notes that really jump at me are pepper and caramel. Not to be confused with the Nougat notes I get from the Renacer, this cigar has more of a "punchiness" to it as opposed to the well rounded, smooth flavors of the Renacer. The last third of this cigar gives a woody note, reminiscent of cedar that finishes the cigar.While the Renacer and the Quadrata are both Ecuadorian Habanos, they are not the same cigar. The wrappers on each are the same shade, but the tobaccos in the middle change the flavors immensely. As opposed to the Oscuro, the Quadrata doesn't have the richness of the Oscuro. The Oscuro features a Pennsylvania grown filler with a San Andres Maduro leaf, which are notoriously rich tasting leaves. To distinguish each line with one adjective I would describe the Renacer as well-rounded, the Quadrata as punchy and the Oscuro as rich.

 

My final verdict on this cigar is that it is excellent and the perfect distance from the Renacer and the Oscuro. If you have tried either one of these Matilde cigars and both were lacking something you favor in a cigar, the Quadrata may hit the spot. I think this cigar is closer in flavor to the Renacer than the Oscuro, but each are different offerings. The Quadrata I think would pair very well with a scotch whisky, the caramel notes would go well with the malty qualities of a good scotch. The Renacer I would say pairs better with an Irish whiskey or Bourbon, something with more sweetness than the scotch. And finally the Oscuro would go better with a red wine or Cognac, as those really accentuate the richness of that blend. Either way I highly recommend the Quadrata to all smokers that prefer medium bodied cigars and don't mind a box press. I have a lot of new items in stock here, so I'm going to be posting more to keep up with new releases. Happy Smoking!

Cigar Review: Matilde Renacer Corona

Hello Cigar smokers,
Today I'm reviewing a cigar that's been a reliable pick for me lately, the Matilde Renacer Corona. The Matilde Renacer was the first cigar to debut for Matilde, they've expanded the brand since Cigar Aficionado rated the Renacer Corona the #19 cigar of 2014. This cigar measures 5 1/2 by 44 and features an Ecuadorian grown Habano wrapper with an assortment of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers and a Dominican binder. This is hands down my favorite size of the Renacer line. Each cigar I've observed is free of flaws and quality control issues, they're not squishy to the touch and they're not too firm. I've never seen a cracked wrapper out of the box, and I've never had draw and burn issues. I've smoked well over a box of these cigars since they've come out so I am very confident in saying this is a higher quality cigar as far as construction is concerned.

The draw is what I would call right in the middle. It doesn't draw hard, it's not too easy that it floods your mouth with smoke, it's just right. It starts maybe a little firm, but opens up to a perfect draw quickly. I would attribute this to the size too, the coronas in my experience burn and draw perfect every time. The flavors balance really well, it's a smooth blend, but not boring. I get a lot of nougat and leather type notes with a pepperiness that comes and goes throughout. This cigar is no "flavor bomb" but the flavors work so well together it doesn't need to be overwhelmingly flavorful to make it a great cigar. I can't praise this size enough either, I tend to smoke cigars fast so petite coronas will run hot for me. The 5 1/2 by 44 size gives you more cigar to smoke and has more surface area to stay cool, but is still undeniably a corona. I really like coronas because they have a more concentrated flavor than a Toro or Robusto in most cases, and especially with the Renacer this blend really shines in this size. 

I'm a big fan of Matilde's cigars, and I would classify the Renacer as a "must try" for even the casual smoker. This is a good every day cigar, it's right in the middle as far as strength and body are concerned. The flavor never gets old for me and I never have to worry about ugly wrappers or bad draws. I recommend this cigar to literally everybody who likes cigars. Especially more so for smokers that like to stay in the medium range.