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.

Cigar Review: My Father El Centurion H2K Corona

Hello Cigar smokers,
Today I'm reviewing one of the newer offerings by My Father Cigars, the re-blended Centurion brand. This cigar differs from the original Centurion, which was a Nicaraguan Puro. This cigar features fillers and binders from Nicaragua still, with a hybrid US grown wrapper. The H2K in the name denotes the wrapper, it's a hybrid Habano wrapper grown in the same area that Connecticut Shade wrappers are grown in. This cigar comes packed in boxes of 20 with a sharp box press and 2 bands with a ribbon on it. Much of the cigar is covered in it's packaging, but you can still see the beautiful wrapper underneath. This cigar has a medium colored wrapper with a good amount of tooth on it. The orange colors on the band and ribbon look nice with the wrapper, it pops off the shelf and looks very enticing.

On to the cigar itself, I'm not normally partial to box-pressed cigars, but this cigar draws effortlessly. There is some give when you squeeze this cigar, but it's not sloppy. This cigar measures 5.5" by a 48 ring gauge. This is a kind of strange size for a Corona, it's dimensions are closer to a robusto, but that's just semantics. What really matters is the flavor, and this cigar has it in spades. This cigar is a medium body, but has a lighter flavor than most medium bodies. This cigar feels like a Connecticut Shade cigar with much less dainty flavor that a traditional Connecticut. You still get the smooth, buttery flavor of a Connecticut, but it evolves into a much more interesting cigar. After the initial light up notes of pepper and spice some through and build up. I notice the draw gives the smoothness of a Shade wrapper, while the exhale gives the punch. Especially if you exhale through the nose you really get an explosion of pepper which never gets old.

It's hard to describe this cigar's flavor, but I call it a medium body with a light to medium strength. I classify it as a 2/5 strength, but its more of a hard 2 or soft 3. At first I was a skeptic, but this cigar has really grown on me. The construction and draw are top notch, the flavor seems to hit my palate differently every time I revisit this cigar and it never gets old. I prefer this as a change of pace cigar. I recommend this cigar to anybody who prefers Connecticut Shade cigars, this will give you more flavor without being too much to palate. I also recommend this cigar to people who prefer full bodied cigars who want a change of pace. I think this is a good candidate to age long term and I plan on adding a box to my humidor collection. Happy smoking and feel free to email questions to jtcigarsofwoodside@gmail.com
JT

Cigar Review: Regius Red Label Fat Perfecto

Hello Cigar Smokers,
Today I'm reviewing a familiar cigar in a different size, the Regius Red Label, but this time I'm reviewing the Fat Perfecto size. I'm a fan of Regius, and especially their fat perfecto size, which is similar to the Drew Estate Flying Pig. After that, all comparisons are off between the Regius and Drew Estate products. This cigar measures 5 3/4"x54x60x54, the way perfectos measure the first gauge is the foot of the cigar the second gauge is the middle of the cigar and the last gauge is the head of the cigar. So this cigar is a 54 ring gauge at both ends and balloons to a 60 for much of the middle of the cigar. This cigar has the regular Regius band, as well as a secondary band that reads "Exclusivo USA." The secondary band is similar is design and font to Cuban brands that release "Exclusivo" lines for a certain market.

This cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro wrapped in a Jalapa wrapper. The Jalapa wrapper gives this cigar a nice leathery quality to it, without being too strong. Many Nicaraguan Puros I've smoked tend to be on the much fuller side, and while this is no doubt a full bodied cigar, it doesn't have an overwhelming strength to it. This cigar is a 4/5 on our strength ranking scale, but I don't think that tells the full story. Where this cigar is most different than the lancero is in the draw. The Lancero has a concentrated flavor and a tighter draw, while the Fat Perfecto billows with smoke from the first draw. That's what I enjoy the most from large ring perfectos, the draw is wide open, but the taper at the end reins it in and keeps it from being too much. Cigars this size tend to burn unevenly, but I notice with this cigar, as well as the entire "Exclusivo USA" line, that if you let it burn and don't smoke it too fast it will correct itself into an even burn line. The two prominent notes I get from this cigar are leather and spice, it definitely opens with a pleasant leather feeling on the palate and that fades into a satisfying spiciness and peppery quality. As soon as I taste the spicy notes the finish gets way longer too, Jalapa wrappers tend to have a long finish to them in my experience. The leather notes come and go throughout the cigar, and a nutty sweetness comes through at times, especially in the middle of this smoke. When this cigar nears the end the leather note comes back, and relieves you from the pepper, which comes through still in the finish.

This isn't the most complex cigar on the market, but I like the flavors coming and going, it definitely isn't one dimensional. Between the Fat Perfecto and Lancero I'm split as to which one I prefer, but I think I give the edge to the Fat Perfecto due to the draw. These Fat Perfecto's are just too much fun to smoke, and they're well constructed to boot. Overall I recommend this cigar to anybody who enjoys smoking odd sized cigars, anybody who is a fan of Nicaraguan cigars, or anybody who is tired of earth toned and creamy cigars. Variety is the spice of life, and this cigar has plenty of spice! Regius is one of my favorite brands and I'm sure one of their offerings is right for you.