It's been a while since I've written a review and this one is long overdue. I've smoked more than my fair share of the Mesmerize and they are one of my favorites. This 6.5 inch, 54 ring Nicaraguan is sweet, so I'm pleased to share a bit about it with you.

As with all of Alan Fonseca's creations, sold under the banner of SalamancaCicarGroup.com, the construction is something to behold.  Aside from the 7 elements that make up this cigar, the triple cap is expertly applied and allows for a solid "nubbing" should you take this rusty railroad spike to the limit.

Danli Honduras Tobacos –Don Juan Calavera Sumatra Toro (6x52) 

First Impressions – I was very impressed by the overall presentation of the Don Juan Calavera line. The bright colors of its boxes, along with the beautiful calavera logo made me stop and take notice. The great marketing continued with the cigars themselves. Each cigar is dressed with a large beautiful multi-colored label and black tissue paper made to look like the calavera is wearing a suit. Pretty clever!

Prior to completing this review, I had the opportunity to enjoy three samples of the Sumatra Toro.

Prelight – The pinch test gave me the impression that these were going to draw perfectly, which ended up playing out just as I suspected. The prelight draw was exceptional on each sample. With each pull, I was able to pick up subtle hints of grass and hay and heavy notes of barnyard on the nose. The wrapper on the Sumatra Toro was a bit on the veiny side and light brown in color. Each cap was beautifully placed.

First – Typically the first third of a cigar is my favorite; however, on these it seems as though the first third was the warm up to the second. The Sumatra toro starts out delicately earthy with a pleasantly sweet aftertaste. There was also a bit of spice on the retrohale.

Hangman’s Budget Pairings – Tales From The Lower Shelf

Sons Of Anarchy Black Crown

Vitola: Torpedo

Price Paid: $3 from Cigar Bid

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Oscuro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Cuban Seed Nicaraguan Long Filler

For the second installment of this series I am going with The Sons Of Anarchy Black Crown Torpedo. This is one cigar that can vary in price depending on where you purchase it, but most places will be between $3-$6, well within the range of “BUDGET FRIENDLY." I paired it with a newer bourbon to the market Hill Billy 86 Proof.

I discovered Hill Billy while attending Stogie Fest 2019 at Aroma in Jacksonville in March. At $20 a bottle it is a solid bourbon to have in your rotation. Bottled in South Carolina, it is distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and aged in new charred oak barrels. Spicy wood notes with some corn and vanilla and a bit of spice.

Mash Bill: 18% Rye, 78% Corn, 4% Malted Barley

Hangman’s Budget Pairings – Tales From The Lower Shelf

JNV Don Jorge Habano Box Press

Vitola: Box Press Robusto, 6x54

MSRP: $5

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

This is the first installment of a new series that I hope will give you options for both cigars and spirits that are budget-friendly. I know everyone has a different budget, but for this series it will be set for cigars under $12 and spirits under $30. So let’s get to it…

Today’s pairing was pretty easy for me, because this is my "go-to" everyday pairing, The JNV Habano Boxpress with Evan Williams 1783 bourbon. The EW 1783 is a small batch bourbon that sells for about $18 for 750ml. I found it to be quite smooth with a little bit of a fruity hint to it.

As for the cigar, Don Jorge is one of the nicest guys I know and he makes the cigar that I smoke 90% of the time. He is basically a one man operation, doing all of the blending and rolling himself. All of his cigars across the line are $5 each and could easily be sold for twice that much without any hesitation.