Blind Review: Isabella Sparkle Robusto

Welcome to 2016 blind review number 2 - the coolest little cigar you never heard of!

Cigar Weekly has a tradition of doing blind reviews of new and/or boutique cigars whenever the maker asks.

Cigar Weekly's blind reviews are scored by a panel, and averaged using 7 criteria within a 50 point scale.

How it works: Cigar Weekly members volunteer for the task, and are asked to complete the review by smoking both samples within a two to three week window. They are requested to take copious notes, and then to enter their data into an online form. It's the 21st century, right? We used to use paper…

We do not require that the maker be an advertiser, nor do we charge a fee for these reviews.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at the Smooth Draws Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review of ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Smooth Draws Radio Show Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

We’ve selected the Gurkha 125th Anniversary for our ‘Premium Cigars of Georgia’ cigar review of the week.

BACK STORY

In 1887, India was under British colonial rule. During that era, colonial soldiers began smoking and enjoying cigars made from local tobacco. The British called these cigars Gurkhas, naming them after legendary Nepalese fighters who used the khukuri – a forward curving Nepalese knife.

Fast forward to 1989, when Kaizad Hansotia (while in India) bought a Portuguese cigar roller’s entire stock and resurrected the name Gurkha. At the 2012 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, the Gurkha 125th Anniversary was introduced. Note that the 125th Anniversary designation does not represent the company’s 125 years in business; it simply recognizes the attachment the firm’s cigars have to the name Gurkha (going back to 1887).

When first glancing at the Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet, my initial thought was, “What an elegant presentation they’ve done with this cigar.” The cigar was dressed in a traditional RyJ-style band (found on many of their cigars) – a white band with red lettering towards the head of the cigar, as well as one surrounding the foot. Covering the cigar between the bands was a nice silver-etched translucent wrapper. Like I’ve said, an elegant presentation, and one that gave much anticipation as to what was to be discovered underneath.

This was a Romeo y Julieta cigar manufactured as an exclusive for Famous Smoke Shop. On behalf of Cigar Weekly, I would like to express a big thanks and my personal gratitude to Famous Smoke Shop for the availability of these cigars for review!

Cigar name: Rare Corojo 

Visual

Looking over this darker chocolate-colored wrapper, I notice one medium-sized prominent vein. The surface is slightly toothy, and there are some visible seams. Construction on this cigar is okay, but I am used to seeing better from Punch – and even on other cigars in the line and year.

Cold aroma

Along the wrapper, I take a few passes with the ole sniffer, and find notes of grass, hay, leather and cocoa. The foot offers a bit more, with scents of raisin, cinnamon, sweet hay, cocoa and a slight tobacco note evident.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at the Smooth Draws Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review of ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 10AM to Noon. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Smooth Draws Radio Show Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

We’ve selected the Joya de Nicaragua Joya Red for our ‘Premium Cigars of Georgia’ cigar review of the week.

BACK STORY

Joya de Nicaragua is primarily known in the United States owing to the reputation it has earned for producing stronger cigars – cigars like the Antaño 1970 and the Antaño Dark Corojo, which even well-developed palates have a reverence for. In July of 2014, at the IPCPR Convention and Trade show, Joya introduced a medium-bodied cigar into its portfolio – the Joya Red.

This new introduction was instituted by the company’s president (and son of owner Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca), Juan Ignacio Martínez, along with Leonel Raudez, Joya’s factory manager since 1992.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at the Smooth Draws Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review of ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Smooth Draws Radio Show Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

As our ‘Premium Cigars of Georgia’ cigar of the week, we’ve selected the Perdomo Factory Tour Blend Series Sun Grown.

BACK STORY

Truly, you will never have a higher appreciation for cigars then after having experienced a factory tour. And many a cigar enthusiast has travelled (or will eventually travel) to a tobacco producing country to take in a cigar factory tour.

Perdomo has gained a reputation as one of a handful of companies offering tours of its factory, by welcoming consumers and retailers from all around the world to its facilities in Nicaragua.

The Factory Tour Blend was inspired by Perdomo’s fifteen years of factory tours. The company says that Aristides Garcia, one of the factory’s long time managers, would roll special cigars for guests who toured the Nicaraguan factory. And now that special blend is being made available to everyone.

It’s kind of big deal where a cigar comes from. Isn’t it? The pedigree and origin of a premium cigar is of utmost importance. So when did they start making cigars in Costa Rica? Did I miss a memo or something? Yeah, I’m being facetious – but only a little.

We all know about Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. There are even a few well-known cigars from South America and elsewhere. But Costa Rica? Really? Yes, really.

A couple of years ago, Joel Vazquez Marrero jumped into the cigar game and created Marrero Cigars, a company that represents “the flavor of Costa Rica in a premium cigar”. By my reckoning, he’s making some pretty good cigars down there. This is my review of the Tesoro Mio Gran Toro – a vitola in one of Marrero’s four blends. For those of us who speak only English, Tesoro Mio is Spanish for “my treasure”.

Fabricator: Martinez Cigars
Size: 5 inches x 50 ring gauge (box-pressed Robusto)

If you weren't born in New York City, here's the answer to the origin of the moniker ‘Flatiron’. Apparently, in New York City, there exists a triangular, 22-story, steel-framed building located in the borough of Manhattan. This building was considered a groundbreaking skyscraper upon its completion in 1902. It sits on a triangular block formed by three streets. As with numerous other wedge-shaped buildings, the name ‘Flatiron’ derives from its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

The building, which has been called one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers, is a quintessential symbol of New York City. The neighborhood around it is called the Flatiron District, after its signature building.

The Flatiron Building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

Under the shadows of this iconic structure, Antonio Genaro Martinez (1947-2002), who was known to everyone as Don Antonio, opened a storefront in 1974 – Martinez Cigars. This enterprise produced lines of premium handmade cigars.

Martinez was “an immigrant from the tiny town of Tamboríl in the Dominican Republic, and brought with him a vast wealth of knowledge and incredible talent for making some of the finest cigars imaginable”.

The Flatiron series is part of the firm’s line of premium handmade cigars, and is aptly named after the aforementioned building and neighborhood.

Size: 7 inches by 50 ring gauge

I feel compelled to review this ‘diamond in the rough’ because I've read mixed reviews of it. But I will tell you, at the onset, that I'm a fan of this newcomer to the industry.

On first inspection, I notice a chocolate-colored outer leaf with tiny veins and seams that make you look twice to find them. From what I can tell, the double cap is well applied, and I give it a bullet cut so as not to test it.

Pre-toasting, the leaf gives off a slight earth aroma, while the foot emits a combination scent of mild earth and hay. Upon toasting, I immediately pick up roasted coffee. The overall aroma is pleasant and mild.

The first few draws display just the right amount of resistance. Smoke is ample, and the cigar feels good in hand. This particular vitola has been resting in my humidor for five months, and I've paired it with a black coffee.

Editor’s Note: Each week, our friends at the Smooth Draws Radio Show, based in Atlanta, GA, do a review of ‘The Cigar of the Week’ on their radio show, which can be heard Saturday mornings on AM1230 ESPN the Fan 2 (WFOM radio) from 9AM to 11AM. That review is printed (in its entirety) here on Cigarweekly.com, usually on the Monday following its broadcast.

The Smooth Draws Radio Show Pick of the Week

THE CIGAR

As our Premium Cigars of Georgia ‘cigar of the week’, we’ve selected The La Galera Connecticut by Indian Head Cigars.

BACK STORY

The La Galera Connecticut comes to us from José ‘Jochy’ Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma, which traces its origins back to the mid-19th-Century, when a Spanish citizen named José Manuel Blanco Lozada moved to the Dominican Republic to specialize in the trades of tropical fruits and tobacco.