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| STARS OF THE SHOW, PART II |
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Page 1 of 2  Four talked-about Nicaraguan cigars from the recent IPCPR show!Los Angeles, August 1 – There was no shortage of new cigars to try at the recent International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association convention and trade show in Las Vegas. So we’re moving through some of the more talked-about cigars – some brand new and some that are fairly new – to see if the chatter was accurate. This week, we have a varied assortment of four brands, all from Nicaragua, giving further proof of that country’s rise as one of the powerhouse cigar-making nations of the world: C.A.O. Lx2: [Nicaragua: available in 3 sizes] This is the third of the “x2" series from C.A.O. and possibly the best. The 2003 Mx2 line emphasized the use of two maduro leaves for the wrapper and binder. The Cx2 line debuted in 2005 and although it wasn’t the first to use Cameroon leaves for both wrapper and binder, it was certainly the highest-profile brand to do so. The Lx2 is named for its use of two types of ligero tobaccos – those leaves picked for power and flavor – in the filler, from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The leaves from a farm near Condega, Nicaragua called Pueblo Nuevo were the inspiration for the brand; the harvest from this farm is reserved exclusively for use in C.A.O. and Torano Cigars blends. The double-banded Lx2 itself is full-bodied, but never overpowering and has a pleasant, lightly-spiced aroma. The flavor is light and sweet with a demure note of caramel, quite sophisticated and deft in its own way, with a hint of spice on the finish. Well made, it burns evenly and smokes very slowly thanks to its dense construction. The taste is rich, but becomes a little flatter in the second half. Despite its name, this is not a fearsome cigar, but one which has excellent balance and plenty of taste. It’s offered in three primary shapes – Rob (5 inches by 48 ring), Toro (6 x 50) and Beli (6 1/2 x 52 torpedo) – but there is also a limited-edition Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) that might be the best of all. But all shapes are accessibly priced at $6.20 to $6.90 each, not including local sales or tobacco taxes. One more nod to the quality of C.A.O.’s thought process and manufacturing follow-up: both bands came off quite easily, ensuring that the underlying, Nicaraguan-grown wrapper suffered no injury! Well done. Overall grade: A: Exceptional. Cupido Criollo: [Nicaragua: available in 5 sizes] The Cupido brand caused a sensation when it appeared during the Cigar Boom as one of the first cigars out of Nicaragua – other than Joya de Nicaragua, of course – to draw rave reviews. That version of Cupido is gone forever and the brand seemed to be sleeping, if not dead, but it’s been revived by Cuban Crafters in two styles, the Cupido Criollo and the Cupido Tuxedo. |
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Did you know?
“Because Fonseca Port is so well known, some 1920s Fonseca cigars came in canisters shaped like bottles of Port!
