Nestor Miranda Dominicano Robusto Grande Rosado (5.5" x 54)

Long name...really good cigar!

I first experienced the Miranda Dominicano while at Disney World with the Family-and it has the distinction of being one of the stand-outs of the trip. Though we had lots of fun...the Dominicano is a great smoke and I can re-experience the trip (through the delights of olfactory memory triggers) for only 8 bucks!

It was dusk on Sunday night and I had set the stage for this smoke by pouring some Bowmore 12 Year Scotch. I took a sip and evaluated the Dominicano:

*Wrapper was dark (but not maduro)  and smooth-Ryan commented that he thought it was "Perfect".

*The band has kind of an African feel and has the distinctive copper bands that adorn all the Nestor Miranda lines. 

This stick, to me, is all about the plummage and aroma-it has plenty of both. The flavors are full but tough to describe. I enjoy them but cannot name them-though I did detect a bit of cocoa. The cigar produces thick aromatic smoke that I kept pausing to enjoy.

Here's some info from a vendor:

The Nestor Miranda Collection label from Miami Cigar & Company are a collaboration between Nestor Miranda (of course) and Pepin Garcia. These smokes, manufactured in the Dominican Republic, have captured the imagination of cigar smokers across the globe and are a must for the cigar connoisseur. 

Surprisingly (given the name), the only Dominican tobacco is the binder-the rest is all Nicaraguan.

I enjoyed this stogie-have smoked four this Summer and they have all been stellar. I rate it 4 on my 4 point scale-it is one of my favorites (based almost exclusively on the smell!).

Here are some bonus photos of some of the Family at our vacation:

Here my two boys and I are mugging it up in the fake subway entrance...

Here is a photo of the resort we were at-we really enjoyed the river that cut through it.

Here's four of our five, hanging out by one of the restaurants.

Here T and M are getting wild to some Cuban music!

Cubao #7 (Corona, 6" x 42)

Cubao #7 (Corona, 6" x 42)

Like Dokken said so long ago, I'm "Back for the Attack"! Yes, it's been awhile since I've got a blog review going...been smoking, of course, just haven't had the "ummph" to write anything up. After some email encouragement, I figured I'd share my experiences with the Cubao #7 with you, my faithful readers!

The Cubao is a thin little guy with a cute pig tail. I thought they were "short lanceros" (and they still are, to me) but I discovered that the manufacturer calls these "coronas". Eh. They are made by Don Pepin Garcia for EO cigars (makers of other goodies such as 601).

I really like the Cubao line. I have reviewed them before but not in this format. The cigar has a simple brown band, and a dark and mottled wrapper color. It has a nice little pig tail on the top, which I think is kind of cute. The stogie, like other Cubaos I have had, has a rich prelight aroma-good tobacco smell with a little Pepin tartness that makes me want to light it up a.s.a.p. The cigar is composed of Nicaraguan fillers and wrapped in an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. I think I caught a special on Cigarmonster.com and got a five pack for $25.


I lit this bad boy up this last week...and settled down to enjoy it with some coffee and a Dr. Who graphic novel that my sweet wife bought me. The sun was up and right before I lit up I wondered if the furnace heat of August in SW Kansas was going to ruin the experience...another sniff of the Cubao and I lit it up-committed to smoking this guy, damn the costs. Heroic? That's for others to judge.

The Cubao #7's thinness was its most unattractive feature-however, it was mitigated by the fact that the thinner version of the Cubao imparted more flavor than its thicker siblings-noticeably richer and more sophisticated. Additionally these thin cigars tend to burn a little faster and when time is tight, that's a nice feature. I'd call it a potent smoke, perhaps full bodied and full flavor as well-just what the Doctor ordered (heh heh, that's for you Tardis and pun lovers out there).




The plummage was impressive (for a thinner smoke) and the burn was great. The strength of the cigar increases and by the time I nubbed this guy, I was really noticing the flavor and power. This cigar is a "4" on my four point scale-really a great cigar, in any of the sizes.

Here is a bonus pic of one of my sons out picking sand plums out near Protection, Ks. Though he didn't get a lot of plums, he did conquer and explore the surrounding area, especially this monster tree.