Smokeasy's top 4 memorable smokes for the month of November
Pictured clockwise: El Güegüense, Avo Syncro Nicaragua, Laranja Reserva, Padrón Dámaso. All images are courtesy of the respective cigar manufacturers.
El Güegüense (Foundation Cigar Company)
This cigar is the first brand released from the newest venture by master blender Nicholas Melillo (aka Nick R Agua), former vice president and director of tobacco and production at Drew Estate Cigar Company. The indigenous word translated as “The Wise Man”, El Güegüense is based on a Nicaraguan folklore masterpiece, and is a tribute to the land, the people, and the culture of Nicaragua, Melillo's second home.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo '99 (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaragua Corojo '99 (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaragua Corojo '99/Criollo '98 (Jalapa & Esteli)
Vitolas (5): Churchill (7" x 48); Torpedo (6¼" x 52); Toro Huaco (6" x 56); Robusto (5½" x 50); Corona Gorda (5 5/8" x 46)
Extra full-bodied | Full strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Avo Syncro Nicaragua (Avo Cigars/Davidoff of Geneva)
This Avo is not only the first box-pressed cigar manufactured by the Davidoff of Geneva factory in the Dominican Republic, it is the first Avo blended with Nicaraguan tobacco.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua (Ometepe)/Dominican Republic/Peru
Vitolas (4): Toro (6" x 54); Special Toro (6" x 60); Robusto (5" x 50); Short Robusto (4" x 52)
Medium-bodied | Medium strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Padrón Dámaso (Padrón Cigars)
This blend is a far departure from what we've all known and expected from Padrón - a milder cigar shaped round as opposed to the typical pressed square. The brand is named after Dámaso Padrón, (the grandfather of patriarch José Padrón) who immigrated from the Canary Islands to Cuba in the late 1800s, where he began the tradition of growing cigar tobacco.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitolas (4): No. 17 (7" x 54); No. 15 (6" x 6520); No. 8 (5½" x 46); No. 12 (5" x 50)
Full-bodied | Mild strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Laranja Reserva (Espinosa Premium Cigars)
Affectionately called "the vitamin C of cigars", the Laranja (Portuguese for "orange") is the first blend from Espinosa using an orange Brazilian wrapper which provides its unique flavor and aroma.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Brazilian Laranja
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitolas (4): Toro (6" x 52); Robusto Extra (5½" x 54); Corona Gorda (5 5/8" x 46); Caixa (box-pressed 6½" x 48)
Medium- to Full-bodied | Medium strength