My Weekend Cigar: Cuba Aliados 75th Anniversary Fuerte Limited "Miami" Edition Valentino Reserva Maduro
It's that time of year, and a few surprise packages have already arrived on my desk. The cigar of note for today is the new Cuba Aliados 75th Anniversary Fuerte Limited "Miami" Edition Valentino Reserva Maduro. Now there's a mouthful. I smoked it immediately last Friday when the box of cigars arrived from my friend Frank Santos of Reyes Family Cigars. So in the spirit of the Holidays, I shared the box with several coworkers along with a few lucky Famous Smoke Shop retail store customers who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The Valentino Reserva Maduro is a 7" x 50 Churchill with a very dark, yet rustic Habano wrapper. The filler is Nicaraguan and Dominican with an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder. The cigars are also presented in cedar sleeves (not shown in the photo here) with words LIMITED "MIAMI" EDITION printed on them. The red and white bands also clearly indicate they are the "Miami" edition. Yes, these are the same cigars that would normally be rolled in Honduras, but I'm conjecturing that this edition was done to pay tribute to the great city of Miami and the wonderful rolling talent still found there. Underneath the box is a color photo of the Miami factory showing Rolando Reyes with his hand on the shoulder of a cigar store Indian. (Very cool.)
I probably should have let the box settle for a while, but I was pretty excited about smoking one of these, so here's my take:
The pre-light flavor was reminiscent of red wine, but once lit, the base flavors were that of dark, sweet tobacco with some earthy elements, and a very peppery finish. The cigar burned well, emitting a sweet aroma as thick, creamy smoke oozed out of the head. The smoke was robust, yet very smooth, and as the cigar smoked down it bloomed nicely in flavor. To it's credit, the cigar also remained consistent through at least four re-lights. In short, I would classify it a full-bodied and having somewhat of a "vintage" Cuban-like profile.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how these cigars will smoke in about another month or two in my humidor. In the meantime, keep your eyes pealed for these at your local cigar store.
Special thanks to Frank and the staff at Reyes Family Cigars.
~Gary Korb
The Valentino Reserva Maduro is a 7" x 50 Churchill with a very dark, yet rustic Habano wrapper. The filler is Nicaraguan and Dominican with an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder. The cigars are also presented in cedar sleeves (not shown in the photo here) with words LIMITED "MIAMI" EDITION printed on them. The red and white bands also clearly indicate they are the "Miami" edition. Yes, these are the same cigars that would normally be rolled in Honduras, but I'm conjecturing that this edition was done to pay tribute to the great city of Miami and the wonderful rolling talent still found there. Underneath the box is a color photo of the Miami factory showing Rolando Reyes with his hand on the shoulder of a cigar store Indian. (Very cool.)
I probably should have let the box settle for a while, but I was pretty excited about smoking one of these, so here's my take:
The pre-light flavor was reminiscent of red wine, but once lit, the base flavors were that of dark, sweet tobacco with some earthy elements, and a very peppery finish. The cigar burned well, emitting a sweet aroma as thick, creamy smoke oozed out of the head. The smoke was robust, yet very smooth, and as the cigar smoked down it bloomed nicely in flavor. To it's credit, the cigar also remained consistent through at least four re-lights. In short, I would classify it a full-bodied and having somewhat of a "vintage" Cuban-like profile.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how these cigars will smoke in about another month or two in my humidor. In the meantime, keep your eyes pealed for these at your local cigar store.
Special thanks to Frank and the staff at Reyes Family Cigars.
~Gary Korb
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