CA Report: Top New Cigars (Feb 17 2020)
I hope your winter has been as mild as mine. It’s not exactly patio weather but smoking outside has at least been tolerable. If not, here’s to a speedy spring, longer days, and a full humidor.
To help you get there, we’ve got five new cigar releases that should be on your radar. Check out these latest arrivals from Asylum, H. Upmann, and Southern Draw – along with the return of Alec Bradley’s annual St. Patrick’s Day cigars.
If there’s a new smoke that’s caught your attention, drop us a line in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
Asylum Seven
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Asylum has gone ultra-premium with their latest creation: Seven. The blend is Tom Lazuka and Christian Eiroa’s commemoration of their (you guessed it) seventh anniversary and the whirlwind of large-ring cigar favorites for which they’ve become so loved. With a blitz of earth, cocoa, cinnamon, pepper, and espresso, Seven finishes smooth and never falters. It’s exactly the caliber of cigar you’d expect from a steeper price tag, and that’s not something I can often say.
H. Upmann The Banker Herman’s Batch
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua (Condega and Esteli)
If you ever wondered what the H in H. Upmann stood for, this smoke will clue you in. Herman’s Batch pays tribute to the brand’s founder with a contemporary take on the cigars they produced back in 1844. What you can expect: notes of white pepper, citrus, and oak popping out from its aromatic cloud of smoke. If you fancy your cigars dead center in flavor intensity and strength, you might want to take more than a peek and consider adding these to your collection.
Southern Draw Ignite 2019 Barber Pole
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut/Nicaragua Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
You’re sitting down to dinner at your favorite restaurant and you can’t decide between the filet mignon or that juicy porterhouse. We’ve all been there. But with a cigar like Southern Draw’s Ignite Barber Pole, choosing between favorites is a thing of the past. The blend is interlaced with dual Connecticut/Maduro wrappers – offering a constant best of both worlds. Coffee and cocoa, cream and sweet wood – all the time. Of course, this is Southern Draw, so you’ll get that kick of peppery spice you’re craving, too. Just leave a few for me!
Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan 2020
Wrapper: Candela/Nicaragua Jalapa
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Honduras and Panama
If your St. Paddy’s Day debauchery isn’t satiated until your local river runs green, Alec Bradley’s Filthy Hooligan is a welcomed pot o’ gold. Its flavors are crisp and earthy with a spicy finish and a healthy serving of complexity. If green had a flavor, this would probably be it. For seven lucky years, these cigars have been annually released ahead of spring – just in time for March 17th’s festivities. But be warned…Famous only received 50 boxes and a year is an awfully long time to wait if you procrastinate.
Alec Bradley Black Market Shamrock 2020
Wrapper: Honduras Candela/Habano Seco/Habano Maduro
Binder: Proprietary
Filler: Proprietary
If Filthy Hooligan wasn’t enough, allow me to introduce you to 2020’s Shamrock – the ultimate springtime unicorn cigar. Not two, but three braided wrappers converge for the ultimate St. Patrick’s Day cigar experience. Notes of pepper, cocoa, citrus, spices and earth are aplenty. Just like it’s twin-wrapped sibling, Shamrock is only available in small quantities for a limited time. And believe me when I tell you…it’s a hell of a lot better than corned beef and cabbage. Smoke, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow they’re gone.