#NowSmoking: Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado

#NowSmoking: Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado Cigar Review (Video)

Blend Details

Factory: My Father S.A. – Estelí, Nicaragua
Size: 5½” x 54 (Toro Extra)
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo 98
Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí, Jalapa, Condega

Presented in boxes of 10

The Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado Toro Cigar Back Story

It’s been many years since I first met Nestor Miranda, but he is one of those people you don’t easily forget. Slim and tan, always well-dressed, Nestor’s appearance defies his age while projecting that urbane, man of the world image as did Zino Davidoff at one time.

Miranda joined Miami Cigar in 1995 at the height of the cigar boom and that aforementioned image quickly became the face of the company. To honor the contributions he made to Miami Cigar, in 2006 the first Nestor Miranda Special Selection cigars rolled off the line. Two more blends followed, Oscuro and Connecticut.

In 2014, Miami Cigar was celebrating their 25th anniversary and replaced the line with the Nestor Miranda Collection. However, in 2019 Miami Cigar announced they were reprising  the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado, a Nicaraguan puro which is still made at My Father Cigars in Estelí.

Cigar Basics

The cigar had a firm feel throughout and felt good in my hand. The wrapper revealed a shiny, reddish-brown patina with some blackish areas. Several veins were visible but most were flat. The wrapper offered a grassy aroma while the foot had a dense scent of stable hay. The cap was a textbook triple seam. My straight cut issued a cold draw with flavors of hay and sweet tobacco.

Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado Cigar Review

The opening puffs were creamy, mellow, and nutty with a curious richness. Notes of leather and nutmeg arrived fairly quickly, and the cigar settled into a smooth, medium-bodied smoke. Through the first couple of inches, the flavors amounted to a nutty mix of leather, nutmeg, and charred cedar with dense smoke volume. Moreover, I noticed the ashes revealed an alternating dark grey & black nickel stack; they were pretty firm, too.

At the midsection, the cigar took on a more earthy taste which tended to blur some of the earlier flavors. The smoke also became spicier. What followed was a pleasant tobacco sweetness that opposed most of the earthiness. By then the flavors were pretty much locked-in and remained consistent right up to the final inches. The body cranked-up nearly to full at that point, too, but maintained a medium strength.

More earth and spice returned in the final push as the nutty and sweet notes on the finish weakened. Charred cedar also became more dominant, resulting in a mostly earthy, spicy, and charry finale.

Are Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado Cigars Worth Buying?

If you enjoy dark and spicy Nicaraguan puros, sure. As for its construction, the Special Selection Rosado Toro is as well-made a cigar as you would expect from My Father and Nestor Miranda. The burn was excellent, the ashes were firm, and the tobaccos offered a decent number of flavors. However, character-wise, it’s a pretty “dark” cigar. My memory may be foggy, but I don’t recall the My Father-made Rosados from 2008 being as spicy or full-bodied, so, they may have tweaked the blend to appeal to the tastes of today’s cigar smokers. That said, it was darker and spicier than I prefer. On the other hand, if this sounds like your kind of cigar, I can see this Toro as an excellent after dinner cigar that should pair well with just about any preference. it’s also very affordable, which is a really nice thing, especially these days.