It’s always a good time when friends come to town, and this week started off with Hector Paz the VP of Sales from Miami Cigar & Company coming up for a visit with their new New England Sales Rep Willy Marante who does in-house sales for the company and will be traveling up here every 45 days.
Today’s cigar review is something that isn’t available anymore, but it was a favorite of mine when I worked for Miami Cigar & Company. Despite the cigar no longer being available Hector was able to bring me up one for enjoyment after we had some steaks on the grill.
Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda Art Deco
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigar S.A.
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Vitola: Coffee Break (Short Robusto)
Strength: Medium
The Look: Originally packaged in an aluminum tin that was reminiscent of a vintage lunch box with colors that bring you to the Art Deco appearance of South Florida. Inside, the cigars feature a chestnut color wrapper with minimal veins and an abundance of oils. The cigar has a well packed foot and a nice weight to it with no soft spots.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar serves up notes of a cherry like sweetness with hints of mocha and cocoa. The cold draw of the Art Deco is very distinct even though the notes are somewhat common. Off the foot there is continued mocha a hint of apricot and some cedar. My friend Hector Paz took very good care of this cigar which is at least 3 years old.
I used the elements of this week’s sponsor pack (5/9/16) to cut and light this one up which serves up notes of mocha and subtle cinnamon and caramel as we work our way through the first third of the Art Deco. Through the nose there is some hints of Pepin spice that have mellowed out over the years.
The second third sees the mocha remain but it becomes more of an afterthought as notes of coffee begin to emerge. The spice remains through the nose but some licorice joins the mix as well. In the second third there is no denying this is a cigar that is extremely well-balanced.
It’s a shame the only time I get my hands on an Art Deco when Hector visits, and as a result there is some sadness as the cigar comes to a close. There are notes of mocha, licorice and coffee with a subtle cedar finish and building white pepper notes though the nose as the time comes to put this cigar down.
The Burn: The ultra thin combustion line on this cigar shows off the age of the cigar that has a firm ash that held for the first half of the cigar before I rolled it off into my ashtray. The burn was perfect with a subtle resistance and the cigar remained lit for the 75 minutes it took to enjoy this smoke.
The Finish: The Art Deco remains one of my favorite cigars of all time and I will admit a lot of it has to do with the memories attached. There was a time that Hector, who is Cuban came into my office asking me how to spell “ship”. After giving him a WTF look, I told him s-h-i-p. A few mins later he comes back to me, saying he thinks I spelled it wrong. I asked him to use it in a sentence and he goes, “you know, a ship on my choulder”. Yes, this was the life of a gringo living in South Florida. While this cigar is no longer available, I highly recommend taking a look at the Nestor Miranda Collection line.
Score: 93
Price: Not Available
Nestor Mirando Art Deco
Nestor Mirando Art Deco Foot
Nestor Mirando Art Deco Burn
