Kafie 1901 6x60 Maduro

Wow, another day, another great cigar to review!

This time I wanna draw everyone's attention to Kafie Cigars. I had a conversation recently with a cigar maker who said something that really rang true with with. He said, simply, "There really aren't any bad cigars being made these days." 

You know what, he was pretty much right. Since the 90's the industry has evolved so much that the market is flooded with really tasty selections. That makes the reviewer's job both a pleasure and a challenge. 

The Kafie Don Fernando Maduro 6x60 was a beautiful cigar. The band was stunning and the ribbon at the foot was a nice touch. It was wrapped in a succulent Maduro, which was almost veinless, and topped with a triple cap. The smell was sweet and rich.

It had a smooth draw, not too smooth though, there was just enough resistance. The first puff was earthy, with just a hint of pepper, and a surprisingly smooth retrohale.

The burn is what really excited me about this stick. I enjoyed this cigar for almost three hours. It's what a buddy of mine calls an eighteen hole cigar. It burned very evenly, and the ash held on much, much better than most.

This was a medium body cigar, and it sweetened a little at about an inch. At about an inch and a half a sweet malted aroma came through. The half way point offered up hints of leather and sweet cream....yum!

The smoke rolled off of this bad boy, and the final third was spicy. I found this to be a very luxurious cigar. Like my buddy said, there really are no bad cigars out there, but there are some that fit your pallet better than others. This one suited mine, and I strongly recommend it to you. 

Flavor.                 4.6

Burn/ash           4.6

Smoke                 4.8

Construction    4.7

Value.                  4.7

Draw.                  4.8

Overall.              4.65

May GPC Promotion

For the month of  May Enrique Sanchez of Global Premium Cigars (1502) is giving away a sampler. I reviewed these sticks a month ago and really enjoyed them. To enter you need to go to Global Premium Cigars on Facebook and "like" them. After you do just send me an email at helluvacigar@gmail.com or one of our many social medias saying "I like GPC."

That's it.

A winner will be drawn at the end of the month and bada bing bada boom, they get free ticks courtesy of 1502 and Helluva Cigar!

Cuba Aliados Miami SE

Cuban Stock Miami SE Podcast

There are two kinds of cigar companies, the traditional companies, and the upstarts. Start ups like Drew Estates and a Paul Stulac are some of my favorite upstarts, and Cuba Aliados is one of my favorite traditional style brands.

The late great Ronaldo Reyes left Cuba decades ago but took the skill and tradition of the island country's cigar tradition with him. His descendants, always mindful of the shoes they had to fill, offered up the Miami Special Edition on the seventy-fifth anniversary, hoping to honor their founder's legacy. Mission accomplished.

The stick is made with Nicaraguan long fillers, a Dominican binder, and dark Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. The construction was far above average, with few veins and an ample triple cap. The wrapper smelled sweet and spicy and the pre-light draw was goldilocks....just right. 

The fist few puffs were sweet and light, with a peppery retrohale. A smokey spice lingered on the back of my tongue and teased me, making me want more.

The burn was exceptional and the ash held on forever. The first third had hints of aged oak. It was full and satisfying. The stick smoked for a luxurious hour.

Just passed half way the pepper unfolded in earnest. I hadn't had a smoke in a couple of days, and it really hit the spot!

The finish was sweet and cool. The flavor lingered well after the cigar was done, leaving me all warm and fuzzy. This is a nice stick. 

Somewhere in the great beyond, I can see Ronaldo. In my minds eye he is playing dominos with old Cuban ex-pats, and he is smiling down on his family. They know how to honor a man who knew how to make a cigar.

Note: I tried and entire sampler. There were no bad cigars, and the profile included everything from value smokes to top notch cigars. This company makes some wonderful cigars, and I recommend trying a sampler soon to get the full effect.

Construction.       4.6

Draw.                   4.7

Burn/Ash.             4.5

Flavor.                  4.6

Smoke.                4.5

Value.                   4.5

Overall.                 4.6