House of Emilio January Newsletter

"The Best of the Boutiques"

A recap of news and reviews from around the web in January, 2014

It seems as though this winter has been especially harsh in many areas of the country, but despite that folks have still managed to get in a bit of time to smoke. I've decided to create this monthly summary of all the good news from around the web about the House of Emilio rather than continue my annual summary, which has gotten quite cumbersome. I hope you enjoy this.

I'll give credit to all sources, but if I happen to miss giving proper credit please just let me know, and I'll correct it promptly.  All photos are from the original blog sites.

All the best,

Gary

In his review of the Nomad S 307 Ben's Cigars says:  "This Nomad S-307, is by far one of my favorite cigars to date. I enjoyed this down till I thought I would melt my nail polish. If you haven’t tried this cigar, you’re really missing out! Fred Rewey is one of the best in the business and his marketing strategy of “just being a regular dude” instead of the “pre-Madonna rockstar” type really works. It’s a good feeling when you buy cigars from a friend."

 You can read Ben's full review of the Nomad S 307 by visiting his website at the following link : Ben's Cigar Reviews

Casas Fumando shared a review on the Rodrigo Boutique Blend: "The construction and performance on the Boutique Blend by Rodrigo Cigars were just about flawless...... The burn was even and the ash held firm. I am mixed on the flavors that the Boutique Blend brought to the table. ......the final third hit on all cylinders with a balanced complex ending to the smoke. I will definitely be trying out the other offerings from Rodrigo Cigars and I think the company has a lot to offer from what I can tell."  The full review is at this link: Casas Fumando

 The latest member of the House of Emilio family is Bodega Premium Blends, owned by a great group of Canadian guys, so it is somehow apropos that this review is from Cigar Crook the great white north:  "Overall, the "Digestivo" impressed me in several ways, but the main thing that stands out in my head is the unique flavour profile it had. The individual flavours were not unique but the way they were blended together was very unique."
 Read the full review at Cigar Crook

Cigar Coop updated his assessment of the Emilio La Musa Melete, and had this to say: "The Melete doesn't have a dominant flavor, but a lot of good flavors working together.  Instead I found the Melete to deliver a mix of chocolate, leather, citrus, and exotic spice.  This time around I also detected a slight nut flavor in the background.  I did detect the chocolate more on the after-draw and it even layers with some of the spice on retro-hale."  The entire assessment, along with a link to his original post is at Cigar Coop

Cigar Coop also had a few things to say about the 1502 Cigars Emerald Perfecto, available exclusively at 1502 lounges: "Usually when I put a perfecto up against a parejo, I will choose the parejo every time.  However, the 1502 Emerald is an outstanding blend in the box-pressed perfecto format.  There are some parallels to the toro's profile.  The flavor profile delivers notes of natural tobacco, earth, cedar, and pepper.  The parejo had some chocolate notes, but I did find less of this flavor in the perfecto.  This still does not take away anything during the cigar experience.  The flavors have some nice depth to them - and I classified it as full-bodied.  There is a subtle strength to this cigar - and I found it have just enough strength to qualify as medium to full strength."  The complete reassessment at Cigar Coop .

In his reassessment of the Ezra Zion Cigars Tantrum, Cigar Coop had this to say:  "When the Tantrum was released it was described as "a little powerhouse".  When we assessed it, this is exactly what it turned out to be - a full strength, full-bodied smoke.  Six months later, there is no question both the strength and body have dialed back to the upper end of medium to full.

The Tantrum delivers notes of earth, nut, pepper, cream, and a raisin sweetness.  When I first smoked the Tantrum last June, I was impressed with the sweet notes it provided.  The sweetness definitely dialed back a bit and this time never really took hold as a primary note.  The end of the cigar still delivers a nice spicy kick.  The burn and draw performed excellent."  You can read more about the "little powerhouse" here.

 Dan Gumm reviewed the 1502 Cigars Ruby Perfecto and says: "Like every other cigar from 1502, construction was top-of-the-line. The first few draws were a mild, smooth and delicious mix of the cocoa, espresso and black pepper, the same mix that I found testing the cold draw. The first thing that really caught my attention was the amount of smoke this cigar produced; had I been indoors it would have already filled a small room. The smoke had an enjoyable sweet oak aroma. I tested the flavors with a retro hale and found mild black pepper mixed with espresso. Deeper into the first third the strength began to increase more into the medium body ranges and notes of leather and molasses took over as the main flavors."  Read more in the full review here.

Recently, 1502 Cigars announced a forthcoming Nicaraguan Puro and here's what Dan Gumm had to say in his pre-release review: 

"Overall I think this is a fantastic medium body cigar. It had top notch construction, a great burn and a complex flavor mix that kept me guessing with each draw. I look forward to smoking many more of these in the future and I wish to thank Global Premium Cigars for giving me the opportunity to review this pre-release 1520 Nicaragua."

Once again, the complete review can be read at the following Dan Gumm website.

 
Keeping Your Man Card, on the Ezra Zion Cigars Reagan:  "When I lit the cigar the first thing that entered my mind was a word I used earlier “Classic”. The Reagan fit the majority of the profiles I’ve been looking for in cigars lately- it was relatively mild, well balanced and a simply classic flavor that settled in for the entire smoke. Typically, I get bored with non transitional cigars, but the flavor of this particular blend was so good, that I ended up having to break out a tooth pick to finish it. That’s a remarkable statement considering the overall size of the cigar."  Read more here.

In the Stogie Guys review of the Rodrigo Cigars La Fortaleza: "a medium- to full-bodied profile of black pepper and damp earth emerges. The strength is evident yet not overwhelming, and the flavor is bold and rich with a thick, leathery texture. Floral notes and traces of sweetness are fleeting but noticeable, particularly when you smoke through the nose.

I find this slow-burning cigar takes longer to smoke than I would typically expect from a cigar this size. All the while the combustion qualities are very solid. The burn is straight, the ash holds firm, the draw is smooth, and the smoke production is high." 

The complete Stogie Guys review of the La Fortaleza is at their website.

 SmokeEasy Blog recently reviewed the 1502 Cigars Emerald, and had this to say:  "From a flavor perspective, the 1502 Emerald is another departure from my norm and is a fabulous cigar.  It is medium in terms of body and mild-to-medium in strength; starting out quite mild, but picking up in strength throughout the smoke.  The first third was characterized with heavy grassy flavor with some herbal and floral notes.  It was moderately spicy, especially on retrohale, but had a very smooth creamy texture.  There is a wonderful honey-like sweetness in the aftertaste that lingered on the palate.  The grassy flavor persisted through the second third and through the finish; however, elements of cedar woodiness and leather were introduced.  I believe I may have encountered some elements of vanilla as well.  The spiciness diminished through the finish and the floral notes became more occasional in nature.  Very, very enjoyable smoke - truly awesome and quite impressive... "  Visit the blog here. 

The Los Regalos Quetzal by Emilio Cigars was the subject of a video review by Stick Review and received a rating of 92. You can watch the video at this You Tube link. 

 "A Power Pack of Flavors" is how the Robusto Cigar Babe describes the Ezra Zion Cigars Tantrum: "What I loved about the Tantrum was the way new flavors are introduced with every puff.  Just when I thought I had a handle on the peppery spice, other notes  emerged to tantalize my tastebuds while teasing my palate throughout the smoke. "  We couldn't agree more, and encourage you to read more in her complete review. 

 A few quotes from Honest Cigar Reviews video on the 1502 Emerald:

"Perfect construction and draw."

"Watch that pepper on the retrohale, cause it'll get ya."

"Oily and sweet."

"I'm going to rate this a 9.2 on our 10 point scale."

We appreciate the commentary, and encourage you to watch the complete video at this You Tube link.

Thanks for reading, and we'll update you with all the news from February the first week of March.