Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 6.5 x 52 Super Toro

Body: Medium

Price: $4.00

The La Zona cigar is named after Erik Espinosa’s new factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It is the first of many to be released under the Espinosa brand. Espinosa was partners in crime with Eddie Ortega of 601 fame. They decided to each go their own way and this inexpensive premium cigar is a peek of what Espinosa will be doing.

The cigar is quite large and a commitment of time must be endeavored in order to smoke this to the nub. Construction of the stick is excellent with tight seams and a few veins but otherwise a well-made cigar. The band is nothing fancy and actually blends into the wrapper color. There is a nice oily sheen to the Habano wrapper and quite a bit of toothiness.

I do the sniff test and detect lots of wood. And some nice sweetness at the foot. And a dash of cedar for good luck.

I clip the cap and light ‘er up.

Right away there is a pleasant taste of oak and nuts. The smoke is not ashamed of pouring from the foot. The draw is perfect. I’ve had a couple of these prior to this review and the char line has been iffy…sort of a 50/50 proposition of being straight throughout the cigar. So far, this one is doing a spot on job.

Early on, there is some creaminess showing itself. It’s nice to have that component this early in the smoke. At the early stage, the body is just barely medium in strength but the flavors more than make up for that; as I am usually a full body smoker…which of course, is the trend these days…the stronger the better. But you put an expert in charge of things and he takes your palate on a ride so that if you prefer a full body cigar, the ride is still an E Ticket.

There is sweetness that comes from being toasty. Sweet butter smeared on good rye bread toast.  I can almost taste the corned beef. So yes, I taste caraway seed.

A light spiciness shows up and I’m still only at the 1” mark. My tongue tingles just the slightest. It looks like I must correct the burn of the stick. 5 seconds later, and it’s fixed.

I’ve only had these sticks in my humidor for a couple of weeks. So I do wonder what some extended time will do to these cigars.

We end the first third and there is a small laundry list of flavors: oak, cream, sweetness, toast, caraway, spiciness, and toasty nuts. The smoke is smooth and well balanced.

The toastiness increases in the second third to the point that its matching sweetness and creamy smooth flavor makes this a superb first cigar of the day. I have nothing in my stomach, even though it’s almost lunch time…and with this cigar, it’s no worries.

A swig of bottled water intensifies the flavors of creaminess and toast and nuts.

I have a small cigar group on Face Book called Cigar Freaks. My good friend, Wally Guse, would love this cigar. He is still in the ga-ga goo-goo stage of cigar smoking and this would be right up his alley as someone afraid of the manly, knock you on your ass, blistering strong cigars.

At the halfway point, the cigar is ramping up in both flavor and strength. The red pepper is bouncing inside my cheeks letting me know who’s boss. But that creaminess and toasty nuttiness makes it a perfect balance.

The last third is all about flavor. The strength has become a strong medium but balanced nicely. Being such a big cigar, it takes you on a journey as compared to a robusto. A robusto is a get in, get out, and don’t let the husband catch you kind of experience.

At the moment, the La Zona is still flying a bit under the radar. I am guessing that Espinosa is seeing how word of mouth does and thereby saving some dough on marketing.

I am guessing that it won’t be long before all cigar smokers are aware of this blend and brand.

As I see the end of this cigar coming, the spiciness is blasting away on all cylinders. It has become very complex and yet keeping it’s smoothness. The flavors have not changed from what I described in the beginning but they have been finessed by the experience of smoking a 3’ long cigar. LOL!

By the way, after that first correction of the burn line, the cigar has pretty much been right on target with an almost razor sharp char line.

I am sure all my friends will thank me for bringing this cigar to their attention. It’s a good one and I look forward to the future as Espinosa Cigars flourishes.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS