Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 4.875 x 54 “I-Beam”

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $8.00-$9.00

ADDENDUM: 02/22/2013 I’ve now had this cigar a couple weeks or longer and I must amend the “This is the most bitch’n cigar I’ve ever smoked” quotient. It has mulitplied by 3.

One thing that struck me about Eddie Ortega: A young man who has been waiting for a chance to break free of certain constraints in order to do what he wants without having to answer to anyone. Now this is just an opinion but after reading interviews with the man over the years, that is the feeling I have.

And now, Eddie has no constraints and is like a wild mustang. LOL. His Ortega D Natural and Maduro are classic cigars. While his 601 brand was very good, in my mind, it was old school. Only the release of La Bomba began to change my mind about his blends.

The very clever marketing of the Wild Bunch series is brilliant. A new blend to be released every month of the year of 2013. We’ve already seen Big Bad John and it is a great cigar. And now, here in February, we have the Iron Mike. I smoked one last night to see if it was ready and I got a pie in the puss. A fantastic cigar! So there, now you don’t have to read any further.

Eddie is at the head of the pack of the Young Turk blenders who are the cutting edge manufacturers. Even his artwork on the bands is being sold separately. The bands are that beautiful. Plus the strategic marketing is perfect in every sense. We have to wait a month at a time to get our mitts on the next blend creating a feeding frenzy of sorts. Again, brilliant. Who is going to be the first on your block to have the newest Ortega creation? It’s almost like being 8 years old again and waiting for the Sandy Koufax card to show up in your pack of cards and stick of bubble gum.

Now on to the construction of this cigar. Holy cow. Rustic was left a long time ago with this baby. It is slightly misshapen. Loads of veins. Some of them look like stitches on Frankenstein’s monster. Several seams are not tight. The cap looks like it was slammed on top, in a hurry. There is a slight oily sheen. And it is extremely toothy.

I sniff around and detect sweet cedar, leather, some baking spices, and there is the cocoa. And there is an aroma foreign to me that I cannot identify. Maybe it will show up in the smoking of the stick.

I use the nice little Ortega cutter that was sent to me with the order.

And I light ‘er up…

I get a nice blast of red pepper at the start. The draw is perfect and smoke just billows from the foot. And immediately, there is a wallop of creaminess to accompany the strong red pepper. My sinuses are clearing up and my eyes are watering. I love it. The char line is dead nuts perfect.

And now I can taste that elusive aroma. But I can’t identify it.

The cocoa shows up and I run for my Diet Coke. It brings out some coffee flavor in the stick.

As I hit the 1” mark, flavors begin to avail themselves to the light of day….sweet cedar, a dried dark fruit, the creaminess is bold, and the cocoa and coffee pair with each other magnificently.

The spiciness is still right at the top of the pyramid. And the body started off medium and will pretty much stay there throughout the cigar. Which makes it a perfect anytime cigar. No heavy meal required prior to smoking it.

As the first third ends, I get it. Root Beer. That’s the aroma and now the taste I couldn’t recognize. Well, this is a first. I am having another 60’s flashback from all the acid imbibed during that period of Peace, Love, and Understanding…

The flavor is a “root” flavor. Only when I sip the Diet Coke does the root beer come out in force. I’ve never experienced this and I know it’s crazy but try it…I’m not crazy. Get off of me!

Of course, by declaring this, my entire reputation is down the toilet…what there is of it.

At the halfway point, the strength of the cigar moves up a notch. The spiciness, the cocoa, and the creaminess are all fighting for first chair.

Last night when I smoked my first one, I was shocked at how good this cigar was. I liked the Big Bad John but that was a huge cigar and the flavors come more slowly. And quite honestly, I’m not a big fan of the big ones. Something that has changed in only the last couple years. The smaller sizes tend to pack a bigger punch and much sooner.

The band came off like a dream. No mishaps with the wrapper beneath it.

You can see in this photo the huge tree trunk of a vein…Or maybe I should call it an artery.

I’m still at the halfway mark and this stick is spewing flavors like a carnival candy booth. This is a cigar you don’t want to end. I could smoke this all day. There is so much tobacco stuffed into this stick that it is turning out to be over a 90 minute experience, to this point, and for such a small stick, that’s remarkable. And I still have at least 2” more to go.

The pepper has moved to the back of the line. Now, the sweetness and the chocolate and the creaminess with a dab of root beer are out front. The strength has moved to full bodied.

The last third is very complex. The flavors, while pungent, have become muted compared to the first two thirds.

I finish the cigar in 2 hours. And all I can say is that this is a spectacular cigar that is more of an experience than just enjoying a good smoke.

I can’t wait for the other blends to be released. I believe it’s going to be a crescendo in cigar blending. Kudos, Eddie.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS