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| Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve |
The Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve is a cigar that many Nestor Miranda fans have been looking forward to. Back in April, I attended an event at Tobacco World in Marietta, Georgia, and I asked Nestor about some of the new cigars he had in the pipeline. It was then he mentioned a limited edition box-press that was forthcoming. Nestor seemed pretty excited about this particular release, so when I saw the box-press Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve at IPCPR, I remembered that conversation with Nestor. The Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve has now begun to surface in some retailers. As soon as I saw this cigar, I was very excited to pick up this blend. Overall, I think this is one of the better releases that bears the name “Nestor Miranda”.
Once again, Nestor teams collaborates with the folks at My Father Cigars (my sources tell me this collaboration was done with Jaime Garcia). The Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve is also made at the My Father cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Let’s break down this cigar and find out what this smoke is all about.
Blend Profile
The tobaccos in the Grand Reserve are all staple tobacco origins from other Cigars in the My Father line:
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve is currently only available in a single vitola – a 6 1/4 x 52 box-press torpedo. When I previewed this cigar, I mentioned noticing a box containing 11 cigars. It turns out that this was an artist rendition. At IPCPR, these were on display in boxes of ten – and I have been able to confirm that. Production is currently being limited to 10,000 cigars.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Given that this was a torpedo, I defaulted to a straight cut and commenced with the pre-light draw. While not very pronounced, there were several flavors I was able to detect – namely: wood, earth, cherry, and some pepper. Given there was an interesting mix of dry-draw flavors, I was excited to fire up the Grand Reserve and continue the tasting experience.
Flavor Profile
The start to this cigar was a nice mix of coffee and pepper. For the pepper notes, these were more of the red pepper variety. While the coffee notes quickly moved to the forefront, the red pepper started in the background. At the same time, the red pepper seemed to come through the nasal passages much stronger than on the tongue.
Around 10 percent into the cigar experience, some raw sugar cane sweet notes entered the equation. By about 15 percent, the sugar cane became more of a primary note – with the coffee and red pepper in the background. I liked the way these flavor notes complemented each other.
As the cigar experience moved into the second third, the coffee and red pepper notes moved back to the forefront and the sugar cane took more of a secondary role. The coffee and red pepper then alternated in terms of the dominant note several times.
By the last third of the cigar, the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve took on a much more spicy kick. The spice became the dominant flavor note. By this time, the spice took on qualities of not only red pepper, but also some baker’s spice. This cigar would finish very spicy, but not harsh. The nub was soft, but it was not hot in terms of temperature.
Burn and Draw
As for these construction qualities, this was a solid collaboration between Nestor and Pepin. While last year, I thought their work on the Art Deco needed a little more age following IPCPR, this year the Grand Reserve seems ready right out of the gate. The burn was sharp and burned at a good rate as well as a good temperature. The draw was excellent as well. I’m not a fan of the torpedo vitola, so I’m pretty picky on a draw from a torpedo. For this cigar, the draw was flawless.
Strength and Body
This cigar provided the right amount of kick needed for a nicotine standpoint – a definite full on the strength spectrum. The flavor notes had some nice depth to them. I categorize the body of the flavors as full – especially as the Grand Reserve reaches a spicy finish the body moves into the “full” range (*)
Final Thoughts
If I had a wish list for this cigar, I would wish that it was a toro instead of a torpedo. I admit I am not a fan of torpedos, but I honestly think this blend would have shined even more in a classic toro box-press. This is a solid release by Nestor Miranda and Miami Cigars. I’m thinking this is more geared toward the experienced enthusiast as opposed to the novice enthusiast. This is also very much a cigar worth a box purchase – so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Full
Body: Full
Assessment: Nice to Have
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Havana Connections in Richmond, Virginia.
* Update (10/10/11): After smoking a few more of these, I have updated Strength and Body to “Full”.
