Anoranzas by Miami Cigar and Company

The Anoranzas was one of several new releases by Miami Cigar and Company that was launched at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show.  The Anoranzas was one of eight cigars (including three from La Aurora Cigars) launched by Miami Cigars at the trade show. The Anoranzas stood out for several reasons:  It is a near box-press shape, it’s a Nicaraguan puro, and of course it has a catchy name.  In the end, it always comes down to me how a cigar smokes.  With the case of the Anoranzas, this cigar does not disappoint.  This is a cigar that delivers an outstanding overall cigar experience.

Prior to the launch at IPCPR, Miami Cigar and Company provided a press release explaining the meaning behind Anoranzas:

The word which is Spanish, means nostalgia; a sense of yearning. Often when we smoke, we reflect on times gone by and look back to a period of our lives we miss and wish we could go back to. This is Anoranza. 

Like many of the Nicaraguan releases by Miami Cigar and Company, the Anoranzas is made by the Garcia family at the My Father Cigars company.  The final product reflects the quality products that come out of this factory.  Let’s break down the Anoranzas and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned the Anoranzas is a Nicaraguan puro.  Its origins can be traced back to the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2011 (a cigar that was an honorable mention in our 2011 Cigar of the Year countdown).   The Grand Reserve 2011 was tweaked and modified and thus the Anoranzas was born.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Dual Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The Anoranzas is currently available in four frontmarks.  Each of these front marks are done in a “soft press” style.  The best way to categorize a “soft press” is that this is a cigar that is “almost a box-press”

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Belicoso: 6 1/2 x 54
Gran Toro: 6 x 60

Appearance

For this cigar assessment, we will explore the Anoranzas in the robusto vitola.  The Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper of the Anoranzas robusto has a milk chocolate color.  While there is a slight amount of oil on the wrapper, but I would not categorize the wrapper as being very oily.  While the wrapper seams are well hidden, there are some visible veins.

The band features the name “AÑORANZAS” in gold font on a white field.  There are also some gold adornments on the field as well as some gold bordering around the band. Below the white field is  large green border that wraps around the band. Toward the left side of the band is the Miami Cigar and Company logo.  On the back it says “NICARAGUA” in small gold font on the green background.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my smoking experience of the Anoranzas Robusto, I opted to go for my usual straight cut into the cap of the cigar.  I then moved on to begin the pre-light draw.  There was a nice variety of flavor I detected on the dry draw.  These flavors included cocoa, citrus, and red pepper.  Overall I was quite pleased with the pre-light experience, so it was now on to light the Anoranzas and proceed with the cigar experience.

Flavor Profile

The Anoranzas started out with a combination of nut, citrus, as well as some of the red pepper I found on the pre-light draw.  The citrus flavors had some grapefruit-like qualities to it.  A few minutes into the smoke, I also detected some chocolate notes.   The combination of all of these flavors provided an interesting mix as to how the notes worked together.  There were times the notes fused together – and there were other times the notes complemented each other.  As for a primary flavor, this rotated between the citrus, nut, and chocolate notes.   The red pepper played a minor role early on, but soon emerged as the smoking experience progressed.

The flavor pattern above held for the majority of the smoking experience.  In the last 25 percent the spice became more prominent.  The spice never got overwhelming.  The resulting nub was a little soft to the touch, but it was cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

As mentioned above, the My Father Cigars’ factory produces some high quality cigars. The Anoranzas is no exception to this rule.  It has some outstanding construction and this is reflected in the burn and draw.  From start to finish, the Anoranzas burned straight requiring minimal touch-ups from my lighter. The resulting ash was a salt and pepper color. From time to time there was some flaking of ash, but this did not prove to be a significant issue. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw was equally outstanding. The Anoranzas was a true joy to puff on throughout the entire smoking experience.

Strength and Body

I had heard some pre-smoke reports that the Anoranzas was a strong cigar.   Given that the original Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2011 was a full strength smoke, I was wondering if the Anoranzas would also be one.   In the end, I found the Anoranzas to have less strength than I was expecting.  However, it still provided enough pop to be considered a medium to full strength cigar in my book.  In terms of flavor notes, there was quite a bit of depth to them.  These notes provided more than enough depth to be considered full-bodied in my book.

In terms of balancing strength and body, it is possible for one attribute to overshadow the other.  With the Anoranzas, while the body definitely has an edge over the strength, I did not find this an overwhelming edge.  This allows the smoker to enjoy the strength this cigar delivers as well as the body.

Final Thoughts

There is an interesting irony to the name Anoranzas.  As mentioned above it has a meaning of nostalgia and reflection. In the case of the Anoranzas cigar, I found it to embrace both nostalgic and modern qualities.   This is reflected in its packaging, smoking characteristics and its intangibles.   Overall I found these qualities to be a nice positive.  I see a good future for this blend and I see some endless possibilities in terms of line extensions and potential blend tweaks.   This is a cigar I probably would recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast as this might too much cigar for a novice.  As for myself, this is a cigar I would definitely smoke again and keep in a regular smoking rotation.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 92

Source: The cigars for this assessment were a combination of samples provided by Miami Cigar and Company and cigars purchased from Outland Cigars.   Samples were initiated by Miami Cigar and Company for the purpose of providing feedback.  Cigar Coop is appreciative for this samples, but this plays no role in the final assessment and score.