Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 – Dandy McCoy “Empire State” |
The Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 Dandy McCoy “Empire State” marks the fifth installment in a monthly series of cigars being developed by Ortega Premium Cigars. The Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 series is a unique limited production cigar concept that was introduced by Ortega Premium Cigars. The concept behind the Ortega Wild Bunch is to dedicate a cigar to various cigar enthusiasts whom company president Eddie Ortega has personally met during his time in the cigar industry. During 2013, each month a different cigar – in a different size and blend will be released as a tribute to these various people. The Dandy McCoy “Empire State” marks the May 2013 release. Each installment of the Ortega Wild Bunch has been very different cigar experience – and Dandy McCoy is no exception. Overall, this is a solid release by Ortega Premium Cigars and one that should satisfy many cigar enthusiasts.
At press time, the following are the names confirmed for the first nine months of the Ortega Wild Bunch series. Currently the series looks as follows:
January: Big Bad John “Jackhammer”
February: Iron Mike “I Beam”
March: Island Jim “WaHoo”
April: Tony The Boss “Enforcer”
May: Dandy McCoy “Empire State”
June: Honest Abe “Ringmaster”
July: Wild Bill
August Fast Eddie
September: Gearhead Gary
Word is the character of Dandy McCoy is based on a New York City cigar enthusiast named Ade McCoy – someone whom Ortega has encountered. The inner part of the box that houses this cigar reads as follows to describe the character of “Dandy McCoy”:
The Dandy is a sharp dressed man who enjoys the company of beautiful ladies, some even share his passion for cigars.
A proud native New York, he enjoys the excitement of city life and the frequent get-togethers at the local shops with his friends in the “Grown & Sexy In The City Cigar Group”
Let’s take a closer look at the Dandy McCoy “Empire State” and see what this cigar brings to the table:
Blend Profile
Like the other cigars made by Ortega Premium Cigars, the Dandy McCoy is made at the My Father Cigars factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. The Dandy McCoy is the first of the Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 series to feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The binder and filler have not been officially disclosed, but there have been reports of the filler having Nicaraguan, Mexican, and Honduran tobaccos.
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Not disclosed
Filler: Not disclosed
Vitolas Available
As mentioned above, each monthly release of the Wild Bunch is a unique blend in a different vitola. This is the first box-pressed vitola of the series. The vitola is named “Empire State” and measures 6 x 54.
Appearance
The Dandy McCoy “Empire State” featured a classic coffee bean colored Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. There was a little oil on this wrapper and it is somewhat coarse in texture. There are a few visible wrapper seams and most of the veins are visible upon close examination. The cigar has a well-packed box-press with no soft spots.
As with the other installments of the Ortega Wild Bunch 2013, the band of the Dandy McCoy is highlighted by an illustration of the “Dandy Mccoy” character done by Neal Wollenberg. Wollenberg also did the art work for the boxes.
The rest of the band is similar to the layout of the other bands in the Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 series. To the left of the illustration is the text “TABACOS ORTEGA, HECHO A MANO” in white font on gold background. Below that is the text “Premium Ortega Cigars” in white font on a red background. On a third row is the text “GRUPO SALAJE – THE WILD BUNCH” – also in white font on a gold background. To the right of the illiustration is the text 5 of 12″ in white font on a gold background. Below that is a white “12” that is circled in white on a (darker) red background. Toward the bottom of the band it says “Dandy McCoy” in modern white font on a black background.
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 90
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Tobacco World in Marietta, Georgia.