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| Don Reynaldo Coronas de Luxe by Warped Cigars |
The Don Reynaldo is the fourth line released by Florida-based Warped Cigars. Warped Cigars is run by Kyle Gellis. The company prides itself on making cigars in a traditional Cuban way. Warped Cigars has certainly been a cigar company that have caught the attention of many. The company launched one brand (El Oso) prior to the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show and then two more (La Colmena and Flor de Valle) at the trade show itself. The reception of the lines has been overwhelmingly positive – and it has caught the attention of many retailers – including some large ones. With the Don Reynaldo, this is a different project in that it is not only a very small (initial) production run, but it contains more Dominican tobacco than the other three lines. Recently, I’ve had an opportunity to sample the Don Reynaldo. Warped Cigars has been doing some amazing things this year, but perhaps the company has saved its best to wrap up the year. This is simply one outstanding cigar.
For the Don Reynaldo, Gellis intended for this cigar to be a tribute to his father. When Don Reynaldo was announced in late October Gellis said:
“Growing up he taught me about cigars and the lifestyle that accompanied them. From construction issues, flavor profiles, proper way to cut and light, to the art itself, my passion would not have been ignited if it wasn’t for him. I wanted to thank and honor him for all the support he has given me and blend a cigar that combined the flavor profiles he loved.“
Don Reynaldo is made at El Titan de Bronze in Little Havana, Miami Florida. Gellis has established a strong relationship with this factory as two of his other lines (El Oso and La Colmena) are made there (the other line Flor de Valle is made at Casa Fernandez in Nicaragua). For this batch of Don Reynaldo, it is being limited to 100 boxes of ten.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Don Reynaldo and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
As mentioned in the introduction, Don Reynaldo has a more Dominican emphasis than the other three lines. This includes a Dominican Corojo wrapper and a filler blend that is 75% Dominican.
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican (75%), Nicaraguan (25%)
Country of Origin: United States (El Titan de Bronze)
Vitolas Available
The Don Reynaldo is currently only available in a single size – a 5 1/2 x 42 Coronas De Luxe.
Appearance
The Don Reynaldo has a medium brown colored wrapper. Depending on how the light is hitting the wrapper, it might have a reddish tint to it. There is a light coating of oil on the wrapper itself. There are some visible wrapper seams and some thin veins on the surface. There is a slightly bumpy feel to the wrapper, but I’d still lean toward saying this wrapper is on the smoother side.
In terms of the band design, Gellis gives some background on the Warped Cigars web-site behind the rationale of the design.
The band was designed to have a vintage Cuban vibe, utilizing subtle ornate elements and matte finishes. The color scheme was chosen from a selection of 10 different schemes by my father who the marca was developed for to honor his support of my passion and enlightening me about cigars and the cigar lifestyle from a very early age.
The band itself has a ivory, gold, and green design. On the center of the band, there is a gold “DR” logo on an ivory background with gold circular trim. Above the logo is the text “DON REYNALDO” in a gold font arranged in a curved style while below the logo is the text “FLOR FINA” in gold also arranged in a curved style. On the left side of the band is a small gold tag-like design with the text “WARPED” on it. On the right side is another small tag-like design with the text “MIAMI” on it. To the far right is another “DR” logo in green sitting on an ivory shield. The remainder of the band has ivory, green, and gold adornments.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Before lighting up the Don Reynaldo, I started things off with a straight cut. Once the cap of the cigar was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw phase. The dry draw delivered a combination of earth and wood notes. There was also a slight sugar cane note as well as a slight mesquite note that I picked up. Overall I considered the pre-light draw experience of the Don Reynaldo to be an excellent. At this point I was ready to light up this cigar and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Flavor Profile
The start to the Don Reynaldo delivered some notes of red pepper, earth, and a Dominican-esque grassy/herbal note. I also detected a white pepper on the retro-hale. As the Don Reynaldo moved through the first third, the herbal note developed into something more. It seemed to morph into a unique combination of herbal and baker’s sweetness. I now also detected this sweetness on the retro-hale. Meanwhile, the pepper and earth were in the background and were joined by some cream notes.
During the second third, the herbal/baker’s sweetness continued to be a primary flavor. I did detect more pepper on the after-draw as well. As the Don Reynaldo moved into the second third, this pepper transitioned more into the full draw and moved closer to the forefront. Just past the midway point, some woody / cedar notes joined the herbal sweetness in the forefront. Meanwhile the earth and cream notes remained in the background.
During the last third, the woody / cedar notes, herbal sweetness, and pepper were all on par. This is the way the smoking experience came to a close. The resulting nub was a real finger-burner – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
I found the Don Reynaldo to be a very well-constructed cigar and this was reflected nicely on the burn and draw. Overall the burn line remained straight from start to finish requiring only some occasional touch-ups. The resulting ash was not overly tight, but it wasn’t a loose flaky ash either. The ash itself had a charcoal gray color to it with some darker speckling. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
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| Burn of the Don Reynaldo by Warped Cigars |
In terms of the draw, it was not too loose, nor was it too tight. In general, this was a low maintenance draw. I also found the Don Reynaldo to be a cigar that produced quite a bit of smoke – which is something I like.
Strength and Body
From a strength perspective the Don Reynaldo starts out medium. The strength of this cigar does increase in the first third. By the second third, the strength level is now in the medium to full range. The strength still increases as the Don Reynaldo burns, but it in general it stayed medium to full for the remainder of the cigar. As for the body, the notes of the Don Reynaldo started out medium-bodied. The depth of the flavors also increases. By the second third, the Don Reynaldo was at medium to full-bodied, and by the end of the cigar I found this to be a full-bodied smoke.
In terms of strength versus body with the Don Reynaldo cigar, I gave the body a slight edge.
Final Thoughts
Six months ago, Warped Cigars was a relative unknown, but now the case can easily be made for Warped Cigars being one of the hottest boutique / small brands out there. Don Reynaldo adds to the momentum this company has had over the past six months. Not only was this a cigar that delivered great flavors, but it delivered some unique ones. Given the blend profile, there is no doubt this cigar is going to have a stronger Dominican flair than the other Warped Cigar brands. It is what makes this brand different from the others. Yet, this cigar is not your out of the box cookie-cutter flavor profile.
This cigar delivers the total package: flavor, complexity, construction, and appearance. I also think the Coronas De Luxe size was tailor-made for this blend and this flavor profile. This is a cigar I’d certainly recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this cigar was a home run in my book. It’s a cigar certainly one worth fighting Chuck Norris for.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (2nd Third), Full (Last Third)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.5 – Fight Chuck Norris for Them
Score: 94
References
News: Warped Cigars Don Reynaldo Announced (Cigar Preview)
Price: $14.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 132
Stogie Feed: Don Reynaldo Coronas De Luxe by Warped Cigars
I just bought a box of these Coop! Just because of your review.