nestor_miranda_collection_maduro_robusto

Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto

The Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro is one of four blends making up the Nestor Miranda Collection. In 2014 Miami Cigar and Company celebrated its 25th anniversary. As a part of the occasion, the company decided to revamp most of its Nestor Miranda offerings. As a result, the old Nestor Miranda Special Selection line was been rebranded the Nestor Miranda Collection. In 2014 three blends were launched: the Nestor Miranda Collection Connecticut, Nestor Miranda Collection Habano, and the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro. This year a fourth blend was added with the Nestor Miranda Collection Corojo. Today we take a look at the Nestor Miranda Collecton Maduro in the Robusto offering. Overall, I found this to be another solid offering in this line.

When the revamped Nestor Miranda Collection was introduced, the packaging was changed to have new contemporary art deco bands. The old Nestor Miranda Special Selection Rosado and Oscuro blends were retired. The Nestor Miranda Special Selection Connecticut blend was kept the same and rebranded as the Nestor Miranda Collection Connecticut. The Nestor Miranda Habano, Maduro, and Corojo offerings are new blends.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the able.

Blend Profile

Like the other offerings in the Nestor Miranda brand, the Nestor Miranda Collection is made by the Garcia family at the My Father Cigars factory. The blend for the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro consists of a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper as well as a Nicaraguan binder. It contains tobaccos from three countries for the filler.

Nestor Miranda Collection – Maduro (Red)

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Peruvian, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

For completeness, we list the other blends in the Nestor Miranda Collection:

Nestor Miranda Collection – Connecticut (Blue)

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Honduran
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

Nestor Miranda Collection – Habano (Green)

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Brazilian
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

Nestor Miranda Collection – Corojo (Yellow)

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

Nestor Miranda Collection Corojo Robusto

Nestor Miranda Collection Corojo Robusto

 

Nestor-Miranda-Collection

Nestor Miranda Collection (Top to bottom: Connecticut, Habano, and Maduro)

 

Vitolas Available

The Robusto is actually a short robusto and is the same size as what was called the “Coffee Break” in the old Nestor Miranda Special Selection.

Danno: 7 x 56 (Limited Production)
Corona: 6 x 46
Robusto: 4 1/2 x 50
Toro: 5 1/2 x 54
Gordo: 6 x 60

The sizes are consistent across the four blends of the Nestor Miranda Collection with the exception of the Danno – which is not available in the Nestor Miranda Collection Corojo offering. The Danno offerings are slightly different blends optimized to the 7 x 56 size.

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto had a classic coffee bean color to it. Upon closer examination some darker marbling can be seen on the surface. There was a light coating of oil on this wrapper. This was somewhat of a smooth Broadleaf – any visible veins and any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side.

The band of the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro consists its primarily black with fire engine red and chrome colored trim. The Nestor Miranda Colleciton logo consists of an interlocking N and M that also contributes to the shape of the wrapper. Below the logo is the text “NESTOR MIRANDA” in chrome font.  Below that text is the text “COLLECTION” in a smaller chrome font.  To the left of the logo is the text “NESTOR MIRANDA COLLECTION” in landscape mode which each word on a separate line surrounded by a red pinstripe. To the right of the logo is the text “MADURO” in chrome font on the red background. – also in landscape mode. To the far right siting on the back of the band is a smaller chrome-colored interlocking N and M Nestor Miranda Collection logo.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I typically do, I started the cigar experience of the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto with a straight cut. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw was classic Connecticut Broadleaf flavor as I got notes of earth, cocoa, and a very subtle spice. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto and awaited what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro began with a short spurt of black pepper. Once the pepper subsided it gave way to notes of earth, cocoa, and maduro sweetness (a combination of natural tobacco and dried fruit). Initially, the earth and cocoa became the primary notes while the maduro sweetness was in the background. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced an additional layer of black and white pepper.

Toward the middle of the first third, the cocoa notes transitioned into more of a classic coffee note joining the earth. From time to time, the maduro sweetness popped into to the forefront, but mostly was still a background flavor. As the coffee note surfaced, there was a subtle bitter component to it. I found the bitter note balanced the sweetness and spice nicely.

During the second third, the coffee notes remained primary. The maduro sweetness was now grounded in the background with the pepper notes. By the midway point, a classic wood note surfaced in the background. It slightly increased in intensity, but didn’t quite make it to being a primary flavor.

During the last third, the coffee and earth notes remained primary. The classic wood notes remained in the background. Like the wood notes, the pepper notes increased but didn’t quite make it to the forefront. There was also still a touch of maduro sweetness. This is the way the flavor profile came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto performed quite well when it came to burn and draw. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and a relatively straight burn line from start to finish. This was a cigar that had a silver-gray color ash that leaned toward the firmer side. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

nestor_miranda_collection_maduro_robusto-burn

Burn of the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto

The draw was ideal for the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto. It had a touch of resistance – which is something that I normally like.

Strength and Body

From a strength perspective, I found the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro started out medium and progressed to medium to full by the second half. The increase in strength leveled off in the second half. The body followed a similar pattern. The flavors started out medium to full-bodied and by the second half, they had progressed to full-bodied with the increase also leveling off in the second half.

In terms of strength versus body, I gave the edge to the body throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Overall the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Robusto was a satisfying cigar. From a flavor profile standpoint, I didn’t find this to be a radically different Connecticut Broadleaf cigar. At the same time the flavors this cigar delivered, it delivered them well. In terms of some of the other sizes in the Maduro blend, I still preferred the tweaked blend in the Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro Danno. This is a cigar I would probably steer to a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but at the same time this is a good cigar for a novice to “graduate” to something a little stronger, a little fuller and a little spicier. As for myself, this is a cigar that I’d smoke again and it’s worthy of having a five pack in my humidor.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium+
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good
Assessment: 3.0-The Fiver
Score: 89

References

News: Nestor Miranda Collection Revamps Nestor Miranda Line
Price: $7.50
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Stogie Geeks Extra: Nestor Miranda
Stogie Feed: n/a:
Brand Reference: Nestor Miranda