In the mid-2000s, Miami Cigar and Company President Nestor Miranda would turn to his friend Don Pepin Garcia to create a signature cigar with Nestor’s name on it. That cigar would be the Nestor Miranda Special Selection. At the time, Miami had built a reputation distributing cigars for others – most notably La Aurora and Don Lino. Featuring a Rosado wrapper, the release of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection would be a hit – essentially launching a brand that had Nestor’s name on it. The line was expanded to add an Oscuro and Connecticut blend as well as some limited edition special sizes. In 2014, the line would be retired and Nestor’s brand would be re-launched under the Nestor Miranda Collection. After a five-year hiatus, Miami Cigar would bring back the Nestor Miranda Special Selection. Today we take a look at the 2019 iteration of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection in a Toro size.

In 2014, Miami Cigar and Company made a decision to sunset the Nestor Miranda Special Selection blends and replace it with the all-new Nestor Miranda Collection. The Nestor Miranda Collection would grow to four blends (Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, and Corojo). While Nestor Miranda Collection would do quite well for Miami Cigar and Company, there were requests to bring back the Special Selection line. With 2019 being the 30th anniversary of Miami Cigar and Company, the company decided to bring back the Rosado blend of the Special Selection. The cigar launched a little before the IPCPR Trade Show, but still was a featured cigar at the show.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table:

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Nestor Miranda Special Selection features the same blend as the original Rosado blend. As mentioned, production is handled by My Father Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.

Vitolas Offered

Three sizes of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection have returned. Each cigar is packaged in 20-count boxes.

Coffee Break: 4 1/2 x 50
Toro: 5 1/2 x 54
Gran Toro: 6 x 60

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper had a coffee bean color to it. Upon closer examination, there was some darker mottling on the surface. The surface of the wrapper had some subtle darker mottling. There also was some bumpiness on the surface of the wrapper. There were some visible veins while any visible wrapper seams were minimal.

The original band of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection returns. This features a white stripe on the upper half and a brown stripe on the lower half with thick copper trim across the top and bottom. On the white stripe is the Nestor Miranda signature in red cursive font with the text “COLLECTION” below it. On the brown stripe is the text “SPECIAL SELECTION” in copper font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to progress into the pre-light ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, citrus, and nut. Overall I was pretty neutral on the pre-light draw experience. It didn’t wow me, but it wasn’t bad either. At this point, it was time to light up the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro started out with a mix of coffee, white pepper, earth, and citrus. Early on the coffee notes moved into the forefront. There was an underlying creamy texture to the coffee notes. The pepper, earth, and citrus notes settled into the background. There was an additional layer of white pepper notes on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro, there was an increase in both the pepper notes and earth notes. The pepper notes increased at a much more rapid rate than the earth notes. Early on the creaminess softened some of pepper, but by the midway point there was much more spice and toward the end of the second third, the pepper notes entered the forefront with the coffee.

The combination of coffee and pepper notes continued as primary notes during the final third. Meanwhile the earth and citrus remained grounded in the background with the citrus very distant. This is the way the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the Nestor Miranda Special Selection maintained a straight burn bath, this was a burn that did have some jaggedness along the way. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it wasn’t an overly loose ash either. The ash had a light gray color. The cigar maintained an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.

Draw

The Nestor Miranda Special Selection had an excellent draw. This was a cigar that had a touch of resistance to it – which I consider ideal. The was no problem deriving flavors. At the same time, this cigar had a nice smoke production.

Strength and Body

Both the strength and body of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection started out medium. There was a gradual linear increase in both attributes throughout the smoking experience. By the second half, both attributes were in medium to full territory. The increase in intensity leveled off in the final third.

In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT