Nestor Miranda Dominicano

[OHRD]

Size: 4.5×50, Coffee Break

Wrapper: Dominican (Rosado)

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Strength: Medium

Price: $7.95 Single

Grade: 8.8

The Dominicano is a new line under the Nestor Miranda Collection label, distributed by Miami Cigar & Company, and is a collaboration between Nestor Miranda, Pepin Garcia and his My Father Cigar Company, and Guillermo Leon’s La Aurora S. A. The purpose of this cigar is to pay tribute to the cigar heritage present in the Dominican. The Dominicano utilizes the growing expertise of La Aurora, Garcia’s blending and manufacturing processes, and the marketing of Miranda and Rene J. Castaneda.

The official launch began on March 11, 2010, in San Diego, California. The Dominicano is sold in boxes of 20, is available in 5 sizes, and comes in both a Rosado and an Oscuro wrapper.

Lancero, 7.5×40
Coffee Break, 4.5×50
Robusto Grande, 5.5×54
Belicoso, 6-1/8×52
Ruky, 5-5/8 X 48×52

The Nestor Miranda Collection is available exclusively at brick and mortar tobacconists. To learn more, check out the press release on our site.

We picked up the Dominicano from Mike at Buckhead Cigar, who is a very gracious host. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter. So now, on to the toast!

Pre-light, 1.7:
After smoking the coffee break in the original line of the Nestor collection, I was excited about this new offering. The wrapper was medium brown in color and the Rosado gave off a nice sheen that was very inviting. There were no soft spots and there was a good weight and a nice tight pack on this smoke. The aroma was of leather, tobacco, and sweet barnyard at the foot. The cold draw was all Nicaraguan tobacco with a little spicy heat on the finish. Lastly, though this did not affect the score at all, is the band. I was not crazy about it; I loved the simplicity and elegance of the original release, but the addition of the pattern on the Dominicano blend really did not appeal to me.

Burn, 1.8:
Toasted and lit, the burn line on the Dominicano was razor sharp with a good draw and plenty of smoke. The nice stacked ash was dark gray to white in color. The burn was very consistent throughout the smoke and the ash held well. Toward the last third of the smoke, the burn line became a little ragged but it was still within range of normalcy.

Flavor, 2.7:
The first puff on the Rosado encased tobacco was of earth and nuts with some spice on the inside of the mouth. The first third continued this trend with a nice finish showing itself after every draw. The second third produced a warmer spice, somewhat sweet, and the tobacco seemed to become a bit more mature or complex. The last third showed a bit more spice, similar to the first puff. I did pick up some odd sour type notes here and there in the last third though.

Overall, 2.6:
Overall, this smoke was above average but not spectacular. At around eight dollars a stick, I would spend my money on the original blend rather than the Dominicano. That being said, if you liked the original blend, pick a few of these up at your local shop and decide for yourself. The smoke was good and you will be glad you compared the two.

(Total: 8.8)