So as I am sure some/most of you know, Eddie Ortega recently left EO Brands (601, Cubao, Murcielago etc.) to start his own cigar brand called Ortega Cigars. We recently received our first shipment here and of course I had to light one right off the bat!
Some particulars about the brand:
First line is the Ortega Serie D
Made at the My Father Factory in Nica
10 count boxes is what we received, believe 20 count boxes will also be available in the future
Price ranging from $6.25 to $7.50 before local taxes
Esteli and Jalapa filler and binder with a San Andreas maduro wrapper
I chose the size called the #7, a 5 x 46 box press.
Dark and oily with a very rich smell off the foot. The pre-light draw tastes of sweet raisin and nutmeg. Very sweet taste on the lips as well. Quite excited to light it up. No noticeable veins or seams on the wrapper. Very rich dark brown color make this a beautiful looking cigar.
The initial puff blasts you with a sweet dark chocolate taste with a very healthy dose of sweet spice through the nose. Firm draw but not overly so.The first 1/3rd burnt a bit crooked but never needed a touch-up. Corrected itself fairly quickly. Not a lot of resting smoke as it sat in the ashtray. The ash held on for approximately an inch before I tapped it off, it may have been able to hold longer but I didn't chance it.
Moving into the next 1/3rd the chocolate sweetness gave way to a more earthy sweetness with a more peppery spice. Nice profile change. I would say this is on the high end of the medium strength scale but definitely a full flavored cigar at this point into the smoke. I found it interesting how razor sharp the stick was burning in this portion after how it started. Perfect burn at this point.
The final third saw a small change as well. The peppery spice moved back into a sweeter spice while the earthy sweetness combined nicely with the chocolate flavors moving back into the equation at the end. The cigar burned to about an 3/4 of an inch left before it turned hot and had to be pitched.
Overall I was very impressed with my first impression of this smoke. I will definitely be smoking the other sizes in this line as none of them are bigger then a 52 ring gauge, at least that we received. A great price point combined with great flavors in sizes that all fit right where I like them makes this good by me. If only it came in a lancero! LOL
Would I buy a box: Based on my first stick, most definitely, especially in the 10 count sizes. This isn't a huge investment at that size box and at the price point.
I would expect Reeve to have a review up soon that includes pics as I saw on Twitter he was smoking one tonight as well. I didn't have a chance to get pics taken at the store while I was smoking it.
If you are looking for some and they aren't available locally just give us a call. They won't be up on our website yet but we can do an order over the phone for you.
