Reinado Nicaraguan Puro Robusto (5.5x50)

As a lot of my posts have started, this also is a prize from a episode of Cigar Chat Live. It was great getting to meet Antonio Lam through the webcam on Cigar Chat. He really has a passion for cigars and a strong vision for where he wants his brand to go. The first in his line is a Nicaraguan Puro, which is the core of his line. He also released the Grand Empire Reserve earlier this month, which I will have to try to find so I can review. If you want to see the Cigar Chat video from RobbyRasReviews it can be found HERE. Reinado means "To Reign", in case you were wondering. The beautiful Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper was a medium brown and had a reddish hue. The smell of the body was of sweet molasses and a bit of hay. The foot offered more smell of the sweet molasses and rich tobacco. The veins were very light and smooth and the seams were perfect. There were no soft spots to be found on this tightly packed gem. I punched the double cap and cold draw was a bit firmer than I like but still very manageable. The cold draw flavor was of sweet, rich tobacco. I toasted the foot and lit it up with my new Z-Plus butane zippo insert and had no issues getting it going. The First third started with creamy notes of roasted nut and a complex blend of spices. The finish had a nice spice with the perfect amount of sweetness, which left a hint of molasses on the tongue. About an inch into it, the draw opened up a bit and was perfect. The second third brought in a sweet cedar tone with subtle hints of leather and something resembling cinnamon popping up from time to time. Somewhere around the half way point I had to check the band to see if someone had switched out my cigar. The  creaminess started to fade as everything took on a new found savory richness. As this occurred notes of cream and coffee came to light as the finish reminded me of peanut butter. There was a kick in spice on the retrohale as well but nothing overpowring. The ash held to just over 2 inches and was a medium gray color. Going into the final third the sweetness that had faded a bit in the second third made a comeback. Notes of sweet cedar, tea, and leather with an occasional hint of what resembled licquorice were present in the final third. This was almost like smoking three different cigars in one. The flavor shifts were off the chart and very complex. All I can say is Reign on Antonio Lam! You can find more information about the Reinado Brand at www.reinadocigars.com  and you can find Antonio on twitter at http://twitter.com/reinadocigars. If you have not yet had one of these, then you are missing out! This was an instant rocket to my top 5 list and is absolutely box-worthy, in my opinion. I must also mention that about an inch into this there was a massive thunderstorm that threatened my ability to finish it. The cigardian angels watched over me and kept me from getting struck by lightening until I nubbed this cigar. The burn went a bit wild about half way in but I attribute this to the mist of rain that was blowing on me the whole time I was smoking it. I cannot wait to find someone close that carries the Grand Empire Reserve, I have not doubt that it is an excellent cigar as well. As soon as I can procure a few I will report my findings here. Thanks again to RobbyRasReviews and Antonio for the cigar chat giveaway. You can really taste the passion and commitment that went into these cigars in every puff of delicious smoke. Price point on this size is about 7.50 per stick and are available from www.cigarstix.com. and the link to Reinado at cigarstix is HERE