Ortega Serie D Natural No. 6 (4.5x48)

I reviewed the Ortega Serie D Maduro back in June and of the ones I have smoked the No. 6 was my favorite in that line. I found the same to be true of the natural, as it seems to be the perfect size for me. I was really looking forward to the natural after trying the maduro. I won a sampler pack of these by using the Cigar Dojo mobile app. The milk chocolate brown Ecuador Habano Rosado wrapper had minimal veins and near invisible seams. The binder is Nicaraguan and the filler is a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos from Jalapa and Esteli. The wrapper offers the aroma of barnyard and hay, while the foot offers notes of barnyard and a mild molasses sweetness. It is firm with very little give and there were no soft spots or imperfections that I could find. I went with a V cut on the triple cap and found a perfect draw with notes of sweet field grass. It was an easy task for the single flame torch to get the foot toasted and smoke flowing.
The initial third opens with notes of cedar and an almond nuttiness. There are a few occasional notes of cocoa and a very light natural sweetness in the first third. There is a fair amount of peppery spice on the retrohale but not quite as much as I remember from the maduro version. The finish is long and nutty, with a flavors resembling amaretto. The peppery spice on the retrohale is calming down a bit. There are notes of graham and some light coffee notes that emerge in the second third. Going into the final third the coffee notes gain more depth as the cocoa notes seem to come in more often. The almond and cedary notes are still present and the flavors are really working well together. Most of the graham notes faded away shortly after starting the final third. The final verdict is... This is another awesome stick from Eddie Ortega! I cannot pick a favorite between the natural and maduro, both are excellent. The construction was superb with the ash holding to just over an inch at a time with a nice salt and pepper color. If you are a fan of the maduro and haven't tried the natural, you are cheating yourself. The price point on these is around 6.50 per stick in the No.6 size and are available at cigarstix.com. They are available in boxes of 10 and boxes of 20 and the link to this size on cigarstix can be found HERE You an find more information on Ortega Cigars at www.ortegacigars.com and you can find Eddie on twitter at http://twitter.com/eddieor. You should give him a follow, he is a super nice guy and quite a character.

Murcielago Churchill (71/8x48)

I picked this interesting stick up at my local B&M (Cigars and Fine Spirits) one day as I browsed the selection in the walk-in. It's dark wrapper and the bat on the band caught my eye, I figured it would be worth a try. Murcielago is spanish for bat, thus the bat on the band. This stick has been in the humidor for about 4 months, I honestly had forgotten about it. The seams were invisible on the dark Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper. Inside is a Mexican binder, surrounding a Nicaraguan filler. Murcielago is from EO Brands and was created by Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega, with help from Don Pepin Garcia. With those three names involved it has to be good, right? It was box pressed but not the sharpest angles, creating more of an oval shape. The body had a barnyard scent and at the foot, the smell of rich sweet tobacco. The veins were very minimal and the wrapper had so imperfections. It was tightly packed with no soft spots that I could find. I clipped the cap with my scissors and the cold draw was just a tad on the tight side of perfect, with the taste of sweet tobacco. Two matches later and the foot was toasted and I was smoking. The Initial third opened with a fair amount of spice with notes of earth, leather, and cream. The spice did calm a bit after the first inch or so as a fruit-like sweetness came and went. The gray ash held for about two inches between ashes. The second third took on more buttery, toasty notes with the pepper finish getting some nuttiness as well. The flavor profile seemed to lose steam entering the final third, there were no real notable changes. The butter notes became more pronounced as the pepper picked back up just a tad with some light oaky notes. It was an enjoyable cigar with great flavors. I usually try to stick to cigars that are Toro size or smaller but only saw this one in the churchill size. In my opinion, a churchill's burn usually outlives it's flavor profile's complexity. The construction quality is nothing short of excellent, which is not a surprise considering the names involved in it's creation. I believe this one was around 7.00 bucks at my local shop for this size, which is about what you would expect for this cigar. Would I buy again? Yes, in fact, I may stop in tomorrow and see if I can pick up a couple of robusto.

 

 

 

 

Ortega Serie D maduro #6

 

Well I find myself smack dab in the middle of Monday, which happens to be my Sunday. I have been doing yard and house beautification since Friday and have only been able to enjoy one cigar so far. I decided to help myself to a cigar with a little more body than my usual. I selected the Ortega Cigars Serie D Maduro in #6 size (48x4.5"). The Ortega Serie D reminds me of a chocolate bar with it's dark chocolate wrapper. the construction was superb with barely visible, smooth veins. Pinching the body of the cigar, I found it firm with no soft spots. The prelight aroma was that of fermented tobacco from the body and a nuttiness at the foot. Upon cutting the cap I checked prelight draw and found it just a tad on the firm side but nothing to be concerned about. I toasted the foot and lit up this beautiful cigar. the flavor exploded with cocoa, a bit of coffee, and a peppery finish for the first inch or so.

 The pepper calmed after the first inch and notes of leather, spice, and a slight nuttiness joined the mix. The second half of the #6 brought more of same flavors but also brought in a slight hint of maple and butter. It is a stout little cigar and rightfully labeled as a medium/full but is in no way harsh on the palate. The finish is pleasant and lingering. The Serie D is the first offering from Eddie Ortega under the Ortega brand. and is also now offered in a Ecuador Habano Rosado (Natural) wrapper and not just the Mexican San Andreas Maduro. I nubbed this one just as the battery on my son's john deere power wheel tractor gave out, talk about perfect timing. This was my first taste of any of Eddie Ortega's cigars and I look forward to trying some of the brands he and Erik Espinosa collaborated on under the EO Brands trademark. I won the sampler this cigar was in from Eddie Ortega himself while participating in Robbyrasreviews.com cigar chat live. He is a super nice guy and loves to hear your comments on his cigars. you can find him on twitter as @Eddieor. I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar and have made the serie D part of my usual cigar rotation. Nice even burn, excellent construction, and a complex and tasty flavor profile. the best part is the are under 7 bucks a stick for the #6. 

Ortega Cigar Company

Ortega Serie D #6 Maduro

Size: 48 x 4-1/2     Box: 10

Filler/Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa and Esteli

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro

Profile: Medium/Full 

Ortega Serie D

The Serie D is the first brand under the Ortega trademark.  The Serie D are manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua and comprise a rich blend of long filler tobaccos grown in the Jalapa and Esteli regions of Nicaragua.  These cigars have been blended to perfection using only the finest tobaccos in the region.  The cigars comprise a rich blend which exudes lots of flavor and aroma; it is a smooth and aromatic cigar which will please the palate of the most discriminating smoker.

Blend; Profile and Packaging details;

Filler/Binder: Nicaraguan/Jalapa and Esteli

Wrapper: Available in a San Andres Maduro Wrapper from Mexico or Habano Rosado Wrapper

Profile: Medium/Full Bodied