Blind Cigar Review: Herrera Esteli | Norteño Edición Limitada

Cigar Info

This new cigar was displayed in Drew Estate’s booth (Booth #15407) at the 2015 IPCPR Tradeshow in New Orleans, LA. We did a quick review of it back in September here.

The new Herrera Estelí Norteño Edicion Limitada will be presented in a 7×48 Parejo Prensado Churchill vitola and will be packaged in 15-count boxes. The “Norteño” blend showcases extensively aged tobaccos from the Estelí and Jalapa growing regions of Nicaragua, coupled with a spicy Honduran binder and a rich, bold Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper. The MSRP will be $14.00, and the cigars were shipped to Drew Diplomat Retailer Program stores beginning in September 2015.

When asked about the new cigar, Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera stated that, “the Norteño has been one of my favorite blends for many months now, with its meaty, spicy flavor; it just fits my palate perfectly. This new Edicion Limitada is based on the same Herrera Estelí Norteño blend profile with a few changes here and there. Any fan of our Herrera Estelí lines will definitely enjoy these sticks. Pick them up soon as they’re sure to sell out quickly!”

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Churchill
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
Blender: Willy Herrera
Number of reviewers: 5—–Sandeep (Djangos) Eric (smalls29) Gregg (McGreggor57) Stefan (Stefan) Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Price: $14.00
Age: 1 Month
Release Date: July 2015
Contributed by: Drew Estate

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 94

“One of the most interesting shapes I’ve seen. More box smashed than pressed. At roughly 1/2 inch thick by 1/2 inch wide, I will be interested in seeing the official description. Nice seam work but with a few bumps and veins.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Aroma: 88

“The aroma is very earthy prior to the dry puff. I mention this because the dry puff was almost entirely one flavor of hazelnuts! There is a slight white pepper to the tongue as well. A very good start so far!” –Sandeep (Djangos)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The initial third starts off with a lot of pepper and tobacco. The pepper is pervasive and so is the tingling. Once the pepper starts to die down, the flavors of leather and nuts becomes more prominent. The nutty flavor however is not the hazelnut I got in the dry puff and is more of an almond like flavor. This nuttiness is giving the cigar a slight sweetness as well. Towards the end of the third there is a cedar like woodsiness as well. Quite complex and enjoyable. No issues with the burn or draw. The ash is very flaky and does not hold even one cm. One of the most brittle ash that I have encountered.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“A lot of up front pepper, both heat and flavor, with a bit of yeasty bread and coffee lingering in the background. Once the spice settles down, more of the bread comes to the front along with some hay and grasses.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Second Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The sweet flavor from the beginning has faded away and now the peppery flavor that lingers on the tongue is present. The cedar flavor with hints of leather are coming on strong. The flavor has grown stronger and longer lasting on the palate. The pepper flavor is now coming on strong as I approach the end of the second third.” –Eric (smalls29)

“As the second third of the cigar took shape, a nice smooth earth and mineral flavor combination presented itself. This seemed to play well off of the cedar and pepper that was overly done in the first third. This cigar seemed to want to give more during the second third, but was lacking an overall completeness.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The final third is also the least complex of this cigar. The major flavors are of tobacco and leather, as well as a fair amount of pepper. The pepper increases in intensity as the cigar progresses. Towards the very end, the pepper increases to a crescendo. There is some cracking of the wrapper in the final inch or so, but this does not progress luckily. The ash becomes less flaky in this last third.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“The flavor profile of the last third resembles a smoky mocha cup with a dash of cayenne pepper. As the burn line gets closer to the nub, the cocoa flavor veers more into licorice territory, though it never turns bitter, but rather more savory. Toward the end, there is also a more distinguishable note of damp wood which had made a momentary appearance earlier. Ends with Corojo-like spice at the nub.” –Stefan (Stefan)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 91

“The draw was easy and never an issue. Smooth and almost effortless throughout.” –Eric (smalls29)

Burn: 94

“Burn was consistent, producing short ashes.” –Stefan (Stefan)

Construction: 89

“I will give this cigar a good rating, only because of the presentation of the box pressed longer vitola. However, the wrapper loosened and began falling off towards the end and overall just gave way, which caused overheating.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 88

“Overall, the cigar is quite enjoyable, especially the initial third that was very complex and a good balance of flavors. The flavors muddle a bit in the middle third, and the final third was a bit of a let down even though pleasant. I think this may improve with age. Will definitely try again.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“I enjoyed the change in personality of this cigar. The beginning was a nice start with a sweet smell and flavor only to give way to a bolder, bit stronger flavoring. A peppery flavor emerged in the middle but dissipated towards the end. Overall, a pleasant experience, none like I have ever experienced.” –Eric (smalls29)

“This was a great cigar to look at and hold. Unfortunately, I found it lacking in depth of flavors. The yeast of the bread against the charred wood was nice, but still a bit too one dimensional to make the cut.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“A very enjoyable cigar that goes beyond the novelty of the construction.” –Stefan (Stefan)

“I was not a fan to begin with after the first initial puffs. Then, there was a glimmer of hope as the second third developed quite nicely. However, the end crashed and burned just as the start did. Mostly the overall harshness and lack of construction was what scored this thing so low. Good luck to you if you try them.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 72

 

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall Experience
Sandeep	Djangos)	95	90	92	88	88	92	93	88	90
Eric	smalls29)	95	95	95	92	90	97	97	97	95
Gregg	McGreggor57)	93	90	88	88	88	88	90	90	88
Stefan	Stefan)	95	85	90	92	90	90	95	92	90
Steve	ThaGreatWazoo)	90	88	85	90	88	92	85	88	85

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Herrera Esteli | Norteño Edición Limitada