Nestor Miranda – Casa Miranda Toro Cigar Review

Braving the heat once again I am reviewing yet another new cigar about to make waves in the cigar community. Nestor Miranda’s Casa Miranda.

I am still aiming to get this review as well as my last blind cigar review from Brooks done this week, but I am actually undergoing surgery on Tuesday for my Umbilical Hernia I have had since I was a kid. It screwed up pretty bad on me the last few years, especially the last month and I am glad to finally get it over with. So depending on my recovery I may, or may not get to the last blind review this week. Wish me luck!

The Good Stuff: The Casa Miranda is among two new releases that Miami Cigar rolled out this year at IPCPR. Along with the Limited Release of the Nestor Miranda Gran Reserva, the Casa Miranda made it’s debut last month and have been circling the internet-waves ever since. The Casa Miranda is one of the only cigars in Miami Cigar’s portfolio that is not rolled by Pepin. In fact, the Casa Miranda boasts that it is a 100% USA made cigar, even down to the box. This does not mean that the tobacco is grown here in the US, it just means everything was constructed here.

The Casa Miranda is blended by Willy Herrera of ETB Cigars/Drew Estate and hand rolled on Calle Ocho in Miami by only Level 9 certified rollers. Willy has been on a hot streak lately and made news when he announced his new found partnership with Drew Estate about a month or so back. Expect good things from this guy.

The Casa Miranda is composed of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar will be released in three sizes; The Robusto, The Toro, and the Belicoso ranging from $10 – $12 a stick. I got these from Bonita Smoke Shop. She always has the good stuff so head over before they sell out!

Size: Toro 6 x 52  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: Just by taking one look at the artwork on the band you can tell this is a different type of Nestor Miranda cigar. The band on the Casa Miranda is a very elegant, almost wine-label looking design. Creamy gold and beige accents surround a small cottage with the words “Casa Miranda – Chapter One” in scripted on the front and “Hand crafted in Miami” on the sides. The band sits elegantly on this stunning looking cigar. Willy is a stickler for perfect construction and the Casa Miranda is no exception. The wrapper starts off with just a perfectly consistent, toothy, medium brown color. There are a few vein in the thick body leading up to the seamless, round, double cap.  This cigar has a hell of a lot of weight to it and gives a whole lot of resistance when pressed between my fingers. The cigar bears no soft spots and in fact, gets increasingly more firm as I approach the cap. The wrapper of the cigar gives off a really mild woodsy aroma with just a slight bite of spice at the end where as the foot of the cigar boasts almost nothing but a strong spice with some woodsy aromas laying underneath. The Casa Miranda was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on this cigar was interesting. The Casa Miranda gave out this really neat woodsy, honey, and strong tobacco flavor that left a little burning sensation on my lips from the spice. In the cold draw, really?! We’ll have to see just how spicy this cigar is once we start smoking it.

First Smoke: As expected, the Casa Miranda started off with a blast of pepper right off the bat. What I didn’t expect was for the pepper to fade so quickly, just after the first few draws. Once the pepper suppressed I was left with a really bold, woodsy flavor with some nice spice, honey, and this citrusy-lemon taste. The draw is just ridiculously easy, but not too loose, kicking out a nice cloud of smoke with every puff. The stationary smoke on this Casa Miranda is great, lots of it and it seriously smells like a burning fireplace. The burnline has some very slight waves, nothing too concerning, and leaves behind a trail of almost perfect, compact, white ash. The ash held on, despite the wind, for well over an inch before giving way. And by “giving way” I mean falling into my shoe. No joke.. ughh…

Halfway There: Much more of the wood flavors have come into play during the second third of this Casa Miranda. I’d like to say they are cedareasue but the spice that accompanies the woodsy flavors puts a neat little spin on them making for a much more deeper flavor. The honey has faded at this point and the spice is still there as well as some of the citrus notes, but I’m also getting this strange little maple flavor on the aftertaste. The retrohale on this cigar is absolutely wonderful coating with a very smooth, creamy woodsy prime. I am not really feeling much nicotine from this cigar, but the body is up there and a bit more than I am used to when it comes to Nestor Miranda cigars. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t needed to touch it up at all.

Finish: As the body ramps up a bit into the final third of this Nestor Miranda Casa Miranda, the flavors start to level off and become much smoother and creamier. The main flavor is still the woodsy flavor while the sweetness and most of the citrus has dropped off leaving nothing but a faint spice mixed in with a little bit of espresso. These wasn’t any harshness built up in this cigar, even going into the final inch. I do however feel just a nice little nicotine kick from it.

Overview: You won’t hear me say this often but I think some age on this cigar will do it wonders. It’s a great cigar as it is, but with a little age it may just add that little somethin’ something’ that will really bring this cigar to a whole new level. It was an interesting departure smoking a non-Pepin blended Nestor Miranda and I think they made a very wise decision having Willy blend this cigar for them. He’s been making great things lately and the Casa Miranda is just another notch in his belt. Well balanced with an overall creamy flavor profile, plus the increased body really made this cigar an enjoyable experience with me. This is very box worthy, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be in high demand. Again, if you are looking for these Jackie over at Bonita Smoke Shop already has them, and like I said before, she is one of the best in the business and will get you taken care of.

Pairing: I decided to go for another risky pairing. This Casa Miranda was paired with Ichtegem’s Grand Crew Flemish Red Ale. Brewed at the Brouwerij Strubbe in Belgium this Flanders Red Ale style beer comes in at a modest 6.5% ABV. Most people have no idea what a Flander’s Red Ale style beer is. Basically it’s a sour beer and with it comes a very unique, but acquired taste. The beer pours a dark, reddish brown but tastes much like old orange, apple, and lemon roasted over caramel malt. It’s not for the faint of heart. There more woody flavor profile in the Casa Miranda gave an amazing balance with the sour notes of the beer and really brought the cigar to another level. This cigar would go great with apple juice, a strong brown ale, or some nice scotch.