Today we will be taking a look at a new cigar from Nestor Miranda and Miami Cigar, the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve! When I first heard about this cigar a few months back one of the first details I heard about was that it was being crafted by Jaime García at his My Father S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, I enjoyed the Nestor Miranda Art Deco from last year (also made by Jaime García) and have even enjoyed it even more since so this news was definitely exciting. The Grand Reserve is a Nicaraguan puro and will come in boxes of 10 limited to 1,000 boxes. It is available in one size only, a 6 ¼ x 52 box press torpedo.

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  • Cigar Reviewed: Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 6 1/4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Torpedo
  • MSRP: $12 (Boxes of 10, $120)
  • Release Date: August 2011
  • Number of Cigars to be Released: 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

This cigar is extremely box pressed right away it reminds me of the Padrón 40th Anniversary. It has a soft milk chocolate wrapper, medium size veins, slightly oily, leathery feel and a tight pack. It smells of earth, chocolate and leather with a little barnyard and pepper at the foot. It has a very mellow pre light draw, just a touch of tobacco, and cedar.

Coming into the First Third the cigar is very smooth right from the start, I get a little spice and pepper through the nose and on my tongue. Initial flavors are woody with hints of coffee and earth. The pepper is strong but mellow and reserved at the same time.

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Coming into the Second Third sweetness develops, it’s a straightforward sweetness; it’s not creamy or thick, but it’s sweet on the tongue. Coffee flavors intensify a bit, but the profile is mainly an earthy, wood type flavor mix. The cigar is a solid medium body with a decent profile, but it’s lacking in richness, it’s a bit muted.

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Finishing up in the Final Third, I experience an increase in spice and pepper, however the flavors stay the same. It’s an earthy, woody mix with hints of coffee here and there. I don’t find the flavors to be all that complex and a little dull to be honest, but it’s ultra smooth and offers a good amount of smoke and great construction.

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Final notes

  • I can’t help but feel like I was expecting a little bit more out of this cigar, it had a pretty basic flavor profile and it didn’t have the rich, deep flavors I have come to expect from the My Father Cigars S.A. It’s a smooth stick and it has a nice amount of pepper and spice but I didn’t find the flavors were able to balance it out that well. They were muted and restrained.
  • It’s a beautiful cigar to look at and the box press torpedo is a gorgeous shape, I found it to perform perfectly with a nice smoke output and a virtually perfect burn and draw.
  • If you are interested in purchasing some of these please get a hold of Bonita Smokeshop in Bonita Springs, Fla. at 1-800-652-4427 or go to their website Bonita Smoke Shop.
  • Final Smoking time was one hour 10 minutes.
84 Overall Score

I was expecting a lot out of this cigar, I really was, and while it was a good cigar, unfortunately, it just didn’t live up to my hype. There will be a lot of people that will like this cigar, it has a straight forward, basic flavor profile, ultra smooth on the palate and it’s a great presentation with a lovely vitola and fun packaging, but for me, I’ll stick with the Art Deco.

Steve Valle

Steve Valle wrote for Smoking Stogie, a precursor to halfwheel, from 2010-2011.