Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Habano Danno 2015

There are few things harder to imagine than having to bury your own child, and it is that harsh reality that sets one part of the backstory for this cigar, the Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Habano Danno 2015.

In 2008, Daniel Miranda, the son of Mariana and Nestor Miranda, passed away at just 38-years-old after a three-year battle with brain cancer. Daniel was the vice-president and director of marketing for Miami Cigar & Co. at the time of his passing, and in an interview with Cigar Aficionado, he “lived for the company,” Nestor said.

The other half of the cigar owes its creation to the 20th anniversary celebration of the company, which occurred in 2009. That year, Miami Cigar & Co. decided to both celebrate the company’s milestone and the life of Daniel with a new cigar, the Danno, a 7 x 56 double corona. The cigar became a fairly regular addition to the company’s portfolio, with the initial release in 2009 in both a rosado and oscuro version. In 2010, a single version came out for national release with a version created for Buckhead Cigar in Atlanta, Ga. After a hiatus in 2011, the Danno returned in 2012, and then Miami Cigar & Co. overhauled the Nestor Miranda Collection in 2014 as part of the company’s 25th anniversary.

• Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Connecticut Danno 2015 (7 x 56) — $12 (Boxes of 20, $240) — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20 Total Cigars)
• Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Habano Danno 2015 (7 x 56) — $12 (Boxes of 20, $240) — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20 Total Cigars)
• Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Maduro Danno 2015 (7 x 56) — $12 (Boxes of 20, $240) — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20 Total Cigars)

With the rebranding complete, the Danno returned this year in all three wrapper options: Connecticut, Habano and Maduro. At the time of the Danno’s return, Nestor Miranda said that “as you all can imagine, the Danno cigar holds a very special place in my heart, and I am very excited to be releasing it under the new NMC brand; this cigar has always been the epitome of my brand, and I am so proud to present you with our newest version.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Habano Danno 2015
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
• Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98
• Filler: Brazil, Honduras & Nicaragua
• Size: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Vitola: Churchill Gordo
• MSRP: $12 (Boxes of 20, $240)
• Release Date: June 12, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

There’s no getting by the appearance of both the cigar or its band; an imposing vitola of both length and width, with a bright silver and neon highlighter green color scheme and a number of points and angles. The wrapper is just on the darker side of medium, a rich brown hue with a bit of sheen and few veins, no tooth and no noticeable imperfections. It’s generally a well-rolled cigar with a top leaf that is soft to the touch but firm insides and the occasional bump, depression or seam that doesn’t lay perfectly flat. The cap on each cigar is about as perfect as I could ask for, topped off by a small nub of tobacco that is laid to the side. The pre-light aroma is soft and mild with a bit of brown sugar at first, followed by some baking spices and a bit of campfire wood that almost turns into a bit of chocolate thanks to a bit of bark on one sample in particular.. The cold draw offers a bit more upfront sweetness and cedar, while the air movement is good for such a big cigar.

The first couple of puffs produce a flavor that is hard to put my finger on; there’s a lot going on but it’s almost a bit muddied as earth, a bit of pepper, some wood and chalk, but neither seems to have found their proper place yet. It takes a few additional puffs before the pepper kicks in on this Danno 2015, but once it does you’ll certainly feel it as the primarily white pepper hits the front of the tongue and the inside of both my lips and provides quite an interesting sensation, and that seems to be the cue for everything else to fall in line behind it.  It fades for a few more puffs as the ash grows to about an inch long and falling off, which not only opens the draw just a bit but brings a bit more complexity to the blend. Interestingly, I don’t find myself thinking of this as a habano, at least not in the same way that I think of several other habano-wrapped cigars I’ve smoked recently, though the more I think back on them they were Ecuadorian habano, hence the obvious difference. The flavor is much more subdued and subtle as opposed to going for bigger and brasher and I keep finding these subtle hints of sweetness peeking out but never making a full appearance. At times it has me thinking of applesauce, while at others it’s fairly generic.

At the beginning of the second third, the Danno 2015 begins to come alive once again and begins showing more of the notes I think of from habano tobacco: touches of earth, a prominent note of wood and a good bit of pepper up front, and it’s becoming readily apparent that the cigar is ready to take a step forward in strength as each puff leaves a more stronger and more lasting impression on the palate, with retrohales confirming the thought. By the midpoint, the cigar is putting out mouthfuls of big, fluffy smoke, and the flavor has taken a big step forward, something I’m almost glad it waited to do because I don’t know if I would have made it this far had the cigar been cranking out strength like this from the get-go. The draw seems to tighten up just a touch heading into the final third, which when combined with what seems like a near doubling in strength, has me beginning to feel the effects of this now full-bodied cigar. The cigar has performed well to this point, with the burn line staying sharp and even, plenty of smoke coming from the cigar and the ash holding on for about an inch at a time.

There’s no shortage of strength heading into the final third of the Danno 2015, and at points it almost borders on harshness, with a lingering note in the back of the throat being the most offending. Retrohales are even more punchy, and when combined with a solid puff give the head a firm jolt of pepper. It also feels as if the nicotine level has really jumped up, particularly from the first third, as I’m continuing to lean further and further back in my chair and increase my water consumption. While the cigar isn’t becoming hard to smoke, I begin to get the feeling that I have had enough with about two inches left, and it becomes harder to take another puff after that point due to the increase in strength. The closing notes are marked by a good amount of pepper that has turned almost to red chili pepper, and an earthy note that is almost a bit too rough for my palate. While I could probably get a few more puffs out of the Danno 2015, I call it good with just over an inch to go and search for a place to recuperate from this fairly powerful smoke.

Final Notes

• All three versions of the Danno 2015 began shipping on June 22, 2015 after several release parties held at cigar stores in the northeastern United States during June.
• While I wouldn’t say this cigar was too large to be enjoyable, it was about as large as I would prefer to smoke.
• With that said, I’m still amazed at how much smaller this looks next to the 7 x 70 vitolas that are on the market.
• I’d be intrigued to smoke this on a cooler day or in an air conditioned lounge; even in the coolest points of the night in Phoenix, the combination of heat and the strength of this cigar combine for a potent physical effect. It would also seem to make sense to smoke this cigar towards the middle of the day and not towards the end, as it left me clamoring for a nap.
• I’d also be intrigued to try the other wrapper versions, not only to try those leaves but the blend underneath, which changes proportions based on the wrapper.
• Brian Burt reviewed and reduxed the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Danno 2012.
• I always find it interesting when I have to change the lens on my camera to get the first shot for this review. I usually use a 60mm lens, but had to switch to my 18-50mm due to the length of the cigar (or the fact that my arms aren’t long enough to hold it far enough away).
• Final smoking time was two hours and 25 minutes on average.
• The cigars for this review were provided by Miami Cigar & Co, who advertises on halfwheel.
• Site sponsor Serious Cigars carries the Nestor Miranda One Life Edition Habano Danno 2015.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.