Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 Corona Gorda

In December 2015, Atlantic Cigar announced the impending release of a new annual collaboration with My Father Cigars. Named the Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 by My Father, the new blend was sold in three different vitolas, with the initial release available packed in jars in a tribute to its namesake.

The Atlantic Cigar website has a bit more information:

The Talavera name dates back to the very first jars produced to package Cuban cigars in the late 18th Century. These exquisite jars were manufactured in Spain, where the city of Talavera was world renowned for its high quality ceramics.

In terms of blend, the Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 by My Father is a Nicaraguan puro that incorporates a corojo 99 wrapper covering a habano binder and proprietary blend of filler tobaccos. All three vitolas are rolled at My Father Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua, and there are a total of 500 jars available between threes sizes, although an exact number of jars for each vitola has not been disclosed.

At launch there were three different vitolas available.

• Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 Corona Extra (5 5/8 x 46) — $7.15 (Jars of 21, $150.15)
• Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 Toro (5 5/8 x 54) — $7.65 (Jars of 16, $122.40)
• Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 Gordo (5 5/8 x 60) — $7.90 (Jars of 12, $94.80)

• Cigar Reviewed: Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 Corona Gorda
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 5/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $7.15 (Jars of 21, $150.15)
• Release Date: December 18, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: n/a
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Covered in an overtly reddish mocha brown wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch and liberally covered with oil. There are a number of veins running up and down the length, but none of them are overly distracting, and the cigar is fairly spongy when squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of faint almonds, leather, manure, dark chocolate and pepper while the cold draw brings flavors of sweet almonds, hay, barnyard, leather, cedar, cocoa and gritty earth.

The Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 starts off the first third with a very creamy profile, along with dominant flavors of both cedar and peanuts. Other notes of earth, barnyard, grass, coffee beans and leather flit in and out, while a very slight dried apricot sweetness is noticeable on the retrohale. There is a small amount of red pepper present on the finish as well, along with some spice on my tongue, neither of which seem to be getting any stronger anytime soon. The burn is very close to razor sharp and the draw is excellent so far, while the smoke production is well above average. The overall strength is quite light, and ends the first third between the mild and medium marks, but does seem to be increasing.

While the dominant flavors in the second third of the Talavera Corona Gorda remain a constant creamy cedar and peanuts, the red pepper that was so prevalent on the retrohale in the first third has almost disappeared by the halfway point. The other flavors in the profile include hay, dark chocolate, coffee grounds, leather and barnyard, and the apricot sweetness has increased a bit, combining nicely with the small amount of red pepper that remains on the retrohale. Both the burn and draw continue to impress, and the smoke production remains well above average. While the strength has increased noticeably, it still fails to hit the medium mark by the time the second third comes to an end, although it is a close thing.

Although it is far from a major player, the apricot sweetness continues to increase in the final third of the Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015, as does the red pepper on the retrohale. The dominant flavors remain the same distinct creamy cedar and nuts, while other notes of bitter espresso, powdery cocoa, tobacco, hay and earth fight for prominence. The draw remains excellent until the end, and while the burn starts to waver a bit, it is far from having to touch up, and the smoke production is still quite high. The overall strength finally breaks through the medium mark, but stalls out there by the time the final third comes to an end.

Final Notes

• When the cigars were first announced, they included a secondary band as well as a description of being wet-packed. Both the secondary band and the description were removed before the cigars were actually released.
• Although the Atlantic Cigar website mentions that the Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 by My Father will be a “once a year” release, it does not say if each release will be the same blend or not, or if the vitolas will change.
• While the jars for each of the three vitolas are the same size, because of the different ring gauges, the number of cigars that are packed in each jar is different.
• It has been a while since I have seen a cigar with some much oil on the wrapper, in fact it almost looks like you could fill a shot glass full if you were squeeze it hard enough.
• The jar is quite nice presentation, and I am actually a little surprised at the low price, considering how much each of the jars must have added to the cost.
• In fact, there is apparently a “Bloggers version” of the jar which included five cigars of each of the three vitolas instead of the 12, 16 or 21 of whichever size that normally came included.

 

• The final smoking time for all three samples averaged one hour and 15 minutes.
• The cigars smoked for this review were given to halfwheel by Atlantic Cigar.
• Atlantic Cigar advertises on halfwheel.
• While all of the jars are sold out, you can still by bundles of the Talavera Edición Exclusiva 2015 by My Father at Atlantic Cigar here.