Well, this review is long overdue but I've been swamped lately so forgive me Andy!
Andy Madera, the owner of GDW Cigars, was gracious enough to piggyback a fellow BOTL's contest awhile ago and offer up a bunch of his own cigars to the winner.
And I was the big winner!
I think I posted a pic of the goods on here awhile back but forgive me Andy if I didn't.
I've been anxiously awaiting trying these suckers and I finally had the opportunity last night.
Name:
Reserva MiraFlor
Vitola:
Corona
Size: 5.5" x 42 RG
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Body/Flavor: Medium
Drink: 12 oz. Fat Tire
Smoking Time: Approx. 1 Hour
Approx. price: ~$3 -$4
The beginning:
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As you can see, this is a perty cigar....nice & light in color with some dark veins....great construction with a clean cap...it smells nice & sweet upon anxious & close investigation. I chose the small Corona size because I didn't have a whole lot of time and it sure is cute.
All of this definitely doesn't surprise me because I've heard Andy is a wizard at his art. Why, even on his blog HERE Andy has been able to fast forward to the future (Monday, August 2, 2010 as noted at the top of the page) and bring back his skills to us here so we can enjoy the fruits of his labor in the present.
Prelight draw is smooth & even, possibly a grassy flavor I'm getting. Before the inlaws show up on my doorstop, I cut & light. It gets up nice & fast and wafts of delicious smoke begin to billow. Draw is nice, flavor is quite tasty & a bit spicy right off the bat.
So far the aroma is the best part....love it. It's sweet & delicious.
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Since I've not been able yet to distinguish particular flavors of a cigar, I still can tell one way or another if I like it. And I like the MiraFlor.
Burn was nice & even and only once did I have to hit the head and I figure since it took a few minutes (prostate be damned!), the cigar went out on me so I had to light it back up. Not a problem.
Throughout the cigar, the spiciness was definitely there and it wasn't overbearing but offered up a nice complexity that's often lacking in similar priced sticks.
The overall verdict? I liked it....I'd try it again for sure. Fortunately, Andy sent over 5 or 6 friends in the package so I can try some different sizes. I'd definitely spend some dough to pick up some of these on my own.
Thank you Andy again for your generosity and best of luck to you as you continue to develop and expand!
(more pics to follow)
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