Today I offer a review of the 2nd Cigar in the Casa Nicaragua Tobacco Group portfolio. As I mentioned in the previous review of the 1492 Jerez Legacy Toro, the company is a family owned business that was founded in 1999 by brothers García Vindell and Benavides Rodriguez. Both were born in Estelí Nicaragua, known worldwide as the Capital of tobacco.
If you have ever been to Paris, you know how beautiful the city of lights is and I for one, love Paris at night with the glowing lights illuminating buildings, monuments, and statues throughout the city. Woody Allen named his 2011 classic, “Midnight in Paris“, Duke Ellington was so inspired by the city that his 1962 Album “Midnight in Paris” consists of songs inspired by or associated with Paris.
Of course, I am not sure if García Vindell and Benavides Rodriguez were Woody Allen or Duke Ellington fans or whether they visited Paris and were also inspired by the city. What I can say, they join the aforementioned with a tribute to a Paris midnight with the introduction of their Paris Midnight cigar.
The Casa Nicaragua Tobacco Group Paris Midnight is a Nicaraguan puro with a blend described as:
- Wrapper: Habano Nicaragua
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
They are expressed in six different vitolas and come packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Robusto (5 x 52) – MSRP $9.99
- Toro (6 x 52) – MSRP $10.50
- Torpedo (6 x 52) – MSRP $10.50
- Churchill (7 x 48) – MSRP $11.25
- Esplendido (6 ¼ x 56) – MSRP $12.10
- Short Gordo (4 ¼ x 56) – MSRP $9.00
For this review I sampled the Casa Nicaragua Tobacco Group Paris Midnight Esplendido .
Pre-Light Examination
The Casa Nicaragua Tobacco Group Paris Midnight is a fine looking cigar with its dark reddish brown and marbled wrapper that has minimal veins and solidly packed from head to foot. It has a fine oily sheen and has a satin feel as you run your fingers along the barrel. A well applied triple cap finishes the presentation.
There are two bands that adorn the cigar. The primary band uses a gold and black motif, with the Eiffel Tower boldly presented in the center and the words Casa Nicaragua Tobacco curved under it. The name Paris Midnight, is printed in black on a gold background underneath. There is also a red satin footer band.
Running the Paris Midnight under the nose, I picked up a citrus note off the foot and a lightly sweet spice along the barrel.
I used my double blade Xikar cutter to slice the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to have a decent restriction. The cold draw offered notes of natural tobacco sweetness and light pepper.
With the pre-light much to my liking, I used my double flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of dry fruit notes. Follow along as I burn the Paris Midnight to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Dry fruit notes start the journey
- Full volume of smoke fills the palate
- Popcorn aroma wafts off the foot
- Solid, light grey ash forms on a thick straight char line
- Natural sweetness adds to the fruit, helping the palate grow in saliva
- Excellent oiling above the burn line
- Cocoa notes join the mix adding to the pleasure
- Caramel notes end the first third
- Mild wave begins to form
- Ash fell into the second third revealing a slightly off centered burn cone
- Gentle spice begins to build midway
- Slight off burn forms
- Dark chocolate fills in the profile deep in the second third down to the final
- Mild Touch Up required
- Medium Plus in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
The Casa Nicaragua Tobacco Group Paris Midnight Esplendido offered a delicious array of well transitioned flavors and aromas throughout the journey. The early popcorn aroma is one I get now and then on a cigar and it is always pleasant to my nose. Look for the rich caramel notes at the end of the first third and pleasant dark chocolate deep in the second third. With its medium complexity and strength, this is one any cigar enthusiast would enjoy. It did have a slight wave and eventual off burn that required a mild touch up. This is worth picking up a five pack of and I rate it a 91.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy in Burn; (-1) Off Centered Burn Cone; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Touchup Required
Bonus Points: (+1) Nice Oiling Above the Burn Line
Smoking the Paris Midnight brought me back to my visits to the city of lights. Here is a small gallery of some sites.
National Opera – Paris 
National Opera – Paris 
Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro 
Eiffel Tower 
Along the River Seine 
Along the River Seine 
Along the River Seine 
Outside the Louvre 
Mona Lisa 
Venus De Milo 
The Louvre 
Romulus and Remus, 
Statue of Hercules battling the Hydra or worlds first Baseball Player 
arc de triomphe 
National Opera – Paris
On January 12, 2024, all the way from Zanzibar, Tanzania, in a shop at Stone Town, Zanzibar, we unearthed the Paris Midnight cigar. Excited to delve into more details about this intriguing product.
Please do tell more…