What do you do when you are born into the cigar business and spend 20 years crafting and making your mark on the business? Well you create a cigar that celebrates the occasion of course! Back in July of 2015, Christian Eiroa announced at the IPCPR his celebratory cigar – EIROA The First 20 Years.
It was back on June 28, 1995 when the 23-year-old Christian started working for his father at Caribe Imported Cigars. It was also in 1995 when Caribe Imported Cigars purchased the Camacho brand. Five years later in 2000, Christian would make his mark in the industry with the launch of the Camacho Corojo. Christian’s marketing acuity grew the company to international prominence until 2008 when they sold the brand to Davidoff. Christian stayed with the brand until 2011 when he finally branched out on his own to create the CLE Cigar Company in 2012 and cement his name in the cigar book of history.
Now 20 years later, his father blended a cigar to mark the occasion for his son. What better gift to receive from your father, especially when it is a cigar for the ages. The EIROA The First 20 Years is a Honduran puro made at El Aladino in Danli, Honduras and available in 20-count boxes and 4 vitolas:
- 6 x 46 – Prensado
- 5 x 50 – Robusto
- 6 x 54 – Toro
- 6 x 60 – Double Toro
My good friend and fellow Stogie Press Lounge Head, Alton Otto, gifted me the Prensado the other week and I truly have to thank him for it. I was visiting the grand children this past weekend and decided to take the Prensado with me. After a long day Saturday with the little ones, I broke it out on the back deck of the house for long needed quiet solitude.
The EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado is presented as an anniversary ciagr should be. The band is a break from the simpler bands of previous Eiroa cigars. Besides being the traditional red, black, and gold with the Eiroa name centered, it also has the golden number “20” below encircled in red and the “Series” beneath it.
EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado
But what really gives this band a top quality look, is the holographic ink that when moved under the light shows the Eiroa name throughout the bottom of the band. Christian spared no expense on the band.
In addition to the band there is an outer sleeve of tissue paper has Christian’s signature on top and the phrase “The First 20 Years – Series” imprinted in gold just in case you did not know this is a special cigar.
Removing the outer sleeve the cigar itself is a light box pressed cigar with slightly rounded edges. The wrapper is a dark coffee bean brown color with some delicate marbling throughout with a spicy aroma to it.
The cold draw had some rich earth notes with a hint of pepper and spice on the tongue.
As I ignited it, my palate, both nose and throat, was hit with a prodigious amount of pepper. Ouch – the exhaled smoke brought a tear to my eyes!
EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado
I was not sure if I was ready for a pepper bomb, but it toned down after about an inch of pristine burn and full body of smoke, giving way to a delicious espresso, sweetness, and citrus along with a cedar finish. OK, that’s better. I lean back in the patio chair rocking back and forth for the rest of the 20 year journey.
As I am enjoying this fine cigar I did a little reading. Did you know that Christian comes from a long line of tobacco starting in 1916 when his grandfather Generoso Eiroa was introduced to the leaf?
The Eiroa Cigars website notes:
In 1915, Generoso Eiroa left his home Village of Viveiro, Spain in Galicia for Cuba chasing his dream in the Caribbean. His introduction to tobacco arrived indirectly when in 1916 he became a ship captain for The Cuban Land and Leaf Tobacco Company. Piloting a ship from Punta de Cartas (just south of Pinar del Rio) to Las Martinas (where the company would grow much of their tobacco).
You can read more about the history of the Eiroa family on the site.
The EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado is developing a decent medium grey ash and once it falls you can see the impeccable construction right from the perfectly formed burn cone. It is letting off a fragrant floral aroma at this point and the strength is a solid medium but has been increasing since it was torched.
The sweetness increases, adding additional pleasure to the experience as it moves into the second third. In fact, the smoke is so smooth that I find myself ingesting it, which is something I rarely do.
Earthy notes enter the profile along with a bit of syrupy flavor and aroma. The burn is spot on.
As it moves through the final third, spice re-enters with a back note of earth. The strength has gown some more to a medium plus. As it burns toward the nub, I find myself texting my friend Alton, telling him the EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado is off the charts and thanks for the gift, it was by all measures an outstanding cigar. We would like to say congratulations to Christian on an impressive 20 years and we wish you many more.
EIROA The First 20 Years Prensado
~Boston Jimmie
Great review, brother!
Great review Jimmy. Now time to find this gem in a local store.