Sometimes a marriage is made in heaven other times it takes an aging room in Esteli Nicaragua. Fred Rewey @godfadr has created another smoking sensation this year with his introduction of the Nomad Esteli Lot 8613. I have been a fan of Fred and his Nomad cigar line since I met him two years ago at the Las Vegas IPCPR.
Back in 2013, Nomad introduced a very limited cigar known as the Esteli Lot LE 1386. I never had this cigar but it received rave reviews. The issue with the Esteli Lot LE 1386 was it had limited availability of leaf so the line was not extended, instead of trying to reproduce the blend, Fred went back to Esteli and secured new bales of tobacco and blended the Esteli Lot 8613. If you are following this, you will notice the numbers are the same and if you are dyslectic you may confuse the cigars.
In the words of Fred Rewey the Esteli Lot 8613 is:
Bold, Rustic, Pure. These are just some of terms people use to describe this blend created in the heart of Estelí and therefore had to be named accordingly.
Nomad Cigars selected Tabacalera Fernandez to produce this new blend which is described as similar to the original 1386. Fred informed me that the 8613 is filled with Jalapa, Condego Ligero, and Ometepe leaf with a Jalapa binder and wrapped with Ecuadorian Habano leaf. As a regular production cigar this time, it is available in 5 vitolas:
- Robusto (5 x 50)
- Coronita (5 1/2 x 46)
- Toro (6 x 50)
- Grand Toro (6 x 58)
- Churchill (7 x 48)
They retail in the $8 to $9 USD range – which is a terrific price-point.
For this review I sampled the Robusto which I received from the Nomad Cigar Co.
Nomad Esteli Lot 8613
The Nomad Esteli Lot 8613 is adorned with 2 bands, The primary band is the traditional Nomad band, black with metallic silver borders. The Nomad logo is centered and of course Fred Rewey’s Twitter tag @GODFADR is printed on the side as on every cigar he produces. Did you know that Fred was the first to put his Twitter tag on a cigar band? Of course if you go to his Twitter site you will notice he tweets out funny quips and not really focused on his cigars. I am sure you will crack up with laughter as much as I do when reading his Twitter feed.
The secondary band is on the foot and is a simple black band with Esteli Lot 8613 printed in metallic silver.
Further observations reveal a velvet smooth coffee bean colored wrapper that is well capped and has minimal veins on it.Running it across the nose I pick up a little pepper on the foot and a hint of sweetness on the well fermented leaf on barrel. Fred is not disclosing the blend used in the 8613 other than the wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano and the binder and filler are Nicaraguan.
I chose to use a punch to open the cap on this cigar and after a few dry-draw puffs I was tasting earth along with some pepper that tingles the tongue.
After toasting it up, I was greeted with a delightful white pepper burn on the retro-hale that gave way to a hint of cocoa, fruit, and nutty flavors. Yes this truly is a bold start to cigar so far. There is a salt and pepper ash developing that rests solidly on a thick char line. The burn is spot on and the draw is just perfect. The heat of the burn is helping the oils build up on the wrapper.
A coffee component enters in end of first third as the pepper tempers down delivering a delightful and flavorful full body of smoke.
The start of the second third adds a cedar note to the profile that blends well with the early coffee flavor. The ash held on for two inches before falling. Fantastic construction for sure! A dry oak aroma starts to waft off the foot at this point and the nut component increases well into the second third.
Continuing through the burn there is just a touch of pepper on the nose and hint of chocolate fills the background. The nut moves into the aroma and completely fills the air around me. The burn is just amazing with no touch-ups or waves.
Nomad Esteli Lot 8613
The final third bring rich cedar notes to the profile as the coffee dances in and out and a sliver of fruit finds it way in.
Overall the Esteli Lot 8613 was an exceptional full flavor, full body, medium strength cigar, from a hard-working passionate cigar man. It is one that any cigar smoker would and should enjoy and the price point makes that easy. Maybe I need to find a 1386 out there somewhere just to enjoy and compare. I want to thank Fred again for the samples and look forward to his upcoming 2016 offering(s).
Nomad Esteli Lot 8613