More Ortega Cigars: The Jalapa, M3 and Cubao

I worked on finishing off the Ortega sampler that I ordered, so far I have my favorites, and I still have the Serie D Connecticut yet to smoke (I’ll probably smoke it today). I found a Cult cigar from a few years ago in my humidor which is made at the same factory which I may smoke later as well. The Cult cigars were made for Quality Importers, where, ironically, Eddie Orega spent a short time working, which may explain his association with the TACASA factory. I started out with the Jalapa Habano, which has a plain band which is reminiscent of another brand, and I hope that doesn’t cause any problems down the line. This was a tasty cigar, fairly heavy on the spice, which I wasn’t expecting. The wrapper is a Jalapa Habano, the binder is San Andrés and the fillers are Nicaraguan. I enjoyed this cigar, and I’m really interested in smoking the Maduro version, and I’ll order some once they show available on the website. I notice a lot of things are out of stock on the site right now, I’ll ask Eddie when he’s expecting a shipment. He does seem to have the samplers available though!  Anyway, the Jalapa Habano was a good smoke. 

The M3 Habano was next, and it has the same wrapper as the Jalapa, with difference being the binder which is is from Nicaragua in this case and the fillers from Nicaragua. This was a bit less spicy, but also had a little kick. Something I notice with the entire range of cigars is that either they all seem to burn a little faster than I’m used to, or maybe time is just passing faster this week. It’s not as if they are loosely rolled or anything, they all have burned perfectly, I don’t know the answer. Perhaps it’s just the style in which they are made. It could just be that they are good and they are gone and leaving me wanting more. Let’s go with that. Again, I’d be interested in trying the Maduro version. 

Finally, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch next to the Serie D Maduro, is the Cubao Habano. This is one of the original brands from EO Brands that was originally made by Pepin Garcia. It’s now being offered in four wrappers, Habano, Maduro, Sumatra and Cameroon. I’ll take a sampler of Cubao please! If I had any complaint it would be that my device spellchecked “Cubao” to Cuban” and I didn’t catch it and had to edit my social media posts. The Cubao Habano hit my palate just right. It had the perfect balance of sweetness, spice and earthiness. I dug it. I smoked it later than usual, and it wasn’t so strong as to cause me any more trouble sleeping than usual. This was a terrific smoke and I greatly enjoyed it. I’m tempted to shop for some five packs as the Cubao seem to be in stock. Good stuff from a great guy. I’m looking forward to smoking that Serie D Connecticut later! 

I still have to put together a contest, I’ve been slacking! I’ll work on that. There’s a chance I’ll be talking to Kaplowitz on his Instagram Live or Facebook Live this afternoon, so keep an eye out for that (he’s very entertaining). Until the next time, 

CigarCraig