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Spotlight Brand: Nica Libre

August 18, 2013 |

Same great blend, bold new look.

Been hunting around for a nice, every day value cigar in a box-pressed format? Look no further than Nica Libre, a rich and elegant cigar that's offered here for astonishingly low prices. The Nica Libre brand underwent a packaging facelift but still remains the same great blend handcrafted in Nicaragua. This box-pressed beauty is rich in flavor and light where it matters most—the wallet.

Rolled with a dark and oily San Andres maduro wrapper, Nica Libre contains a balanced blend of Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos all secured by a toothy Habano binder. You'll experience toasty nuances of earth and cedar along with natural flavors of espresso and coffee, so prepare your palate for a real treat. Plus, the slightly peppery finish gives you a little burst of oomph. It's also rich, smooth, flavorful, well-constructed, and maintains an enjoyable aroma throughout the length of the experience. With a hearty finish and effortless draw, this medium-bodied blend won't disappoint any maduro fan searching for a premium, box-pressed cigar at a bargain price.

Q & A: Refine Your Palate?

Q.
I've read cigar descriptions that said, “recommended for a refined palate." How do I refine my palate?

8/07/13 | by SG of Boise, ID

A.
​​First, refining your palate takes a lot of time. It isn't something that just happens in one day. Your first steps should be to burn through an incredibly wide variety of cigars, even cigars you know you don't enjoy or cigars you think you won't enjoy based on preconceived notions. As you puff on your cigars, thoroughly focus on the experience and draw them slowly and deliberately. Don't just draw the smoke into your palate and exhale, but hold the smoke in your mouth, swirl it around, chew it, and pay attention to how it affects your tongue, not what it tastes like. Don't worry about tasting "hints of cocoa, espresso, or earth." Focus on noticing if the smoke seems sweet, salty, or acidic. Does it burn or tickle your throat? Is the smoke thick or light? Does it make your eyes water when cycling through your nostrils? Is it spicy? How would you imagine it tastes after years of proper aging? If you think about those sorts of questions, then finding the "flavors" described in reviews you read will come with ease as your brain will associate those sweet, acidic, salty nuances with foods you're familiar with. Believe it or not, when a "cigar offers hints of cocoa," it doesn't really taste like cocoa. That's an association your brain makes. 

by Bryan

Review:

Dave Great For The Price
For an inexpensive handmade, General Grant does the job. Don't expect a well-balanced, super-premium character here. Instead, you'll be met with complexity, some sweetness, but mostly a gritty earthiness that is far from refined. And this is a good thing. For being rolled freehand without the use of molds, the construction holds up and the cigar burns quite nicely. The blend does present some changes in flavor and leaves behind a medium finish with quite a rich aftertaste. In our opinion, for the price, this is a good corona for those who prefer the gritty, real taste of tobacco.
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