Bellaterra Cigars: Black and Tan, Double Deuce

A few years ago, a gentleman by the name of Mike Murphy launched Bellaterra Ranch Wines.  Not long afterwards, he started  having conversations with people who requested a cigar to pair with his wine.  Being a fellow Brother of the Leaf, it didn't take much convincing for him to start his own cigar line, and after 3 years he partnered up with CAO to launch the cigar line. After the General buyout, Murphy aligned the company with Torano and then released new blends.

I was fortunate to have tried out a couple of Bellaterra's cigars.  One, known as the "Black and Tan" in lancero (their newly released robusto is currently being used for their "Big Ash Challenge") is the one I selected for this review.  The other one is the "Double Deuce" in robusto that I decided to try out while on the boat one day, but wasn't selected to be reviewed properly (and now wish I had).

I headed out to the back deck with the "Black and Tan" and a bit of Myers's dark rum.  The lancero had a two-toned, double maduro wrapper (with a Connecticut wrapper which covered most of the cigar), was well constructed with only small visible veins and a little spring when pressed between my thumb and fingers.  Smelling the foot revealed a pleasant odor of sweet tobacco with just the slightest hint of hay and barnyard.  Toasting the foot was a breeze, and the burn remained constant and pretty even throughout the entire cigar.  Additionally, a good amount of smoke emanated from the stick for the duration of the evening.

Into the 1st third, I was greeted with creamy, coffee filled notes.  Halfway through the 1st third, however, I noticed leather coming into play with the coffee fading away.  Finishing up the 1st, leather stayed prominent with the occasional hint of coffee.

Heading into the 2nd third, leather lead the charge, but the creamy, coffee notes came back to the forefront with a brief introduction of cocoa as well.  After a few minutes, these notes went back into hiding, and leather and hay came back to the forefront.  

Ending the 2nd third, and entering the last third this ping pong match continued, each time the coffee notes becoming weaker, and the leather notes getting stronger.

There's no denying that the "Black and Tan" is a well made cigar.  It had a great burn, plenty of smoke, great draw, etc.  The flavor started off pretty well, but became stagnant after a while where at the end, it felt like I was playing a tennis match- shots back and forth repeatedly with little change.  It's quite possible that the new robusto size will offer a totally different experience than what I had with the lancero, and am looking forward to trying it out.  However, with my experience with this particular cigar, I rate the "Black and Tan" lancero as an 85.

Now, if you would, remember back to my earlier statement about another Bellaterra cigar, the "Double Deuce" robusto.  As I stated earlier, I was on a boat and just simply enjoying the cigar, and didn't review it. My phone had already died, so I couldn't document the cigar like I would have liked (no photos or notes), but I do remember how much I enjoyed the cigar.  What stuck out in my mind was that the flavor was a bit more complex with no "ping pong" match.  The quality of the cigar was just like that of the other Bellaterra cigar.  If I were to review the "Double Deuce", I am sure it would have rated it around a 90, maybe higher.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this cigar.  I'm sure I'll have to try this one out again to give it a more detailed analysis.

IPCPR 2011

Last week, the convention that everyone involved with the cigar and pipe industry looks forward to was held in Vegas.  Unfortunately for me, two other conventions were held in two different cities during the same week involving the entertainment industry (my main occupation).  So needless to say, my time was divided and many sacrifices made (3 conventions are a lot to attend). But on the flip side, I had a great time meeting people and seeing new products, watching new talent and finishing the week with a South Beach party where all you saw was tanned bodies and white outfits until sunrise. Then I saw my pillow until the following night.  Now that's a party!

But enough about me, let's talk IPCPR 2011 and the information you seek.

To start things off, IPCPR has a new CEO.  William S. Spann is filling former Executive Director Joe Rowe's vacancy after Rowe retired.  IPCPR president Gary Pesh said:

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of the IPCPR, I want to extend a hearty welcome to Bill Spann who, we are confident, will help continue moving the association forward in behalf of its retail and manufacturing members. At the same time, we wish Joe Rowe a long and happy retirement. He will be missed.”

Previously, Spann served as Commander during a 20-year career with the U.S. Navy, chief of staff of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and president and chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of Greater Florida.  He also served as part of Governor Jeb Bush’s executive leadership team as communications director and then chief of staff at the Florida Department of Children & Families.

As expected, IPCPR is where a great deal of products are launched.  The following are some that I've been asked about the most, so I thought I'd shed some light on them.

CAO:

OSA Sol:  
From the Olancho, San Agustin valley in Honduras comes CAO's OSA Sol.  This blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran filler is to be full of flavor without being overly peppery or soft and bland.  There will be three sizes (5x50, 6x54, and 6 1/2x58) priced from $5-7.  Look for these to hit the shelves by September.

DREW ESTATE:

My Uzi Weighs A Ton (MUWAT):  
Possibly one of the least surprising introductions since it was one of the most talked about on the web yet most elusive cigars is MUWAT.  A collaboration between Drew Estate Tobacco Company and Joya de Nicaragua, this sweet yet boldly flavorful smoke is quite the traveler with a San Andreas Negro Wrapper, Ecuardorian Connecticut Binder, Brazilian Mata Fina Filler coupled with Nicaraguan Fillers. Initially in three sizes (5x50, 6x60, 7x60 with a 4x44 named "Bait Fish" with a later release ), these will sell between $8-11.

Undercrown:
Originally created by the torcedores to smoke in Nicaragua while rolling the Liga Privada, the Undercrown is intentionally harvested 4+ weeks later resulting in a higher natural sugar content and a richer, creamier flavor.  There will be five variations (5x54, 6x52, 7x54, and 6x60 in Parejo with one 6x52 in Belicoso) between $7-10.

TORAÑO:

Vault: 
Carlos Toraño, Sr created a "Blend Book" in 1982 to record every blend concept on which the family has ever worked.  This book contains both released blends and blends with potential.  Current president Charlie Toraño and VP of Sales and Marketing, Bruce Lewis, revisited the book and happened upon an unreleased blend that caught their eye, the Liga A-008.  First recorded in 2000, Charlie and Bruce sought to improve the blend by finding the missing ingredient, which they found in the tobacco from Ometepe, Nicaragua, an island on Lake Nicaragua home to two volcanoes with rich, fertile soil.  This rich earthy and spicy stick has notes of ripe fruit and nutty creaminess.  Available in three sizes between $7-8 (5x52, 6x50, 6 1/8 x 52).

And yes, the rumors seem to be true, Dennis Rodman is releasing his WB brand cigars. 

As more announcements slowly become released product, you will see more of them here and their reviews as well. Until then!