I dipped into the stash of Platinum Nova cigars I brought back from the TPE show again this week and started with one of their Limited Editions, the Park Avenue. This is one of their more expensive offerings, coming in a a whopping $31 per cigar. This has an Ecuador 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican fillers. If I understand correctly, their factory is in Palm Beach, Florida, which will account for the price tag. Since last posted about Nova, they entered into a distribution arrangement with Sutliff Tobacco, who also distributes Regius Cigars in the U.S. now. The Park Avenue is a 6¼” x 54 toro. It’s a nice looking cigar with a flawless milk-chocolate brown wrapper, and the burn and draw were 
just fine, what one expects in a cigar of this caliber. As with the other Nova cigars I’ve smoked, there is a unique flavor that I can’t describe except that it’s very elegant. Perhaps the price point is in my head a little, but there is something special in the flavor of the Nova Park Avenue. It’s probably not a cigar I’d personally spring for, but I’m quite glad for the opportunity to have smoked it.
A few weeks ago when I visited Cigar Mojo, Wade, one of the owners, gave me one of the new cigars that they had that was moving well and he was impressed with for me to try. I was unfamiliar with this cigar, so I looked it up when I got home and only found a Facebook and Instagram page. The cigar is the Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown and it was a 5″ x 50 Robusto. Fortunately, Lee, who is behind the Facebook page, and presumably the, or one of, the brand owners, is quite responsive via messenger, because I had questions as I was really enjoying this cigar yesterday! He confirmed my suspicion that it has a San Andrés wrapper, and told me that it has an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. He let me know that it is made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli under the supervision of Noel Rojas. I thought this was an incredible cigar. There’s a lot of things I don’t agree with Wade at Mojo upon, but he was right about this cigar. It had a rich cocoa and coffee flavor, but every now and then an interesting floral taste snuck in. It was quite entertaining to smoke while I watched a very good Flyers matinee on the porch. It did have some nicotine kick to it. I will take a look at these the next time I’m in Mojo. By the way, don’t forget, Cigar Mojo carries my favorite cigars from Danli Honduras Tabaco, including the new The Clown and the Box Pressed Marchetti maduro! Good stuff.
Last night I grabbed another Platinum Nova cigar. I don’t really know if I’m supposed to call them Platinum Nova, or just Nova…When I was introduced to them by Ann at Sutliff, and I’m starting to connect the dots there, something might already have been in the works, they were just introduced as Nova, with is the most prominent word in their branding. For my own ease I’m going to go with Nova from here on out, I’m beginning to get that they are Platinum level in quality! I selected the Leo X, which is the personal blend of Leonor Abzaradel, the CEO of Nova Cigars. it’s a 5¾” x 50 with the Ecuador 2000 wrapper again, and Dominican HVA binder and Dominican fillers. I’d say that it was a very sophisticated blend, with some floral notes, and a lot of flavor. It didn’t surprise me that this was the favorite of Leonor, it struck me as a cigar one could smoke over and over without tiring. It was light enough to not fatigue the palate, yet loaded with interesting flavors. It certainly was not a girly smoke, and I don’t want to sound chauvinistic. I’d smoke it, I DID smoke it and I loved it! It’s a great cigar, and falls somewhere between their LE line and the regular line on the price scale in the $21 range, so, again, not a cheap date, but one you won’t forget.
In an odd twist, my wife and I were only Friday talking about low airfares to south Florida and how if I had known a few days earlier I could have flown down for the Great Smoke and seen of one of the vendors needed some booths help or something, and doesn’t CigarProp Kevin post on his way to the event that he has an extra pass? talk about bad timing! A day or two earlier and I could have been a special guest helper at the I’d Tap That booth! Damn! That’s about all I have for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
