BrandonP
Cigar King Scottsdale
This is the latest review posted on the Cigar King Blog:
Eddie Ortega this year decided to branch out on his own, stepping away from EO Brands, a cigar line he started with partner Eric Espinosa. Early in the year he released his first line, called the Ortega Serie D Maduro that instantly caught on fire. Then, just before the IPCPR trade show, he released the natural version of the Serie D in the same box pressed sizes as the maduro release. Made at the My Father factory in Nicaragua, these are medium to full bodied little beauties. Having worked with the Garcia family through EO Brands, Eddie knew who he wanted to make his new line and what to expect when working with them. That familiarity is evident in both the maduro and natural version, as Eddie was able to create a nice cigar at a great price point. It is also of note that both versions come in a 10 count and 20 count box, which is a wonderful convenience when you dont need a lot of cigars. Todays review will be looking at the new Ortega Serie D Natural #7.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
Size: #7 5 x 46 box press
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan Esteli
Strength: Medium-Plus
Flavor: Full
Cost: $6.50/stick or $57.95/box of 10 or $116.95/box of 20
Appearance: The Ortega Serie D Natural is about as opposite looking from the Maduro version as you could expect. The wrapper is so much lighter, an almost tan brown color that looks like a nice leather on this box press. The corners of the box press are very apparent but nicely rounded with no veins visible along its length. The wrapper has a nice soft feel to it without a heavy oil sheen or any soft spots. The band is a nice red and gold with Ortega Serie D written in white and a black accent around the bottom.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
Pre-light Aroma: As soon as I put the foot of the Ortega Serie D Natural to my nose, I can feel a sneeze coming on from the spicy aroma. Behind the spice you can smell a sweet earth and light cocoa scent. The wrapper is lighter in scent, with a sweet grass like aroma just slightly evident. The wrapper is sweet to the lips and the draw is effortless, presenting notes of hay and floral sweetness.
Right from the first puff the Ortega Serie D Natural has a spice that hits your palate with a mouthful of smoke. Each draw produces loads of white creamy smoke laced with a light peppery spice and floral sweetness. There is a note of leather on the backend and through the nose. Midway through the first third the light cocoa I smelled on the foot comes out as well. The burn line is fairly even and kept lit so far, with me knocking the ash off around the ¾ inch line.
Transitioning into the 2nd third of this Ortega Serie D Natural you start to get a lot more of the earth and leather coming forward on the palate. The cocoa is still apparent as well but not in every puff. The ash is a bit flaky but holds well for up a half an inch before I tap it off. The leather stays consistent throughout the 2nd third as the cocoa and spice come through intermittently. The burn line gets a bit strange in this portion but never needs to be touched up as it catches up to itself fairly quickly.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
The final third picks up some strength and is definitely a more medium-full with a load of flavor. The smoke output was tremendous from start to finish and the burn line was great towards the end. The spice was only slight in the final third with a floral sweetness on the finish and through the nose. Final smoking time was fairly quick at 1 hour and 16 minutes, a nice flavor bomb when you dont have a lot of time but want something tasty.
[video=youtube_share;3dkjJVyjcuc]http://youtu.be/3dkjJVyjcuc[/video]
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Mitchel- When Eddie released the Serie D Maduro he had a hit. This was just as good!
Josh- The Ortega Serie D Natural is fantastic. Eddie did a hell of a job.
Kole- I enjoyed the maduro but the natural was even better for me.
Eddie Ortega this year decided to branch out on his own, stepping away from EO Brands, a cigar line he started with partner Eric Espinosa. Early in the year he released his first line, called the Ortega Serie D Maduro that instantly caught on fire. Then, just before the IPCPR trade show, he released the natural version of the Serie D in the same box pressed sizes as the maduro release. Made at the My Father factory in Nicaragua, these are medium to full bodied little beauties. Having worked with the Garcia family through EO Brands, Eddie knew who he wanted to make his new line and what to expect when working with them. That familiarity is evident in both the maduro and natural version, as Eddie was able to create a nice cigar at a great price point. It is also of note that both versions come in a 10 count and 20 count box, which is a wonderful convenience when you dont need a lot of cigars. Todays review will be looking at the new Ortega Serie D Natural #7.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
Size: #7 5 x 46 box press
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan Esteli
Strength: Medium-Plus
Flavor: Full
Cost: $6.50/stick or $57.95/box of 10 or $116.95/box of 20
Appearance: The Ortega Serie D Natural is about as opposite looking from the Maduro version as you could expect. The wrapper is so much lighter, an almost tan brown color that looks like a nice leather on this box press. The corners of the box press are very apparent but nicely rounded with no veins visible along its length. The wrapper has a nice soft feel to it without a heavy oil sheen or any soft spots. The band is a nice red and gold with Ortega Serie D written in white and a black accent around the bottom.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
Pre-light Aroma: As soon as I put the foot of the Ortega Serie D Natural to my nose, I can feel a sneeze coming on from the spicy aroma. Behind the spice you can smell a sweet earth and light cocoa scent. The wrapper is lighter in scent, with a sweet grass like aroma just slightly evident. The wrapper is sweet to the lips and the draw is effortless, presenting notes of hay and floral sweetness.
Right from the first puff the Ortega Serie D Natural has a spice that hits your palate with a mouthful of smoke. Each draw produces loads of white creamy smoke laced with a light peppery spice and floral sweetness. There is a note of leather on the backend and through the nose. Midway through the first third the light cocoa I smelled on the foot comes out as well. The burn line is fairly even and kept lit so far, with me knocking the ash off around the ¾ inch line.
Transitioning into the 2nd third of this Ortega Serie D Natural you start to get a lot more of the earth and leather coming forward on the palate. The cocoa is still apparent as well but not in every puff. The ash is a bit flaky but holds well for up a half an inch before I tap it off. The leather stays consistent throughout the 2nd third as the cocoa and spice come through intermittently. The burn line gets a bit strange in this portion but never needs to be touched up as it catches up to itself fairly quickly.
Ortega Serie D Natural Cigars
The final third picks up some strength and is definitely a more medium-full with a load of flavor. The smoke output was tremendous from start to finish and the burn line was great towards the end. The spice was only slight in the final third with a floral sweetness on the finish and through the nose. Final smoking time was fairly quick at 1 hour and 16 minutes, a nice flavor bomb when you dont have a lot of time but want something tasty.
[video=youtube_share;3dkjJVyjcuc]http://youtu.be/3dkjJVyjcuc[/video]
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Mitchel- When Eddie released the Serie D Maduro he had a hit. This was just as good!
Josh- The Ortega Serie D Natural is fantastic. Eddie did a hell of a job.
Kole- I enjoyed the maduro but the natural was even better for me.
