The Nestor Miranda 80th Anniversary aka NM80 shipped back in February and we quickly bought a box of Danno and quickly smoked a box of Danno. It was easily one of my favorite cigars I’ve smoked this year, but was shocked I didn’t write a review of it. Luckily my friends down at Miami Cigar & Company sent me a box of Lancero smokes.
Only 500 boxes of 3 unique sizes were created for the Nestor Miranda 80th. The NM80 is a Nicaraguan puro created using material from My Father Cigar’s vast library of tobacco. The tobacco was carefully chosen by the My Father team with Nestor’s palate in mind. The cigar is medium-bodied, elegant and delivers a very refined smoking experience. Available in three sizes, Ruky 5 5/8 x 48-52 – MSRP $18, Lancero 7 ½ x 38 – MSRP $19 & Danno 7 x 56 – MSRP $20 before any local or state taxes.
Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda 80th (NM80)
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Nicragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Release Date: February 2024
Box Count: 10
The Cigar: A thick, somewhat oily wrapper adorns the cigar with a few significant veins and a pigtail cap. The variety of wrapper isn’t shared other then the country of origin. The gold, white and red band has a Florida State feel to it which is where Jason Wood, son-in-law of Nestor Miranda attended college. In the hand the cigar is exceptionally heavy for a lancero and it feels very dense.
The Taste: The cold draw is reminiscent of necco wafers, a reference that probably falls short if you aren’t over the age of 40 and from the Northeast. Additionally the cold draw serves up earth and cocoa with a subtle sour apple. The aroma from the foot is a more muted version of the cold draw.
Once the cigar is toasted and lit some cocoa remains in the background but the focal point is a licorice and nuts. Additional notes of nutmeg and sourdough bread are present as well making this a rich flavorful lancero. As the first third comes to a close there is a subtle pepper component and graham crackers both of which are intensified on the retrohale.
The second third sees the licorice and nuttiness remain dominant with the addition of a growing cinnamon component. As we cross over the halfway point the cigar burns incredibly straight with a draw that offers some resistance that might be troublesome to a few but expected from fans of the size. At this point in the cigar we see developing notes of earth, cedar and roasted coffee beans. The retrohale intensifies the coffee beans where it is joined by growing pepper and and additional earth.
As we smoke the final third I wait until the last possible minute before removing the band to ensure it comes off easily without any wrapper. The star of the show in the conclusion of the cigar is a nuttiness that reminds me of roasted chestnuts. Additionally there is more roasted coffee beans, earth and oak present with a black pepper that makes its way to the palate as well as the retrohale.
Conclusion: Lancero cigars have a cult following that absolutely love them and a large part of the cigar smoking population abhors them. There are two reasons for the latter. The first is the price, a thin lancero in this case at $18 doesnt have the same appeal as the Ruky at the same price which gives the appearance of getting more bang for your back. The Danno at $2 more looks to be a bigger value as well. For those keeping score at home, Ruky is Nestor Miranda’s nickname, and Danno was the nickname of his son, Daniel, who passed away at 38 years old after a 3 year battle with brain cancer in 2008.
The Nestor Miranda 80th Anniversary is one of the best lancero cigars I have ever smoked in terms of flavor. While the draw was snug on almost every cigar in my box none of them were bad enough to damage the experience. The result is a slow smoking cigar that lasted about 2 hours. It never needed to be touched up, nor did I need to relight it. It’s a cigar worthy of the man who celebrates his birthday on Valentine’s Day.
Score: 95
Price: $18.00
Site sponsor Small Batch Cigar has them available: https://www.smallbatchcigar.com/nestor-miranda-cigars
