Escobar Cigars

Escobar Cigars started as a friendship project. The Dream? Create something from nothing to share with the world. 1 Nicaraguan brand and 1 Rapper launches a premium cigar. The two Escobar cigars ranges are smooth from the first puff. What do you prefer, A Maduro or a Habano wrapper?

Read more about the Escobar Cigar experience.

Explore the Background of Escobar Premium Cigars

Escobar Premium Cigars is a boutique brand with Cuban DNA traditions. Following trusted practices in Nicaragua is making Escobar cigars an in-demand brand.

All Escobar cigars use tobacco grown in the rich volcanic soils of Nicaragua.

The debate continues. Which country produces the best cigar? For most people, cigars go hand in hand with Cuba and rum. But many other countries with a suitable climate can produce excellent tobacco.

Nicaragua does. Nicaragua has a perfect climate to grow exceptional tobacco on the rich volcanic soil.

One of the younger producers in Nicaragua is Escobar Premium Cigars. The brand launched in 2018. A line inspired by traditional Cuban recipes and techniques

Escobar cigars combine a blend of three vintage sun-grown and aged Habano tobaccos. The brand uses a fermentation and ageing process that only Puros Privados offers.

The brands packaging tagline:

'Relentless Perfection'

What is the difference between Maduro and Natural wrappers?

The main difference is that the wrapper on a Maduro is darker than a Natural wrapper.

The term Maduro means "mature" or "ripe". A Maduro wrapper offers you a rich flavour and fuller taste with added sweetness from the dark wrapper.

Both the Maduro and the Natural cigars from Escobar deliver a smooth draw and finish.

The Escobar Maduro Premium's tasting notes include chocolate and black pepper.

Also, expect notes and aromas of dry coffee and firewood. The cigars have unique densities and flavours of roasted nuts and wood smoke.

The Escobar Natural Premium tasting notes have more vanilla, white pepper, dried fruit, cocoa and caramel.

Escobar natural cigars have an earthy essence of moisture, wood and spice.

Both ranges have various sizes:

Robusto,

Churchill,

Double Toro Gordo,

Distinguidos Romeo,

and Double Corona.

American Music Super Star Co-owner

The American music superstar Nas is a co-owner. What does that mean for the brand? Nas is a longtime cigar enthusiast and drawn to the brand's exceptional quality.

Nas also has an affinity with the name Escobar. Escobar is an alias the rapper uses throughout his career. Nas joined the brand and helped the company rebrand and refresh its offerings. They redesigned everything from the logo and wrapping to the all-black packaging.

The 1st official launch of Escobar Cigars was in Thailand at Moat, a "members only" cigar club.

Nas & Escobar, What's In a Name?

The rapper is the new co-owner of Escobar Cigars.

A collaboration meant to be.

"When the team at Escobar Cigars initially approached me, I was immediately drawn to the brand by the exceptional quality of their product."

"Of course, the name instantly stood out to me since 'Escobar' is an alias I've been going by throughout my career."

• Nas first unveiled the moniker, inspired by his fascination with Pablo Escobar, on Mobb Deep's 1995 album.

Nas succumbed to hip-hop's romanticization of the drug trade by transforming himself into a cartoonish "gangsta" named Nas Escobar. Named after the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Nas reveals that the cigar brand aligns with his persona and entrepreneurial drive, so it was a natural fit.

He became a brand ambassador for Hennessy after name-dropping the spirits brand on his debut album, Illmatic. Working with Escobar is a chance to delve into one of his other favourite vices, cigars.

"I've always had a love for cigars, especially early on in my career. I developed an affinity for cigars as an artist surrounded by people who were smoking them, whether it was relaxing or celebrating."

"I want to make sure that it also aligns with my longtime music career, and as I've been rapping about cigars throughout my time as an artist, I saw a real opportunity with Escobar Cigars. - Nas.

The cigars have been a hit since the relaunch, getting shoutouts from Snoop Dogg to DJ Khaled while driving sales online.

Escobar cigars will also look into growing its line of cigar accessories. That will include cigar cutters, storage boxes and humidors.

The Two ranges of Escobar Cigars

Escobar's collection features two types of cigars.

1.

A hand-crafted "natural" cigar that is medium-to-strong bodied. Notes of vanilla and white pepper, dried fruit, caramel and herbs.

2.

A medium-bodied "Maduro" cigar with full, rounded flavours of chocolate, black pepper, dry coffee and firewood.

All the cigars come from a blend of three vintage sun-grown and aged Habano tobaccos. Tobacco grown in the rich volcanic soil of Nicaragua.

Escobar Maduro Cigars

Escobar Maduro Premium Cigars are hand-crafted medium-bodied cigars with a smooth draw and finish. The blend is three vintage sun-grown and aged Habano tobaccos.

The blended and balanced flavours of the Escobar Cigar have dominant chocolate and black pepper flavours.

Each Maduro has dry coffee and firewood aromas. The cigars offer a delicious density and taste of roasted nuts and wood smoke. These flavours blend to provide the complexity of the Escobar Cigar due to the skilled fermentation and ageing process.

Escobar Maduro and wine pairing

This pairing includes three superior red wines. Each wine has a bold character but offers a rounded, elegant taste and finish.

It is a carefully selected tasting to pair with the Premium Escobar Maduro cigar.

Paul Wallace - OFF THE RECORD, SYRAH 2021

The second vintage of the Off the Record Syrah is a phenomenal wine. The batch comes from a small block of Shiraz grapes sourced from a unique site.

These vines at Paul Wallace grow on the Ceres Plateau planted in the fertile Bokkeveld shale soils. The block grows at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level.

This is one of the vineyards in South Africa covered with snow over the winter months. The small block produces a limited 1 540 bottles from the 2021 vintage.

OFF THE RECORD, SYRAH 2021 Description

The wine has a deep red hue. A wine nose with appealing spicy aromas.

There are scents of white pepper and notes of both red and black berries. You could also experience hints of violets and fynbos.

Each sip delivers dark fruits onto the palate with a touch of salinity and rounds off with subtle tannins. It is an incredible high altitude Syrah.

The wine is young but has the finesse a cool climate and high altitude wine offers. The batch shows enormous maturation potential to age in your cellar.

Food pairing:

Cured meats

Barbecue wine

Venison casseroles

Hearty winter foods

Winemaking

• Wine of Origin: Ceres Plateau

• This wine was 100% whole-bunch fermented in two small batches.

• Pressed and undergo maturation in 4th fill barrels for 10 months.

• No commercial yeasts, enzymes or fining agents.

• The wine received a light filtering before bottling.

• Alcohol: 14.0%

OFF the Record scents on the tasting day

Black mulberries

Dark red berry flavours

Mouldy-rich cheese flavours

The wine delivers flavours resembling rich baked cheesecake.

Taste on the tasting day

Spicy

Red Fruit

Graff Delair Botmanskop 2016

The Delaire Graff Wine Estate sits below Botmaskop at the top of the Helshoogte Pass in the Stellenbosch. Botmaskop is a beacon watching over the valley and the Delaire Graff Mountain Vineyards.

Terrace of the Delaire Graff Restaurant

Concentrated flavours lead to exceptional wine. During the cool morning hours, the team handpicks the grapes.

These grapes move into the cellar for handling by Delaire Graff's Award Winning Winemaker, Morné Vrey, and his team.

Botmaskop

The mountain peak overlooks the Delaire wines estate.

The final blend of the Delaire Graff Botmaskop is:

69% Cabernet Sauvignon,

13% Cabernet Franc,

12% Petit Verdot,

3% Merlot & 3% Malbec.

Winemaking process:

• Destalked and not crushed

• Whole berry fermentation

• A gentle pressing done in a basket press to ensure gentle pressing.

• Aged and matured in French oak barrels for 16 months.

• Malolactic fermentation

• After fermentation Morne blends Delaire Graff Botmaskop.

The wine

Rich dark blood plum

Scents

• Gentle oak scents

• Berries, predominantly blackcurrant and other blackberry fruits.

Taste

Each sip delivers tastes of berries, blackcurrants, blackberries, mulberries and blueberries. The wine has balanced acidity, soft tannins, oak and spices that all combine into an elegant, matured red wine.

Mature for 8 years or more.

Final tasting notes

Rich aromas of cassis and spice, intense liquorice and blackberry flavours on the palate.

Balanced lingering tannins.

Optimal ageing potential of 8 - 10 years.

WINE OF ORIGIN

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Alcohol: 14.5%

Asara Wines Speciality Collection Avalon 2011

Red berries

Fresh, juicy coconut

Warm fruitcake spice

These words describe the Avalon scents.

Fresh red berries and mouth-watering full-bodied tastes. Each sip is rich in fruitcake spice and notes of dried fig.

Variety: Pinotage [ 63% Pinotage, 37% Shiraz ]

Winery: Asara Wine Estate and Hotel

Winemaker: Asara Winemaking Team

Wine of Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch

Red Style

Dry body

Full taste

Closure Cork

Fruity wooded

Bottle size 750ml

Asara's Speciality range is an eclectic collection of wines with a twist on regional specialities.

The wine is niche and unique. This range reflects the quality of an estate with a history dating back to 1691.

At Valpolicella in Italy, a unique winemaking style developed over the centuries.

The style?

Amarone

The process involves removing moisture from the premium-quality grapes. This process aims to release the intense colour and flavour present in the wineskins.

Asara Avalon is a twist on Amarone-style wines.

The abundance of warmth allows the grapes to dry on the vines and in the cellar. The same as in Italy.

The winemaking style contracts a long process of months into weeks. It helps to maintain a natural cycle that protects the health of the grapes. The grapes are grown at altitude. The Pinotage is at the highest point on the farm.

The coolness extends the ripening, producing thicker skins and healthier grapes. It also contributes elegance to the finished wine.

Elegance is the key characteristic of Amarone wine.

The highest block on the farm, at 210m, is host to Premium Pinotage at 16 years of age.

The yields are small. The block delivers tiny yields of 3-4 tons per hectare. This block grows in Tukulu soil, which is both moisture and nutrient-rich. The Pinotage vines are less stressed and thus produce fruit that is fresher and more elegant compared to the newer Pinotage style.

The planted vine rows face northwest and southeast, attracting twice-daily sunshine on the grapes.

The highest-growing grapes blend into Avalon. These vines age 11-15 years and yield 4 tons per hectare.

By withdrawing irrigation during ripening, the grapes endure slight dehydration. That causes concentrated spiciness and flavour. The row direction is southeast to northwest, producing a similar sunshine effect to the Pinotage grapes.

In the cellar

The grapes remain on the vines until they reach 23-24.5°.

Balling:

The winemaker pinches the stems to cut off the moisture supply. The bunches remain on the vine for a further three weeks, reaching 30-31°

Balling and weighing one-third less due to the loss of water. The team harvests the grapes in the coolness of morning into small lugs, sorted, and rushed to the cellar.

A second whole bunch sorting ensures the utmost quality with minimal grape handling. After gentle crushing, the juice ferments at cooler temperatures. The skins go through a submerging process thrice daily.

The wine matures in old 300ℓ barrels, 80% French and 20% American, with 30% new barrels, for three years. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation takes place, contributing complexity to the wines.

Avalon Scents on the tasting day

Ripe fruits

Balanced tannins

Velvety and smooth

Dark red fruits with dry spice

Avalon tastes on the tasting day.

The wine has balanced tannins with bold flavours.

It is a unique wine with a dry mouthfeel but develops with fruity flavours and a spicy sweetness.

The warm Christmas fruitcake flavour is a great way to describe this wine.

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar Dry Aroma

The cigar has a closed foot. It looks beautiful but tends to release less aroma than an open-foot cigar.

Scents

Honeycomb

Musky earth

Truffle scents

Rich raisin scents

Rich matured tobacco

Baking spice with nuttiness

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar Dry Draw

The dry draw is smooth, with an easy draw for a big cigar. The draw delivers rich flavours of tobacco and aged cheese.

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar First Puff

Earthy flavours

Biltong pepper spice

Chocolotae brownie tastes

Meaty and rich cured meat flavours

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar Pairng

OFF the Record Syrah 2021Paring

OFF the Record Syrah 2021

The combination is a delightful flavour experience of cured meats. The lingering tastes deliver honey-glazed meaty barbecue tastes.

To put this pairing into final words.

It is a smoked brisket with a spicy crust, topped with a barbecue honey glaze mixed with dark red berries.

Graff Delaire Botmanskop 2016 Pairing

Meaty, succulent barbecue tastes

The wine has prominent plum and dark berry sweetness with ripe dark fruit skin tastes.

The cigar has smooth meaty flavours that pair well with the smooth sweet red berry flavours of the complex Botmasnkop wine.

Avalon 2011 Amarone Style wine

It's a bold pairing. The red wine has dry matured tannins that drink well with the cigar.

It is a big wine with 15% alcohol. The cigar handles the wine well, but my honest opinion is that big, bold, jammy red wines can overpower the subtle flavours of cigars.

Escobar Double Toro Gordo Maduro Cigar Conclusion

However, this tasting shows how well Maduro cigars pair with full-bodied, aged red wines. It is a flavour journey from meaty to fruity, ending with a spicy lingering sweetness.

It's a super cigar to smoke and pair with red wine. The barbecue and red wine enhanced the cigar flavours adding subtle sweetness with the burn when needed.

Red wine and barbecue meat create a wonderful palate coating. The meaty flavour coating enriches the subtle evolving flavours of every puff while enjoying the Escobar Toro Maduro cigar.

To try this new iconic cigar brand,

Click the link below to light up your Escobar Toro Maduro cigar.

Maduro Double Toro Gordo