The Agingroom Quattro espressivo Robusto paired with Herdade do Rocim Amphora white blend.

Light, the Aging Room Quattro Original Espressivo. The Quattro Original Espressivo wrapper it's sleek and shiny. The ageing room expresses a beautiful cocoa oak and toasted nut flavour. There are hints of orange sweetness to compliment the rich cocoa flavours. Earthy and thick smoke coats your palate once the cigar flavours emerge. The Quattro line from Rafael Nodal is a knockout.

Cigar Aficionado's 2019 #1 Cigar of the Year - 96 Rating.

The story of the AgingRoom

The story of the Aging Room revolves around Rafael Nodal. He stepped into the cigar world unplanned. A process of spontaneous collaborations that created the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro. Cigar Aficionado's 2019 Cigar of the Year.

The Start

Rewind 40 years to 1980. Rafael Nodal came to the U.S. from Cuba as a refugee. With no background in cigars, Nodal sought a career in music that brought him to New York City and then to Miami. He met his future business partners Hank Bischoff and Dr Alina Cordoves, his wife in Miami.

In 1998 Nodal started selling cigars online. And in 2002, they took over the Habana Cuba Cigar Co. It was a struggling company with a limited cigar portfolio. Business was slow.

Nodal started exploring the concept of producing cigars in small batches. In 2011 the first small batch called Aging Room, released. He also changed the name of his company from Habana Cuba Cigar Co. to Boutique Blends. The first ageing room cigar originated from the Dominican republic.

The cigars scored well in Cigar Aficionado.

But, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro made by A.J.

Fernandez in Nicaragua is the star. It's a masterpiece. A.J. Fernandez need no introduction. His entire line of cigars is excellent to smoke. Every leaf in the blend is Nicaraguan. Each puff is full of flavours, rich with dark chocolate and wood notes. The cigar offers subtle but bold flavours of dense caramel, cocoa and toasted almonds.

A.J. Fernandez AgingRoom production

A cigar produced in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez for Rafael Nodal. The cigar contains only Nicaraguan Tobacco. A.J. Fernandez manufactures the cigar in Nicaragua at Tabacalera Fernandez.

AgeingRoom Quattro espressivo Robusto

Gauge 50

Size (mm) 127, 5 inches

Wrapper Color Maduro

Wrapper Nicaragua

Binder Nicaragua

Filler Nicaragua

Medium-full

Herdade do Rocim Amphora White 2020

The Wine is fruity and oxidative with intense acidity and fresh citrus flavours. The Wine has a delicate, crisp taste. It is a white blend matured in amphorae.

Herdade do Rocim Story

Herdade do Rocim is between Vidigueira and Cuba in the Lower Alentejo. It is a 120 hectares estate with seventy per cent vineyards and ten per cent olive trees. It is the southernmost wine-producing sub-region in the Alentejo. Herdade do Rocim team respects the natural terroir producing fresh and elegant wines.

Winemaking

A minimum intervention philosophy inspires Herdade do Rocim winemaking.

During the ageing stage of the wines, the farm uses terracotta and cement amphorae.

The winemakers respect traditional methods. They promote vinification in the traditional clay pots and with no temperature control. Fermentation takes place using indigenous yeasts with no addition or correction.

Amphora Style Wine

Clay aged or amphora wines are becoming more popular. The technique is far from new. The practice originated in eastern Europe and Georgia around 6,000 years ago.

The Amphora, A historical container of wine. 

An amphora is a container shaped like a vase, with two ears as handles. Farmers used an Amphora vase to store and move liquids. These containers are clay made and contain about thirty litres.

In Alentejo, Portugal, the method exists for more than two thousand years. Like oak, clay is porous, allowing oxygen into the ageing wine, giving the wine a deep and rich texture.

Aged in amphorae, the natural made wine with wild yeast is a fruity wine with bold flavours.

Grape Varieties:

The varieties are common in Portuguese wines. Antão Vaz Perrum Rabo de Ovelha Manteúdo

Store and Serve Advice

Serve at a temperature of 11-12ºC.

Food Pairing

Enjoy chilled or as an aperitif. The wine is a perfect accompaniment to fish, seafood, white meat dishes, or a cigar.

AgingRoom Quattro Espressivo

The appearance of the Aging room cigars is magnificent looking. It is a box-pressed format with an orange Nicaraguan band. The wrapper has light veins with a cocoa colour. The Aging room colour is a beautiful dark rustic pecan brown.

AgingRoom Quattro Espressivo Dry Aroma

The cigar is full of moisture, releasing spicy scents once out of the cellophane.

Dry Aromas:

• Cocoa

• Dark Chocolate

• Smokey Barnyard

• Damp moisture and peat

AgingRoom Quattro Espressivo Dry Aroma Dry Draw

The dry draw is light and easy. The Aging room is a trademark A.J. Fernandez style. The dry draw expresses full cocoa flavours. It has a fuller profile compared to A.J. Fernandez's line cigars.

AgingRoom Quattro Espressivo First Puff

Big cocoa flavours release as the tobacco burns and the smoke rounds your mouth. The powdery dry feel is excellent. The cigar smokes medium to full-bodied with an overload of flavours. It is a rich, peppery smoke.

The first light aroma is fantastic. Immediate hints of chilli and dark chocolate flavours emerge. It is a wonderful puff with a thick, smooth smoke combining rich earthy flavours. The peppery spice lingers while you smoke.

AgingRoom Quattro Nicaragua Espressivo Smoking time

Smoking time varies. It is a cigar to rest for a while and relight after another sip of your paired drink to release new flavours.

Herdade do Rochim Amphora white blend Scents

The colour is honey yellow. It has a golden colour.

Wine Aromas:

• Grapefruit

• Marmalade

• Overripe fruits

• Honey and syrup combo

Herdade do Rochim Amphora white blend Taste

The wine is bold with prominent acidity. The woody oaked taste consists of ripe orange citrus flavours. There is a petrochemical like Riesling wines. The clay aged white wine has bold vanilla and oaky orange flavours.

The wine tastes fresh and crisp with a lot of character from the clay. The flavours are ripe oranges dipped in honey.

The wine consists of fresh, smoky flavours. It tastes spicy and fruity with salinity and a long and mineral finish.

AgingRoom Pairing Conclusion

The flavours are bold. The pairing delivers orange and honey blended with roasted nuts and cocoa flavours.

The cigar and wine combine rich, creamy chocolate and orange citrus with honey. The wine is a perfect pairing with the full-bodied cigar.

A sip of cold wine gives a burst of fresh orange and honey ideal for enhancing the Aging room smoke. Cigar construction is perfect and slow-burning. Spice and pepper linger with a mandarin freshness enhanced by each sip of wine.

Wine pairings are personal. The Amphora white blend is the least impressive of the entire wine range. It could be the Amphora style that does not entice my palate. Amphora style wine is acidic. Acidic wine tends to leave a spritz aftertaste on your palate. I prefer a white wine with a smooth, waxy finish which pairs incredible with cigars.

The citrus acidity lifts the Aging room cigars cocoa and nutty flavours. But the wine on its own is too acidic for my palate. The other wines from Herdade do Rocim are excellent balanced wines. The cigar smokes with a superb draw that keeps releasing full flavours. You can taste a nice mix of toasted nuts and dark cocoa powder right to the end. It is a spice bomb experience.

To end your pairing, consider a Pastéis de Nata. I bought Pastéis de Nata coated with chocolate to complement the cigars cocoa qualities. The outside of the tart is crispy, flaky pastry, whilst the inside is a creamy, custardy mix.

The Portuguese treat creamy pastry texture is perfect to pair with any cigar.

To order your Aging Room, Quattro Espressivo Robusto, click the link below.

Buy your Aging Room World No. 1 Cigar