I’ll admit it, I’m a little behind the times with this one. But there’s a good reason that, it has to do with my review preparations. In an attempt to be give every cigar a chance to perform at its best, or at least minimize the impact of elements beyond my control, I give all review cigars at least two weeks rest in my humidor. So in theory, a cigar that comes to me by less than optimal means (a long, hot, dry ride a cigar rep’s trunk, for example) will not be at a significant disadvantage to cigars that were maintained in perfect conditions at a local B&M. And of course, our recent adventures at the Famous Cigar Expo delayed this review a bit too.

As you probably already know, June 12th was “National Nestor Miranda Cigar Day“. In case you missed it, to celebrate Miami Cigar Company’s 20th Anniversary they produced 1000 boxes of a special commemorative cigar named the Danno, half of them wrapped in Habano Oscuro leaves, the half in Habano Rosado. The Danno isn’t just a special vitola added to the Nestor Miranda line of cigars, it’s a new blend as well, created by Jaime Garcia specifically for this cigar.

The deal was if you walked into an authorized dealer on the 12th and bought any cigar, the shop owner gave you one of these for free. I used the day as an excuse to make the rounds at several cigar shops in the area, and was able to collect just enough of them to put together a proper review. Let’s see if all that legwork paid off.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 7 x 56
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano 2000 Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 2 1/4 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$9.00

The Pre-Smoke
There’s no getting around the fact that the Danno is an attractive, eye-catching cigar. It’s big, it’s oily and it has a copper trimmed band that does a great job of complimenting the overall look of the cigar. It’s just a shame that there isn’t an easy way to tell the Oscuro from the Rosado. Placed side by side, under the right light, the Oscuro is noticeably darker than the Rosado. But if you had one without the other to compare, it might be a little tough to know without smoking it.

When I took a closer look at the wrapper, I noticed it was nicely toothy, and mostly free of flaws. One cigar did have an unusual crack in the side that looked like it might actually be a puncture wound, and several sticks had minor foot damage. Given these sticks don’t come in cellophane, I couldn’t tell you if the foot damage was the result of my handling, or if they shipped that way.

The scent of the wrapper was your standard compost, and there was a little bit of coffee and cocoa in the cold taste. I also noticed that one was a little softer than the rest. The others were firm, bordering on rock hard.

The Burn
The Danno does produce a really great looking, solid white ash, making it not only a nice looking stick when you buy it, but attractive one when you smoke it too. Each cigar did have some unevenness here an there (particularly toward the end) and an occasional touch up was required, but I never had to relight.

Unfortunately there was a downside to the attractive burn. The cigars tended to have a tighter draw. Not enough to make you put it down and grab another, but enough that you may start to feel some strain after a couple hours of puffing. There was also some swelling near the burn line which did cause the wrapper on one stick to crack, but it never became a problem. The softer cigar I mentioned in the pre-smoke section was a welcome relief, as it offered a noticeably easier draw and cooler smoke.

The Flavor
The Danno started things off tasting like creamy, sweet bread and shortly developed some really enjoyable coffee flavors. There really was a good deal of creaminess and sweetness to this third, most of my notes include the words “creamy” or “sweet”.

Just before the second third began, the creaminess evolved into a woody flavor that remained present for the rest of the cigar. It wasn’t always the most prominent flavor, but it was almost always there. This third still had nice pockets of sweetness, but not quite as many as the proceeding third, and I did get more of those bread and coffee flavors. Toward the end of this third, I started to pick up a little pepper and earth in there as well.

In the final third, leather made its presence known. The pepper and earth continued to make appearances, as did wood, coffee, and that pronounced candy sweetness. The Danno was far from boring in the home stretch.

The Price
It goes without saying that I have no complaints about the price I paid. There’s nothing better than a free cigar. Except maybe two or three free cigars. However, these sticks do carry a price tag, and can still be found in spite of the very limited production. With a price in the neighborhood of $9, it’s not a budget stick, but I think it’s a good value for a quality cigar of this size.

The Verdict
If you don’t take into account the tight draw, it’s hard to say anything bad about the Danno Habano Oscuro. It’s well constructed, burns nicely, looks great, is priced reasonably and delivers some really enjoyable flavors. I didn’t even mind the larger ring gauge, it’s big enough to lend impressive size to the stick without causing jaw strain. Of course, with that draw, you might be looking at a little neck strain.

One big draw back is that it’s available in such limited quantities. As I mentioned before, I still see these cigars around, but it’s hard to tell how much longer before they’re all gone. It is my hope the positive reception the cigar has had will encourage Miami Cigar Company to produce more as a regular line. In the meantime, if you see a few in your local shop, do yourself a favor and buy them.

Liked It: Yes, in spite of the tighter draw
Buy It Again: Probably
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.