Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  There must be something special about 1961, as Esteban Carreras joins the illustrious company of Rocky Patel and Frank Llaneza in naming a cigar after that year. So what's the big deal?  Let's check Wikipedia for some hints.

  1961 Birthdays: Wayne Gretsky... Henry Rollins... Vince Neil... Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini... George Clooney... Melissa Etheridge... Boy George...

  Cigar makers Hockey fans? I don't think that Miami has been a big force in hockey. Motley Crue fans, perhaps? I think Black Flag was better. Boxing, 'ER" reruns, Gay pop singers? Must not be a birthday thing..

  1961 Events: Adolf Eichmann's death sentence... Alan Shepard goes into space on the Mercury-Redstone 3... Roger Maris tops Babe Ruth's home run record... failed Bay of Pigs invasion... Fidel Castro declares Socialism for Cuba. Ahh.. I think we're getting warm.

  So, 1961 might mean more to Baby Boomer cigar aficionados than anyone else.

Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  Esteban Carreras 1961 envelops a blend of  Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers with a Sumatran binder and Cameroon wrapper. The wrapper is medium brown in color and has mild veining over a mildly toothy surface. While burning, the ash at the core of the cigar is strikingly white.

  The flavors start out as sweet grass and dirt in a mild-medium bodied presentation. After the first inch, the earthiness recedes in favor of a leathery compliment to the dominant sweet grass notes. The last third still finds sweet grass and leather, with a subtle spice creeping in as the cigar winds down.

  Not a bad cigar if you like sweet grassy flavors, but the Esteban Carreras 1961 won't push the Fuente Hemingway out of my humidor. The 1961 robusto runs $6-7 on the shelf, which isn't terribly expensive. Still, I'd just as soon spend the extra $1-2 for the Hemi.