The original Miami 8&11 cigar is the stuff of legend. I still have three boxes sitting in my humi gaining precious age as I decide where and when to ration them out to myself. The mythical Don Pepin made the original cigar for the little known Ernesto Padilla, when they were both unknown and the rest history. I do not hesitate to rank the original in my Top 10 cigars of all time and it currently resides in my Top 5 ever.
When I heard that Padilla was bringing this back, and that someone else was making it, I was incredulous. Why put an impostor into the mix? Particularly since it could not possibly match the original. Or could it? I ran into Ernesto Padilla some months ago and he and I have tweeted back and forth and he was making bold statements about this new version being as good or better than the original. Can you imagine the hubris? The gall? The gumption? The feck? I was appalled and upset, but like moths to the flame or lemmings to the cliff I knew I would buy some when they came out, and I most certainly did as soon as I put the hairy eyeball on some.
They present well, the band work is similar, but not mockingly so. It is a respectful homage to the cigar of legend, plus a foot band has been added to distinguish it from it's prior evolution. The wrapper is beautiful, plenty of tooth and few veins. The construction seems a bit tight to me, but I find no plugs or hollows. The pre light aroma smacks of cinnamon. The pre light draw has light wood and sweet cinnamon influences.
The cigar opens with a profile that is all graham cracker and caramel. These flavors are sweet, but not cloyingly so. The depth is excellent and the profile is unexpected while seeming like an old friend. At the back of the palate there are some fabulous notes of cedar and a crisp light tobacco flavor is also present. The mix here is splendid early on and I am warming to this smoke very quickly. The draw is too tight, but it not causing any combustion issues to this point. The burn is solid and a nice ash is forming as the cigar progresses.
The first half of the cigar intensifies in flavor. The caramel and graham cracker notes become more and more robust as the cigar moves along. I find these two flavors to be excellent together and I can't recall a smoke that provided such blasts of caramel so fully. At the back of the palate the sharp cedar notes continue, but instead of becoming dry and bitter (as is often the case when I detect cedar in a smoke) they are pleasantly refreshing as a counter balance to the sweet front of the profile. I am looking for more complexity here, but I am liking what I am getting to this point. The draw is still too tight for me, but it is still not causing any issues. The burn is still excellent.
The final half of the cigar shows some really interesting development. The core profile loses graham cracker and caramel notes and becomes a very solid presentation of cinnamon and light wood. At the back of the palate the presentation becomes all pepper. This is a very stark contrast to the beginning of the smoke, but instead of a schizophrenic result, the outcome is really excellent. The draw continues to be too tight throughout for me, but it performs all the way to the finish in a consistent, if irritating fashion. The burn was solid all the way to the end.
The finish was long and lingered with pepper and cedar notes for several minutes.
Appearance- 92 a very fun looking smoke and I like the homage to the original
Taste- 91 a very nice profile that could have used some more complexity
Construction- 88 some draw tightness causes a reduction
Strength- 94 a fabulous medium that complemented the profile well
Overall- 90.75 an excellent smoke, but it does not measure up to the status of the original
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