Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda Special Selection Exclusivo Regional Robusto Extra

In 2009, Miami Cigar & Co.created the Nestor Miranda Special Selection “20 Aniversario,” a limited release that celebrated of two decades of producing a Special Selection line named for company founder Nestor Miranda. The Rosado version of that series ended up being one of my favorite smokes of that year. I ended up smoking several boxes.

Aniversario aside, Special Selection is a regular-production brand with five sizes, each offered in either a Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper or an Oscuro one. It joins Grand Reserve, Art Deco, Dominicano, 1989, and Danno in the Nestor Miranda portfolio.

A project conceived by Jason Wood at Miami Cigar and several years in the making, the Special Selection Exclusivo Regional was recently announced. The concept is to eventually have different Special Selection varieties available in different regions of the U.S. For starters, the inaugural Exclusivo Regional is a Midwest-only release. It sports a San Andres wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, and it comes in two formats that cost $8-9: Robusto Extra (5.5 x 54) and Toro Grande (6 x 60).

A box-pressed smoke, the Robusto Extra is a dark, gritty cigar with a wrinkled cap and zero large veins. The foot smells of sweet cocoa and pepper. Clipping the cap reveals a smooth pre-light draw and a little spice on the lips.

After lighting the cigar, the draw opens significantly, and a profile of cream, dark chocolate, and leather emerges. Given the aforementioned spice on the lips and the fact the cigar is predominantly Nicaraguan, I had expected a pepper-forward flavor. But the taste is anything but spicy. The edges are very rounded, so to speak, despite the body trending to the heavier side.

As the medium-bodied Robusto Extra progresses to the midway point and beyond, I do not find major alterations in taste. I also don’t find any of the “dirt” flavor that’s sometimes associated with Mexican tobacco. What I do notice is a smooth creaminess, a moderate nicotine kick, and sweet resting smoke. The physical properties are impeccable—solid ash, straight burn line, easy draw.

The Special Selection Exclusivo Regional is no doubt a fine, well-made cigar, and the idea of a limited regional release is an interesting one. Yet I’m a little skeptical the Robusto Extra is going to utterly captivate the Midwest—age may improve it but, right now, it isn’t terribly complex, and it doesn’t change much from light to nub. That said, it’s a good smoke at a fair price, and one that’s worthy of a  three stogies out of five rating.

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–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys