La Couronne S.A., The Leading House of Leading cigar brands, offers you Swiss exclusivity the Herrera Estelí Norteño brand, a range of cigars that will take you on a journey through Latin America, from Mexico to Nicaragua, via Honduras.
Taste this exotic and exquisite blend, only available at La Couronne S.A. in Nyon!
Before the presentation of the first Herrera Esteli, Herrera was already working on a maduro with a San Andrés Mexican cape. Fans of the first line seemed to be clamoring for it with as much zeal as Herrera was working on it and sharing glimpses of the second line's development. In many ways, it's not accurate to call this product a Herrera Esteli maduro ; rather, it's a line in its own right, with its own rings, boxes and name.
The word Norteño is derived from an expression used to describe people living in the northern region of Nicaragua, which includes Esteli (a town renowned for its tobacco and quality cigars). The Norteño ring has a similar appearance to that of the original Herrera Esteli, but the color palette is notably different, and the central section of the ring displays Nicaragua's national birdGuardabarranco.
In terms of mixing, Norteño replaces Habano cape by a Mexican San Andrés cape, but the Honduran binder and Nicaraguan tripe remain the same, at least in terms of countries.
Characteristics of Herrera Estelí Norteño Cigars - Drew Estate
- Country of origin : Nicaragua
- Company : La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
- Cape : Mexico (San Andrés)
- Sub-cape : Honduras
- Tripe : Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)
- Release date : August-September 2014
- Number of cigars sold : Regular production
- Distribution in Switzerland : Exclusive to La Couronne S.A.
Notes and flavors of Norteño by Willy Herrera
The Norteño is wrapped in a jagged, slightly dry cape with a matte finish and small veins that appear to be have been smoothed out by gentle pressing. Moreover, the pressing of the cigar seems wonderfully accomplished, with beautiful edges, and no dents or other visible flaws. On the one hand, there's a dry, straightforward note of earth, dry wheat and a touch of wood in the pre-lighting smell. On the other, there's a fragrant, almost flowery sweetness of cherriesA clean, fresh fragrance that is both unique and complementary to the other elements. On top, we detect a good amount of pepper, which blends well. Cold pulling is easywith wheat and cereal flavors rather than excessive pepper.
The Norteño starts with earthy, peppery flavors, with San Andrés tobacco leaf serving as a wrapper. This flavor fades to allow other flavors to emerge. Although there are a few touches of sweetness, as well as some of the spice promised by the Honduran binder, the retrohales in the first third are practically obligatory, helping to highlight some of the subtleties of the Norteño.smell and flavor. The ash is dense and uniformly dark gray in color.It holds about an inch before curling up and falling gracefully into the ashtray.
As the burn line enters the second third of the Herrera Esteli Norteño, the flavor remains fairly consistent, with a nice amount of San Andrés terroir. Halfway through, the cigar begins to show signs of sweetness, a rich black cherry note that is a stronger version of what was detected in the flavor before lighting. The pepper is also starting to change gearbecoming more intense for all the senses. After a brief battle for control of the flavor profile, the two seem to have agreed to share the stage, resulting in the most nuanced and delicious note to date. There won't be a single problem with the combustion line or any other technical component, as smoke production is constant and ash is stable without crumbling.
The sweetness is overtaken by earth and pepper at the start of the final third, but things quickly settle down and the Norteño returns to doing what it does best: offering the enthusiast an astonishing harmony of sweetness, pepper and earth that carries the cigar through to its finish. The burn line remains lively and regular, with no need for relighting or retouching, and the print will never be too light or too tight.
Herrera Estelí Norteño review
As we said in the introduction, calling the Norteño a maduro version of the Herrera Esteli seems a little unfair, but that's what it is at first glance, and that's what most people will think. Having smoked a few copies of both the original and this new version, it's clear that they are two unique cigars with two distinct taste profiles. After the strong initial notes of the San Andrés cape, the spiciness of the undercape of the Honduras begins to emerge, followed by a delicious sweetness halfway through, and all the components come together in the second half for a nuanced, balanced and pleasant finish. While we at La Couronne S.A. have always enjoyed the original Herrera Esteli, if you're looking for more strength and pepper, the Norteño has a lot to offer and is well worth a try.
On sale exclusively in Switzerland in our Nyon boutique "La Couronne S.A." or our online store "Cigarpassion.ch"
