Regina Cigars Misericordia

We had a long day of traveling to run errands out of town recently. As some consolation we treated ourselves to a large, late lunch before heading home. When I sat down to consider a cigar that evening I was still feeling full, and also tired. As such, I opted to forego the distilled spirit with my smoke. As a flavorful diversion to plain water I opted for a Sparkling Ice Orange Mango sparkling water.

I dug deep in the humidor for the 4+ year old Regina Cigars Miseriacodia. I don't often smoke Connecticut wrapper cigars, but I was in the mood for mildness. I hoped the flavored water would not be overpowering as an accompaniment.

Regina Cigars is a Catholic owned company that uses cigars as a way to support its mission of helping children and orphanages around the world. Most recently they have been providing support to orphanages in Honduras. The cigars are decorated with colorful bands depicting religious artwork. 

The 6 x 50 Misericordia features a light brown Honduran Connecticut wrapper. The rest of the blend is unspecified. What is noted on the website is that the blend was created by Christian Eiroa, owner of C.L.E. and Asylum cigar companies. The mild to medium bodied cigar has creamy sweet notes with a mild citrusy fruit hint. There was just enough citrus bite to keep it interesting. I smoked the cigar down to a short nub before setting it down. I never once touched up or corrected the burn and the smoke never heated up despite my relatively fast smoking. The ash was extremely solid and I only knocked it off after a couple inches out of fear it would drop in my lap or on my book. 

Pairing with the flavored water worked out quite well. The flavor of the beverage is mild and not overly sweet. The citrus aspects of the cigar and beverage complimented each other well.

The large band on this blend features an image from The Return of the Prodigal Son (1773) by Pompeo Batoni. 

Cheers!

A Cigar for a Feast Day

Saturday, December 12 was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The day honors the appearance of Mary to St. Juan Diego in present day Mexico City on December 9, 1531. Also, referred to as The Virgin of Guadalupe, she is the Patron Saint of the Americas. Among the traditions of the Feast, is a focus on the image of the Lady left on Juan Diego's tilma during the appearance. In honor of that, I selected an appropriately decorated cigar to enjoy that day.

Guadalupe 25th Anniversary Limited Release Miami Edition Blend is a new release from Regina Cigars. The Miami cigar company donates a portion of its sales to support persecuted & displaced Christians, especially those in the Middle East. This blend celebrates the founder's 25th anniversary in the cigar industry and the significance of the December 12 date in his family. 

The 6 x 50 stick has a San Andres Maduro wrapper and an Esteli Criollo binder, hiding a Corojo/Criollo Jalapa filler. The large band features a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary. The smoke is medium to full bodied. It has dark chocolate espresso notes, along with a mild cooling citrus note. Unfortunately both samples I've smoked so far had some damage under the decorative ribbon foot band causing the wrapper to unravel. A touch up with PerfecRepair allowed me to smoke through the damaged section without too much disruption.

As an accompaniment, I selected a seasonally appropriate Hardywood Park Gingerbread Stout. This Imperial Milk Stout is part of a selection of "Christmas beers" released each year by the Richmond, VA brewery. The 9.2% ABV ale is brewed with locally sourced baby ginger and wildflower honey. The dark beer has a thin beige head and gives off but a faint sweet aroma. The flavor is predominately roasted malt and milk chocolate. The underlying spice kick of ginger and honey sweetness is mild. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. The flavor combination with the dark espresso notes of the cigar was a flavorful match.

The beer and the cigar made for a satisfying afternoon of relaxation on the deck. The mid-sixties temperature and bright sun was a welcome break from the doldrums of the cool, gray weather of the previous week.

No Shooting Today. Alternative Plans Made.

The original plans for today included shooting the monthly IDPA match at Rivanna. I haven't been able to make it to that match since last October and was really looking forward to it. However, with the thermometer predicted to peak over 100° today, the organizers cancelled the match. I was disappointed, but it was probably a wise decision.

On the other hand, it gave me a rare Saturday morning to sit in my happy place on the screen porch enjoying my coffee. I will not be deterred! Grabbing the floor fan, I decided to enjoy an, also rare, morning smoke with my coffee.

At the time,  the Dark Skies app on my phone informed me it's 92° out, and feels like 103°.  I couldn't tell though, it was still surprisingly pleasant. (Relatively speaking.) I grabbed one of the Regina Cigars I pick up this spring. Regina Cigars 'Michael' is a medium bodied, earthy smoke. It paired will with the black, dark roast coffee.

I enjoyed the extra relaxation to start the weekend. A bonus with heat wave, is that none of my neighbors were running lawn mowers.

Regina Cigars - Supporting Good Works

Just because I'm on a short break from cigars, doesn't mean I can't make preparations for my future enjoyment. Recently, Colleen told me about a company called Regina Cigars that she had come across online. Run by faithful Christians, the company is using the sales of its cigars to support good works. From their website...

Our goal is to bring you finely crafted cigars that are lovingly hand rolled using exquisite blends from around the world. Part of our mission is also to help raise awareness and financial support for persecuted & displaced Christians, particularly those suffering hardship as a result of the recent conflicts in the Middle East. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Regina Cigars will go to "Aid to the Church in Need" which seeks to supply emotional, material & spiritual support to hurting Christians around the world.

Obviously, I was intrigued. And when your wife suggests you buy cigars, it's best to jump right on it. The company lists about 20 different cigars of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican origins. All of the cigars feature exquisite religious artwork on the bands. I made a trial purchase of a sampler consisting of five Honduran blends. These particular cigars were blended by Christian Eiroa, founder of CLE Cigars and former owner of the Camacho Cigars company.

The cigars are resting in my humidor now. I am looking forward to lighting them up soon. Already though, I'm tempted to acquire the rest of the line to support the charitable works, and to collect the bands!