On Feb. 14, 2023, Nestor Miranda, Miami Cigar & Co. co-founder, celebrated his 80th birthday, and as cigar companies are wont to do, a new cigar was created to commemorate the occasion.
Carrying the name NM80, the limited edition is a three-vitola line featuring a blend made entirely of Nicaraguan tobacco. Only 500 10-count boxes of each size were released, and the cigars were made at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Nicaragua.
“I really wanted to create a cigar that Nestor could be proud of,” said Jason Wood, vp of Miami Cigar & Co., in a press release when the line was announced. “The entire project was tailor-made for Nestor, vitolas, blend, and packaging all have that Miranda elegance that makes him the man that we all love.”
Note: The following shows the various NM80 vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on May 1, 2024.
- NM80 Ruky (5 5/8 x 48/52) — $18 (Box of 10, $180)
- NM80 Danno (7 x 56) — $20 (Box of 10, $200)
- NM80 Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) — $19 (Box of 10, $190)
85
Overall Score
I hate it when one bad cigar torpedos an otherwise great review, but that is, unfortunately, the case with one of the NM80 Lanceros that I smoked. While two cigars I smoked were extremely enjoyable in terms of both the flavor profile and construction, my first cigar featured muted flavors and burn issues caused at least partially due to an extremely tight draw. At its best, the NM80 Lancero is easily worthy of being a cigar to commemorate such a momentous occasion, but even with the problematic cigar taken into account, I can recommend you try some for yourself.
The NM80 line was shown off during the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show and began shipping to retailers in January 2024.
- Cigar Reviewed: NM80 Lancero
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
- Wrapper: Nicaragua
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Length: 7 1/2 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 38
- Vitola: Lancero
- MSRP: $19 (Box of 10, $190)
- Release Date: January 2024
- Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 10 (5,000 Total Cigars)
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
Covered in smooth dark chocolate-covered wrappers that have noticeable reddish tints, the NM80 Lanceros are nicely firm when squeezed. Two of the three cigars have more oil present than the other one, but all three cigars feature a number of very obvious veins as well as small pigtail caps. Aromas from the wrappers include sour earth, nuttiness, leather, barnyard and generic sweetness, along with a touch of pepper. Scents from the feet are sweeter, with creamy peanuts leading earth, dry hay, cocoa nibs and raisins. After straight cuts, all three cigars feature flavors of sourdough bread, roasted peanuts, earth, leather tack, dark chocolate and light fruity sweetness.
All three NM80 Lanceros begin with a distinct anise and creamy peanuts, both of which continue as the main flavors throughout the first third. While the first cigar has the same flavors, it also has a very tight draw and the flavors are muted compared to the other two cigars. Secondary notes of cocoa nibs, cedar, nutmeg, toasted bread and a light vegetal flavor appear at various points, while my second cigar features an added lemon zest note on the finish that lingers into the second third. All three cigars feature the same smooth retrohale with light black pepper and graham crackers sweetness, but the flavors on the cigar with the tight draw are less distinct. Flavor for the first two cigars is at medium-plus, strength is at a point just under medium and the body ends the first third at mild-plus. However, the cigar with the tight draw’s flavor is at a solid medium, while both the strength and body lag behind at mild-plus. In terms of construction, the first cigar features an extremely tight draw—albeit still smokable, barely—and needs two corrections with my lighter, while the other two cigars give me absolutely zero problems at all when it comes to burn lines, smoke production or draws.
Anise and peanuts continue to top the profile of my final two NM80 Lanceros during the second third, followed by creamy cedar, saltine crackers, cinnamon, espresso beans, earth and hay. The first cigar still has significant issues with its draw, and while I can taste some of the same flavors, they are neither as distinct nor enjoyable. Light black pepper and graham cracker sweetness continue to dominate the retrohales and I do note a fleeting mint flavor in my final cigar that sadly does not stick around very long. Flavor for two cigars hits full after the halfway point, while the strength is at a solid medium and the body is at a point just under the medium mark. Once again, my first cigar is quite different, as the flavor remains at a solid medium, while both the strength and body increase slightly to land at just under medium. Construction is great for the last two cigars—one needs a single minor burn correction, but the other is fine in that regard, and there are no issues with the smoke production or draws—but the tight draw on the first cigar continues to cause issues, including two burn corrections that happen in fairly quick succession.
Although the anise flavor that has been so prevalent over the past two-thirds recedes to the background during the final third of the NM80 Lancero, the roasted peanut flavor stays at the top of the profile for the rest of the cigar. Additional notes include powdery cocoa nibs, bitter espresso, gritty earth, creamy cedar, cinnamon and light citrus peel, and while the amount of black pepper on the retrohale remains about the same compared to the previous two-thirds, the graham cracker sweetness increases slightly. The profile of the first cigar continues to be muted. Flavor for the last two cigars remains at full, strength ends up at medium-plus and the body remains at a point just over medium. In contrast, the first cigar’s flavor, strength and body all end at a solid medium. The first cigar continues to have draw issues and needs two more separate burn corrections before I am done with it, while the other two cigars have no issues during the final thirds
Final Notes
- Yes, Nestor Mirianda’s birthday falls on Valentine’s Day.
- In addition to Nestor’s 80th birthday, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of Miami Cigar & Co.’s flavored cigar brand, Tatiana.
- Although the writing on the bands and boxes suggests the name of this release is the Nestor Miranda Collection 80th Anniversary, the cigar is officially being called the NM80.
- The difference in the profiles of the two cigars with the great draws and the one with the tight draw was quite dramatic: the flavors in the former were dynamic and balanced, while the profile of the latter was muted and indistinct.
- Those issues also showed up when it came to the burn: the problematic cigar needed at least one correction in each third to stay on track, while the other two with excellent draws only had to have one correction between them.
- The difference in scores between the first cigar, the one with the tight draw, and the other two cigars was nearly 20 points. — Charlie Minato.
- The cigars are listed at 7 1/2 x 38.
- Miami Cigar & Co. advertises on Woggi.
- The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by Woggi.
- Final smoking time for all three samples averaged one hour and 58 minutes.
85
Overall Score
I hate it when one bad cigar torpedos an otherwise great review, but that is, unfortunately, the case with one of the NM80 Lanceros that I smoked. While two cigars I smoked were extremely enjoyable in terms of both the flavor profile and construction, my first cigar featured muted flavors and burn issues caused at least partially due to an extremely tight draw. At its best, the NM80 Lancero is easily worthy of being a cigar to commemorate such a momentous occasion, but even with the problematic cigar taken into account, I can recommend you try some for yourself.