Neptune Staff Picks 2021, 5-Cigar Sampler

In 2021, the year we discovered a 5-foot, 330 pound penguin fossil, Neptune’s knowledgeable staff selected cigars for review based on curiosity, personal taste, and a range of other reasons. This sampler gathers five of those staff picks, offering a chance to experience cigars through the same lens our team used that year. Explore more staff insights and reviews at neptunecigar.com/cigar-reviews.

• Qty of cigars
  5
• Brands
  1502 Aniversario 10

  This awesome premium cigar was created to celebrate the 1502 brand’s first ten years. Enrique Sanchez founded Global Premium Cigars in 2012 as a way to showcase Nicaragua’s fine tobaccos and cigars. The 1502 brand was named after the year Christopher Columbus discovered Nicaragua.

  Alec Bradley Project 40 Maduro

  The Alec Bradley Project 40 Maduro is a line extension to the Project 40 brand. Whereas the first release featured a Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper, this iteration sports a dark chocolatey Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper. The Project 40 brand was inspired by the motivational tenet that everyone is in control of their happiness. Alec Bradley founder, Alan Rubin believes that this principle can be applied to cigars. The Project 40 brand’s goal is to enrich a positive experience through the act of smoking a high-quality cigar at an affordable price.

  Herrera Esteli Norteno

  Herrera Esteli Norteno is the long awaited release by Drew Estate with master blender Willy Herrera. A sequel of sorts to the popular Herrera Esteli cigar, which earned a spot in 2013's Top 25 Cigars of the Year, the Norteno is a dark, spicy cigar made with a Mexican San Andres wrapper. The band design features the Guardabarranco, the national bird of Nicaragua, the country where the cigar is produced. Tobacco from Nicaragua also makes up the filler, with a Honduran binder. This earthy, peppery, sweet offering by Drew Estate burns and draws perfectly, offering medium to full body and strength.

  Laranja Reserva Azulejo

  While Erik Espinosa’s Laranja Reserva Azulejo is the third installment in the popular Laranja series, it is full of firsts. Its imposing but savory dark chocolatey Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed maduro wrapper is the first time Espinoza has used this capa on a regular release cigar. Underneath is a Brazilian Arapiraca binder, which is the first time Espinosa has used this sought after leaf in a binder. The filler is a delectable fusion of Nicaraguan leaves from this Central American country’s top-tobacco producing regions. The Azulejo cigar gets its name from the Portuguese for a tile that has a blue glaze. The Laranja Reserva Azulejo is a full-bodied smoke that is handmade at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Nicaragua.

  Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro

  Released in 2013, Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro is the follow up to the highly successful Oliva Serie V Melanio. It comprises the same blend as the Serie V Melanio (Nicaraguan Jalapa filler and binder) but swaps the Ecuador Sumatra wrapper for a San Andres Maduro wrapper grown in Mexico. This is a complex, medium to full bodied smoke.

  San Lotano Requiem Connecticut

  San Lotano is the first brand by AJ Fernandez, the maker of top selling cigars for other companies for many years. The San Lotano Connecticut cigar is made in Nicaragua with an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. This is a creamy smoke with spicy notes and superb construction.
• Rolling Type
  Handmade

  Handmade cigars are completely made by hand from start to finish.
• Packaging
  Sampler