Name: OX Blue Velvet

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Parejo

Size: (5 1/4 inches x 60)

Strength: Medium to Full

If you’re looking to slow down time and clear your head, the OX Blue Velvet by Horacio is a cigar made for that purpose. It is an aromatic and somewhat complex cigar that burns beautifully and gives a good amount of smoke.

Pairing it with a double espresso and then with a glass of Havana Club 7, I got hints of salted caramel, clove, and cayenne.

Overall, it was an excellent experience.

Name: Plasencia Alma Del Fuego Toro

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Box-Pressed

Size: Toro (6 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium to Full

Here’s a cigar that can keep you company for a couple of hours while you read a philosophy book or play a game of chess.

The Plasencia Alma Del Fuego has a good, firm draw, and it burns slowly and evenly. Drinks I like to pair it with are green tea, espresso, spiced rum, and just about any 12-year-old blended Scotch.

Name: Liberation by Hamlet

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Figurado

Size: Gordo (6 1/2 inches x 55)

Strength: Medium

I lit this Liberation by Hamlet cigar on Easter Sunday while starting the charcoal grill. Overall, it was a good stick, though I expected it to be a little spicier. I paired the first third with a glass of Johnnie Walker Black Label, the second third with a Heineken, and the last third with a delicious Lebanese arak I’m becoming a fan of — Arak Farid. I got notes of hazelnut, coffee, earth, and some hints of pepper.