Herrera Esteli Norteño

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 Mexican San Andrés cape. Fans of the first line seemed to demand it as zealously 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 is a line in its own right, with its own rings, boxes and name.

The word Norteño is derived from an expression used to describe the people who live in the northern region of Nicaragua, which includes Esteli (a town renowned for its tobacco and quality cigars). The Norteño ring is similar in appearance to the original Herrera Esteli , but the color scheme is notably different, and the central section of the ring features Nicaragua's national bird, the Guardabarranco.

In terms of blends, Norteño replaces the Ecuadorian Habano cape with 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)
• Binder : Honduras
• Tripe : Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)
• Release date : August-September 2014
• Number of cigars sold : Regular production
• Distribution in Switzerland : Exclusively at La Couronne S.A.

Notes and flavors of Norteño by Willy Herrera

The Norteño is wrapped in a jagged, slightly dry wrapper, with a matte finish and small veins that seem to have smoothed out thanks to gentle pressing. Moreover, the cigar's pressing 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 cherries, a clean, fresh scent that's both unique and complementary to the other elements. On top, we detect a good amount of pepper, which melts well. The cold draw is easy, with wheat and grain 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, they help to highlight some of the subtleties ofsmell and flavor. The ash is dense and uniformly dark gray in color, holding 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 also begins to shift gears, becoming 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 even, with no need to relight or retouch, and the draw is never 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 the original and this new version, it's clear that these are two unique cigars with two distinct taste profiles. After the strong initial notes of the San Andrés wrapper, the spiciness of the Binder from 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. Although at La Couronne S.A. we've 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. 

Available exclusively in Switzerland from our Nyon boutique "La Couronne S.A." or our online boutique "Cigarpassion.ch".