Cusano 59 Rare Cameroon Robusto (JUL 08)

Size: 5″ x 50

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: Cameroon

Origin: Dominican Republic

I picked this up at Empire Cigars and it has been resting for a couple of months.  I had tried the Preferido first and was disappointed.   Lets see how the Robusto fairs.

The wrapper is very spotted, dark brown with water spots that take away from the visual enjoyment of the cigar.

Flavor wise, it started off pretty good, nothing special, mostly just a toastiness.  But then it got nice very nice with rich notes of cocoa and black licorice. 

The draw was good but the burn was uneven and the wrapper split a third of the way down good flavor but there are certainly some construction issues that will need to be adressed.  Cusano has opened their own factory and the cigar, though they may still have been blended by Hendrik Kelner, they are no longer made in the Davidoff factory.  I have not seen a Davidoff or Avo explode on me yet.

Rating: 80 (B-)

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Cuvee Grande Centro (2006)

Size:  7 1/2″ x 40

Vitola:  Lonsdale

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian

Origin: Dominican Republic

From the Vault:  I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, but I feel OK smoking it as Empire Cigars just received a couple of boxes!

This is one heck of a hard cigar to come by.  It was made under a collaboration of Henke Kelner of Davidoff and Mike Chuisano of Cusano fame.  They are hand-numbered and released only once a year.

This cigar has a silky texture, more silky than I have ever felt a leaf of tobacco!  It is firm to the touch but draws like a dream.

The first few I tried were very dark, almost Maduro, but this one, I can only assume a new batch, is much lighter.

This cigar tastes like a Kelner blended cigar except it is very strong.  This cigar is not spicy like a Camacho or LFD Ligero, it has an underlying strength you only pick up when you blow it out through your nose or try to stand up quickly.

The flavors are very rich, ripe with coffee, toast and wood.  This is also a nicely complex cigar.  The flavors listed above give way to anise and white chocolate.  There is just a touch of cream on the finish.

The burn is dead even and I didn’t need to touch it up.

I enjoyed this thoroughly from beginning to end!

Rating: 94 (A)

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Cusano 59 Rare Cameroon Preferido (JUL 08)

:  5 2/3″ x 58

Vitola: Perfecto

Wrapper:  Cameroon

Origin: Dominican Republic

I was sent this from a buddy up North, but the two new Cusanos will be available at my favorite store in the world, Capital City Cigars, sometime soon.

After I had enjoyed the new Sun Grown so much, I was really excited about the Rare Cameroon as the Cameroon leaf is my favorite wrapper. 

The cigar looks good enough; it has a nice dull sheen but very little tooth for a Cameroon leaf.  There are a few water spots on the wrapper and it is very firm to the touch, but other than that it looks nicely rolled.

There is a little acidity to the smoke, almost like a citrus quality; there is also the typical sweet wood flavor from a Cameroon wrapped cigar present early on.

A subtle spice builds, just a touch of pepper but an underlying metallic quality as well.

The burn on this cigar is more even than the new Sun Grown, but already I can tell you I prefer the Sun grown to the Rare Cameroon.  The Rare Cameroon is not as smooth as the Sun Grown even though the Sun Grown was a stronger cigar.

About halfway through the cigar began to get harsh and the harshness kept building as I smoked.  This was not as enjoyable as I thought it would be.  This cigar just does not seem ready yet.  I think it needed more time.

Rating: 81 (B-)

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Cusano Estate Reserve Churchill (2000)

Size:  7″ x 48

Vitola: Churchill

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade

Origin: Dominican Republic

I found a few of these in the bottom of the humidor.  They did not have a date label on them and I am working off of my memory when I say they are from 2000 or so…

This cigar is definitely mild, it has a good draw and it is very woody and somewhat creamy.  It does not have a lot of complexity, which most Cusanos do not have, but there was no harshness either after 8 years.

There is not much else to say about this cigar, and this s one of the drawbacks of aging a very mild cigar.  After a while it’s just going to taste like a Macanudo.  😉

Rating: 87 (B)

 

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Cusano LXI Habano Sun Grown Preferido (JUN 2008)

Size:  6 2/3″ x 58

Vitola: Perfecto

Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown

Origin: Dominican Republic

This is one of two new releases from the Brothers Chiusano (of Cusano cigars), the other being the Rare Cameroon, to be reviewed next week.  From their website it appears that they are referring to both new blends as double-wrapped, with a Dominican Sun Grown binder (I assume).  Why do they call a cigar double-wrapped when it is not visible on the outside?  We call that binder.  Anyway…I hear they now have their own factory, so if Kelner isn’t involved in either of these blends it could be trouble…

This is a very nice looking perfecto, fat in the middle and very tapered at the ends, reminiscent of the La Aurora Preferidos series.

The pre-light draw was easy, but it took a while to light and started off canoeing, which is pretty hard to do for a perfecto.  No surprise as this is what happens when Henke Kelner isn’t involved.

What is surprising is the taste.  Holy Tobacco Leaf Batman!  This cigar tastes awesome!  Very strong black coffee flavors, wakes you up right from the get go.  Not strong as in pepper/spice/ligero but strong in flavor.

This is a very rich cigar which also carried notes of leather and a touch of cream.  I loved the flavor, but the construction was off.  Maybe it was just super fresh, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now…

Rating: 88 (B+)

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