Tagged "connecticut shade"


A Review of Cusano Cigars, Big Bang for Your Buck

Posted by freedomcigars on

The Cusano 18 cigar earned an esteemed 91 rating in the January 2004 issue of Cigar Aficionado's Cigar Insider and was made a "Smokeshop Selection" by the Robb report in September 2004. Below we give you some insight on the construction and flavor profiles of the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigars, the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro cigars and the Cusano M1 blends.

[caption id="attachment_356" align="alignleft" width="88" caption="Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Cigars at My Discount Cigars"]Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Cigars at My Discount Cigars[/caption]

CUSANO 18 DOUBLE CONNECTICUT CIGARS:
The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigars are rich, creamy and packed with flavor. The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut's filler is comprised of Dominican Oro (gold) which has been aging since it was harvested more than eighteen years ago in 1985. Highlighting the extraordinary flavors of this rare filler is a both a rich Cuban Piloto and a mouth-watering Olor from the San Vicente region of the Dominican Republic. A Connecticut Shade leaf is then used as the binder which complements the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut's complex filler blend. To finish the composition is a second medium-tone, very flavorful Connecticut Shade wrapper which further amplifies the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigar's already rich, creamy flavor.  The incredible volume of flavor produced by this unique combination of filler tobacco, combined with the Double Connecticut Shade wrapper, offers a mouth-watering richness and a creamy finish in a mild to medium bodied cigar. The blondish wrapper of the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut gives off a greenish hue and the flavors that hit your palate are creamy sweet and grassy notes.

CUSANO 18 PAIRED MADURO CIGARS:

[caption id="attachment_355" align="alignright" width="120" caption="Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Cigars at My Discount Cigars"]Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Cigars at My Discount Cigars[/caption]

The Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Toro is a stout stogie with a lovely, shiny, brown wrapper.  It produces a heavy and rich smoke and is fuller in taste and body.  The Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Toro is blended with a Brazilian Mata Fina Maduro wrapper, a Dominican Piloto leaf for the filler, and a 1999 San Vicente Olor binder topped off with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper for a more intense, deep and full-flavored smoke.  Expect to taste hints of smoky leather, herbal, woody and spicy undertones leading to a chewy, long finish.  The flavors of the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Toro cigar are well-balanced and rich.  Dark and rich, pleasant to the touch, with a tart cedary finish, the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Toro is a solid cigar through and through.

Aged to perfection, we hope you enjoy the well-rounded, 91-rated, Cusano 18 Double Connecticut and the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro cigars as much as we do.

RATED 91 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Double Connecticut - Mild to Medium, Paired Maduro - Medium
Wrapper: Double Connecticut - 2 USA Connecticut Shade, Paired Maduro - USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro and Brazil
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Brazil, Dominican Republic

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Cusano M1 Cigars at My Discount Cigars
Cusano M1 Cigars at My Discount Cigars

CUSANO M1 CIGARS:

The Cusano M1 was created for the Macanudo lover on a budget.  The Cusano M1 cigars are sweet and creamy with an excellent construction and satisfying flavor.  For the smokers who prefer a more mellow, slightly sweeter, smooth and less expensive cigar the Cusano M1 is the perfect choice.  Expect a long, gray ash and an easy draw.  The Cusano M1 is an affordable cigar packed in a bundle of 20 and is one of the best values of all the Cusano blends. The Cusano M1 comes in 5 sizes:  Cafe Robusto (5 x 36), Churchill (7 1/2 x 50), Corona (6 1/2 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50) and Torpedo (6 x 52T).

With its loose draw, semi flaky ash and fast but consistent burn the Cusano M1 does have a consistent flavor profile.  The Cusano M1 exudes creamy toffee as well as coffee tones.  Even though it has a one-dimensional flavor profile, it is still an enjoyable smoke.

It is blended with a mild Dominican mixed filler and a Connecticut shade wrapper.  The Cusano M1 was rated a 9.0 by Smoke Magazine and ranks as one of the higher rated bundled cigars on the market.  It is definitely worth your while to invest in a full bundle. The Cusano M1 is an excellent cigar to keep in your humidor to share with friends.

RATED 9.0 BY SMOKE MAGAZINE!
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Mild
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigars, the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro cigars and the Cusano M1 cigars are all available online at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more about all of the Cusano blends please visit their site at CusanoCigars.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~

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The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto Cigar, as Reviewed by Jesse of CigarJack

Today I smoked a one year-old Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto cigar. See how it stacked up against one I smoked about a year ago:

Here’s the story. About a year ago I smoked a Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Natural. For those of you who don’t know, this cigar is made with 18 year-old filler tobacco that was left over from some experimental wrapper leaf grown in the Dominican Republic way back when. I thought it was a pretty good, smooth smoke the first time I had it. Its main downfall was the harsh, almost “chemical” aftertaste that it left on my palate. I figured that some time in my coolerdoor might do it some good, so I left the box of 20-minus-one to sleep in my coolerdoor and forgot about it.

A year later (more or less) and here I am looking for a smoke to review. I skimmed over a couple Fuente boxes and came across this old box of Cusano’s. And I remembered my little experiment. I decided I’d pick up one of these sticks and give it a second look.

Here’s the review:

Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto

Vital Stats

  • Size: 5×50, Robusto
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Shade, Natural
  • Binder: Dominican
  • Filler: Dominican
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Price: ~$3.75 in a box of 20
  • Smoke Time: ~1 hour and 15 minutes

Pre-Smoke

The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto cigar comes in boxes of 20 and each stick comes wrapped in cellophane. Upon removal of the plastic, it becomes evident that this is a very nice looking cigar. It has a smooth wrapper with a nice feel to it. It almost reminds me of swede. It isn’t toothy and has very few, if any veins running its length. It is pretty firm, but not overly packed with tobacco. It has a very large cap that should be quite hard to damage during the cut. The stick isn’t lumpy or uneven, and appears to be free of defect.

When I bring the foot of the cigar to my nose I get sweet cappuccino scents and almost a creamy vanilla bean character. It definitely entices the senses. The head clips easily and cleanly with my Cuban Crafter’s cutter (soon to be replaced by a Palio). The pre-light draw brings forth the same sweet cappuccino and vanilla notes as before. I’m looking forward to toasting this stogie.

Lighting Up

It only takes three wooden matches to get the foot of this cigar going. The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto is producing copious amounts of thick white smoke. The draw feels pretty moderate in my mouth, but the impression is that it is looser than it really is. I attribute this to the large amount of easy smoke this cigar produces.

The initial flavors of vanilla and light cappuccino come through even stronger during this first third of the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto cigar. The word “creamy” comes to mind when describing the feel on my palate. I get a slight “tingly”, peppery sensation on my lips and it seems to complement the rich creaminess of the cigar. The burn is pretty even, if not a little fast at the moment. There are also hints of distinct tobacco coming through.

Second Third

As the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robuto cigar progresses I begin to get some definite cedar notes at first. It begins to shift to a fresh oak or even maple aroma. It almost brings forth some thoughts of maple syrup. This is all probably due to the underlying sweetness of the cigar. It’s not an “in-your-face” processed white sugar sweetness, more of a natural cane sugar sweet. I also start to get some hazelnut notes. The cigar honestly reminds me of a creamy, frothy, smooth, hazelnut cappuccino. One thing to note, this is burning quickly, but really not all that hot. I’ll just have to slow down a bit.

Final Third

For its last third the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigar definitely looses is cedar and wood dimension and begins a sort of toasty spice flavor. By the end, the cigar just becomes downright bitter, and returns to that chemical aftertaste that I unfortunately had with my first experience with this cigar a year ago. All of the sweet creaminess that the cigar possessed early on has all but vanished and I end up putting this cigar down slightly past the band.

Bottom Line

For the most part, the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut was a good smoke. It was not entirely complex and the “hazelnut cappuccino” flavor that I used to describe its base remained for the majority of the cigar. This stick did benefit from some age. It was much smoother this time around. This was certainly a mild smoke, something that I would recommend as a good morning stick (maybe with a cappuccino?) or a good cigar for someone just getting into the habit – *cough* – hobby. One cannot overlook the price tag also. At under $6 a stick, the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto cigar is certainly something that everyone should try at least once.

Overall: 6 out of 10, BUY

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Thank you for sharing this great review with all the smokers out there Jesse!

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An Indepth Cigar Review of Matt Booth's Room 101 Cigars

Posted by freedomcigars on

With visions of fine accessories, including a humidor series unlike anything else on the cigar market, and lighters as well as cutters, Matt Booth teamed up with Christian Eiroa, of Camacho Cigars, and Room 101 Cigars were born!  The Room 101 cigars are handcrafted and specially blended by Camacho Cigars in Honduras for California designer and musician Matt Booth. Matt teamed up with Camacho to launch Room101 cigars which are highly flavorful and enjoyable. Matt names each cigar in this line after area codes. He utilizes the very exclusive Semilla 101 wrapper from Habano-seed grown solely for this project by the Eiroa family's farm in Danli, Honduras. The Room 101 cigars are also blended with aged long-fillers from the Dominican Republic and Honduras, and a Honduran binder giving them a smooth, medium-bodied flavor.

The following sizes are currently available: Room101 213 (Corona), Room101 305 (Robusto), Room101 323 (Toro), Room101 404 (Torpedo), Room101 702 (11/18 Perfecto), and Room101 808 (Bertha Gordo). They are available in Connecticut shade as well as Maduro. The packaging the Room101 cigars come in are the traditional slide-top cedar boxes with a matte black lacquer and silver foil branding which was a collaboration between Matt Booth, Franco Vescovi and Dylan Austin.

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Room101 at My Discount Cigars"]Room101 At My Discount Cigars[/caption]

Get ready for a burst of full-on flavors of earth, espresso, cocoa, spice, wood, cedar, pepper and cream in your mouth with the Room101 cigars! Every Room101 cigar is adorned with a silver and black band reminiscent of a cross between American tattoo culture and Japanese designs. With their excellent construction you won't have a need to relight the Room 101 stick after the initial light. They have an even burn, strong ash, and thick, billowy smoke.

With Matt Booth's unconventional, original, creative and diverse array of accessories, jewelry, leathers, wallet chains and other art, it's a delight that he has added the Room101 cigars to his fine line. He is a true visionary, original, gifted and creative and you can experience it first-hand with his Room101 cigars. Matt took a small idea, that was born in a small Hollywood apartment, and made it explode into a worldwide movement! For a tasty, easygoing and highly rated smoke, try one of the Room 101 cigars today and become a convert.

RATED 86 - 89 BY CIGAR INSIDER AND CIGAR AFICIONADO FOR SEVERAL OF THEIR BLENDS!

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Medium Body
Wrapper: Honduran Semilla 101
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic and Honduras

Room101 Cigars are available online here at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more information about the Room101 Cigars please visit their website at Room101cigars.com.

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Cigar Coop's Review of the Room101 #305 (Robusto) Connecticut Cigar

From talking to retailers and media, it seems as though a big theme for the 2011 cigar year has been the Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade wrapper.   There have been some very good Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade wrapper cigars introduced this year including the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut, J&D Temptation Claro, and the Alec Bradley American Classic.  With these solid releases, I didn't know what to expect from the new releases at the IPCPR show.   When I visited the Room 101 section of the Davidoff booth, Room 101 founder Matt Booth handed me a sample of his new Connecticut cigar.  The end result was after smoking this cigar, the bar had been raised for 2011 for Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade cigars.

As I said when I previewed this cigar last week, I consider Matt Booth a friend.  At the same time, Booth is the kind of guy who I know you could give honest feedback when it comes to his brand.  Therefore my thoughts here are not influenced one bit from that friendship.

Last year, I thought AJ Fernandez knocked it out of the park with his San Lotano Connecticut.  From my initial impressions of this sample, the Room 101 Connecticut is even better.   Since this was an unbanded sample and I still need to fill some holes in from a technical standpoint on this cigar, I've opted to go with a Pre-Review.  I'm confident this impression is accurate on what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

I have some repetition from when I previewed this cigar, but I want to include it for completeness.   For this Connecticut Shade wrapper, Booth was able to tap into being a part of the Davidoff family and leveraged a Davidoff tobacco for this wrapper.

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (Ecuador)
Binder: Honduras Corojo
Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic

Vitolas Available

213 (Corona): 5 1/2 x 44

305 (Robusto): 5 x 50
404 (Torpedo): 6 x 54
808 (Double Toro): 6 x 60
615 (Churchill): 7 x 48

702 (11/18 Perfecto): 6 x 48/54

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

The sample I received was an unbanded Room101 305c Connecticut cigar. Since I only had a straight cutter with me, I defaulted to a straight cut.  The initial flavors from the prelight draw were pretty much what I expected - a nice butter cream.  What surprised me was how robust the dry draw notes were.  It was then on to fire up this sample and see what would come next.


Flavor Profile

The butter notes I got on the initial draws were present right at the start.  There was also a hint of citrus sweetness at the beginning.  The butter notes soon got more robust.  I couldn't put my finger on what made these butter notes special and I mentioned it to Booth.  Booth responded by asking me if it had a taste like buttered popcorn - and I concurred with this.  Overall, the Room101 305C cigar produced one of the most unique butter tastes I ever got on a Connecticut shade wrapper.

As the smoking experience progressed through the first half, the citrus notes got more pronounced and meshed very well with the butter flavors.   Around the halfway point, some notes of spice emerged.  The spice was a nice cross between pepper and cedar spice.  The spice was the dominant flavor note in the second half, and much of the butter notes were pretty much diminished at this point.   The finish had a nice spice kick to it with no harshness.  The resulting nub was a little soft, but it was cool.

Burn and Draw

At IPCPR, sometimes it is typical to smoke a sample and have problems with the burn and draw due to storage and humidity.  Being IPCPR was in Las Vegas, there was an obvious shortage of humidity in the atmosphere.  However with my Room 101 305 (Robusto) sample, it shined when it came to burn and draw.   The burn was for the most part sharp with few touch-ups needed.  The Room 101 Connecticut never burned hot and it burned at a good rate.   The draw was excellent as well making for a very enjoyable smoke.

Burn of the Room 101 Connecticut

Strength and Body

The Room101 305c was a very interesting profile for a Connecticut Shade cigar.   From a nicotine standpoint, the Room 101 Connecticut falls into the mild to medium range.  From a body standpoint, this is where things got interesting.  The depth of the flavors are actually on the high end of the medium range - and in some cases, I detected the body to actually be medium to full.   The Room 101 305-Connecticut robusto is one of those cigars that makes it easy to distinguish the difference between strength and body.

Final Thoughts

The Room 101 #305 Connecticut cigar was a surprise to some that it was even being released.  It was even a bigger surprise as I do feel it was one of the highlights of IPCPR.   The flavors are pronounced and literally "dance at you" as you smoke this cigar.   This cigar was nothing short of a home run and I think will appeal to both new and seasoned cigar enthusiasts.    This one is well worth checking out.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium (Medium to Full at times)

Source: This sample was received at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show.  The sample was initiated by Matt Booth of Room 101 Cigars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review.

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Thanks to William Cooper for this helpful review!

 

 

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