HumiBlog.com

The Cusano Corojo ’97 Torpedo has earned great marks from prestigious publications like Cigar Aficionado and others. It’s also touted as “Dark and Spicy” on the manufacturer website. Since I have also heard them described as very full-bodied cigars, I set my expectation “gears” up for a powerhouse smoke and reached for the stick.

I had but pulled the cigar from the humidor, hadn’t even lit it yet, when a shadow of doubt began to cloud my mind. The cigar had all the marks of a light bodied, rather blond cigar.

I clipped it, lit up with a nice cedar strip and the cloud of doubt got cemented in. This isn’t a full-bodied cigar; it’s light, very light… but on it went.

The smoke was plentiful, and smelled slightly peppery, buttery and spicy. A faint little stitch of leather lingered in the background of the lightly spicy flavors. I found the ash to be quite solid, though in my opinion this particular specimen had been rolled a bit too loosely; the resulting draw was a bit loose for my taste.

The cigar burned very well, never threatening to go out in the 90 minutes or so I smoked it in. There was a slight progression toward sweet woody notes with what I can only describe as a blond leather undertone. I say “blond” because it isn’t like the dark leather notes of a full-bodied cigar. It is reminiscent of leather, but as if coming from a distinctly light-bodied stick and perhaps even blond tobacco. Does that make sense? It’s quite unique, I must say, and a nice achievement for Cusano.

The last third of this torpedo rose quickly to a buttery cedar note accompanied by some spice. The smoker must beware though. Too much solicitation at this point can return some acrid notes and may even ruin the experience all together.

Keep it smoking cool, lay it down at the first sign of bitterness, and enjoy an agreeable finish for a good hour.

Overall, my first impressions were affected negatively by the overeager Cusano publicity. Labeling a cigar “Dark” and “Full-bodied” seems to be in fashion these days as smokers’ preferences have moved in that direction of late, but in this case it proves counter productive. Since the manufacturer’s description has found its way to major publications, I have undoubtedly come to question their objectivity.

Think light-bodied, maybe a light-medium, with spicy notes and that distinct leathery undertone, and I believe you will be pleased with this stick.

For more information on these ’97 Cusano Corojos, just click on any image above or check them out at Cigars Direct.

I reached into the humidor this week and a relatively new addition came out, a Camacho SLR Maduro Rothschild. You may have noticed that Camacho has launched a new and zippier ad campaign in an effort to create a new image. Whether or not their new “image” will be a success, I can’t say, but one thing is undeniable: they have good tobacco and, as the SLR Rothschild demonstrates, a workmanship that can be pitted against the best.

The SLR Maduros may look a bit rough on the wrapper side, but the dark cacao and sweet spice aromas it yields are delicate and subtle. The draw just can’t be better. The combustion is very good and keeps the cigar evenly lit with a decent smoke volume all the way to the nub.

The cigar starts out with a predominant white pepper note along other roasted flavors. There are definitely some faint nuts in the background as well at the onset. The evolution into the first half also sees a decrease in the pepper and surfacing dark bitter chocolate.

Contrary to other “powerhouse” cigars, the SLR Maduro is not linear or flat past the half way mark. I found that if smoked cool, the smoke continues to develop; it temporarily moves away from a roasted profile to more salty mineral notes. I found this very interesting, though I realize it may not be everyone’s preference.

Sweet wood and cedar notes begin to appear past the 2/3 mark and, as if in a reprise, the bitter cacao and spices join the very intense flavors right before the end. I enjoyed the medium finish and the beautiful musky aroma it left in my lounge.

I give this cigar good marks for maintaining a certain level of complexity that is often absent from the stronger maduro sticks. If you enjoy a heavy, full-bodied maduro, you will certainly appreciate what the Camacho SLR has to offer.

For more information on this and other SLRs, you may click on any image above or head over to Cigars Direct where I got this excellent lot.

With the exception of the Robusto Extra, which I found much too bland, monochromatic and linear, I have always enjoyed a good Trinidad. They are pricey, but here, in my opinion, you pay for something very special and very hard to duplicate. They are mild to medium bodied, and yet have darker notes that you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a milder smoke, and a good evolution of flavor and aroma that are unique and tantalizing no matter who you are.

The construction is perfect one hundred percent of the time, from pigtail to foot. There’s nothing like that kind of predictability in a cigar to make you want to buy it by the box. The wrapper is free of kinks or spots and sweetly scented with notes of spices and cacao butter. The draw too is predictably on spot.

I lit a Trini Reyes while watching the New England – Indianapolis game. I figured a great game deserves something worthy to accompany it. Thick, complex and very aromatic, the smoke that oozes from the foot on these is rewarding immediately upon lighting.

The texture of the smoke is actually quite creamy, and begins to evolve after about half an inch. Sweet spices and cacao butter, at the onset, yield to more musky vanilla and nuts. I distinctly pick up walnuts here, but some of my friends say it’s almonds… whatever the case, we all agree it’s a very delicate and elegant evolution.

Finally, the cigar settles on darker caramel notes laced with licorice and sweet wood. I’m not sure I would go so far as to pair this up with a single malt or a brandy. Keep from overpowering this by pairing it with champagne, or an oaky white wine. In my case, I had a nice bottle of Amontillao, a semi-dry golden sherry I drew from the oak barrels just three weeks ago.

I admit to being disappointed at the Patriots’ winning that game, but I had a hell of a great cigar in hand to see me through.