Blog > Luthier Sessions: Casa Cuevas Habano Toro

Luthier Sessions: Casa Cuevas Habano Toro

Luthier Sessions: Casa Cuevas Habano Toro

I am doing some experimenting, and consequently, learning with my neck shaping process. I am trying some different things with my setup for getting a rough cut neck to a final shape. Today I grabbed a sampler of Casa Cuevas cigars I received and took some pictures and figured I would smoke one of them for review while I worked. I have known of Casa Cuevas for years, but I just, for whatever reason, haven’t taken the plunge. I like the story behind the company, the presentation of the cigars, and the blend details I have seen for their lines. While snapping some pictures, the Habano really stood out to me, so that’s what I am going with as my introduction to the company.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Factory: Tabacalera Las Lavas

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Pennsylvania

Vitola: 6 x 50 Toro

Price: $8.90 MSRP

Release Date: April 2017

Company Website: www.casacuevascigars.com 

This Casa Cuevas Habano is gorgeous. I love the simplistic, yet elegant band design and the color combination is perfect against this wrapper. This veiny Habano wrapper leaf is medium brown and almost leathery. The roll is firm and a bit lumpy in spots. The cigar smells of general tobacco and cedar. The cold draw is milk chocolate and fruit punch. It’s an interesting combination, but it works. First light brings medium-full bodied smoke with medium flavors of coffee, toast, dark chocolate, and a bit of baking spice into the finish. Within just a couple puffs the flavor and body come up to just under full and some oily wood is introduced. The retrohale is primarily a savory, woody meatiness, but there is some dark chocolate and dark roast coffee in there as well. The first third closes out with flawless performance and the flavor and body are around full. There is a lot of wood, coffee, and some slightly salty meatiness and earth on the draw. A half inch or so into the second third there is a bit of a fruity sweetness joining the draw, along with some black pepper. Hitting halfway I let it go out by accident because I got hung up with something between puffs. The cigar relit easily and picked back up with wood, earth, some salty meat, and pepper, and now there is a bit of a peppermint joining in.  The retrohale has some sweet and spicy pepper, musty earth, and wood. Ending the second third the cigar has required more frequent puffing to stay lit since it went out earlier. Hitting the primary band the profile is full in body and flavor with some rich, creamy earth, wood, black pepper, and spices. The retrohale echoes the creamy earth and pepper, but adds some citrus. Coming to an end at an hour and 50 minutes the profile remained mostly the same with a bit more pepper and some tannins coming in. It actually returned to normal puff rates in the final third which was nice as it kept it from getting hot too early.

Overall Experience

Overall I thought this was a good introduction to Casa Cuevas. The cigar had plenty of flavor throughout and performed pretty great besides needing some more frequent puffing for the second half of the second third. The experience wasn’t super complex, or full of transitions, but the flavors offered were balanced well and pretty identifiable. Throughout there were notes of earth, wood, pepper, coffee, spices, and dark chocolate. The strength was likely around medium. I think this would be a cigar I’d recommend trying, especially if you’re new to the brand. Though, if you prefer mild to medium flavor and strength profiles, I may recommend you start with something else in their portfolio as to not deter you.

Feel free to reach out to me with questions, concerns, criticisms, or just to talk at @guitarsandcigarsfarm on Instagram, or contact me through the site here

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