Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Casa Fuente Robusto

Cigar name: Casa Fuente
aka: "Casa's"
Vitola: Robusto (5 ¼" x 50)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Casa Fuente Blend (tweaked Opus X blend)
Released: 2005 @ CFC & Casa Fuente
Quantity: limited to Casa Fuente
MSRP = $21 (no tax) x 25 per box = $525.00
Notes: The Casa Fuente cigars are sold only at the Casa Fuente store (a joint venture of Robert Levin from Holts and the Fuentes), located in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

The blend originally started out as an Opus X blend, but was changed somewhat from that initial profile. It boasts a Cameroon wrapper grown from the original Cameroon seeds planted by Rick Meerapfel. Approximately 100 of these cigars were handed out at CFC 2005; they are also for sale exclusively at Casa Fuente (no Internet/phone orders).

There are other rare cigars for sale at Casa Fuente, in addition to the full line of Opus X, AƱejo, and Hemingway (natural and maduro), and other Fuente-produced cigars and related paraphernalia.

Appearance: This is a beautiful looking cigar, but you wouldn't expect any less. One of the hallmarks of Fuente Cigars, it seems, is stellar construction. They just seem to produce good looking cigars. This one is no different. A solid evenly filled beautifully rolled cigar draped in a lovely cassia bark toned wrapper (or to those who think my waxing poetic is pretentious, and it just might be, it has a nice, slightly red hue to it), which was appropriate, considering some of the flavor notes I got from it later on.

PreLight: First off, I often take time to just look and smell a cigar before cutting and lighting it, to get a feel for it. I don't know why, but for whatever reason I don't always mention it in my reviews, its weird, but oh well. In this case I think its something important, because the smell of this cigar in its original state is fantastic (another of the Fuente line, the Opus X, tends to give off an awesome aroma as well.)! It was sweet like honey and cinnamony, and just enough earth to keep it from being cloying. It was almost a shame to have to put a flame to this one, but that was not going to stop me! Clipping was a breeze (used the trusty Palio cutter this time) and pre light notes were more of the cigars initial aromas, and a bit of leather thrown in for good measure.

Burn/Draw: Like I said earlier, good construction is a hallmark of a Fuente made cigar, and it shows the most in the burn and draw. After a tiny bit of a lighting issue, the burn was slow and cool, long and straight the whole length of the cigar. Once it got rolling, it took care of itself. The draw was just the way I like it, free and easy (but like I said, it did not burn hot), and this cigar produced copious amounts of billowing creamy blue grey smoke. The ash was a bit flaky, nothing horrible, a very light grey and help for a respectable inch and a quarter or so.

Flavors: This is a very refined cigar. Where its cousin, the Opus X is big and bold and occasionally in your face, this cigar kind of meanders through its flavor progressions when it feels like it, (more like sitting on the back porch watching the sun set, to the Opus X's commanding Operatic performance). It started off with a burst of black pepper and spice, but after about a quarter of an inch it mellowed out significantly. Those tasty honey notes returned, along with the cassia notes (the stuff they sell in cinnamon bottles in the supermarket is actually cassia, evidently, I learned that on the Food Network the other day!), and the cigar turned sweet and tangy (again with the tangy notes on a Cameroon wrapper, hmmmmm. . .). Over the last third of the smoke, the earthiness and leather crept in, lending the flavor a depth that was not there previously, and rounding out the experience nicely. This was a very good cigar.

Onto whether to recommend this cigar. It was a very good smoke, and I was glad I got the opportunity to smoke it (thank you to who sent it to me, you know who you are!), but, as you can see at the beginning of my review that this cigar is both expensive, and relatively difficult to find. So I will say this, those who want to find this cigar, I doubt will be disappointed, as long as they are not expecting an in your face stogie. This is a medium/medium cigar, though not medium on flavor. Given the choice between buying this cigar or some of my other favorites (especially at the price point set), I would probably go elsewhere. That said this is a fine smoke and you cannot go wrong with it.

TomC