This is my first review for CigarJack, so I wanted to introduce myself to you, our loyal readers.
I was born and raised in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, but I didn't start writing until I moved to Buffalo for college. And while I enjoyed the occasional cigar in high school, I became a more frequent smoker in college. After I graduated, I moved to Chicago to pursue a graduate degree.
A year and a half later, I'm still here. Go figure.
As far as my cigar tastes, here's my philosophy: Give me something tasty and cheap. I generally like my cigars dark and oily, but I've enjoyed some lighter cigars recently. If I'm smoking a more expensive cigar, it had better be unique. And worth writing about.
Brand: La Aroma de Cuba
Vitola: Robusto 5x54
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Cuban seed Honduran
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Cuban seed Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Box Price: $102 (Box of 25)
Now for the review: I picked up a couple Aroma de Cuba robusto cigars during my last trip to Binny's. I heard they were decent cigars, but I won't lie -- I liked the band. It's pretty damn cool-looking.
Aroma de Cuba, the choice brand of Winston Churchill, was taken over by the Ashton Cigar Co. in 2002, so it's decent, at least. I've also heard and read good things from fellow enthusiasts.
The cigars I purchased looked and felt good, but once I lit them up, I found that both were actually quite difficult to draw, which surprised me a bit. (I used a punch for one and my cutter for the other.) Also, I found the cigars burned a bit unevenly, which normally wouldn't bother me, but it made the cigars a bit unstable.
Aroma de Cuba had a warm, nutty aroma and flavor. It may have been just me, but the Aroma de Cuba blend is seemed to taste like pistachios. Go figure. It wasn't a bad thing, per se -- just, well, unexpected.
Anyway, when I got down to the second half of the cigar, it opened up, giving me a nice spicy taste.
Verdict: La Aroma de Cuba has a good reputation for being a tasty, well-rounded cigar. I'm thinking maybe I got a bit of bad luck with the two sticks I bought.
Similar cigars: Punch Rare Corojo
Popularity: 16% [?]
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve smoked a few of these in the past and found the Cetro and Corona Minor sizes to smoke a bit better, but sometimes they do tend to be a little tight so are best stored at an RH around 65%.
Welcome Dan. I’ve got to say that I was actually afraid to read you review. Not because it wasn’t Jesse writing it, but because it just happens to be one of my personal favorites. I’ve probably smoked a box and a half of these over the past year and I never tire of them. That being said, I wish I could disagree with you, but alas I cannot. While Jesse is right about the Churchill’s being a little better, the draw on these tend to be tight and the burn varies between “slighly off-kilter” and “way out of whack”. The only reason I can give for why I keep coming back is the taste. For a medium-bodied cigar, they have a great almond flavor that I absolutely love. I’m a total almond nut (heh, really that was unintentional) and the minute I tried one of these, I was hooked. Every time I give one of these away, I get the same report back, “Great taste, but a bit fussy.”
Whew. So it wasn’t just me.
And yes, Dandyman. That was cheesy. Boooo. (Kidding.)
Am on second box of these. They are “fussy” as you stated, but the flavor and aroma are addictive. I was hoping the second box would improve, but alas, no. Tks.. Rodger
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