Cigar Journal: Cuban Stock Part II
A couple of weeks ago and wrote up the first part of my review of four Cuban Stock cigars. Today I’m smoking the last two cigars that were sent to me from Cuban Stock Cigar Company. If you missed my review of the first two you can find them here.
Cuban Stock Reserve
Name: Reserve
Company: Cuban Stock Cigar Co.
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic (aged 10 years in wine barrels with Dominican tree roots
Comes in: Box of 20
Vitola: Toro (6″ x 50)
Cuban Stock Reserve production is limited to 200 boxes or 4,000 cigars per month. This cigar also utilizes filler tobacco that is aged in a way I’ve never heard of before. Although I’ve heard of tobacco being aged in wine barrels before, the addition of tree roots is a bit of a curiosity to me. I regrettably didn’t notice this fact until I was finalizing my review and wish I would have had time to ask “why the roots?”
The wrapper leaf, which felt dry and velvety, was a light shade of brown most easily compared to a bale of straw. The vein structure was lite and in most cases unnoticeable. The cigar felt solid in my hand and I was unable to detect and hard or soft spots. The CS Reserve was finished off with a double cap which was neatly applied. Pre-light aroma from the foot and wrapper was a combination of hay and tobacco.
The first thing favor that jumped out at me after putting fire to the foot was roasted marshmallows. This is a flavor I haven’t picked up on in a cigar in a long time, and was actually a nice change of pace. A few puffs into the cigar I began to pick up on some light woody flavors that finished dry and required a few sips of water. The draw was absolutely perfect and the burn line was nearly perfectly straight. Towards the midpoint of the cigar I began to pick up a bitter vegetable flavor that seemed to increase my need to drink water. The combination of roasted marshmallow, wood and bitterness persisted to the end of the cigar when hints of almonds began to appear.
The CS Reserve was a decent cigar that I’d probably consider a better than average cigar had the bitterness not appeared. There wasn’t much complexity to the flavor of the cigar, but it did provide a nice amount of flavor while retaining a mild body that would pair nicely with a morning cup of coffee.
Limitado Exquisito
Name: Royal Selection
Company: Cuban Stock Cigar Co.
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Comes in: Box of 20
Vitola: Belicoso #2 (6.25 x 52 box-pressed)
The wrapper was dark and oily; probably the oiliest of the four Cuban Stock cigars I sampled during this review process. The veins were larger and more detectable than in the Reserve, but were still small in comparison to some other cigars I’ve smoked. The cigar was solid and expertly constructed. Only a few minor water spots blemished the wrapper, but to me that’s not a big deal. The wrapper smell, much like the first two cigars from Cuban Stock I reviewed, was full of barnyard aromas.
A blast of spice hit my tongue immediately after lighting this cigar and was quickly joined by a robust earthiness that coated my palate hints of espresso also presented themselves approximately 1 inch into the cigar. Those flavors remained throughout the entire cigar, but varied in strength at different times. The burn was even, the ash was solid and the draw was acceptable, although a little tight.
The Royal Selection was probably my favorite out of all the Cuban Stock cigars I sampled. This cigar was full bodied, well balanced and provided a great mix of flavors that excited my palate and made my mouth water. Additionally the construction was almost perfect with this cigar. With the exception of a slightly tight draw, the Royal Selection performed beautifully. For the purposes of this review I’m not putting too much weight on the draw issue, as I only smoked one and it could have been the one “bum” in the box.
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Great review Chris, sounds like the Royal Selection is the way to go and sounds like something I might enjoy. Keep up the good work, I really enjoyed the format of this review.