Cusano Aged 18 Years

Update: 03/30/2008 Just got done smoking another paired maduro robusto cigar. This one does make up for the one I first had. I just knew with the Cusano reputation that it had to be a badly stored cigar. The one today was great and had a deep rich flavor, plus goes great with the Knob Creek Bourbon I tried. Glad I picked up a sweet deal on some of the cigars today. Now if I only had a bigger humidor I could have gotten a whole box and a free hat. Dang it, got to get that thing ordered. I just spent $1,000 on some new Titleist golf clubs and don't want to give my wife a heart attack.

Just started this one. Price 5.99 Toro Single. OK, maybe I went to a bad cigar shop for this one or something. This was a terrible cigar. The flavor got old very quickly. You would think that by being aged it would have a more mellow taste. Even my co-workers said it smelled awful.

Here is another sites review: Cusano 18 is made with 18-year aged Dominican Olor filler tobaccos (yes indeed: 18 years). These fillers are combined with a rotund helping of Cuban-seed Dominican fillers for oomph and bound by a super-smooth Connecticut shade binder (a wrapper-quality binder), and the whole thing is then dressed with an even smoother, silkier Connecticut shade outer wrapper. The end result is a cigar bursting with rich n’ creamy goodness, followed by a complex, full-flavored finish. Complex yet smooth....if you like cigars like that, give Cusano 18 the hairy eyeball.Cigar Aficionado's Insider rated the Cusano 18 '91':"This stout cigar has a shiny golden wrapper. It's full in body and has a rich, heavy smoke. Flavors are leathery and smoky with a note of creamy vanilla. It's well balanced, leading to a long, woody finish..."

Cifuentes Partagas 1876

Just finished my first Cifuentes Partagas. It was an OK smoke, but doesn't justify its labels enormous ego. However it is a reasonably priced cigar. Still not the best one I have tried so far.

From their web site:
These cigars bare the name of the Cifuentes family, the legendary makers of Partagas in Cuba. In a tradition that spans a century, the masters of Partagas would create cigars under their name with a unique and distinct character from all others readily available. That tradition continues with Partagas Cifuentes Blend.
Its deeply satisfying, full, rich taste is derived from a limited crop of sun-ripened Honduran wrapper leaves. The extra aging on the plant gives the wrapper leaf flavor characteristics like no other. And naturally, the quality and craftsmanship found in these cigars is everything you’d expect from a Partagas. This is a cigar that Ramon Cifuentes himself would have been proud to offer.

Cusano

Just finished my first Cusano P1 cigar. It was $2.99 at the cigar shop. It was my first topedo cigar, so I had to buy a cutter instead of using my bullet punch. Got to have the right tools you know. Not sure I liked the torpedo. Seems like it draws a little harder than the regular ends. Does anyone know why they make them in this shape? Flavor wise it was not a bad cigar, but did not stand out in my mind. It had the broadleaf maduro wrapper and I know I much prefer the finer texture of the Conneticut wrapper now.


Here is what cigar.com had to say:
The Cusano P1 is a dark and oily bundled cigar that is an excellent alternative for aficionados who prefer hearty cigars like Punch and Partagas. At an everyday low price, the P1 is an excellent value.
Before becoming known for some of the best premiums in the world, Cusano cigars started their value driven business in bundles with their Celebrity Series, which encompasses several lines of bundled cigars that were designed with one goal in mind, to compete directly with name brand cigars twice their price. Rolled at the famous Tabadom Factory in the Dominican Republic, the bundled Cusano Celebrity Series uses exacting standards to match the blends of some of the most famous cigars in the world including Punch, Partagas, Macanudo, and Montecristo to name a few.
The P1 by Cusano finds itself on the other end of the spectrum from the other Cusano bundles as the P1 brings a nice dark and rich wrapper over a Dominican filler and binder. The result is a cigar that can stand up to the rest of the medium to full- bodied cigars on the market. When Cusano made these cigars, he wanted to make a cigar that Punch and Partagas smokers would enjoy both in flavor and in price. The P1 starts out with a little bit of sweetness from the wrapper then kicks into full gear about one inch in, exploding with complex flavors. The cigar is both concise and consistent from start to finish. At such an affordable price, people are amazed that this bundled cigar is able to compete so well to the bigger names on the market. With the P1, aficionados have found all the quality at half the price.

Macanudo

Smoked my first Macanudo last week. This is a great cigar and deserves its reputation.
I am finally about done with the cigars I got in Florida and have purchased some of my own so I can add price to the equation. My delima with this brand is there are so many different cigars, you don't know if they are all the same etc. I am not sure I can tell from the label which one I actually had.

Here is what cigar-review.com had to say:
Every time you light up a Macanudo, you can count on the world's top selling cigar to always delivers the same distinctively smooth, mellow taste. Produced today in the Dominican Republic, Macanudos are made with a flavorful Dominican blend and a select binder grown in the rich San Andrés Tuxtla Valley of Mexico. The makers of Macanudo grow, cure and age their own Connecticut Shade - the most sought-after tobacco for premium cigar wrappers. In addition, only the makers of Macanudo age all of their tobaccos twice, just as it used to be done in Havana during the golden age of Cuban cigars.