JC Newman

April 01, 2017

Casta Cigars Pre-Embargo Puro (5 1/2 x 44)







Video review HERE.


How do you produce a cigar so limited and rare and still make it accessible to everyone? The solution is by releasing small batches, one at a time. We believe this 75 year Cuban Picadura Seco Volado leaf to be some of the rarest in the world.  Understandably, the quantity is extremely limited. The initial batch of our Fusion and Puro PreEmbargo will be limited to 300 sticks per blend. Priced at $15.99 and $19.99 respectively, this initial offering presents the most economical chance to enjoy a piece of history. As our stock becomes smaller, the price will increase.  

Today I am reviewing the Pre-Embargo Puro.


Blend:
75 year old pre-embargo Cuban filler. Brazilian wrapper and Indonesian binder. 

The cigar has an average feel in the hand for a cigar of this size.





The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors were an earthy coffee, dry cedar, and a minor amount of caramel. The earthy coffee is the prominent flavor. The pepper tastes like a red pepper and I rate it at a 7 to 7 1/2. The finish has caramel notes with a little lingering red pepper. The cigar is medium bodied at this point.




2 1/2 inches in (25 minutes) the sweetness has increased. The cedar is a little more pronounced. It has a little twang to it now. The pepper seems to have changed over to a black pepper now. It still has the same intensity. There are also some dry nut flavors in the cigar. I also noticed dry nut notes on the finish to go along with the caramel notes. The cigar is still medium bodied. 




With about 1 1/2 inches remaining (44 minutes) the sweetness is the best it's been so far. There are sprinklings of brown sugar on the cedar now. The sweetness has gone up from the initial light up. The pepper has also increase and it is up to an 8.






The cigar lasted 55 minutes. You still had the dry cedar with a touch of brown sugar and caramel. There was still the earthy coffee at the base. The black pepper remained at a good intensity. The finish is basically unchanged. The cigar remained at medium bodied. As a critical noted I am unsure if the filler is all long filler as I got several pieces of tobacco in my mouth from time to time. Other than that the cigar was not bad. It was both medium in body and sweetness/enjoyment. While these are not inexpensive they would make a good try based on the rareness of them alone. 


Score: 90

2 comments:

Craig Vanderslice said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Craig Vanderslice said...

Hey Tim! I too was surprised that the Casta Puro wasn't just a flavorless gimmick. In my understanding of the terms "picadora", "seco" and "volado", Picadura is generally scraps or short filler, and Seco and Volado generally refer to lower primings. This, along with the 75 years under a barn somewhere in Lancaster PA I was very surprised that the cigar was as good as it was. Well done review and I look forward to hearing what you think of the Fusion. Try not to look them up on my site so your perception isn't tainted :-)