Cigar Review: Casa Magna Colorado Robusto

Casa Magna Colorado Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Colorado (Colorado refers to the reddish color of the wrapper)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5×52 Robusto
Price: $27.99 per 5 Pack, I paid $7 per single (touted as a $5 cigar, pshhhst)

Background: Unless you’ve been hiding in a hole for the last year, you may already know that this cigar was rated Cigar of the Year 2008 by Cigar Aficionado. There has been much controversy over this cigar regarding such a high rating and weather it is worthy or not. I typically don’t pay much attention to the ratings that a cigar gets in “CA” because of the way they review cigars, but it does influence my buying habits from time to time; this is one of them. I first got to try this cigar when it was first rated a 92 before it became cigar of the year. Then, boom, they are gone; “Oliva Serie V-ed,” “Decade-ed” (after a great rating from Cigar Aficionado there were none to be had for a while). About 6 months later, one of my shops got them in and I immediately grabbed a few and went on my way. I got home and noticed I paid $7 per single, a cigar that was touted to be a $5 cigar, hope they put the extra $2 back into the shop.

Appearance & Construction: This is a nice looking cigar. The wrapper is an oily reddish-brown color and it appears to be flawlessly constructed; no soft spots, no blemishes on the wrapper – Nice! And a pretty fancy looking band to top it all off.

Smoking Characteristics: The draw is a little sung for my licking but I am sure it is perfect for others. The burn is slightly wavy and required some touch ups. The burn rate was ultra slow which was nice for a change. For the most part the ash was solid however there was some flowering but it stayed attached to the rest of the ash. The body of this cigar is full and the strength is medium.

Flavor: This cigar has a spicy intro but quickly settles into a nice rich, sweet bouquet of cedar, coffee, and caramel. As the cigar progresses I also get some leather which is very nice. The cigar does not alter out of these flavors but certain flavors fizzle in and out at different times of the cigar.

Final Thoughts: Not my choice for cigar of the year but don’t get me wrong, this is a damn good cigar. Here is the thing with cigar reviews. It is subjective. We all have different flavor profiles that we enjoy and running a cigar review site, I try to rate the cigar upon its merit. If a cigar doesn’t fit my flavor profile I will tell you, but I try to give as much information to you, the reader, so you can make the decision of whether or not to buy the cigar. One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure and just because the “experts” say it is a good cigar doesn’t hold any water with me and shouldn’t with you because once again, we all have different palates. Again, this cigar is no chump but I think there were plenty of other cigars on that list that were much better in my humble opinion. The Decade, Tempus, Definace, Serei V, but again my palate is not the same as the boys at CA.

Worth A Shot: Yes
Buy Again: Yes, I’ld like to have 5er of these
Enjoyabliity: Medium – High
Similar Cigars: Don Pepin Garcia Blue with more sweetness