I can't think of a single cigar of recent memory that I enjoyed less than the Casa Magna Oscuro, it was just plain terrible. In fact, it was so shockingly terrible that I nearly ran away from the cigar in this review like tiny Japanese people run from Godzilla in the movies. I can see it now, I am minding my own business while perusing some humidor when all of the sudden someone runs in screaming and pointing and I look up, and to my ultimate horror some crappy cigar is descending upon us to wreak havoc and destruction to all that we hold dear. OK, so maybe that is a bit dramatic, but you see my point right? One bad cigar can turn you off to an entire brand of cigars in a soul scarring horror show, and you would be dragged back kicking and screaming to smoke that cigar again. That is how I feel about this one before I even start.
The cigar itself is interesting to look at, but it has some characteristics that I find to be a turn off. First, it is box pressed, I hate this feature in a cigar. Unless you are the Padron's you should not be box pressing anything, period! The band work is trying to be intricate, but I think it comes off looking cheap and too busy. It does have a pigtail cap, which I usually find visually whimsical and appealing, but in this case it is a rigid, short stub that just does not seem right to me. The wrapper is veiny, but not unduly so, and I don't think it will be a real problem. The pre light aroma is spicy, but there is an odd fuel smell there too. The pre light draw is tangy, almost like it was treated with something.
The cigar opens with a profile that is long on short, sharp flavors and lacks complexity and depth. The profile is tart, with some odd spice flavors that I would associate with sour nutmeg. It is really not appealing at all in this stage of the smoke and I am thinking I should have made like the Japanese and run for my life. The back of the palate has some sharp cedar flavors, but there is a fuel like undertone here as well and it is reminiscent of how kerosene smells when burned. The draw is nice, I wish it weren't. The burn is solid and a nice ash is forming.
The first half of the cigar shows some minor improvements. The profile becomes a more acceptable presentation of wood, cinnamon and spice, but it still lacks depth in the flavor profile and some of the flavors still seem sharp to me. At the back of the palate sharp cedar flavors continue to dominate, but the fuel taste has disappeared and I wonder what impurities were in the front part of the smoke. The draw is still strong to this point and I am enjoying the construction aspects of this cigar. The burn is also solid to this point and the ash is solid.
The final half of the cigar makes me realize that my fears of Godzilla were misplaced, this really just turned out to be a false alarm. The profile becomes a very complex mix of flavors, it is too little too late, but it is still a welcome finish to a cigar that started out marching to a death knell. The profile picks up some very nice coffee notes to complement an ever intensifying array of cinnamon and spice, there is also a vanilla like sweetness here that is very interesting when worked into the other flavors. At the back of the palate the flavor is still all cedar, but is has become less sharp and allows a nice tobacco flavor to show through in the end. The burn and draw stay solid right to the end of the smoke.
The finish was middling, but it did show some cinnamon and cedar flavors.
Appearance- 82 just too many odd attributes here
Taste- 86 big deductions for first half issues, but it came on strong in the second half
Construction- 93 a very well made smoke that performed very well
Strength- 87 I will call this an uninspired medium
Overall- 87.75 all in all, not bad, and nowhere near as bad as I thought
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