My feelings about Cusano cigars are well known amongst the group that I smoke with. In short, I have never thought much of their offerings, often thinking that if I wanted to smoke something that tasted like burning grass I would head out to my yard and roll up some lawn waste and puff away. Don't get me wrong, there is something to be said for a grassy profile. Cuban Cohibas are world famous and they taste much the same to me, I just don't care for it.
This particular cigar (by the way I am aware that it is Diadema, however on the coffin this cigar came in the spelling is as above) came to me from a great friend that has always sung the praises of the Killer Cameroon cigars. Sadly, for him, the line is long defunct and finding any at all is a rare treat for him. On his birthday a couple of years ago he was gifted several by some friends of ours and ever the generous brother of the leaf he shared the bounty. I didn't get around to smoking it until now, several years later, and I can only hope it lives up to the hype.
There is something very interesting about cigars packed in coffins, they just seem to be of a finer quality than others and it is like opening a little gift given to you by yourself. The cigar itself is very nice looking, none the worse for wear after all these years it just lays there waiting to be explored (aww crap now it sounds like I am writing a cheesy love novel, you know like the ones with the bare chested pirate holding the wench?). The band work is clumsy and odd looking, making the cigar look cheap, causing a weird juxtaposition between the high end coffin and cheap band. The wrapper is everything you would expect from a Cameroon presentation. Medium brown? Yep. Few veins? Yep. Nice and oily? Yep. The pre light aroma is full of roasted nut notes and has some cinnamon spice to it as well. The pre light draw is showing some dry vegetation and wood flavors. A quick inspection tells me the cigar is well made and will not be an issue.
The cigar opens with a profile that is profoundly Cameroon in orientation. The core flavors is all nuts and spice and that is exactly what I was expecting right off the bat. These flavors are not particularly deep or complex, but they are a nice presentation of what I think a Cameroon should be. The back of the palate and the retrohale show some dry and dusty notes of wood, but they are not bitter so it is not offensive at this point. The draw is a little tight in the early going, but I expect this from a diadema shape as the tapering causes some tightness as a general rule. The burn is slow and plodding, but there is no heat so I am not really worried about this either.
The first half of the smoke does not develop much at all, I find this to be disappointing. The core profile maintains a stance that is more nutty than spicy and I would really like to see some complexity or depth here, but there just isn't any. The back of the palate continues to be dry and the wood flavors are becoming slightly grassy, color me shocked! Can I get a Cusano that does not have a grassy element? Sheesh! The draw has opened up nicely at this point and is really becoming the star of the show. The burn stays solid to this point as well.
The final half of the cigar shows some signs of improvement. Like a terminal patient at death's door there is the last moment of lucidity before the death knell sounds, this cigar starts to make me believe that it might recover nicely right before it crashes into a horrific death. The core profile shows some nice roasted nut and cinnamon flavors that have an undertone of citrus that is very unexpected and pleasant. The back of the palate is still showing dry wood notes that are still pleasant and without bitterness.
It is with about one third of the cigar left that the wheels fall off. The core profile becomes a bitter mass of dry grass notes that can't be smoked around or through. It is so foul that I consider laying it down, but my eternally optimistic side encourages me to hang on and seek redeeming value. I should never listen to the optimist! Unfortunately, the draw and burn are top notch to the end.
The finish was bitter and grassy.
Overall, pretty good, right until the end.
Appearance- 88 some points lost for clumsy band work
Taste- 82 can't be any higher because of the awful finish
Construction- 92 a very well constructed cigar
Strength- 85 a middling medium
Overall- 86.75 saved by construction
No comments:
Post a Comment