C and C Cigars Connecticut Robusto (5x50)

This morning was crisp, I am from Chicago originally and even I thought this morning was chilly, it was the kind of morning that makes you want to stay in bed and not get out until the sun comes up and the mercury gets past fifty.  Alas, I had golf to play and, much like cigars, nothing gets in the way of my golf.  I cracked open the humidor this morning on my way out the door and I selected this bad boy.  My methodology for this selection?  Simple, low expectations.  Let's face it, I know this is no Ashton VSG or Opus X, hell it's not even a General or Altadis, but it is a cigar I can smoke on the course and not worry about wind ruining it or getting some dew on it and there is something to be said for that.  I'm not sure what can be said, but something can be said.

The cigar is motley looking, there is some greenish tint to the wrapper that makes me think this is young and might be bitter (as per my experience with cigars exhibiting this attribute).  The cap is sloppy and the wrapper has some wrinkles to it further confirming my choice that this cigar will be perfect for a golf round on a day when the weather will not be stellar.  The construction, aside from the application of the wrapper, seems ok to me and I can't find any areas of concern.  The pre light aroma is floral and wheaty.  The pre light draw is sharp, but has some spice notes to it.

Somewhere around the fourth hole I was feeling pretty good, starting birdie-par-birdie, and I decided to light this sucker.  The core profile immediately shows very nice signs of spice and cinnamon, but there is a sharpness here that is drying the palate as I smoke on.  At the back of the palate there are some very crisp tobacco notes but there is an odd bitterness that is taking away from the experience.  The draw is fine and delivers nice smoke without much effort.  The burn is right on the money and I am impressed with the performance in the elements.

I promptly double bogeyed the fourth hole and considered blaming the cigar, but I marked it down as an aberration in my otherwise stellar game and I moved on.  The first half of the cigar leads me to double bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey and a 41 for the front, not terrible but I consider that the cigar still may be at fault as it has not really warmed up.  The profile gets sharp and shows some bitter qualities that are tough to navigate.  I would say it is floral, but it also very dry and I don't like cigars that dry my throat as I smoke.  At the back of the palate there are some sharp notes of cedar and more dryness.  There really is no complexity or depth to this smoke, and the flavors are just too sharp.  The construction continues to impress me as the draw and burn fire on all cylinders through the elements.

The final half of the cigar leads me to double bogey, double bogey, double bogey, par and eagle right as I am finishing it, almost like a reward for getting to the end of it.  The profile stayed sharp, floral and dry through to the end and leaves me searching for water.  At the back of the palate the sharp cedar flavors continue and some wisps of spice come into play slightly.  The draw and burn continued to be strong all the way to the end of the smoke.

The finish was bogey, par, bogey, par for a 42 and an 83 for the day, I can only wonder what it would have been like with a different cigar, of course I kid.  The finish on the cigar was short and had some very dry floral notes.

Appearance- 82 not very appealing at all
Taste- 80 it just never caught fire, so to speak, the flavors were sharp and dry throughout
Construction- 93 very high marks for fine performance in less than optimum conditions
Strength- 83 a mild smoke that did not complement that profile well
Overall- 85.25 saved by construction and nudging into slightly above average territory

C and C Cigars Maduro Robusto (5x50)

I recently attended the one year anniversary of one of my favorite B&M's, and it was a splendid affair, nice people and a little food always makes for a great evening.  Then I realized that the cigars being offered were from C and C and my trepidation meter went into overdrive.  For those of you that don't know, these cigars are made by the guys of Cusano fame, my near seething dislike for Cusano cigars is well known to many.  So in this instance I was certain that my evening would be ruined if I smoked one of these cigars, so much so that I did not smoke one at the event and instead waited until I had some time to smoke what I was sure would be an inferior product.  I mean, I would rather have my pupils bored out with an old fashioned hand drill than have to smoke some of the Cusano offerings of yore.  How much better could this new offering be?  Well, let's take a look shall we?

The cigar is a nightmare to look at.  The band work is simplistic and cheap and the cigar looks like it was rolled during a torrential rain and allowed to dry much like a raisin, the wrapper is wrinkly and mottled.  An inspection of the cigar leads me to believe that it may be well made though, as I can find no areas of concern in the bunch.  The pre light aroma is a trifle grassy, but there is a nice cocoa spray here as well.  The pre light draw is a touch thin, but it has some floral and grassy essence that is interesting.

The cigar opens with a profile that has me rocked to my core, I don't hate it, as a matter of fact I am quite enjoying it.  There are some very nice flavors of wood, tobacco and coffee in the opening notes and I am impressed with the depth and complexity in the opening moments of the cigar.  This is not a Cusano, this is a C and C, and I am being spanked for my skepticism.  At the back of the palate there is a grassy quality that has just enough floral earth to not be off putting.  The draw is a little bit too thin for me, I prefer an effort that allows some more smoke.  The burn is a bit wonky, but I don't think it will be a problem.

The first half of the cigar wanes some.  The profile becomes a more mundane presentation of wood with some light brushes of pepper, but the character of the smoke is lacking and I would like some further development.  At the back of the palate there are still some floral wisps, but the grassy flavors are taking over and reminding me more and more of an old Cusano, maybe I was right to begin with.  The draw is still thin, but getting better as the cigar progresses.  The burn has evened out nicely here.

The final half of the cigar oscillates between mediocre and good.  The main profile becomes more peppery, but still maintains some nice wood flavors and perhaps some hints of coffee, but it could definitely be more complex and balanced here.  At the back of the palate the grassy flavors give way to some more earthy character, but there is a bitter note here that has me bothered.  The draw finally hits it's stride in the final third.  The burn stays pretty solid to the end.

The finish is middling, but has some earthy tones that linger nicely.

This is not a Cusano and my early judgements were hasty, but this is by no means a home run either.  I would classify this as a solid knock around cigar with little potential for much beyond an average experience.

Appearance- 81 dreadful, if you bought based on looks you would keep looking
Taste- 87 slightly above average here, but more depth and balance were needed
Construction- 86 some draw issues in the early stages preclude a higher score
Strength- 85 a very average medium
Overall- 85.75 slightly above average which is exactly what this was