Featured Cigars

April 2007

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Punch Magnum	Toro	5.5 x 54	8.5	Honduras	90
Don Tomas Corojo Piramide Oscuro	Torpedo	6 x 54	7.0	Honduras	90
Cusano 18 Robusto	Robusto	5 x 50	6.0	Dominican	91
Diablo Pimiento	Corona	6.5 x 45	7.5	Dominican	90
Jose Marti Churchill Cedar Tubos	Churchill	7 x 50	7.5	Dominican	92

Punch Magnum Toro

The world-famous Punch brand originated in Cuba in 1840 and has been handmade in Honduras since 1969 using Cuban-seed tobaccos grown in Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Both the Maduro wrapper and the binder consist of Sumatra-seed and Connecticut Broadleaf. The initial draw is light but the overall strength of this long-lasting smoke picks up with each subsequent draw. Panelists describe the medium to full-bodied Punch Magnum as mellow, smooth and creamy with hints of pepper, wood and nuts. When you tire of the hunt for the exotic and new, this is the cigar that welcomes you home. Settle into your easy chair for an hour and a half or two with this cigar and your favorite single malt scotch.

Don Tomas Corojo Piramide Oscuro Torpedo

The smell of this deep, dark, delicious stogie from one of the oldest makers of Honduran cigars exudes perfection. Peel away the tissue and expose a moist, oily, burgundy-hued Honduran Talanga-Cubano-Corojo wrapper. For those of you not familiar with the Corojo wrapper, it was originally grown in Cuba but the demand for this leaf was so great, Cuba couldn't supply enough. Fortunately for cigar lovers, Ecuador and Honduras stepped up to the plate. As the Don Tomas affirms, they've really come into their own when it comes to growing fine tobacco.

The earthy filler consists of Nicaraguan and Honduran long-leaf tobaccos from the Talanga Valley, protected by a Mexican binder. Expect complex depth in the flavor profile, with notes of spice, chocolate and leather, rounded out by a cedary finish. True to its origin, Don Tomas is rich in flavor and heritage. Try with a bold cabernet.

Cusano 18 Robusto

In 1995 business took the owner of a Wall Street investment firm to the Dominican Republic. There the long-time cigar aficionado, Michael Chiusano discovered a local smoke that "knocked his socks off!" He thought he'd have a thousand made for clients but word spread and he soon had orders for 10,000. The rest is Cigar Street history. Thinking "Cusano" would be easier to say than "Chiusano" when raving about the fine sticks he makes, Michael called his company "Cusano Cigars."

Take 18-year aged Dominican Oro filler tobaccos, combine them with a potent Cuban Piloto and a mouth-watering San Vicente Olor, bind it with wrapper-quality, super-smooth Connecticut Shade binder, dress the whole thing in an even smoother, silkier, golden Connecticut Shade outer wrapper and you've got a winner. Rated "91" by Cigar Aficionado, Cusano 18 Robusto is probably the only Connecticut to get any significant rating in the past 10 years. The full-bodied Cusano is a rich, heavy smoke with a long, woody finish. An oaky chardonnay complements its leathery and smoky notes and brings out a whiff of creamy vanilla.

Diablo Pimiento Corona

A superior medium- to full-bodied cigar with a perfect peppery finish, the Diablo is a worthy testament to one family's 150-year love affair with tobacco. We know the Cullman family's General Tobacco as a leading maker of great smokes: Partagas, Macanudo and Punch, among them. But did you know The General also grows the majority of the world's Connecticut Shade tobacco? As the binder for the full-bodied Diablo, Connecticut Shade has no peer.

Richly blended choice Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos jump start the palate with devilishly complex flavors. The aged Ecuadorian sun-grown Sumatra wrapper delivers a spicy element you can savor down to the nub. This beauty—absolutely loaded with spice—will add a nice finishing touch to a hearty meal. Pair it with a stiff cognac or rich sherry, big and bold enough to match it. Our panel predicts the Diablo will be this month's fave for our most serious cigar enthusiasts.

Jose Marti Churchill Cedar Tubos

This is a 1996 blend for the Jose Marti brand, a solid, well respected line handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua. Take it out of its handsome solid cedar tube, admire the oily sheen of its Ecuadorian- grown, Sumatra-seed wrapper and note an exceptionally well-constructed cigar. The complexity and strength of the blend is evident from the first intoxicating draw. The Churchill burned perfectly and offered plenty of smoke. We found it to offer a spicy, full-bodied taste that highlights its Ecuadorian-grown, Sumatra-seed wrapper. We also picked up hints of cocoa beans and deep, spicy flavors in this well balanced smoke. Pair it with a rich, dark rum. The Jose Marti Churchill will keep you coming back for more. FYI, club members can reorder at discounted box prices, so you can get these babies—correction: "granddaddies" — for 4 bucks a pop, sexy cedar tubes included!