Cigar:            Cusano 18 Paired Maduro Toro

Size:             46 x 6.5"

Country:          DR

Wrapper:          ?

Binder:           CTSH ?

Filler:           DR, Oro, Piloto

Flavor Strength:  Medium

NicotineStength:  Mild

Date Received:    2006-01-20

Suspected Age:    ?

Vendor/Price:     Gift from Mickey, ASC.  Thanks Mickey!

Hype:       Rich, Creamy and packed with Flavor, the Cusano 18's filler is comprised of Dominican Oro (gold) which has been aging since it was harvested eighteen years ago in 1985. To highlight the extrodinairy flavors of this rare filler, we have chosen both a rich Cuban Piloto and a mouth-watering Olor from the San Vicente, region of the Dominican Republic. A Connecticut Shade leaf is then used as the binder which complements the 18's complex filler blend. The Cusano ’18’ is a rich and creamy cigar that’s jam-packed with flavor. Made by Henke Kelner (blender of Davidoff, AVO and others), the ’18’ consists of extraordinary all-Dominican fillers that were harvested 18 years ago. These rare fillers are blended with an assertive mix of Cuban Piloto and San Vicente Olor tobaccos. This flavorful blend is coated with a dark, oily maduro wrapper, but that’s not all. A second maduro leaf runs throughout the filler, hence the name, "Paired" Maduro. The result is quite unique, an intense richness that’s smooth and inredibly creamy.

Beverage(s):      Oaxacan coffee, water, Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Smoke time:       2:10

Date:             2006-01-21

Posted to ASC:    2006-01-21

Overall score:    4.5/5.0 (I'm a hard grader - a 5 would be better than sex)

Overall:    Great cigar.  The wonderfull unlit aroma presages well the experience to come.  Relatively sweet throughout.  Never peppery.  Initially sweet cocoa and leather.  Later more aromtics arrive with cedar and vanilla.  Burn good, smoke volume good.  Ash mostly compact sometimes flakey.  Holds an inch of ash, more and you risk lapping it.  Aftertaste and finish is sweet and long.  Recommend as a box purchase. 

Ambience:   Mid-afternoon in the sunroom.  It appears last weekend's end of the rope caulking may have solved the leaking problem, as no water inside since (knock on wood).  Little woman is off on a quilting weekend.  Weather is too crappy to fly, so I'm working on a business proposal with Buddy Guy / Bo Diddly playing in the background. 

Appearance: Rough looking stick with a dry, large veined, unevenly colored wrapper, rolled much tighter toward the head than foot.  Long double cap. 

Cut & Prelight:   Very nice, sweet aroma.  Barnyardy, ripe sweet straw, leather, with a bit of floral (rose? :-)  Cut well yielding a nearly perfect draw - somewhat constricted.  Musty, earthy draw flavor.

First third:      Initially sweet cocoa.  Good smoke volume.  Finish sweet leather.  About 3/4" in - wow.  Nice sweet, smooth, leather, cocoa.  Compact ash that held to over an inch.  Aromatic cedar is creeping into the mix. 

Second third:     More of everything, sweet, smooth, cocoa, less leather and more cedar.  Ash is now flakey.  The beer and cigar are complementing each other very nicely. 

Third third:      Ash is again compact.  Starting to get aromatic.  Lots of vanilla.  Still sweet.  Much aromatic wood with leather and dry cocoa back.  Very mild nicotine buzz.  Abandoned at 1" - hint of ashiness.