Cuesta-Rey Stanford's Cameroon Reserve Pyramid #9 Review

[RevSmoke]

Cuesta-Rey Stanford's Cameroon Reserve Pyramid #9

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: With it’s gold foil sleeve and special bands the packaging raises the expectations. At least, I guess that’s the gimmick. I have never been a big fan of Cuesta-Rey, this goes back 20 years. Never impressed me. The packaging for this didn’t inspire the confidence it might have. Having said that, I was intrigued by the look of the end of the cigar sticking out of the foil. Carefully unwrapping the bands and foil, I was certainly intrigued. Here was a gorgeous Cameroon wrapper - smooth (only minuscule veins) and with that Cameroon toothiness.
Score for aesthetics: 4.0

2) Pre-light Construction: No soft spots. Firm, with nice heft. My nose agrees with my eyes, definitely a Cameroon. You know, I’m looking again at the band and wrapper, "yep, it’s a Cuesta-rey."
Score for Pre-light construction: 4.1

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Snipped the end, applied match, pufff.... First impression? Nice! Sometimes piramides draw tough, unless you move your snip a little deeper. No need to. It wasn’t an effortless draw, but I saw no need to cut further.
Score for post-light construction: 3.9

4) Flavor and strength: Coffee, caramel, and the sweet spice I associate with Cameroon. This is not a "knock your socks off" powerhouse cigar. It is a very pleasant medium bodied smoke that develops nicely, getting richer mid-smoke to the end.
Score for flavor and strength: 4.0

5) Aftertaste/Finish: A short finish of sweet spiciness tantalized me.
Score for aftertaste:3.8

6) Aroma: This smelled good. Someone asked, is that a cigar you’re smoking? Doesn’t smell that bad.
Score for aroma: 4.4

7) General Comments: I was sipping a diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper while smoking enjoying this stick. Went well together. Depending on price, I might buy these. All told, an excellent smoke. Definitely a keeper. It certainly means I'll have to take a second look at Cuesta-Rey in the future, especially the Cameroon wrapped vitoles.
Overall score for the cigar: 4.1

[gnukfu]

Very nice review Todd!

[Blowin' Smoke]

Good review. I have to say that I have always thought Cuesta Rey was a good smoke for the money. I had a box of the exact cigar you reviewed and I found them to be enjoyable.