Casa Magna Robusto Review

[Cigar Man Andy]

Well, I was all excited about finding this cigar at a local B&M. I read a thread about it becoming the CA cigar of the year, but mostly because it was to replace the JdNA at SAG. The JdNA Belicoso has been my go to smoke for several years, and I was told that it was the same cigar, but at a less expensive price.

Country: Nicaragua
Length/Ring: 5 1/2 x 52
Shape: Robusto Perejo
Wrapper: Cuban seed Colorado wrapper
Strength: Full

So, I found six to try. When I arrived home, I opened the Robusto and noticed how oily and dark it was.



I use a double guillotine for a straight cut. The pre-light draw was sweet as if caramelized. The first puff was thick and smoky, still sweet with a slight spice. The burn was nice and even and the ash was strong, had nice light gray color and as I smoked it, you could see the even rings appear.



It took about 20 minutes to get to the second third which was smooth and creamy with underlined traces of a leathery spice coming out. The caramel was subtle, but still noticeable. The ash was so strong, I had to do an ashstand.



Now about 45 minutes in to it, the spice took over. Not as full bodied as I expected, but very smooth. The burn stayed true and even except for a short moment, but self corrected itself quickly. I finally put it down after about an hour and ten.



I was satisfied and enjoyed this cigar, and will most likely smoke another one, but I was not convinced that this was the cigar of the year. Maybe with some age it will improve, but it was nothing like the Joya de Nicaragua Antono that I have come to love.

Somewhat complex: A pleasant and interesting experience: Worth trying:

[J.Lazy]

ooooohhh,i must try these very very soon.

[rizzle]

Good review. I was kinda expecting you to slam it, as that seems to be the norm after the top ranking in CA. I'm looking forward to trying one when I get the chance.

[PaleRider]

Great REview! I like the Casa Magna's myself. I have a few of the Torito's lurking in the humi at the moment. I enjoy them.

Thanks Andy!

[Cigar Man Andy]

Originally Posted by rizzle

Good review. I was kinda expecting you to slam it, as that seems to be the norm after the top ranking in CA. I'm looking forward to trying one when I get the chance.

Actually, I didn't slam it. It is a good smoke and a great price, but not the Cigar of the Year. If I was picking a cigar that would be the best for the year, it would be between DPG My Father, Illusione or best for price Gran Habano Corojo. These are all amazing flavor, construction and overall experience. I guess with all the choices out including Tat black, DPG's 5 Vegas Miami, GOF, Oliva Serie V Maduro, and the list goes on, I just thought this would have been more with all the hype. Kinda like the Man O' War was.

[zackly]

any online retailers have these in stock @ MSRP or lower?

[uvacom]

Originally Posted by zackly

any online retailers have these in stock @ MSRP or lower?

Very few online retailers have this cigar at all, because this cigar is part of SAG's Face to Face program which effectively prohibits any remote sale. Tex cigars does sell them, but they are out of stock there AFAIK.

I was surprised, when I went around to the B&Ms in my area, they were hard to find - not because they were in high demand, but because nobody had any knowledge of them. One of the owners told me he had heard of it but was an "internet only" cigar (which is obviously laughable), the other just flat out admitted he had never heard of it. The third retailer had half a box, but seemed to be, let's just say improvising when I inquired about it.

[zackly]

Originally Posted by uvacom

Very few online retailers have this cigar at all, because this cigar is part of SAG's Face to Face program which effectively prohibits any remote sale. Tex cigars does sell them, but they are out of stock there AFAIK.

I was surprised, when I went around to the B&Ms in my area, they were hard to find - not because they were in high demand, but because nobody had any knowledge of them. One of the owners told me he had heard of it but was an "internet only" cigar (which is obviously laughable), the other just flat out admitted he had never heard of it. The third retailer had half a box, but seemed to be, let's just say improvising when I inquired about it.

Maybe they're owned by Cigar Afficianado. I never pay a lot of attention to their dubious ratings. The magazine is supported by advertisers whose cigars they rate. Something's not Kosher with that!

[Schecter30]

I've had a couple of these. It was pretty good cigar for the money and worth a try, but I think cigar aficianado jumped the gun and overrated this cigar.

[carterwsu]

In the CA video blog that Mott did about the top 25, he mentioned that they choose this cigar for its excellant price. So, right off the bat, at $5.25 a stick, they know its not a padron or other super premium cigar maker. However, I do find it difficult to believe that they picked this cigar above all others for the top of the year based off of their scoring. Something's fishy and its not this forum. I was in utter amazement to see that they didn't include Tat Blacks, Oliva V Maduro, and the RP Decade was so far down the list.

[Cigar Man Andy]

That's what I was saying. It's not a Tat Black or Illusione. My favorite for the year is the My Father by Don Pepin Garcia.

I smoked the Casa Magna Gran Toro tonight and it was definitely better than the Robusto...

[audio1der]

Originally Posted by J.Lazy

ooooohhh,i must try these very very soon.

I bet every penny they paid CA for that #1 rating hedges on hearing a lot of this right now

[Ron21-007]

Enjoyed your review,.thank you!!

[J.Lazy]

went to my local B&M and he said the last 3 days 10 people have been coming in asking for them. he will try to get some soon.

[itsme_timd]

Thanks for the review, I'm eager to try these as well and see how they compare to the JdN Antano. I'm on a mailing list with my B&M and hopefully I'll get a heads up when he gets these in!