Cumbres de Puriscal - Green Label Pyramid Review

[plexiprs]

Tabacos de la Cordillera ("Highland Cigars") - Costa Rica - Direct sales from their web site.

Hand made of 100% long-filler tobacco, grown naturally on our own farm in the Costa Rican mountains. Mild-to-medium and medium-to-full bodied blends, identified by the band colors.

Green Label is their Mild-to-Medium Body line.

This brand got me interested with their website about how the founder had access to the old strains of Cuban seeds. Hmmmm, interesting, so I figured to try some sample packs. The lines are Gold, Silver and Green and I got a fiver of each. First up was the Green Pyramid because it was the one that caught my interest on the way to do some light yard work.

A Pyramid with listed dimensions of 6 x 52, well 6 inches long and 52 RG at the foot, but quite a taper to around 32 RG at the head. Rough look, not poorly made but not quite what you see in this price range. Nice earthy smell, no off odors. Medium firmness and a respectable weight in the hand. The shape has a good balanced feel. Double V-cut and the unlit draw was just right. Flavors were tobacco with a hint of sweet metallic tang. What I’ve learned the “snobs” sometimes call “pencil lead”, but not unpleasant.

Lit up well but you could immediately tell that the tobacco was still very youthful. Didn’t seem to have much factory age on it and reminded of older era Habanos just freshly made. First scent off the burning foot was light cocoa and some barnyard musty or earthiness. Hmmmmm….

Smoked well and first impressions were of a real young, old style Bolivar. This stick screamed for some age. The ash was dark gray with a lot of black bands. Talks to me, saying that there is much left to age and mature to get the flavor compounds burning and involved in the smoke. Smoke? Made a ton of smoke, cool and thick with a touch of salty sweetness.

Half-way and the metal notes are replaced with the earthy bean of cocoa and just a wee bit of vanilla. Some woody undertones and maybe a hint of nut, no harshness or bitterness at all, but I can begin to feel this in the stomach. Not much spiciness in the nose, mouth or on the lips. Had a medium finish that caught me licking my lips between puffs.

Finished it with a bare ½ inch remaining and the depth of flavor had increased slightly and seemed to get smokier towards the end. It really was telling me the whole time, “I’m young right now, but come back later.”

Reminded me of the old blends from Havana that needed time to mellow and mix. I will wait on the others in the Green Label and the Gold and Silver will get some extra time too. If these mature as well as this sample hints, they well be well worth their price.

Wrapper: Habano Connecticut, Binder: Habano #91, Filler: Habanos #50, 315 - Pyramid 6x52 $5.31 each in a five-pack

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

Nice review plexi,

I had the same experience with the Cumbres. I smoked a few of them when I was in Costa Rica last summer. Some people said these were Costa Rica's finest, but I tasted some other good ones too: Puriscal had a very nice maduro with a pigtail head. Don Antonio was another very good smoke.

Doc

[pistol]

I enjoyed the review, I am going to pick up a few and let them sit. How long would you estimate these guys need to mature? Keep in mind that I'm impatient!

[Fromberg]

Nice review, thx