Cabaiguan vertical tasting Review

[Classyndry]

Or perhaps a horizontal tasting? I posted this on another board as well, so if you've seen it, sorry for the repeat, if not, comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

I picked up three each of the Cabaiguan Robustos Extra, Cabaiguan RX, and Cabaiguan Maduro. Each is 5 ¼ x 50. I've since smoked one of each, and though I'd give a brief review.

Cabaiguan RX (Guapos)

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

I started with this one because it was the one I enjoyed the least. I had some draw issues that persisted the duration of the smoke. The flavors were pretty good, but not as interesting as the other two. The prelight aroma was good, but not nearly as good as the other two. The prelight draw was tight, but after a few puffs I picked up some grass and pepper. I had some Rioja and watched the latest national treasure movie while I smoked this one. Neither the movie nor the cigar particularly impressed me.


Cabaiguan Maduro

Wrapper: Naturally Dark USA Connecticut Broadleaf (assuming same wrapper as La Riqueza)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

This was the last one I smoked, and I was worried my humidor (at about 71-72% humidity while the sticks had been stored) may have caused some problems. However, I had no burn or draw issues. The flavor was similar to the other two, but there was a cocoa component present that the other two lacked. I'd say nutty and chocolate were the two flavors that stood out. I've read that this has the same wrapper as the La Riqueza. I don't know if this is true, but if so, I'll have to give those a try at some point as well. I was told that there is less (or perhaps no) ligero in the Maduro's filler. I did have a harder time detecting flavors in this stick. Perhaps the maduro wrapper accounts for the increase in chocolate, and the removal of ligero accounts for the decrease in other flavors detected. All and all this was a very pleasant smoke. I poured some rum, and found something about Winston Churchill on PBS while I enjoyed this one.


Cabaiguan Robustos Extra

Wrapper: Connecticut Seed Shade Grown Ecuadorian
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

This, the original, was by far my favorite. The prelight aroma made me lick my lips. The cold taste was complex, and I couldn't really pick out any specific flavor, but it was quite pleasing. Once lit, I got some earth, leather, pepper, cream, sweet wood, and nuttiness. I even thought I got some saltiness at times. After I'd tossed the nub, I found myself smelling the band and reminiscing. I poured some Macallan and watched Charlie Palmer's war while I enjoyed this one. In retrospect, I should have keep the drinks the same for tasting purposes, but what are you gonna do? These will definitely find their way into my regular rotation.

Final thoughts:

Each was enjoyable, and I'd gladly give each another try. None were full bodied, so if you require strength this is not the cigar for you, but if your priority is flavor, I'd give any of them a shot. The maduros are a limited run (at least for now) so keep an eye out if you're interested. I saw some Cab belicoso finos in the buy/sell/trade section. They're pretty tempting at about 50 less than retail with a year of age, but the timing isn't right for me. If anyone notices any errors in my data, please post a correction. I had some trouble creating a photo album (my mac may be to blame) but I posted the photos on another site linked below:

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk48/rshacklefordiv/

[chubzerous]

Great job, how do the compare with the RASS?

[Classyndry]

Originally Posted by chubzerous

Great job, how do the compare with the RASS?

I couldn't say. I've never had a RASS. However, I have seen a few blind tastings in which the participants incorrectly identified a Cab (I believe it was the Cab CWD or Curtis W Draper) as a RASS. Maybe someone with some personal experience with both can chime in.

[jitzy]

I liked the review alot and you did a great job my order would be the maduro, the guapo, than the regular however but all very very slighty I like all of them alot.

[DOZER]

Great review thanks for posting!

[chubzerous]

Originally Posted by Classyndry

I couldn't say. I've never had a RASS. However, I have seen a few blind tastings in which the participants incorrectly identified a Cab (I believe it was the Cab CWD or Curtis W Draper) as a RASS. Maybe someone with some personal experience with both can chime in.

I clicked on the photo's and the bottom ones look like Ramone Allones Special Selections?

[DBCcigar]

Originally Posted by chubzerous

Great job, how do the compare with the RASS?

You can't compare the Ramon Allones Specially Selected (aka RASS) to either one of them. A good RASS is HARD to beat!

[big04deuce]

Nice...thanks for sharing!

[Classyndry]

Hopefully the guapo I had was just an off stick and the next will be better. The pictures of the RASS in that gallery are for comparison of two sticks I received in a trade. Each is different, and I can't be sure which, if either, is real. I haven't smoked either yet.

[koolhandk]

From what I know of the RASS the one with the white paper wrapped around it, is real. Notice the nice triple cap and the spekled gold trim with the embossed emblem that is how you can tell it is real. I can't say anything about the other one but from limited experience that one is the real deal.

[Classyndry]

Originally Posted by koolhandk

From what I know of the RASS the one with the white paper wrapped around it, is real. Notice the nice triple cap and the spekled gold trim with the embossed emblem that is how you can tell it is real. I can't say anything about the other one but from limited experience that one is the real deal.

That was the general consensus when we inspected them. However, both bands have the potential to be real. The real discrepancy is the length.