Cigar Extra: Pain Killer Casserole by GTO Cigars

• Vitola: Gordo
• 6.25” x 60 ring gauge
• MSRP $8.99
• Provided by GTO Cigars

Background

Oscar Rodriguez, owner of GTO Cigars, is one of our favorite people to have around at Burns Tobacconist. He always has fun stories to tell, new blends to sell, and his generally positive outlook is infectious and a joy to be around. He introduced me to “Casserole” last September, but we didn’t get the final, shipping version into the shop until just a few weeks ago. Turns out Casserole is an extension of the Pain Killer lineup, which already includes Corojo and Maduro-wrapped versions. Instead of just calling this the “Pain Killer Gold” or “Pain Killer Connecticut,” Oscar called it “Casserole” because “it’s so good you’ll wanna eat it!”

PK Casserole is billed as a “full-bodied” Connecticut and currently comes in just a big Gordo size. Like many of Oscar’s previous cigars, this uses proprietary Dominican filler and binder with a US Connecticut Shade wrapper. He aged the tobaccos for up to 5 years before assembling.

I had this slated for a “full review” but decided on the spur of the moment to change the plan as this morning was just too beautiful to ignore…I wanted to get outside and smoke a cigar with my morning coffee and just enjoy the beginning of this pre-Spring (but very Spring-like) day.

Notes

GTO’s Connecticut Shade wrappers are always a beautiful light gold color, although they do have some mottling and marks, which make them not quite suitable for high-end, very expensive cigars. It had a clean, sweet hay aroma to it, while the foot of the cigar had more hay, some earth, and a touch of bread to the nose. The prelight draw was very open, with flavors of caramel, earth, and leather.

Once I got the PK Casserole going, I noted that it was medium-plus in body from the very beginning, a few steps up from where the GTO Gold ends, so this is definitely not just a big ring version of that cigar. I got creamy and grassy notes from the Shade wrapper, but there were more solid notes of earth and black coffee in the mix, too, with a solid black pepper on the retrohale.

While Oscar’s ideas of “full body” and mine don’t quite line up, I have to admit that this cigar was fuller than most Connys right from the get-go, and it benefitted from me pairing it with a full-bodied, French Roast, black coffee, as well.

As the PK Casserole burned on, I got citrus and cedar notes, as well as continued earth, coffee and pepper flavors. While I still don’t know if “full bodied” is where I would put this, it’s almost definitely the most full bodied Conny I’ve had.

That impression stuck through the end of the cigar with tons of earth and coffee riding on a creamy, semi-sweet smoke. Very nice morning smoke for people who like their cigars a Conny with more than the typical amount of body.