Vitola: No. 60 (Toro)- 6” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$8.50
- Samples provided by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
Background
This review probably signals the start of something new…reviews of cigars that are nowhere near “new” to the market. As I look at my review calendar it’s looking likely that there will be more reviews of very old blends in coming weeks…a result of FDA regulations preventing new stuff from coming to market, certainly, but also a result of COVID-19 shutting down a lot of production and shipping of what new stuff there would be to stores. All things considered, I’m thankful to J.C. Newman (a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor) for giving me the opportunity to review the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown, a cigar that I’m fairly certain I never smoked prior to them sending me samples.
Just like a center cut of beef, the finest and most flavorful wrapper tobacco comes from the stalk or centro fino portion of the plant. This provides for a cigar that is stronger than the original Cuesta-Rey Centenario collection yet smooth enough for even the most discriminating of palates.
The Centro Fino Sungrown uses an Ecuadorian sungrown Sumatra wrapper leaf from the Quevedo region, along with binder and filler leaves from the Dominican Republic, all manufactured under the watchful eyes at Tabacalero A. Fuente in the D.R. It comes in 3 sizes.
I have smoked at least 3 of these prior to this review sample, all of which I received from J.C. Newman.
Prelight
If someone asks you for an example of an old-school, vintage-looking cigar band, you can just point them at the Cuesta-Rey ring. Truly a throwback to days gone by and unlike what you see modern companies trying to achieve. It still looks good from a design standpoint, although it may be “too old” looking to attract younger enthusiasts to pick it up in a crowded humidor.
The wrapper leaf was a medium brown, almost a mild chocolate color that was thinking of red, without really having much in it. Giving the leaf a sniff, I picked up on earth and leather notes, while the foot of the cigar had classic Dominican hay and bread notes.
I clipped the cigar and got a good cold test draw. It had cold flavors of bread, hay, and bell pepper.
Flavor
The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown started off with a strong cedar flavor, followed right behind with crackers, bell pepper, and hay. There was a tiny bit of pepper spice on the nose, along with a stronger bread aroma and some roasted nuttiness. As I continued through the first third, I got some citrus notes layered in, adding a slightly sweet note.
As I got into the second third, I experienced some “off” flavors for a couple minutes. I can’t describe exactly what they were, except they were bad. And thankfully, they were fleeting, as the Centro Fino Sungrown got back to cedar and bell pepper fairly quickly, along with a continuing mild sweet citrus note on the finish.
The last third had a good bump in the amount of pepper in the mix, with a mild red pepper tingling coming through on the palate. The cedar backed off a bit and the bread notes were almost absent. There was still a little citrus in the mix from time-to-time.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
The price is good, so if classic Dominican cigars are your thing, you’ll find these affordable. Aside from the bad notes at one point, I can’t find anything wrong with it, so I gave it a full point on Value.
Conclusions
The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown is a good cigar for my palate, although I still probably won’t find myself buying it very often. It really is a very “classic Dominican” flavor profile, with a little more body and some pepper toward the end. Nice, but not “special” to me. I think this blend will appeal mostly to those who do like that old-school Dominican style, but want something with a little more—but not too much—punch.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8/10
