Cu-Avana Intenso

[Bruzee]

Cu-Avana Intenso Robusto

I bought a box of these from C.I. the night before SCHIP was to take effect, without even trying one. I took a chance that this would be a good, but cheap smoke. They have sat in my Vinotemp since they arrived, 65%/70*f.

It is a very attractive cigar, from overall look right down to the black and gold band. The Intenso has a dark Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper with an oily sheen to it. The wrapper appears flawless, and appears very well constructed. Here are the specs on this stick:

Origin: Nicaragua (Made by Nestor Placencia)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua/Panama Ligero
Size: Robusto 5”X50
Price: ~$3.00 @ $59.95/Box of 20
Smoking time: ~80 minutes

I clipped the cap with my Palio and found the pre-light draw was a little loose for my taste, but just fine nonetheless. I toasted the foot with my Ronson Jet Light, and had no issues at all. I am welcomed by a lot of flavor and lots of smoke. A very full, spice beginning, mellows a bit after a couple minutes.

After I lit ‘er up, the loose draw I noted before seemed to tighten just enough. The draw now was perfect, and I didn’t expect that. I noted some earth type flavors, still dense and very much full bodied. Call me crazy, but I tasted some coffee & coco type undertones. The first third was slow burning and very satisfying. To this point I’m thinking to myself that I really like this stick. But, I wait to make a final determination, as there is still a lot of smoking to do.

The second third was much of the same, as this was turning out to be a very consistent stick. After the initial blast after lighting, the Intenso settled into its rhythm. The ash hung on for half of the cigar before falling off. I’m not passing judgment just yet, as I still have the back third to evaluate.

The last third intensified just a bit, but stay very consistent at the same time. (I hope that makes sense.) The burn is razor sharp, needing very little assistance. It is still putting out plenty of smoke, and tastes great to the nub. I really don’t have anything negative to say about it. It is a very attractive cigar, well constructed, and very tasty. I haven’t found any down side at this point.

Even though I have an entire box of these, and I wanted them to be great, I would have absolutely no problem bashing them if need be. I could easily write off another not-so-popular cigar and never look back if my opinion called for it. But I’ve got to tell you, I think this one is a winner. I’m not going to declare it champion until I’ve smoked several more, but I am hopeful. I highly recommend that anyone that enjoys a full bodied dark Nicaraguan give this a try. For about $3 a stick, how could you go wrong? Sorry I got so winded during this review. I hope you enjoyed it, and I added some pics to help the story along. Thanks for reading!