Casa Fernandez Arsenio maduro robusto

[Don Fernando]

Casa Fernandez is made by Tabacalera Tropical and have quite some reputation amongst cigar aficionados in the United States. I did smoke one or two of them when I visited the USA in 2009, but I never reviewed one. So when I visited Florida in the fall of 2010 I picked up a few different Casa Fernandez at Corona Cigar Co in Orlando. One of them was this Casa Fernandez Arsenio maduro robusto, a cigar made from aganorsa leaf from the Nicaraguan regions of Jalapa, Esteli and Condega.



The wrapper is dark, almost black with a double blend. The size is 5¼x54. The wrapper is dry with some veins. The transport has damaged the wrapper a bit. The construction feels good but the cigar seems to be a bit crooked. The cigar has a barnyard smell. The predraw is loose and I taste raisin with a sharp pepper aftertaste.



I taste a spicy and peppery coffee with a hint of chocolate and a lot of pepper in the aftertaste. After a quarter of an inch I taste wood with pepper and herbs. After an inch I taste some chocolate but that disappears straight away again. I taste a dry mixture of wood and herbs.



After a third the chocolate returns with some wood and herbs. After two thirds I taste the wood and herbs, the chocolate is far far away on the background.



This cigar lasted me for two hours. The draw was way too loose in the beginning but it got better after an inch. I thought about tossing the cigar, that's how loose the draw was. The smoke was poor and thin in the beginning too, but that got better once the draw picked up. The silvergray ash is firm but frayed. I had to correct the burn a few times. This cigar is full flavored and full bodied.



Would I buy this cigar again? I would like to try another one, without the draw problems.

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 6 / 10
Draw: 6 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 6 / 10
Aroma first part: 7 / 10
Aroma second part: 8 / 10
Aroma third part: 8 / 10