Cuesta-Rey Centenario (toro)

Cuesta-Rey Centenario (toro, 6 x 50)

I picked this stogie up about a year ago in KC with my bro and my son Ryan at a little cigar store Rico found. It got to age a year or so primarily due to the fact that I associated it with a nice visit Rico and the fact that it is a Connecticut wrapped number-which generally don't "do" it for me. They tend to be a little bland and sometimes run bitter...


Here's the stogi...attractive enough with a nice band---really like these "classic" looking bands.

Here's a close up of the band.

I lit this sucker up in the early morning and immediately realized that I was in for more than I expected. The stick put off a goodly amount of aromatic smoke...and gave of flavors of nuts mixed with a buttery smoothness. As I got deeper into the stick, the "fullness" of the experience increased, moving the stick (by the end) closer to the medium end of flavor and potency. At this point the aroma really picked up too and I felt (like I rarely do when smoking these really light colored sticks) like I was smoking a "real cigar".

I enjoyed this stogie enough to look it up...and here is some historical info about the maker of the line, Newman. I grabbed from Walt at www.stogiereview.com:

In 1895, Julius Cesar Newman hand rolled his first 500 cigars for the family grocer in Cleveland, Ohio. One hundred and thirty years and four generations later, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker. Headquartered in historic 1910 cigar factory in Tampa’s Ybor City district, the Newman Family is partnered in making and distributing many of the world’s finest cigars.

Summary: This smoke is a great morning smoke. It would also seem to be a good stick to have around to give buddies that don't smoke much-it shouldn't overpower them like many of the new brands. I rate this a solid 2 (on my 4 point scale), which means that it is a really good cigar. I'll probably buy another for another morning treat or to share with a friend but I don't see myself picking up a box ever.

Here's a shot of some of the 4th of July events we enjoyed at our house this year...