Review: Casa Magna Colorado Belicoso
Casa Magna Colorado Belicoso
Size – 6.25 x 54
Age – 1 month
Cost – $6
Wrapper – Colorado (Nicaragua)
Construction – Very well constructed with a slightly uneven tip. The cigar feels soft but not squishy. The feel is even from point to foot.
Burn – Burn started out a bit uneven and mostly stayed that way throughout. It did not stair-step or canoe and needed only small touchups. This cigar burns slowly; plan for a nearly 2 hour smoke. It did tar up a bit and required purging twice.
Ash – Ash was a medium grey and held tight in solid 1.5″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – You can pretty much clip a belicoso to achieve whatever draw you like. With my normal torpedo/belicoso clip leaving about a 40 to 45 ring hole in the cap, I was rewarded with a nearly perfect draw - not too loose or tight. The amount of smoke produced per puff was a bit above average and quite satisfying. The foot streamed a good amount of aromatic smoke when resting.
Flavor – Holding this cigar in my mouth for a prelight taste yielded lots of tingling red pepper, the flavor of which imediately settled at the back of my palate after the light. The profile is very earthy and peppery but smooth, and a tiny hint of caramel and coffee in the finish and aroma. I also caught a bit of black cherry in the first third that didn’t stick around for long. The second third saw the pepper flavors muted and brought a big helping of body and more intense earthy flavor with less sweetness and hints of tea (surely enhanced by the fact that I was drinking tea at the time) and leather. The final third brought new flavors of mocha and honey, punctuating a complex, layered and interesting journey from start to finish.
Strength – Full
Rating – 8/10
Value – 7/10
Drink – Iced tea
Notes – This is a different vitola of the Colorado line – the robusto won Cigar Aficionado’s 2008 Cigar of the Year award. Whatever your opinion of magazine reviews, rest assured that the two experts behind Casa Magna, Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plascencia, have crafted a very good cigar. Like the pros, I prefer the robusto size to the larger belicoso; I found it to be more complex and a better overall experience. However, this remains a fine smoke and a great value at less than $6 at your local shop. It may also be your only option in this line as the robusto’s high marks have left it in short supply.
