A few weeks ago I received a very nice email from Frank Santos, Marketing Director for Puros Indios Cigars. In Frank’s kind email he asked if we would be interested in being among the first to smoke the new Cuba Aliados Anniversary Cigar. We obviously couldn’t turn down such a nice gesture and accepted Frank’s offer. Shortly after replying to the email, all of the editors here at Stogie Review received a four pack of Cuba Aliados Anniversary Cigars.
Being the first person to review the new Cuba Aliados here at Stogie Review I opted to smoke the very attractive Diadema #3. This cigar weighs in at 5 inches long with a 58 ring gauge. During my pre light inspection I found the color to be fairly consistent with a little variation and a single patch down at the foot. When pinched, the large section of cigar felt filled with tobacco while the head seemed a little under filled, which is probably due to the steep taper that forms the head. Overall the slightly rustic look paired with the attractive Diadema shape made it very appealing.
After a quick and easy light with a wooden match, I had this cigar burning nicely and producing a good volume of flavorful smoke. The initial draw was a little snug (due to the nipple on the end) but after just a couple of puffs opened up very nicely. The base flavors start out Woody and Leathery with a bit of a lingering finish that leaves a thick feeling on the tongue and palate. The body was about medium which resulted in an appealing smoke.
As I smoked a bit deeper into the cigar I found myself at the two thirds mark. So far the cigar was very pleasant to smoke. The body was very slowly creeping further into the Medium range while the finish remained thick on the palate as well as smooth and easy to smoke. The base flavor remained to be a mix of Wood and Leather flavors but only seemed to develop into deeper and richer flavors as the cigar became larger and larger in ring gauge. The draw remained free and produced a good volume of thick smoke. The ash was light in color while being slightly flaky in spots but a firm and solid at the core.
As time passed I reached the final third of my cigar. The draw remained free and produced lots of thick flavorful smoke. The finish was becoming mildly dry but remained smooth and easy on the palate. Due to the steep taper at the head of the cigar it was beginning to get a bit hot on the lips and fingers with each puff. The leathery portion of the base flavor was fading leaving a dominant Woody and Peppery flavor to finish off the smoke.
Overall I really enjoyed this cigar, especially the larger ring gauge section. The smoke seemed to develop more and more character with each puff which really appealed to me. With an MSRP of $12.00 and the fact that these will only be released to select tobacconist at a limited supply I don’t think that I will be smoking too many of these in the future. If these were more readily available and more affordable I would definitely smoke more. Of all the Puros Indios products, this was definitely my favorite. If you enjoy Puros Indios cigars I think that this will be a home run for you.
Frank, once again, thank you very much for the cigars. It was a pleasure to be one of the initial people to smoke and enjoy this Cuba Aliados cigar.
Nice nub! You must’ve enjoyed that one a lot. Sounds like a cigar that I would love….if only I could get my hands on one….
Hey.. umm take a quick look at your title and then the cigar band. I think either you added an L or they left one off the band. 😉
I do that all the time… heck half the time I’m not sure I can speak English let alone write it.
Jesse,
Thanks for catching that. I must have added it to my spell checker with the extra L so nothing came up misspelled.
-Walt
Walt,
Big fan of your reviews, but the ones you’ve been doing lately where you read off the review chart, not likeing it at all. It was much better when you did it naturally… Maybe as an ending to the videos you could fill it out, but in the begining, just go over it like you normally do.
Mike
Another great review Walt. Also, I just wanted to say, that it’s really decent of you to give those guys (from the logo contest) some smokes. Sincere thanks for the great site.
Marshall
Good review G. I’d like to get my hands on a couple of these.
Walt,
You get 10 cool points and 3 gold stars for playing TOOL’s, “Right In Two,” when you rounded out the first third. Top five greatest bands of all time…it’s science. MDD.
Of course the nipple shape is appealing…..it’s a nipple!
Thanks for the review, but the advertising is misleading since this is not a Cuban product from the island of Cuba, it’s an example of mis-labeling by Cuban exiles who left the country ages ago and have nothing to do with it but their memories.
Do you think it’s fair to allow these fakes to be promoted as if they were from the island itself?
Thanks,
Walter
I enjoyed the review Walt, thanks.
I have been trying alot of perfecto shaped cigars lately and hope to find this one soon. At $12.00 MSRP I’ll have to hide these from my herf buddy.
Bill
Walterlx —
Calling these cigars “fakes” is a little disingenuous. Cuba Aliados cigars are named after an old Cuban bus line. I don’t think this is misleading at all, unless you’re expecting a bus instead of a cigar.
The Cuban mystique is exploited by many non-Cuban cigar manufacturers, and I find this irritating as well, but I don’t think Rolando Reyes Sr. can be accused of that. Memories are okay when they are genuine.
Tom
Don Rolando’s passion for cigars is clearly evident in his Aliados brand. He began making cigars under that name in Havana in 1955, and the brand has followed him through various moves in his search for the perfect cigar-making country. Aliados often receive high ratings from the Cigar Aficionado tasting panel. As Lew Rothman, owner of J.R. Tobacco and a marketer of Aliados cigars, notes, “Reyes makes incredible cigars. If you check the ratings, Aliados consistently have received the highest average mark of any cigar of its type.”
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/Cigar_Stars_Profile/0,2547,146,00.html
Hey Frankie! Yes, the CA Anniversary maduros are my goto cigar, hands down. Looking forward to meeting you at the Vegas BS…
Ken
Had a chance to taste the Cuba Aliados Anniversary Magicos (6 x 48 toro).
I punched this cigar, and the pre-light draw was easy. I lit the cigar and was surprised. It actually tasted good. Most Reyes cigars taste and smell like wet hay. But this feller was actually tasty. It was slightly sweet with coffee and earth notes.
But, my enjoyment lasted but an inch as it started to draw funny and i noticed that it had begun to tunnel. What was slightly frustrating about this was that I actually wanted to like the cigar. So I kept plugging along.
It did right itself, only to canoe or tunnel again.
So, after about halfway down the smoke, I had to abandon it. You’d think with an “Anniversary” cigar, you’d get quality and good construction, but I guess not with these guys.