The cigar up for review this week is yet another selection from RTDA. Yep, I said RTDA, meaning this is a cigar I picked up at last years show, before it became IPCPR. Well, to be honest, the cigars I smoked for this review didn’t actually come from the show. Instead, I saw these in a local shop and was reminded of that long lost Habanos Puros I bartered for over a year ago. That’s right, the folks at the show wouldn’t give me a sample. I guess they figured I just a mooch. (To their credit, it did take me over a year to actually review the cigar!) So I asked them if they’d be interested in trading one for another cigar I picked up. Amused by my unusual proposal, they agreed and I got my cigar. But in all the hustle and bustle of getting home and getting the cigars properly put away, that cigar was mislaid.
Aside from my comical little story about first getting the cigar, I couldn’t find too much real information about the cigar or the company online. The official website is “temporarily” being reorganized, and no company information is currently available. The short write up on the company in my Perelman’s guide indicates that Habanos Puros are made in Esteli, Nicaragua and started in 2001 as a mail-order brand. But hey, I don’t really need to know much to review a cigar!
Cigar Stats:
Size: 4 1/2 x 42 (petit corona)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Costa Rica, Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$4.00
The Pre-Smoke
The Habanos Puros is a distinctive, eye catching cigar, which is part of the reason I recognized it at the show, and why I was willing to swap smokes to try one. It has a great, dark wrapper and a simple, but bold band that really stands out. As I looked over the wrapper leaf, I didn’t see any obvious flaws. The cigars only had a few larger veins in an otherwise, smooth, dark wrapper.
Construction wise, these little cigars were pretty hard, and seemed to be well packed. The wrapper on one cigar had a strong sweet smell, while the other only had a faint dark compost aroma. The cold taste was a combination of dark chocolate and a bit of fruity sweetness.
The Burn
The first cigar I smoked had a perfect burn. The burn line was often Razor-straight, it had a very solid white ash and perfect draw. It was an impressive little smoke.
The second cigar, unfortunately, wasn’t as gifted. It started off very uneven right off the bat, and even formed a short tunnel in the first third. After an early touch up, the burn line remained mostly straight until the final third when it once again became jagged. The cigar also required numerous relights in the second and final thirds. The good news is that the ash was still pretty solid and visually pleasing, and there was never a problem with the draw.
The Flavor
The flavors of this cigar are every bit as dark as the wrapper. While the cigar wasn’t a one note tune, it didn’t change all that much from one end to the other. It started out with a lot of dark chocolate, coffee (think about the darkest, smokiest coffee you’ve had, and you’d be about right), mocha and earth, and continued to fluctuate between those flavors throughout. There were occasional pockets of nice sweetness, and a little bit of cedar toward the end of the second third. Other than that, it was pretty much a full-bodied dark chocolate delight.
The Price
I can’t complain about the price, the entire line seems to be pretty reasonable over all.
The Verdict
In spite of the burn issues and heavy butane use of the second cigar, I really liked this little smoke. In fact, I’m glad I picked the petite corona. Not only is it a great, time saving size, it also eliminated the chances of me getting bored of the flavor profile. (Thought I’m not sure that I would, really.) While there weren’t substantial changes in the flavor of this cigar between thirds, there were enough fluctuations in the flavors on an ongoing basis to keep me interested.
If you love full bodied cigars that are all about the dark chocolate and coffee, you outta give this cigar a shot!
Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes
Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.
Brian, you nailed the review on these. I have been smoking the #4’s for a year or two and have been buying them from http://www.mrbundles.com who if you sign up, sends an email special usually containing deep discounts on this line. Normally to the tune of $64.00 for the #4 (24count box). Awesome smoke, the siglo in this line is also quite tasty.
Great review and pics Brian. I dig the flavor profile,price point and pc is my favorite vitola,gonna have to try some.
Great review, Brian. This is one of the better bargain cigars out there, IMO.
These are made by Cuba’s Famous Brands — http://www.cfb4u.com — though I heard in an email from Fumee that they were rebranding “Habanos Puros” due to a trademark dispute.
Thanks duckmanco,
That’s a pretty sweet deal on these No. 4’s. Just as soon as I have some space, I may be picking up a box!
Thanks Allan Lopez,
Give ’em a shot, and then jump over to the stogie review fan forum and tell us what you think!
Thanks for the info cigarfan,
I hadn’t heard that. Apparently I was looking at a Cuban cigar retailer, and not the official website. (Though I did see the website you mention, but ironically, I thought it was just a retailers website!)
This is a great cigar.A little hard to find.It was recommended to me by a shop owner who knows I like heavy,full bodied smoke.This beauty was good from the start.I highly would recommened it to anyone who likes a strong stick.One of my favorites of all time.