Origin : Nicaragua
Wrapper : Costa Rican Maduro
Binder : Brazilian
Filler : Dominican and Nicaraguan
Source : Purchased from Cigars International with my own funds
Cost : $34.99 per bundle of 20 (this is the cost I paid so the price may be different if I got them on sale)
I have for you today, the La Estrella Cubana Oscuro. This cigar comes in four different sizes, belicoso (52 x 6.0″), churchill (48 x 7.0″), toro (50 x 6.0″), and a robusto (50 x 5.0″). I will be smoking the belicoso for your viewing pleasure today.
Pre-Light
Starting off with the inspection of my La Estrella Cubana Oscuro, I have to say, it is not very pretty. Veiny, blocky and rough would be good terms to describe it. Scent off the wrapper is a faint barnyard smell while the foot does not have much at all but a little tobacco scent.
First Third
Upon putting the flame to my La Estrella Cubana Oscuro, I get a chocolaty taste along with what seems to be a coffee flavor in the background. We are starting off with a very mild body to the cigar.
First ash fell off at about 3/4 of an inch. Taste is still with the chocolate on top of coffee it seems. That coffee I am getting is not very prominent. I also am still getting a bit of a cardboard taste every now and then.
rounding out the first third, the chocolate taste is still up front with a cardboard taste just slightly in the background. I am having trouble discerning if I taste spice or if it is the bitter chocolate, so I hope it reveals itself in the second third.
Second Third
Starting the second third of my La Estrella Cubana Oscuro and i have to say, I am enjoying it so far. I am getting a bit of a cardboard taste in the background but it does not bother me at this point.
Wow, I just got a mouth full of creamy smoke from this cigar. Caught me off guard for a second. Amazing some of the little things you get from some lower cost smokes.
At the end of the second third, the chocolate is still in the forefront with the coffee in the background. I have totally lost the cardboard taste and figured out the spicy notes I was getting was probably the bitter chocolate.
Final Third
At the final third of this La Estrella Cubana Oscuro we are still with the bitter chocolate and the notes of coffee. I have not had much of a change up in this cigar but it is still enjoyable so far.
I am keeping my eyes on the part of the wrapper at the band that is coming up, like I showed in the video.
I had no problems at all with that part of the wrapper coming up I smoked right through it.
Coming to the end the cigar is getting a bit harsh but it still has the bitter chocolate taste going on. All in all, with an inch left on the cigar I got more than my money’s worth.
Wrap-Up
I have to say that I did enjoy this La Estrella Cubana Oscuro. I was pleasantly surprised by the body staying mild to low-medium at most. When I first bought these (with the Empire Series) I thought they would be a lot more powerful than I would like.
flavor profile is very basic on this stick with the bitter chocolate being the main component and a bit of coffee thrown in for good measure. I also was getting a nice creamy texture to the smoke that was very enjoyable.
All in all, I would recommend this cigar to anyone who likes a mild maduro stick without much change in flavors. I think they are best for a gathering, or sometime when you don’t want to devote your full attention to the cigar.
I had no burn problems even with letting it in my ashtray while I typed this stuff up.
If you have had these, let me know what you think!
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Boy, that’s one ugly cigar. Although for <$2, what do you expect.
I think this is a horrible cigar. Bleh.
Doesn’t seem like a bad smoke. Although if I were going to get a bundle cigar, I’d rather spend $40 and get the Flor De Oliva maduro torpedo. Then again we get smokes like this just to prolong the life of boxes we put a bigger investment into, and also to give to friends who don’t really smoke cigars, haha. But it’s good to know that these aren’t bad either, thanks for the review Mike!
Wow, this is a HUGE jump from their old blend – the one with the Corojo (I think) wrapper.
Man, that cigar was terrible. I paid a dollar a stick, and they aren’t even worth that. They smell like straight grass, and I almost got sick smoking one because it was so green. Yack!
Maybe those are the ones I smoked. Got two. I don’t recollect Oscuro in the name. I’ll find the order. They were grassy and terrible. So bad that I cringe when I see the label.
Yeah, if you bought them a while ago they were probably the ones with the Natural wrapper and no the Maduro. The Maduro has only been out for a few months I believe.
But still, the old blend left a bad taste in my mouth. . . so bad that I will not seek out the Oscuro despite is somewhat better flavor.
Got these…for a dirt cheap cigar its not horrible….Great description on when to smoke these
I got five of these in a freebie a while back. I’d say you nailed the cigar in your review. I like ’em well enough to make them an everyday smoke, like you say, when I’m not paying that much attention. I like it pretty well wwith coffee. The price you paid is pretty much what you can expect to pay. I just got a box on the devil site for 22 bucks.
not the worst i ve ever had. the slight spice fades in and out and the flavors drop and come back quite often. spot on with the coffe and chocolate flavors there nice for a 2$ stick when they are present.
I have smoked 6 of these and two were bitter. The other 4 I found to be enjoyable and tasted as you described. One had canoeing issues. But most burned well with a short, flaky ash. I had a firm one yesterday that held a good 1″ ash even while hiking around. But the good flavor on it came and went and couple of times.
this is one of my favorite inexpensive cigars… i love the
appearance, and find its coarseness and color appealing… i think
it is at least medium, though, and like a little bite with my
smoke… it certainly satisfies… for a little over a buck ea.,
this is amazing today… i always keep some of these in my
humidor… d
I have never tasted cardboard, so I don’t know if this cigar tastes like it or not. I will say that the cigar was smokable from start to finish. Some os these inexpensive cigars become quite harsh; this one did not. The smoke was enjoyable and the aroma was pleasant.
For the money great cigar, i like the short robustos 29.00$ Let them get some age on them and they start to taste like a cheap candy bar really good for the money,good burn and apperanceCheap cigar rating Id give them a 10! great for public use and doing stuff !
its not a bad cigar to have with a drink. Its allot better than most at the price
Been smoking these ever since they came out. I have never had a bad experience with burn, taste or draw on these. Always good although i cannot distinguish the chocolate nuances you are talking about. I like these a lot and would recommend these to all maduro lovers. Also I have never seen one as ugly as the one you have in your photo.
I have been smoking these for years as an “everyday” cigar. I was very disappointed to see that they have apparently been discontinued. Always the good ones.
I’ve smoked these on Saturday mornings with coffee years back and now cannot find them anywhere. Loved the dark, oily wrapper, lots of smoke, the aroma, and the mildness (price was good too!).
What similar sticks are comparable to LEC?