Cuba Libre Trompeta

Castro appears to have made a recovery, according to recent 'sightings', which sort of bums us out. We've been holding out hope that, well, there would be a change of leadership and perhaps the Cuban cigar market would open up again to us here in the states. The folks behind Cuba Libre seem to share our sentiments, if you read into the name ("Free Cuba"). This brand has quite a few blends, mainly distinguished by the country they're rolled in. The Honduran line offers both natural and maduro wrappers with a top-notch selection of Mexican, Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers with the wrappers being either Indonesian (natural) or Connecticut Broadleaf (maduro). Then there's the Esteli, Nicaragua-rolled puros that contain 3 tasty types of Nicaraguan tobacco leaves ("puro", for you new folks, means that all tobaccos in the cigar—wrapper, binder and fillers—come from a single country). The toothy, sun-grown wrappers and thick ring gauge combine to deliver a rich, spicy-sweet smoke with hints of nuttiness. The shape (pyramid) is noteworthy, and relatively uncommon. The design creates a wide burn area with a relatively narrow head, yielding heaps of smoke volume while keeping the cigar a manageable width in the mouth. The only disadvantage is that the cigar can start to smoke a bit hot toward the nub as it narrows out. Overall a mellow smoke that's satisfyingly smooth and balanced. Great with añejo tequila.