The cigar: Cuesta Rey Centro Fino Sungrown #7

Nutritional information:
Vitola: 4.5 x 50 robusto
Origin: Dominicant Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra sungrown
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Humidor time: about 3 mos.


The marketing:

JR: The Centro Fino Sungrown is a much fuller-bodied cigar than its cousins in the original Cuesta Rey line. The new brand has Sumatran sungrown wrapper leaf from the Quevedo region in Ecuador. The filler is a five-year-old Dominican ligero and the binder is also from the Dominican Republic. This cigar, made by Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia will appeal to those Cuesta Rey fans seeking more strength in their smoke.

Famous: Cuesta Rey Centro Fino cigars provide a smooth, yet more full-bodied flavor than regular Cuesta Rey cigars. The cigars are handmade at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic and flawlessly rolled in lush, Sumatra-seed wrappers sun-grown in the fertile Quevedo region of Ecuador. The filler is a hearty blend of 5 year-aged Dominican ligero longfiller for a luxurious, full-flavored evening smoke. Truly in a class by themselves, and another fine example of fine Arturo Fuente craftsmanship.


Prelight: This is a pretty little robusto. It comes in a gold embossed cello sleeve and sports two large and colorful bands, which take up quite a bit of the cigar's length and make it seem small. The sungrown wrapper is a beautiful golden red, nicely rolled. The cigar has a good solid feel. The head is flattish, so I punched it, and it held up well. The cold draw was a bit tight, with some suggestions of sweet spice.

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Burn: Ok. It lit easily and produced a very white ash that held well despite being a bit flaky. The burn slanted almost from the beginning and didn't correct itself -- I think the ligero was not well-centered -- which distracted a bit from the smoke itself. It produces good amounts of sweet aromatic smoke. Draw remained a bit on the tight side, but not so tight as to be a problem. Burn time was about 50 mins.

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Flavor: Billed as a medium to full bodied cigar, it's quite a bit lighter. I'd call it a mild to medium, but with good flavor. The taste started out mild, with some light sweetness, wood, and some tea-like flavors. A very Dominican profile. The light sweetness remained throughout the smoke, with the notes of wood and spice and overall strength picking up as I progressed. By the last third, the body was solidly medium. I had to make sure not to smoke too quickly or pull too hard, because the cigar had a tendency to get hot. The finish began a bit dry, but became a bit heavier and more creamy as I got about halfway through.

Not a lot of complexity here, but a smooth, balanced flavor. I've got a few more from a box of 10, and if they burn better, this could become a favorite, tasty daytime smoke.
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Your description reminds me of the Sun Grown wrapper version of the Fuente Chateau line. Are you familiar enough with those to make a comparison?
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Very nice, thanks for sharing. I've had one of these in my humi for a while and you've inspired me to save it from it's boring life of laying around...
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thanks for sharing, I have yet to try a Cuesta Rey!
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Love the Fuente Sun Grown, especially in the Cuban Belicoso format. Those have a little more punch to them than the Centro Fino. The flavors of the Fuente Sun Grown are darker, and there's more chocolate and spice. I thought I had a review of that cigar up here, but I can't seem to find it.
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I really liked that Cuesta Rey. I thought it was a very tasty smoke.
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I've had a bunch more since, and I've got a 5pk of the No. 9 pyramid awaiting the flame. They are tasty. :-)
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