The cigars: La Aroma de Cuba Cetro and Corona Minor
Nutritional information
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Humidor time: 3 mos
The marketing:
Courtesy of Ashton:
La Aroma de Cuba is as exciting to smoke as it is to view. The wrapper is made from carefully chosen dark Cuban seed Honduran tobacco with plenty of oils and sheen. The filler is a blend of rich Cuban seed Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos and the binder is Honduran. La Aroma de Cuba has an enticing aroma and is a medium to full strength cigar. It draws easily and offers a big, enchanting flavor delivered smoothly with lots of finesse.
The packaging is truly extraordinary. Utilizing original Cuban artwork with several modifications and enhancements, the dress box is simply gorgeous with its extensive gold embossing and rich colors.
La Aroma de Cuba was a turn of the century brand made famous in part by Winston Churchill who characterized the cigar as one of his favorites. The new La Aroma de Cuba is completely different but once smoked, its flavor and aroma will remind you of a taste from another era.
Courtesy of Famous:
La Aroma De Cuba Corona cigars are a marvelous re-incarnation of the original 19th century Cuban cigar in a full-bodied Honduran blend. La Aroma De Cuba Corona is distinguished by a dark, oily, Cuban-seed Honduran wrapper that surrounds a full-flavored blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. Adorned with colorful ornate bands that look and 'feel' like you're smoking a pre-Castro Havana, La Aroma De Cuba Corona is blended for seasoned cigar smokers who want rich taste, high quality and affordability.
A few weeks ago I smoked a 4.5 x 44 corona minor, then smoked a 6.5 x 44 Cetro in a blind tasting. The next night I revisited the corona minor to compare the two. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera available.
Cetro:
Prelight: The dark leathery wrapper is bumpy and had a few larger veins. Well rolled. Leather and spice on the aroma.
Burn/construction: Draw was a little on the tight side, but not too bad. Burn was excellent -- very straight. Ash was darker gray and relatively firm, looser as the smoke progressed.
Flavor: The flavor was lean, with leather and spice, not overpowering but definitely front and center, and particularly so when exhaled through the nose. The finish was dry and relatively short. Some sweeter cinnamon notes appeared in the last two inches, but it wasn't a tremendously complex smoke. I did like the flavor and it held my interest.
Corona minor
The corona minor is very similar to the Cetro. The wrapper is a little smoother, but the construction is similarly excellent and the flavor profile quite like that of the Cetro.
That said, I think I liked the smaller format better: whereas the flavor of the larger Cetro was pretty consistent throughout, evolving only towards the last couple of inches, the petit corona size was more dynamic. I got more coffee and sweetness earlier in the smoke, and I felt like it hit the sweet spot quicker and stayed there longer.
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