Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Corojo 99

Binder: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed

Filler:  Nicaraguan Cuban Seed

Size: 5 x 52  “Robusto”

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $7.00

First, a disclaimer; I thought this was a new cigar by Casa Fernandez. Why did I think that? Because I just ain’t that damn bright. The cigar debuted in the distant past at the 2011 IPCPR trade show. So now that I’ve gotten this out of the way, on with the review.

The description on Atlantic Cigar’s web site is perfect the way it is and doesn’t need me to paraphrase it:

“Casa Fernandez has been growing tobacco and making cigars for 3 decades under the name Tabacalera Tropical. They are one of the premier growers of tobacco and supply many of the top cigar producers with their famous Aganorsa tobacco. Blended by famed cigar maker Arsenio Ramos and under the watchful eye of company president Paul Palmer they have been producing award-winning cigars in the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras, their factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and now most recently have shifted a majority of their production back to Miami in the good ole USA. Their cigars are watched from tobacco seed to ash by one company only and the flavor of their famed Aganorsa tobacco comes through.”

The cigar is not listed as one of CF’s super premiums on their web site; just a premium. The difference is completely subjective and only the end user is qualified to make that decision. Construction is like all CF cigars: solid. Seams are tight. Veins are minimal. The Sun Grown ’99 Corojo wrapper is a dark, oily brown color. It looks like a triple cap but I have nothing to confirm this. The cap is so flawless, I can barely count them.

I sniff around and detect a heavy load of wood, cocoa, and lots of spice. This is the first time I’ve smelled this much wood on a wrapper.

I clip it and light up.

The first few puffs are delicious. I love the smell of a cigar in the morning. It smells like….Victory!

The flavor profile is unusual because of the wood influence. There is cocoa, black pepper, wood, and some substantial sweetness. A smooth, subtle creaminess is on the scene as well. The draw is perfect and the burn line is close to perfect.

Right off the bat, this cigar is going to become a flavor bomb. You just can’t go wrong with Casa Fernandez. I have reviewed every cigar they have produced and there is not a single cigar I haven’t raved and gushed over. This Copacabana may not be a super-premium in the eyes of the “man,” but it impresses me right away. I am so impressed by this cigar that at the 1” mark, I stopped writing and ordered a box at Atlantic Cigar. Really. $54 for a box of 15 Casa Fernandez Copacabana is nutty coo-coo. For my readers that prefer G rated expletives.

I am interrupted by my Atkins Shake tipping over next to the laptop and I don’t notice it until a full shake is empty, dripping on the dining room table and on to the floor… and trying to enter the cool pad my laptop sits on. Why? Because I was at the window taking a photo. Oy vay. I spent 5 minutes cleaning up and when I went back to the cigar, it was still lit and doing nicely without me.

Midway through the first third, the flavors are accelerating. The sweetness is becoming the proverbial sweet, buttery caramel so common to good Nicaraguan leaves. The creaminess is actually taking a second chair to the caramel. The cocoa is in between. The wood gives the cigar a unique profile and an interesting experience. By far, this is the only time I’ve had a wood component dominate this way. I like it.

The black pepper is tamed nicely by the other flavors. I am moving close to the halfway point and the body is classic medium. The character of the cigar is very well balanced and has a very long finish. The draw continues to be spot on and the ash doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere; except my lap…especially when I dare to let it burn so I can impress you in a photo.

I read some guy’s turn on the modern day reviewer. He basically disrespected us mortals. He said we use the words: pepper, cocoa, coffee, caramel, creaminess, etc. way too much and if we were smarter, we would find other ways to describe the cigar experience. Of course, he gave no examples. What really annoyed me is that Nicaraguan cigars have certain threads in common. And I have described most of them right here. And if the damn cigar tastes like caramel, well goddamit, it tastes like caramel.

I pass the halfway mark and the cigar is cruising. It started off like gangbusters and now the cigar is about finesse. The bold flavors have been reduced to a combo of subtle, well placed components that complement each other like Fred and Ethel.

I now fully expect things to change as I begin the last third.

A swerve in the review…I swore I would never buy another expensive lighter again. I’ve had nothing but aggravation from a certain big name producer of lighters. I bought an S.T. DuPont and within two months, I lost it. So I went on a spending spree. All of my present, expensive lighters take a dump on me way too soon. Their ignition systems just can’t take the usage.

So I hit every online store looking for deals and over a month, I bought 7 lighters; not one over $17….some as little as $5…with retail values of much more. I now have five of them. The other two should be in my hands soon. Now my attitude is that I have throwaway lighters. No hassle with sending them back. Or fighting with the lighter company. I just toss them. I will also rotate them which will enhance their lifetime.

Like a Tarantino movie, I flash back to spilling my Atkins Shake. As I held the laptop on its side to let the liquid drip from the inside of the cool pad, my S.T. DuPont slides out.

((^RYU^$#()_)*^##$%(_O&^R^)KYREW@##%^&%$$^&((__+)((*&&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Code for George Carlin’s 7 words you can’t say on TV).

A missing $200 lighter was inside the laptop cool pad this whole time; which has been, at least, 3 months.

The older I get, the stupider I get.

The spice has changed from black pepper to red pepper as I feel it on my tongue. And it is ramping up. The body is increasing as well. All of the previously described flavors are going from subtle to bold again.

The flavors are so intense that I actually have a big smile on my puss while I type. I have no doubt that if I had bought a bigger size, I would not taste this flavor explosion so soon after purchasing these cigars. I am now a convert to not buying a cigar bigger than a robusto. They age fast and furious. I bought some Legado de Pepin in robustos and they were flavor bombs right away. A month later, I bought a box of toros and they still have not reached their zenith after two months of rest.

I am beginning to feel the nicotine buzz. I take a photo of the cigar with the band removed. I then trade out rags to put on the carpet where I cleaned up the spilled Atkins shake, and while I am doing this, the band is right next to the cherry of the cigar and burns most of it up. Oy Vay. So now through the use of magic, I remove the band from another cigar and use it in the balance of photos to fool you into thinking it is the same band. Sly.

The last third is pure bliss. I don’t know what else to say. The folks at Casa Fernandez; specifically Arsenio Ramos, know what they are doing. Very few cigar lines have the quality level of CF. And the fact that the cigars are at a very good price point should put to shame the overpriced mysterious cigars that spend a fortune on PR. I smoked my last Feral Pig the other day and it doesn’t hold a candle to this cigar. It had 3 months of age on it and maybe it needed a year. I don’t know. But for $15, I expected something spectacular. I was disappointed.

This stick is nearing its end and I don’t want it to end.

I highly recommend this cigar. The price is great. The character is wonderful. What else do you need?

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS