Cu-Avana Intenso Churchill

[Mad Dawg]

OK, I admit it. On occasion, I get sucked in by the blurbs that appear in cigar catalogs. That's how I became aware of the Cu-Avana name in general, and the Intenso line in particular. I got curious enough to lowball a couple of bids at Cbid, and won a few to try.

In this case, I don't regret falling for the flowery catalog verbiage. The example I smoked today came wrapped in a maduro wrapper mottled with darker streaks and blobs where the oils were coming up through the binder. The cigar was heavy in the hand and uniformly firm in the bunch. A light clip was rewarded by a perfect draw - just the right resistance.

Pre-light flavors promised some oomph: a light sting on the tongue from the purported all-ligero blend combined with solid tobacco flavors and hints of cedar and earth. From the first few draws, it became clear that this line has some cojones. I could detect a solid core of Nicaraguan tobacco throughout, while notes of earth and spices (primarily black pepper) came and went. The flavor profile didn't change much as the smoke progressed, but it was good enough to hold my interest for the hour-plus that I enjoyed it.

My only complaint was that the cigar developed runners early on, and had an unfortunate tendency to require touch-ups and relighting much more frequently than I like. Of course, the fact that the cigar was ROTT and so may have been a little on the wet side didn't help, nor did the 15-20 MPH wind that blew the whole time I was smoking it.

I would rate this cigar on the strong side of medium-bodied; not a turn-you-greener, but you'd never mistake it for a Macanudo.

In all, a solid cigar with some stones backing a good flavor profile. Given their price point (in the $3.50 range retail, can be had for around $2 on Cbid), the Cu-Avana Intenso line is something that any value-conscious smoker who likes fuller-bodied cigars should give a try. Recommended!