Casa Fuente Robusto review

[moki]

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Casa Fuente Robusto (5 ¼" x 50)

Fuente joined a partnership with Robbie Levin (of Holts fame) to open up a retail store in The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, called "Casa Fuente." The store's grand opening is set for early June, 2005, and will feature a flagship cigar available only there (no Internet/phone orders): the Casa Fuente cigar.

I'm not sure what sizes the Casa Fuente cigars will be available in; but I do know that the filler started off as an Opus blend, but was tweaked and massaged from the traditional Opus blend. The wrapper is a gorgeous Cameroon wrapper grown from the original Cameroon seeds planted by Rick Meerapfel, and the cigar itself is perfectly constructed, with no soft spots or blemishes on the wrapper. The Casa Fuente cigar is, as you would expect, adorned with a gorgeous ornate band, and it has an orange ribbon around the foot of the cigar.

A sniff of the foot reveals hints of the typical spiced raison/plum scent of an Opus, but with mustier hints of vanilla bean and ginseng root. Sparking it up ends all comparisons to the Opus: this is a different animal altogether.

It's said that a cigar's wrapper can contribute as much as 60% of a cigar's taste. I'm not sure how much of that is accurate, but the Cameroon wrapper on this cigar combined with the modified filler blend definitely results in an entirely new breed of cigar, quite different from an Opus X cigar.

Where the Opus has a strong Jalapeño spice to it, the Casa Fuente cigar has a much earthier black pepper spice, with a minty/leathery aftertaste that's reminiscent of Don Carlos cigars. I'm no fan of the Don Carlos cigars, and I was rather disappointed by both blends of the God of Fire cigars (more so the Don Carlos blend), but the Casa Fuente cigar is really a wonderful experience.

Initial draws from the cigar bring musty, leathery flavors with hints of mushrooms and a tingly clove/cardamon aftertaste. For people who find the Opus to be too overpowering, the Casa Fuente will be a welcome surprise. It's by no means a mild cigar; it has a strong, robust, earthy profile akin to a Cuban Bolivar or Ramon Allones, but it's not the "oh my god, hang on for dear life" fresh Opus kind of strong.

Those who have had burn issues with fresh Opus will likewise be glad to know that the Cameroon wrapper on the Casa Fuente cigar no doubt contributes to its razor-sharp burn, even when fresh.

This is remarkably complex cigar that picks up power as it smokes down, morphing the predominant tastes slightly to offer up hints of chocolate and Sumatran coffee, while maintaining the musty/leathery flavors and clove/cardamon spice. The sweetness is subtle, akin to the understated sweetness of a graham cracker, and the finish offered up surprising hints of citrus flavors thrown into the mix.

All in all, strap your tastes buds down for a wild ride; this is a damn fine cigar. Now the bad news.

Because these cigars are sold only at the very expensive Forums shops at Caesar's palace in Las Vegas, the cigars will no doubt be very expensive, likely $30 a stick or more. Less then the typical (and ridiculous) Strip price of $60 for an Opus, but still certainly a special occasion cigar.

Incidentally, the Fuentes lend only their name to Casa Fuente; Levin & co run the actual store, and pay Fuente a % of sales for the use of their name... which Fuente then donates to their Cigar Family Charitable Foundation.