Cigar review: Cusano 18th Anniversary Double Connecticut Robusto

Hello cigar smokers,
Today I felt like an easy going cigar, so I reached for a Cusano 18th Anniversary Double Connecticut in a Robusto size. I don't normally go for Connecticut cigars, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like a good, mild cigar. These Cusano's are a good change of pace from a Montecristo, Macanudo, or other household name cigar. For the 18th Anniversary of the Cusano brand they released a blend that features a Connecticut Shade wrapper and binder leaf, both harvested in 1997 and aged for 18 years. The filler tobaccos are all Dominican with vintages between 1985 and 1999. These cigars come packed in boxes of 18 and on the inside of the lid is a list invoicing the vintages of the tobaccos featured in this cigar. This cigar is a 2/5 on the strength spectrum.

A Connecticut Shade wrapper aged this long is an anomaly, as Connecticut wrappers are very easy going cigars that don't need much age to develop. Connecticut shade is a much less oily wrapper than darker, heavier leaves, so the flavor does not change as much over time as a tobacco leaf with more oils in it. While some may call 18 years of age on a Connecticut Shade wrapper excessive, I think it works pretty well with this blend. It starts off to a good flavor and draw. I think Connecticut Shade wrappers sometimes start slow, as in the flavor is weak and takes a while into the cigar to progress into a satisfying flavor. Other Connecticut Shade cigars taste a little "green" to me, and by that I mean the wrapper is a little sour or bitter, which indicates a leaf that was rushed along a little bit in the aging process. With a leaf harvested in 1997 those are not an issue for this Cusano, it lights up to a satisfying Connecticut Shade flavor, and maintains it throughout the cigar. While this blend doesn't offer very complex flavors, it gives me exactly what I want out of a mild cigar. I go back and forth between this cigar and the AVO Classic when I'm in the mood for an easy going cigar. I recommend this cigar to anybody who enjoys the AVO Classic, people who prefer Connecticut Shade cigars and want to try something new, or to anybody who wants a mild cigar.