Cuban Stock Extra – Torpedo

Back at the end of February 2012, Cuban Stock Cigars approached me about reviewing their line of cigars. Of course I accepted the challenge by first reviewing their Exqisto Limitado and Royal Selection blends, which by the way are top shelf cigars. So here we are on the third blend from their line-up the Cuban Stock Extra.

The Cuban Stock factory was established in 1995 and it is located in the Dominican Republic. Cuban Stock Cigars was originally known as Crown David Cigars. They now use the DBA Cuban Stock Cigar Company for better name recognition for their first cigar the “Cuban Stock”.

According to Cuban Stock Cigars the Cuban Stock Extra is manufactured using tobaccos grown only in the Dominican Republic from Cuban seeds and “the tobacco is aged for many years in oak wine barrels.” Since I am a huge fan of the first two blends I reviewed, I am anxious to light up this Cuban Stock Extra.

Quick Details

• Cigar Size: 6.25 x 52
• Origin: Dominican Republic
• Wrapper:  Dominican Maduro
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Price: $6.50 Online

Construction

The only negative attributes with this cigar were a small wrinkle in the wrapper right at the mid-point and one medium sized vein.  Without those two small imperfections construction of this cigar would be perfect. The cold aromas that radiated from the wrapper and the foot were a nice mix of spice and cedar with a hint of chocolate.  I found the cigar to be well packed and once the end was clipped the cold draw was perfect containing notes of sweet cream, spice and the same hint of chocolate found in the wrapper.

Flavor

Once I had the cigar burning the first flavors were a very nice, medium bodied, mix of sweet cream, earth and a bit of nuttiness. As the burn crept toward the mid-section nuances of chocolate began to build giving the cigar an overall mocha flavor that lasted well on my palate. As I puffed into the final third, notes of charcoal drove away the earthiness, building a long finish of my favorite flavor profile that I call, “scalded mocha,” a mix of charcoal or dark roast espresso, sweet cream and chocolate. Simply delicious!

Burn

I was amazed at how easily this cigar toasted and was burning; it took less than 30 seconds to toast and light. Once the cigar was burning it produced a nice volume of smoke with the aroma of nutty tobacco plus a touch of toasted oak. The burn line was dead-on the entire length of the cigar leaving behind a firm, white ash that held on for about two inches before falling away.

Overall Insights

This was defiantly a top drawer cigar for me because of the flavors and the appearance. If I were still using the old number rating system, this would be the highest rated cigar to date. I simply loved this stick from beginning to end and if you don’t give one a try, you are missing out!

Appearance and construction: 19
Flavor: 19.5
Smoking characteristics: 19.5
Overall experience: 19.5
Purchased Price: 18
Total 95.5