I honestly don’t remember why I picked up the 5-pack of 1884′s. I think it was the newly purchased, but empty humidor. Or maybe it was the enticing write up on TodaysCigar. But I’m glad I did. I feel like I learned a thing or two from smoking it, and it rewarded me with at least one extremely pleasurable smoking experience.
Cigar Stats
Size: 6 3/4 x 44 (Lonsdale)
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
The Pre-Smoke
These cigars have an inconsistent feel when given the squeeze test. The first one I tried seemed to be the worst offender, and consequently the one with the most burn issues. (More on that later.) The second and third cigars seemed a bit more solid, with less uneven give. They also happened to look less and less ugly with each passing cigar (and no, I didn’t smoke all three of them back to back). The second and third cigars had fewer noticeable bumps, and while they all had pretty prominent veins, they actually seemed to be placed very specifically to create a cool pattern. Especially on the third one.
The cigar also had a pleasant sweet, almost caramel smell before lighting.
The Burn
This cigar is another good example of never judging a box by a single cigar. The first one I smoked had nothing but trouble. It went out at least 3 times and plugged up twice. Fortunately, it gave me the opportunity to try out my new, super-premium Brian’s Draw Poker. The following two cigars burned much more nicely, requiring at most a single slight touch up. Each of these cigars produced a good solid inch to inch and a half of ash before dropping.
The Flavor
This is a cigar that really rewards you for taking your time. Draw issues with the first cigar made me smoke it too fast and resulted in a harsher charred flavor than those that followed. The second was my favorite, it was a rich nutty flavor from the foot to the nub, beginning with a creaminess in the first third and ending with a bit of cinnamon and hints of sweet almond just at the beginning of the final third. The third cigar was very similar, though less creamy. However, it had an amazingly tasty initial 2 or 3 puffs. If the entire cigar tasted like the first 3 puffs of that third cigar, I’d buy a bunch of boxes, quit my job, run into the hills, start talking to myself and never smoke another type of cigar. Fortunately for other manufacturers (and my wife, and myself), it doesn’t smoke that way. It was that tasty.
Another thing I noticed in the third smoke was that the burning cigar smelled delicious. I’m not talking about the smoke, the actual cigar. It was like toasted hazelnuts. I probably looked pretty silly smelling the unlit end of the cigar between puffs, but I didn’t care. And it helped that nobody was around to laugh at me either. This was just too good a cigar to waste putting on on somebody’s forehead. 
The Price
With shipping, I picked a five pack of these guys up from the troubled (and possibly finished) TodaysCigar for $4.33 a cigar. I don’t think that’s a terrible price for a cigar of this size, a bit high maybe, but I think in the future I might pick up the #47 (robusto) and hope for a price in the low $3 range. This cigar was a perfect companion for the 2 hour season finale of 24, but it’d be nice to be able to invest slightly less time in it and save a buck or two at the same time.
The Verdict
The first one I smoked, I really didn’t enjoy, but the second I loved just as much as I hated the first. The third secured this cigar in the buy-more-column. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite cigar, but I can see picking one up from time to time. Well, let’s put it this way, there’s a good chance I’ll have at least one of these my humidor. If I had to give it a letter rating, I’d give it either a B- or a B. (It gets the B if I don’t encounter any more burn issues with the ones I have left.)
What Other People Are Saying
- The Cigar Week review – It looks like I paid the right amount for this cigar, this 1999 review prices it at $4.35!
- 2 Reviews by random people on Epinions – 4 stars in the 2000 review, 5 stars in 2005.
- Wurm’s review on CigarPass – Great pictures on this one!
- Pat Wolski’s Cuesta Rey Review – No frills, right to the point. (He paid $6 for this cigar?!)
- Cuesta Rey #47 podcast review on StogieFresh – It’s not the same cigar (it’s the robusto size I mentioned earlier), but it should be similar. And the podcast is a lot of fun to listen to.
My Other Reviews
- CAO Gold Natural
- Diamond Crown Maximus Toro #4
- CAO Sopranos Associate
- Extra Ordinary Larry (Drew Estate Acid)
- Ashton VSG vs. Diamond Crown Maximus Toro
Like this post?
Help me out by submitting this to Digg (or vote for it if its already there)!
Atlanta's Accidental Herf: Southern Georgia « Brian’s Random Thoughts said,
May 23, 2007 at 12:45 pm
[...] Cuesta Rey 1884 Lonsdale (Coming soon. I swear!) [...]
Tiffany said,
May 24, 2007 at 12:46 am
Hey, Brian! Put your blog on my LJ. Is this going to be a cigar blog? If so, I’m afraid I won’t be commenting much on it. lol
Brian said,
May 24, 2007 at 9:53 am
It might be if I had enough time to smoke cigars every day and insightful things to say about them! However, to stay hip and fresh, I’m resisting the pressure to niche… er… niche-ifiy this blog. And you know me, I’m all about hip and fresh.
The deal with the cigar posts is that there is an actual shortage of good cigar reviews on the internet. (If you can believe there’s a shortage of anything online.) They generate a good deal of consistent traffic and are some of the most read posts on my blog. They also happen to take 5 times as much time and effort to write! It’s a labor of love. Oh, how I give.
Doug said,
May 24, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Great review!
I really like this format.
It’s similar to the format I use.
Well done… now I’m off to read your review of the southern half of Georgia.
Brian said,
May 24, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Yeah, I see that… I didn’t steal it, I swear!
It just seemed to make sense to me, flow wise. I found my cigar review posts seemed to come out that way. The headings just make it easier to scan and read.
I do really like your summary section… the buy-it-again, recommend-it, etc. I may just steal that for my next review! (Don’t worry, if I do, I’ll give you in-post kudos for it!
)