The Good Stuff: Kinda funny, when I sit down to finally do this review, and start looking up some of the background on the cigar, I realized just how mixed up the information is. From what I have deduced, this cigar was blended by Nestor Plasencia, or Manuel Quesada. It carries a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan Filler along with Peruvian tobacco, or Panamanian tobacco. Really, that’s how mixed up this stuff is. What I can tell you for sure is, it’s a good looking cigar that you can get for about $2.50 a stick. That being said, lets get to the real review.

Prelight: The Cu-Avana Intenso is a pretty little cigar. The wrapper is this very rich, very dark oily and shiny brown. The color is pretty consistent for the most part, but goes crazy light in a few areas. I’ve said it before, but I much rather experience ugly looking color in wrapper than a dyed cigar, so the light patches really don’t bother me at all. The cigar is crazy firm to the touch, it almost feels like a toothy, solid block of wood. The cigars slender body leads of to a seamless, huge, round double cap.  This is one of those few cigars out there that spring for a single foot band versus the standard body band. The band is a simple black with gold decorations, the words “Cu-Avana Intenso” in white and gold as well as a red “Cu-Avana” Medallion on the back.

The wrapper gives off a very sweet and inviting chocolate aroma. Seriously, it smells like a Hershey’s bar. The foot tells a much different tale of spice, tobacco, and other earthy aromas. The cap cut clean using my V-Cutter. The draw was a bit light so I opened it up easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. No problems after the switch and cut while the cigar let lose a very strong pepper, and tobacco flavor on the cold draw.

First Smoke: Despite me thinking that the first few puffs from this Cu-Avana Intenso were going to be filled with massive pepper bombs (probably still traumatized from the Punisher) the Intenso started out with only a slight pepper tingle, a ton of spice, some black cherry flavors and a ton of dark chocolate. It’s already starting to be a completely different cigar. Ever since the change in cut the draw has been great from this cigar. This beast kicks out a butt load of thick, white smoke with each puff so be prepared for it. The burnline is a bit wavy, but not really concerning while it leaves behind a nice zebra striped, semi-compacted light and dark grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray. That’s right. My ashtray, not my lap.

Halfway There: The more I smoke this Cu-Avana Intenso, the more the chocolate ramps up. It’s the main flavor now, while there is still a bit of the berry and tobacco in there the chocolate and a bit of coffee have really taken control of the cigar. The retrohale is awesome, and a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be priming my nasal passage with some nice oaky chocolate goodness. I’m feeling a very slight nicotine kick from this cigar, but nothing much at all at this point.

Finish: The pepper has made a huge comeback in the final third of this Cu-Avana Intenso. Let me rephrase that, there isn’t a lot of pepper at all but seeing how there was barely any at the beginning at all I am very surprised to experience a bunch of it towards the end of the smoke. The chocolate is still there, but not very strong as more natural tobacco flavors have really started to take over. The cigar is still really smooth despite ramping in body. I am getting a mean little nicotine kick off of it, but absolutely no harshness into the final inch. All in all it took me about an hour and a half to take this cigar down and it required only one touch up in the final third as the cigar created a crazy wave.

Overview: Needless to say this is a completely different experience than the Punisher. I’m glad too. While I applaud Cu-Avana for trying something different, the Punisher just wasn’t my cup of Habanero flavored tea. The Cu-Avana Intenso started out bold, with lots of flavor and finished with a ramped up body while remaining smooth and true to it’s flavors. I would totally smoke this cigar again, especially at the price point, but I think it may be a tad bit more power then most non-experience cigar smokers can handle. Either way you look at it, it’s worth a try. Now if only they’d release the Punisher blend minus the burning sensation… hmm..

Pairing: Surprised to see that a Canada company makes a style of beer that is not a pilsner? Yeah me too. Unibroue has always made decently priced, great brews that you can find just about anywhere. The Trois Pistoles in particular is a favorite of mine. I actually haven’t had it for quite some time and I am glad that it didn’t disappoint. The beer qualifies as a “strong Dark Ale” coming in at 9% ABV. The beer however, tastes nothing like one. The unique brew is created to resemble “ripe fruit” but it tastes more like celery and tomato. This may sound gross, but it’s a common mashup in Belgian style ales, and a very tasty one at that. It actually compares to Delirium Nocturne, another favorite of mine. And you know what? It paired perfectly with this cigar. The flavors never ceased and the smoothness of the brew really help bring the cigar to another level. Pairing success!

The Good Stuff: Unlike the original Cu-Avana Intenso which was originally created by the master blender Manuel Quesada, The Punisher is actually re-blended, and hyped up by another familiar face, Nestor Plasencia. It wasn’t that Quesada did a bad job, in fact the blend was widely popular. Some people were just craving a stronger, more robust cigar hence the re-blend.  These cigars come only in torpedo-tubo format. You can buy them in boxes of 13 for about $100 or about $14 a single.

Size: 6-52  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero

Prelight: The Cu-Avana Intenso Punisher is a deadly looking cigar, from the branding down to the actually cigar itself. The cigar looks as if it has had better days. The wrapper is this crazy looking, extremely dark, baker’s chocolate brown color with a few lighter areas that seem to line the 2 or 3 larger veins the run the length of the cigar. The wrapper itself is tough as hell adding the cigars weight and firmness. This thing feels like it’s made from cement. The cap of the cigar is this strange torpedo cap. I call it strange cause it is actually tilted a bit on top (probably not on purpose) which makes it look kid of like the top of a garden gnome’s hat. The Punisher comes loaded in an all black metal tubo with simply the word “PVNISHER” painted on it. The first band on this cigar bears the same branding only with an extra “-MMXI-” added to it. The secondary foot band is identical to the gold, black, white and red foot band that you find on the standard Cu-Avana Intensos.

The wrapper gives off an almost motor oil aroma mixed in with some crazy harsh tobacco. I can already tell that I’m in for a doozy. The foot of the cigar is insanely peppery and because of that it’s pretty hard to pick anything else out of there. The cap cut clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. Before even trying to pull a cold draw off this cigar, I put it to my lips and tongue to moisten the cap. Holy hell!!! It was like sucking on a habanero. Seriously. It made my tongue burn for about 2 minutes and even made me second guess my beer selection swapping it with milk instead. Braving the pepper I went in for the cold draw. It was nearly as peppery and spicy as I was expecting, instead I was greeting with a nice, even draw filled with nice cedar, tobacco, and only a hint of spice.

First Smoke: The foot band on this Cu-Avana Intenso Punisher slid off with ease. Lighting up the cigar was a cake walk as well. As soon as the cigar hit my lips again they almost burned off from the immense amount of  pepper this thing packs. One interesting note is, the pepper isn’t necessarily coming form the filler or binder, its transferring from the wrapped cap straight to my lips. It’s like they coat the cap with jalapeno or something. Not very nice. Outside of the pepper I am picking up some nice spice, dark chocolate, earthy flavors and even some cinnamon. I just really wish the pepper wasn’t overpowering the hell out of the rest of the flavors as they are actually pretty enjoyable. The draw on this pepper machine is awesome kicking out huge clouds of thick white smoke with every puff. The Punisher also gives off a good amount of tobacco/cedar scented stationary smoke. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even leaving behind a beautifully compacted trail of white and light grey ash.

Halfway There: Halfway through this Cu-Avana Intenso Punisher and my lips are screaming for mercy. The pepper in this beast just will not give in. I live literally a stone throw from Mexico and this cigar beats the hell out of some of the spiciest of foods I’ve tasted. No joke. The main flavor is of course that pepper, although the underlying flavors are finally starting to show their colors with a very nice cedar, spice, cinnamon and chocolate. The retrohale on this cigar is awesome too boasting almost pure bittersweet chocolate which proves once again that the cap on this cigar is the pepper culprit. In the nicotine category, surprisingly, I’m not feeling anything at all at this point. I may just still be in shock by all the pepper setting my lips on fire to notice though.

Finish: At this point I am very pleased to say that the pepper has really subdued and I am left with the original flavor profile intended for this cigar. First of all, there is a TON of sweetness in this cigar that I wasn’t able to pick up until now. Sucks too cause it is very tasty! Matched with that is a whole ton of cedar, some strong tobacco, cinnamon, and even some clove. Needless to say what lies under the pepper is actually an amazing flavor combination. I am only feeling a slight nicotine kick, if any at all. I can’t tell if it was the beer or the cigar, but I really anticipated having trouble standing once this experience was done. That just wasn’t the case. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this bad boy down to the nub with no harshness, and actually a very smooth experience within the final inch.

Overview: I really can’t wait till the next time I eat some spicy chili and get to say “I’ve smoked cigars spicier than this!”. Maybe they named it the “Punisher” cause you give it to your friends to punish them for being jerks (Thanks, Lupe). But in all seriousness, the Cu-Avana Intenso Punisher is no freaken joke, and not for the faint of heart. I really, truly think all the pepper ruined the experience for me. I like bolder cigars, but when you just tack on a bunch of crap to make you cigar feel bold it’s a total turn off. Especially considering just how wonderful the flavors hidden underneath all the pepper are. If you are considering buying one of these cigars, I would urge you to pass and consider the standard Cu-Avana Intenso while saving yourself some coin, unless you are looking for a crazy pepper and overall unique experience. I strongly urge any novice smoker to stay as far away from this cigar as you can. Unless you eat jalapenos on a regular basis.

One interesting note is on Cigar.com they actually state the following:  “Don’t expect sweetness from this powerhouse and we highly recommend you enjoy this one on a full stomach.” Although I agree with the full stomach portion, I highly disagree with the lack of sweetness. In the final third the cigar was full of sweet tobacco, and it wasn’t just a hint, there was a ton. Just something I found interesting.

 Interesting tidbit #2: It looks like my detective skills were spot-on when I stated that the pepper might actually be a pepper or chili coating. Our friends over at Cigar Inspector actually confirmed it.

Pairing: No surprise here pairing yet another cigar with a fine Belgian brew. Delirium Noel, part of the Delirium series (Delirium Tremmens and Delirium Nocturne) from the Brouwerij Huyghe in Belgium, is a 10% ABV winter seasonal Belgian dark strong ale and one of my favorite holiday treats. I will stalk my local spirit stores until I find these on the shelves every year as they fly right off the shelves. The beer pour a nice amber and copper red with some thick head. The taste profile pumps out some very nice citrus, zest, and almost vegetable flavors before finishing off with a smooth malty aftertaste. This beer REALLY helped tone down the Punisher. I wouldn’t recommend anything too strong with this cigar as the cigar is already strong enough, but something with some really nice balancing flavors. A Trippel, while very light, would pair great with this cigar. Hell even some heavily creamed coffee and dare I say milk?!

The Good Stuff: Quesada’s Oktoberfest is the newest offering by Manuel Quesada. If you’re like me, one thing comes to mind when you hear the word “Oktoberfest”. Beer. Well, beer and bratwurst, but beer first. And that was Quesada’s angle when they created this cigar. A blend that would pair perfectly with a hefty beer. Possible? Who knows. Marketing ploy? Maybe. But let’s dig a bit deeper to see what this cigar is all about. The cigar only comes in 2 sizes, the “Bavaria” which is a 5.5 x 52 double robusto, and a monster of a cigar called the “Uber” which is 6 x 65. The cigar is limited to 500 boxes of each size and will run you between $8 and $9.50 a stick. These were purchased from “La Casa Del Puro” my local shop/lounge.

Size: 5.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Dominican Cibao Valley  -  Binder: Dominican  - Filler: Dominican Cuban Seed Criollo, Olor Viso, Ligero

Prelight: Now this is a dark cigar. The wrapper on the Oktoberfest is almost pitch black in some spots, and a very dark-chocolatey brown in others. I love seeing inconsistency in color on darker wrapped cigars, it leads me to believe that they are all natural in color and not dyed. This is also on extremely toothy, and oily cigar. What fine specimen. You can see the sun glaring more from the wrapper leaf than the actual band of the cigar. There are a few larger veins running the length of the cigar that I hope don’t pose a threat to the burn and overall experience. The toothy sandpaperesque wrapper then leads into a really stubby double wrapped cap. Seriously, skimming the thick and solid cigar body with my finger feels almost like rubbing my hands on sandpaper. This cigar is thick, heavy, and hard as a rock. The band on the cigar carries a similar overall design that Quesada always uses, but with a nice German flag accent running the entire ring of the band. The big, pronounced, gold embossed “Q” logo is neatly laid in the center of the band is accompanied by some simple back text with the words “Quesada – Oktoberfest – Hand Made – Dominican Republic”.

The wrapper of Quesada’s Oktoberfest gives off little more than a subtle cedar and tobacco mixture where as the foot of the cigar is a very, very strong cedar and spice. It smells a lot of the scent of the inside of a brand new humidor with just a sharp little spice kick at the end. The Oktoberfest clipped cleanly and easily with my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw give fourth a nice, smooth, welcoming cedar and spice flavor. Pretty much an identical match to the aromas I picked up in the prelight.

First Smoke: I was almost expecting to be greeting with a nice pepper kick, but was really surprised when the Quesada Oktoberfest started out with a very smooth,  Earthy, Cedary, nutty, spicy flavor profile. The spice is really neat, it’s almost floral with a very sweet undertone.  The Oktoberfest really doesn’t give out much stationary smoke at all, but it smells incredible. Like a burning garden, or some lightly scented potpourri. The draw on the Oktoberfest is very easy, but not too loose pumping out a HUGE cloud of thick while smoke. And when I say thick, I mean VERY thick. The heavy cloud of smoke takes forever to dissipate. The burnline is very thick and even for the most part, with some larger, not-so-deep waves on one side. The ash left behind is this interesting dark grey and black and extremely tightly compacted. It’s very rare that I see ash this dark in cigars. I read once, somewhere, that this shows the lack of magnesium in the soil in which the tobacco was grown. I have no idea what this even means, but it sounded smart.

Halfway There: Oddly enough, a little of that pepper did in fact sneak into the second half of this Quesada Oktoberfest, but it bowed out just as quickly as it appeared. The flavors are still pretty smooth and consistent. The cigar is weighting in heavily in the cedar area with some sweetness, bittersweet chocolate, and some pasticcio mixed in there. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t had to touch up the cigar or relight it. The retrohale is really sharp and coats your nasal passage with a very floral, strong earthy type prime. I am starting to feel a bit of body from this cigar already. Nothing too crazy, but enough to catch my attention early on.

Finish: I started to pick up some really neat gingerbread type flavors in the final third of this Quesada Oktoberfest. The flavors switched up quite a bit actually. The cedar is still there but it is now being challenged by some chocolate, cinnamon, and that gingerbread I mentioned. It’s a strange pairing with the fuller body from this cigar, but it makes for a very enjoyable, and smooth finish. There wasn’t any harshness into the final inch. I kept thinking there was going to be, and because of the flavors I expected there to be, but surprisingly there wasn’t at all. The body had a quick ramp-up towards the end, but it wasn’t anything too powerful. Medium/Full at Best.

Overview: Now did Quesada really come up with a cigar in which the basis of the blend was all about a better beer and cigar pairing? I doubt it. Reason being is, as it is, Cigars and beer already go perfectly well together. Now did Quesada come up with a blend to celebrate the season while keeping possible cigar and beer pairings in mind? Much more likely. Whatever the case may be, Quesada hit the marks when creating their Oktoberfest blend. The marketing is great, the construction is flawless, the flavor profile is complex and very enjoyable. What more could you ask for? I smoked this cigar both with and without beer and quite honestly, it handled itself very well in both realms. Despite having some body, I don’t think that any novice should be scared to try this cigar and I would highly urge any seasoned smoker to get your hands on these cigars. The overall experience and the price point makes it a great addition to anyone’s regular rotation.

Pairing: Obviously I was going to pair this cigar with a German Marzen. I contemplated for a while which one I wanted to shoot for and then decided that I’d go with one of my favorites, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Marzen. I also decided to drink this out of a full sized Oktoberfest style stein. Couldn’t get much better than that! I am also pretty curious as too just how many beers these steins hold. It’s kinda like the “how man licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop” mystery. Usually during Oktoberfest celebrations, these steins remain full while the party goer drinks filling, after filling. I know I have had my share! So just how many beers does one hold?

Four. Well, About 3.75 to be exact, but I had no problem gulping down that extra .25 before finishing the other 3.75. Paulaner Oktoberfest is a Marzen style brew, brewed at the infamous Paulaner Brewery in Germany. What started as a simple seasonal ale has recently blossomed into a full, year round treat. The 6% ABV beer carries a very sweet, yet spicy malt and citrus flavor which really pairs well with most cigars, especially lighter shade ones. The beer made a great pairing with the Oktoberfest cigar, but I think it would go a lot better with something heavier, like a nice porter or a Bruin.

The Good Stuff: The Casa Magna line is the product of two major hitters in the cigar industry putting their heads together to produce a quality line of value priced cigars. Back in 2008, Nestor Plascencia and Manuel Quesada teamed up and produced the shocking sleeper “Casa Magna Colorado” cigar that took top honors as Cigar Aficionado’s cigar of the year. The Colorado version was a Nicaraguan Puro, where as the Oscuro is all Nicaraguan minus the wrapper which is grown in Honduras. Distributed by SAG imports, the robusto I am smoking retails between $5.75 and $7 a stick.

Size: 5 x 52 – Wrapper: Honduran Oscuro – Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan – Body: full

Prelight: The Casa Magna Oscuro is a tremendously dark wrapped robusto sized cigar. The wrapper is very dark, and consistent dark chocolate brown topped off with a rounded double cap. The construction is immaculate. I really had to strain to find the very small veins hidden, and embedded in the body of the cigar. There is only one soft spot located in the dead center of the cigar’s body. The band on the Casa Magna Oscuro is identical to the Casa Magna Colorado with the only differences being the silver color vs. gold, and the word “Oscuro” inlayed on a red ribbon across the bottom. The wrapper of this Casa Magna Oscuro gives off a very strong, and pungent tobacco aroma with an almost floral finish. The foot of the cigar gives off very sweet tobacco notes with earthy hints and spice. The cigar cut off very easily and clean using my Cuban Crafters double bladed perfecto cutter. The cold draw produced some unexpected sweet organic tobacco flavors along with grass and grain.

First Smoke: The Casa Magna Oscuro didn’t start off with the initial burst of pepper I figured it would. Instead it lead me in with a very light and smooth organic tobacco and chocolate flavor backed by a nutty taste mixed with spice and just a splash of pepper on the finish. The draw is slightly tight, but still manageable producing a very nice, thick cloud of brown woodsy smelling smoke. The burnline is sharp as hell and very even with only very subtle waves. The Casa Magna Oscuro does leave behind a nice, hefty trail of spicy tobacco smelling stationary smoke so it may not be the best cigar to fire up around anyone who dislikes smoke. One note is the wrapper is starting to give off a very bitter taste on my lips. I really hope this fizzles out cause its pretty bad. The cigar is burned extremely slow, producing a nice looking medium grey ash with a few slight flakes which held on for about an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: As I had hoped the bitter taste only lasted a few draws and then crawled back into it’s dark little hole where I hope it stays for the remainder of the experience. The second third of this Casa Magna Oscuro had quite a few interesting change ups in it’s flavor profile. The chocolate and cocoa flavors are now the big contenders backed by nut, spice, and a very woodsy taste. The retrohale is very smooth producing a nice woodsy prime. I am not feeling much of a nicotine kick, if any from this cigar so far, smooth all the way. The burnline is still dead even and extremely thin, my only worry now is the harsh build up that may effect the last third of this cigar. I am having slight trouble keeping this cigar going so I am taking hits more often than usual. Hopefully this won’t complicate things further down the road.

Finish: The Casa Magna Oscuro is really starting to ramp up in body now. I am definitely feeling the nicotine at this point. The flavors seem to have outgrown the cigar at this point and have become a bit dull and bready. You can still taste the wood and the chocolate but that’s about it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it lead to a much smoother finish than I had expected with very little harshness into the final inch. The burnline stayed sharp and even the entire smoke, and the only real annoyance was the cigar’s tendency to want to go out on me. It never fully did, but there was a few close calls. All in all it took about 1.75 hours to take down the slow burning little robusto.

Overview: This is a great balanced cigar and an excellent catch at it’s low price. This is no beginner’s cigar. The last third really proved to be a powerhouse that I think would stretch the limitations of the novice cigar smoker. This is one of those everyday rotation cigars you have mixed in when you want that extra stout/full bodied smoke. I would recommend it in singles and for the fair price, even a box pickup.

Pairing: I paired this Casa Magna Oscuro with another favorite of mine, Chimay’s Tripel or White Label. This is a hefty little triple weighing in at 8% alcohol and a whole lot of goodness. This light profile beer contains a perfect mixture of both fruity sweetness and zest making for a great balanced beer. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best pairing for this cigar as the abundant chocolate and stout profile wasn’t an even mashup for the beer. This beer would pair much kinder with a light Connecticut or even Cameroon wrapped mild cigar. The Casa Magna Oscuro would be perfect with some Dr. Pepper, iced tea, or coffee.