3 Regular Guys Cigar Review - Cusano 18

Super 8 Cigar Sampler Review Courtesy of the 3 Regular Guys at Thompson Cigar.

The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut is an attractive, almost pristine looking cigar. Cusano has attained a more than respectable level of success by adhering to their outlook of making what they like and charging what they think is reasonable. Founded by Mark Chiusano around 1995 the company is one of those classic business stories of inadvertent success –Chiusano named his company Cusano because it was a Spanish-sounding more-pronounceable variation of his surname. The company’s success was certainly not inadvertent, but its origin certainly was.

Working for his own firm as a Boston investment banker in the mid 90’s, Mark Chiusano took a business trip to the Dominican Republic for some due diligence on a sugar cane deal. During the course of the trip he was handed what can be referred to as the first Cusano cigar. From that locally produced cigar Cusano was born. Mark really caught the cigar bug, founded and nurtured his cigar company while still running his investment firm. He carved out and defended his niche and dug his heels in and held on as the fabled cigar boom ran its course.

When the Don Nobodies had been driven from the temple and the dust settled, Chiusano was still standing and had built a formidable following for Cusano cigars. Cusano now produces a range that is both diverse and noteworthy. His cigars score well in the quasi-scientific cigar mag taste tests, but more importantly they smoke alright too. Back to the burning question-

The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut cigar has a big name. But it handily lays out its pedigree. This stick is a natural cigar comprised of Dominican oro filler, a Connecticut shade binder and another Connecticut shade wrapper –hence the double Connecticut part. But what about the 18 part? Well that’s from the number of years that Henke Kelner’s experimental 1985 wrapper crop was aged. The Dominican oro leaf is fantastic stuff, but too small to be a wrapper on cigars larger than four inches. So, Chiusano turned it into really attractive filler.

The Cusano 18 Double Connecticut unequivocally provides at least one answer to the age old debate of how much flavor is derived from the wrapper vs. the filler and binder: All of it! This stick is legitimately an all wrapper puro.

Not surprisingly we were all pretty impressed with the appearance of this stogie. The Connecticut wrapper is smooth as silk. It’s so pretty that it’s soft and almost suede-like to the touch. It really advertises that it will be a mild smoke and that if you’re in need of cutting and lighting one before noon it’s happy to volunteer. Scott was mesmerized by the cap –noting that it was almost half-an-inch and so large that no matter how poor your technique it ought to be impossible to over-cut.

Colm noted the rather pleasant smell to the wrapper. We all commented on the effortless –almost too easy- draw. It smoked cleanly and immediately yielded notes of pepper up front followed by cedar and citrus. The wrapper burned mostly evenly and created an ash that was more gray than white but as even and smooth as the myriad wrappers it started out as.

We all noted some element of irregularity or nuance of edginess to the flavors. Colm was concerned that this cigar was mild and not terribly complex and also unbalanced. Dave and Scott had a bit of a higher perspective on the situation and noted that while there was some initial variation to this smoke it mellowed as the ash grew longer and turned into a creamy toasty smoke with spice moving to the finish.

Dave gave his pairing recommendation that a double Connecticut would ally nicely with a gin martini. Colm thought this cigar had a hint of greatness but only enough to tease. Scott thought that the start to this smoke was such that you had to trust it and stick with it long enough for it to mellow out and come into its own.

Once this cigar found its stride the distinct flavors emerged and it really offered up its potential. All in all a pretty darn nice stick. It is unique from an academic perspective –basically composed entirely out of wrappers- and the quality of construction and consistency of blend provides that needed element of dependability that really good cigars must have. True to all cigars a couple weeks of cedary confinement laid up in your humidor will only improve this stogie’s personality.

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