Cigarden A flavor with profound meaning: Casa 1910 As de Oros 6” x 54 Toro
The Mexican tobacco industry has been dormant for some decades now, and it is no secret that due to government missteps a few decades ago, the industry collapsed with only a handful of manufacturers that managed to survive with the help of the Virgin Mary.
The area of San Andres Tuxtla is world famous for its magnificent volcanic soil, and most of its production has been exported to other countries. But that is about to change as we see a rebirth of Mexican companies that are doing an excellent job creating new master pieces like Casa 1910.
In this occasion I had the opportunity of tasting two delicacies: “Tierra Blanca” which is a puro since all of its tobaccos are from Mexico, and “As de Oro” which is a cigar, remember that cigars are blends with tobaccos from different countries, and this blend comes with the best this continent has to offer! In this review I will discuss “As de Oro”.
As I was curious about its name, I asked Manolo and Serge, owners of Casa 1910 about it, and their answer was fantastic! “As de Oro” was the name of one of Emiliano Zapata's finest and strongest horses. It was a sorrel with a spectacular bearing and graceful gait. Zapata fought his last battles on this horse until he was found dead in an ambush.
What a great piece of Mexican history to start with! followed by a great selection of tobaccos, so let me say that when I hear the word “San Andres” my reaction is the same as if I hear someone say “Mole Poblano” My mouth instantly starts watering because I know that I am up for a ride. But wait, there is more! This blend also comes with Ecuador Habano, which is another delicacy, on top of that, Master blender Manolo Santiago decided to add Nicaraguan tobaccos from Jalapa, Estelí, and from the Island of Ometepe, you can read more about the Ometepe island in my last cigar review. But the truth is that each of those tobaccos will cause us the same mouthwatering reaction, so having them all together in a very well-constructed cigar becomes an experience that you should not miss!
The Casa 1910 “As de Oro” is a medium to full body parejo cigar that should be in every humidor in North America.
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Negro San Andrés
Filler: Nicaragua: Seco Jalapa, Viso Ometepe, Ligero Estelí.
Price: $17.86
Pre light cold draw: In other words, the flavors, and aromas that we perceived right out of the box were: Dried fruit, woody, nutty, roasted.
First Third: Aromas and flavors in the realm of dried fruit, woody and roasted. The retro hale was nice and smooth, the draw was plenty and pleasant, and the ash was white and firm.
Second Third: Aromas and flavors in the realm of nutty, earth and fruits. The retro hale and the draw continued to be pleasant, and the ash behaved perfectly
Final Third: The retro hale and the draw were great from start to finish as well as the ash which stood firm like a kid honoring the flag. The burn was even from start to finish, and a full guillotine was the choice to cut this 54” ring size cigar, since we are tasting tobaccos well known for their strength, in other words a V-cut or a punch would have made the smoking experience stronger after the second third by concentrating the flavors in a small area. Regarding the combustion, this cigar lasted for 60 minutes, the blend is medium to full, qualifying as a 7.5 in a 1-10 scale.
The drink of choice for this tasting was Tequila General Gorostieta Joven, a blend of Blanco and reposado Tequila. This Tequila comes with straw-colored with silver and gold hues, full-bodied and sumptuous, the olfactory phase presents notes of caramel, vanilla, and coconut due to its barrel aging, with soft hints of citrus, lemon, and orange blossom. Delicate shades of preserved fruits, cherry, peach, fresh grass, and intense cooked agave. Tasting phase: Sweet, with magnificent complexity of flavors and mouthfeel. A forward presence of intense cooked agave and a soft aftertaste of ripe grapefruit