[This is another review in our series called "Custom Rolled Cubans", which as far as I know is the only series like this of it's kind on any of the major cigar review blogs...(the first review in this series was on the Robaina "El Padrino" Farm Cigar, which we reviewed HERE)...

For those of you that don't know what these are, there are multiple rollers in Cuba who roll cigars out of specific stores, factories and hotels for tourists and other cigar smokers in general...These master rollers use cuban tobacco that they procure for their own blends, and only roll whatever specific vitolas they feel like at the time (or whatever vitolas they have tobacco enough to make)...They have obtained almost "Rockstar" status, and are usually only called by their first names when referring to the cigars they roll...

However, due to the nature of the tobacco that is procured, the blend of each roller is quite different, and the blend of the same roller (and even the same vitola) can and does differ from year to year (and even from batch to batch)...The major Rollers that we will feature in future reviews are (but not limited to): Hamlet, La China, Santos, Yolanda, Monsdale, Juanita, Alfredo, Reynaldo, Taboada and Cueto...~brooks.]

 

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For Those of you that don’t know…

Renowned Cuban cigar roller, Cueto (real name-Jose Castelar Cayro), rolls cigars out of LCDH El Morro across the bay from Old Havana in Cuba, and also travels around the world (other then the U.S.A, of course) rolling cigars at different functions and shops.

Cueto has been rolling for quite a while, and even received a certificate recognizing a Guinness record for the longest cigar in the world, at 20.41 meters. In fact, he established his latest record in 2005, during the Habano Festival that takes place every year in the Cuban capital.

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But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: Cueto Salomone (2008)
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: La Casa del Habano El Morro
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 7 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 58 (at it’s largest)
• Vitola: Salomone
• Est. Price: Varies Wildly, but average is about $25 each (outside of Cuba)
• Date Released: 2008
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The Cigar itself looks like a custom rolled stick, slightly rough with a dark chocolate brown wrapper (darker then I expected, honestly) that is covered with seams…There is a small amount of oil present and the wrapper has quite a few bumps up and down it’s length…The cigar is firm, but does give a bit when squeezed…The Wrapper smells unmistakably cuban, with a combination of Hay, bitter chocolate, barnyard and earth…The Predraw is a great combination of sweet tobacco and dry hay…

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The Cigar starts out the First Third with quite a bit of spice on the tongue and back of the throat, but dies down quickly to a background note…Woodish oak, leather and espresso flavors are easy to pick out, but not much else…There is some bitterness to the profile as well, although not enough to impact the flavors in any major way (yet)…

The Second Third picks up where the first third left off…the profile has not changed much, nor have the flavors…still pretty straightforward, although the bitterness I detected earlier ebbs and flows throughout this third…There was a slight note that I could not really place towards the end of the second third that I wrote down as “Citrus”, sort of a tangy flavor (orange perhaps?)…

The Last Third really had almost no change at all, flavor wise…still leather (perhaps a bit more of this note then in the previous 2 thirds), earth, and wood flavors…Just not the most complex cigar in the world, that is for sure…However, the bitterness from the 1st two thirds almost totally disappeared by the end of the cigar, and it never got harsh at all…

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Final Notes:

• While the cigar is unquestionably a Salomone, the bulbous end is not quite as bulbous as other Salomones I have smoked and seen…In fact, these specific custom rolls almost look like a cross between a true Salomone and a Diadema vitola (albeit shorter, obviously, since most Diademas are around 9 inches long)…
• This is one of the fastest burning cigars I have ever smoked (especially for the vitola)…the Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour and 20 minutes, which is EXTREMELY quick for such a large cigar…
• The Burn and Draw were astoundingly good, just a great physical experience to smoke…it was obviously rolled by a master roller…

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The Bottom Line: This specific cigar is a perfect example of what can go wrong with a custom rolled cuban…I have smoked quite a few of the different vitolas by the different rollers, and it is almost impossible to nail down a overall method of deciding what will be a good smoke, simply because the tobacco is different for just about every period these custom cigars are rolled…so, while the early 2008 Salomones may be underwhelming, the late 2008 (or early 2009) crop may be the most amazing sticks ever…That is part of the allure for me (i.e. you never really know what you are going to get), but it bit me in the ass this time…The construction was great, the roll was great, the burn was great, the draw was great, but this particular vintage was just totally underwhelming in the flavor department…not a bad cigar, just typical cuban flavors that you can find in just about any typical cuban cigar…

Final Score: 80