Loren (Corona), 6.5" x 44 ring gauge / approx. $5.50
The other day I related pretty much all the information I had on the Casa Gomez company, so if you didn't see that post, read it now...I'll wait. Done? All right, then...the Natural was blended to Benny Jr.'s tastes, but today's Maduro was geared toward the tastes of the third generation of Gomez to work for the company, Loren. If you communicate with @CasaGomezCigars on Twitter, Loren is the one you are talking with. This cigar is made in the Dominican Republic and uses Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers along with a Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro wrapper. I smoked a total of 3 of these while working on this review.
To start off with, the cigar was dark and oily in appearance. There were a few larger veins, lending a more rustic appearance to the stick. Holding the cigar to my nose, I got a leathery and earthy notes from the wrapper leaf, while the foot had a pungent manure aroma with just a hint of cocoa powder. My Xikar Xi made a clean, surgical cut and left a very nice, open draw that had a bit of dried fruit sweetness as well as a bit of earthiness. Note: the second sample I smoked did not draw very well, possibly due to not getting a full, clean cut; the flavor was a bit off on that stick, too, and I wonder if it had to do with the insufficient draw.
After lighting I got initial flavors of tea and unsweetened cocoa powder on the tongue, along with a fairly powerful earthiness through the nose, where I also got a good peppery burn. The first third was on the low end of full-bodied and trended toward a very earthy flavor that did display some notes of dark roast coffee and cocoa powder. There was also just a little sweetness in there. I liked all of this...what I was not so crazy about was the mildly sour taste I was getting on the finish. It was not enough that I considered it really offputting, but it was noticeable.
The second third was mostly a continuation of the flavor profile of the first--not bad flavors, but not all that complex, either. The construction on this sample was excellent, with a straight burn line and a very good draw.
Shortly into the final third, the Casa Gomez Maduro had a major flavor change--going from very earthy to a much sweeter chocolate note. There were also notes of bread and a little peppery burn lingering on the lips. All in all, I did not find it too surprising that I enjoyed the Maduro more than the Natural...neither was "bad," but the Maduro just fits better with my flavor preferences. The price is a no-brainer--$5.50 retail price for this vitola, creeping up to about $7 for the largest sizes. For newer smokers, this may have just a bit too much body and nicotine strength to really enjoy, but for more experienced smokers, it should be no problem. I would say the biggest problem this cigar will face is the wide variety of competition at this level these days...there are just so many very good cigars vying for your attention (and dollars) in this $6 to $9 range. To their credit, Casa Gomez mostly exists in the lower end of that range so budget-minded cigar enthusiasts should take note and give these a try.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
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Nice review, David. Like you, I preferred the maduro. Very nice stick, especially at the price point. That, and they're made by great people who really "get" the business!
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