Today, I decided it would be a good time to break out J.C. Newmann’s Angel Cuesta double
Robusto cigar on this cold Florida afternoon. I’ve had this cigar sitting in my humidor for a while
now, I was lucky to be able to pick it up when I had the opportunity to tour their facility and see
where they hand roll this cigar at. Thinking what a good way to end the weekend with a
higher-end cigar. Now, I won’t bore you with the history of this cigar, but there is a lot to it. I
would strongly encourage you to check on J.C. Newman’s website to learn more about it, if that
kind of thing interests you.
Now, let’s get into this review.
I started almost all my cigars with a V cut, and the cap held strong. I did smell the cigar and
noticed an off-putting smell on it, not enough to deter me from smoking it but it was enough to note it
was there. On the cold draw, I thought it was going to be a mild smoking experience as there
wasn’t much taste I could get out of it. I was surely mistaken after lighting up the cigar and being
bombarded with a variety of tastes. Goes to show that you can’t base everything on the cold draw
alone.
Appearance (9/10)
There is a lot to be said about its appearance alone. It has 3 beautiful bands wrapped around the
Angel Cuesta. Peeling the biggest band reveals the majority of the cigar. Then you are greeted
with a beautiful Ecuadorian Havana rosado wrapper. The one major flaw I noticed is that there
was a slight rip hidden underneath the top band. Luckily, it did not affect the draw of the cigar at
all.
Construction (9/10)
The construction was nearly flawless as well. It felt well packed, with a slight give to it which is
what you would expect from a high-end cigar. Felt evenly and uniformly filled throughout the
cigar. There were some veins in the cigar, but not enough to distract you from the overall beauty
of this cigar.
Burning (9/10)
The cigar stayed well-lit throughout the duration of the smoke. With minor touch-ups here and
there, as needed. Didn’t notice any major canoeing of any sort, and again, stayed lit all the way
to the end.
Ash (3/10)
This is where unfortunately, it fell short. The ash did not have any stability to it, as such led to
the constant ashing of my cigar to prevent me from wearing the ash all over my clothes. I was able to
get a little bit of ash developing at the beginning of this experience but noticed terrible structural
faults in the cigar leaving me no choice but to knock the ash before it became a part of my attire.
This was a continuous cycle throughout the duration of my smoke, as I felt at any point the ash
would falter and make a mess.
Smoke (8/10)
There isn’t much to say about this part of the experience. It was a pretty average smoke output I
would receive after every puff. Honestly, would prefer just a little more smoke output but that is
just my preference, and cannot fault the cigar for that.
First Third (7/10)
I’ve smoked various cigars and honestly, can say the first third of this cigar gave me such
a flavor bomb and I couldn’t put a flavor to it right away. This is not a beginner cigar at all. It
begins with such a complex and strong mix of flavors that it took some time to develop all the
flavors that went into it. I was able to later identify notes of leather, and wood (almost like a cedar
taste) With a level of creaminess, and dried fruit in the retro-hale. I was not expecting this level
of complexity in this cigar.
Second Third (9/10)
Getting into the second third of the Angel Cuesta, everything started to mesh well together with
new flavors being introduced as well. I still got that Woodsy, leathery, and creamy note and the
dried cherry in the retro-hale but there was a new introduction of a black pepper into the mix. It
was subtle, just enough to let you know it was there. Which overall, aided in its flavor.
Final Third (8/10)
I was pleasantly surprised to start to notice a new element to the cigar at this point, and that is a
note of cocoa started to make itself known. I started to taste notes of leather, cocoa, cedar, and
still the dried cherry in the retro hale but the creaminess all but faded at this point. The pepper
taste as well wasn’t there as much as it was in the second third of the cigar.
Value (7/10)
Overall, this was a unique smoking experience with a variety of different flavors that many
different cigars cannot do. It is a little bit pricey starting at 18 dollars at the time of this review,
but I do feel as if it was worth every cent of the experience. I know not everyone is willing to
purchase it at this price, as there are better deals out there for a double robusto size and of some
similar taste.
Final Score ( 7.6/10)
*This Review was written by one of our B&B Staff members who wish to remain anonymous