Cremosa Cubana

[Don Fernando]

Although I am not a big U2 fan, I always wanted to use Bono’s introduction of Sunday bloody Sunday on the live album ‘Under a blood red sky’ in one form or another and this Cremosa Cubana gave me the right opportunity. There’s been a lot of talk about this next cigar, maybe maybe too much talk. This cigar is not a dog rocket, this cigar is a Cremosa”.

On both Club Stogie and Cigar Asylum the Cremosa is a legend with a very bad reputation and so, some time ago I mentioned that I wanted to try one, to review it and to see if it was really the bad smoke people claim it is. Hardcz and Lenguamor took it upon themselves to send me the dreaded cigar, so instead of one I got a total of 4.



The looks of this 5 x 50 robusto isn’t that bad. The Sumatra wrapper is oily with some light veins and the cigar comes in a cellophane wrapper. The top is a bit crooked though. The aroma is nice, manure and hay but after cutting the fear kicked in, should I really smoke it? It took another 15 minutes for me to get myself together and stick the cigar in my mouth. The predraw wasn’t that bad, hardly any flavor and a good draw.



While lighting I notice a terrible smell, usually I like the aroma of a burning cigar but this is like setting some road kill on fire. Why do I do this to myself? Am I a masochist? I take a puff and taste a slight moldy flavor with a hint of leather. It’s not pleasant but not as bad as I expected. After a few more puffs I said to myself that the Cremosa isn’t half as bad as other reviewers told me it would be, oh boy, I got punished for that thought because after about an inch hell was released. The cigar gets a little sourish, like vinegar gone badly and it goes downhill from there. Do you know the flavor in the back of your throat right after you puked? Well, that is the flavor the Cremosa is giving me, and it makes me nauseous.



I look at the cigar and notice some white bit in the mouth end. WTF? Why didn’t I notice it when I lit the cigar? I take a toothpick and get the bits out, to see what they are. They are little branches, probably from not preparing the tobacco leaf properly.



After cleaning the mouthpiece I take a few more puffs and the Cremosa gets more acidulous by the second. I can’t take it anymore and put the cigar away. This is by far the worse cigar I have ever smoked. If I had to choose between a White Owl, Phillies or even a Lars Tetens gorillafinger or a Cremosa, I would leave the Cremosa where it is.



Would I buy this cigar again? Hell no. I got 3 left, can someone please pm me Jon Caputo's addy so I can send him a nice sampler?

Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Appearance: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 7 / 10
Burn: 6 / 10
Aroma (first part) 5 / 10
Aroma (middle part) 2 / 10
Aroma (last part) 2 / 10