CSB Habano Oscuro by Felix Assouline

As I sit down with a nice Woodford Reserve Double Aged bourbon neat and some Johnny Cash playing I decided to write the review for the second Felix Assouline cigar I received on Thursday. I can tell you without a doubt or incentive to say so, these truly are world class cigars and if these are not on your list of go-to cigars, you really owe it to yourself to visit the website and pick out a few. The price point for these cigars are far below other cigars that claim to be what these cigars actually deliver. Here is a quick link to the store. http://felixassouline.com/store/

Wait, you are still here? Get back on that link and place your order, you can read this review anytime. Go, NOW! You can leave me a message and thank me later.

So I sat down and enjoyed this beautiful CSB Habano Oscuro work of art yesterday. As you can see from the pics, this a beautiful cigar. (Photo editing may have changed the color some depending on what you are viewing it on)

This cigar is Nicaraguan that is Medium to Full bodied with a Ecuador Connecticut / Jalapa Habano Criollo 98 wrapper, with Jamastran Binder and Filler. The wrapper is rustic brown color with nice veins and tight seams. There are no soft spots anywhere on this cigar. The band art is gold with black. Simple yet classy.

As I removed the cellophane wrapper I get notes of barnyard hay, earth, and a touch of wood (kind of sawdust like).

I opted for a straight guillotine cut and matches to light it. I touched it up with my Xikar dual torch to get it going. (One thing to keep in mind during this review, the weather was wet, damp and cold so I was forced into my garage where a propane heater elevated the temp to a nice, dry, 70 degrees Fahrenheit). This fact will come into play later in the review.

As I took my first draw on the CSB I picked up the very familiar Jamastran that was in the II Saints the day before but it was very different in this blend. I will say that I was caught off guard at just how flavorful this cigar is. A wonderful blend of wood, earth, and some notable pepper hit my palate. The combination of the exceptionally aged wrapper mixed with the Jamastran filler is something to experience. As with the II Saints, I am sure more experienced palates would be able to pick up specific flavor profiles but for me, all I will say is that it was a damn good blend. Complex and full flavored, but smooth with a creamy finish. As I made my way through the first third I started to have some burn issues. I attribute this to the environment I was in. I stepped outside for a bit and the cigar performed very differently. As the cold and damp started to set in again, I went back inside the garage and it changed again. I had to touch it up to get it going again and we were right back on track.

As I went into the second third, the blend remained consistent with added notes of cocoa and a faint hint of spice like a cinnamon or nutmeg. This addition smoothed it out even more than before which was a nice change on the palate. A bit more of a burn issue so I went outside again and the cigar started to even itself out. It is not liking the warm, dry air in the garage. I have to agree with it as I would much rather be outdoors myself. As photo proof to the construction and quality of this cigar, even with burn issues and 2 touch ups, the shot below shows how the cigar came around and straightened itself out.

As I went into the final third, back inside to defrost a bit and enjoy the last of this great smoke. The flavor profile that is started with makes a strong return and the pepper notes really picked up. The first 2 thirds gave me a medium strength smoke but it turns more towards a full bodied smoke at the last third. The flavor and strength ramp up some but surprisingly it stays very smooth and has no harsh notes anywhere throughout this cigar. The cocoa and spice take a backseat to the woodsy, earthy and peppery notes but the complexity of this cigar really shine at the end.

Again, as someone that is still developing my palate, this cigar was complex and flavorful to me and kept me interested from start to finish. Some of you may pick up a lot more notes that I was able to identify but smoking this cigar was great for me. Because I have never smoked this cigar prior, I chose to pair it with only water to enjoy the flavors. I could easily see this being a fantastic pairing with my beloved bourbon or a great scotch (where I am even more of newbie).

So there it is. The CSB Habano Oscuro by Felix Assouline. This is a terrific cigar that is priced well enough to be an everyday smoke (Between $6 and $8 on the website!) I have smoked cigars in the $12 to $15 range that weren’t in the same stadium as this cigar. Box worthy for sure and one you will want to have in rotation. This is my second FAC cigar and they are 2 for 2 for me. Very impressed with both I have tried.

Here is the link again if you waited. http://felixassouline.com/store/ Be sure to tell him you heard about them from the blog.

I hope you enjoyed the review. As always, comments, thoughts, questions and your own reviews are always welcome here. Up next…The Havana Sunrise by Felix Assouline. Until then, long ashes and full glasses friends. Peace!