Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

A new cigar company launched at the PCA Trade Show this year, somewhat of a rarity these days. The company is Casa 1910 and is from Mexico. They brought one cigar to the trade show, their first line, Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado. The name Cuchillo Parado comes from the state of Chihuahua where the Mexican Revolution started.

Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado is a Mexican puro, somethings you don’t really see these days. The cigar comes in only one size, a 5 x 50 robusto. The blend uses a three year old Mexican Sumatra wrapper, with the binder and filler all different varietals of San Andres negro tobacco that has been aged 5 years. The cigars themselves are aged for 6 months after being rolled. The factory where they are made is undisclosed, but is located in San Andres Tuxtla.

The cigars are blended by Juan Manuel Santiago Casillas aka Manolo Santiago. He previously worked as a marketing manager for Importadora y Exportadora de Puros y Tabacos S.A. de C.V.—the Mexican distributor of Cuban cigars He is also “Master in Habanos,” the highest rank given to graduates from Habanos S.A.’s Habanos Academy, a training program run by Habanos S.A.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Mexico
Wrapper: Mexican Sumatra
Binder: Mexican San Andrés
Filler: Mexican San Andrés
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Manolo Santiago
Number of reviewers: 5 – Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Isaac M. (The Nothing) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin J. (maninblack77) John I. (John I.)
Price: $15.00
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: Pre-Release
Contributed by: Casa 1910

Initial Impressions – Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado

Appearance: 86

“I have to admit, at first glance, this is definitely not an attractive-looking cigar. Has some ripples to the wrapper and it looks quite rustic. Some noticeable soft spots that I really hope don’t affect the cigar too much. But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. I’ve smoked plenty of ugly cigars that turned out to be great. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Aroma: 88

“The body of this cigar smells like a backyard BBQ. Heavy mesquite smoke meats. Turning to the foot, I find dry grass and a hint of white pepper that makes me want to sneeze. After cutting the cap and taking some pre-light draws, I find more mesquite wood and some nice honey sweetness. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

First Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“Begins with some soft notes of leather and a bit of earthiness. The taste is fairly dry with some cedary quality on the finish. About an inch into this a great big, gigantic mousehole develops. Opens really quickly, and is really large really fast.
Burn adjusted through the mousehole with no real issues. This does seem to be burning pretty quickly. By the end of the third, there are vanilla notes apparent. Some creaminess despite a general dryness, and also a good amount of salt. ” –John I. (John I.)

“After toasting the foot, the first few puffs are full of light oak notes and honey with a cinnamon essence that tingles the tongue. The retrohale is a mixture of floral notes and white pepper. After about a half-inch into the third, the honey shifts to more of a floral essence that matches the retrohale. The body of the smoke is light, with the finish being medium in length. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The second third picked up some cinnamon Graham cracker notes to go along with the salted nut flavors. Still pretty mild as far as strength goes. The draw and burn are damn near perfect. I kind of expected some wavy burn due to the soft spots. The retro is very smooth with some white pepper notes. This is turning out to be an enjoyable morning cigar. Would pair well with some Cuban coffee. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Into the second third the flavors are starting to develop and I’m getting a subtle cream and oily almond note. It’s crazy how coated my palate is right now…through the nose, the smoke has remained nice and spicy and is helping to keep those subtle flavors going long after each puff. I wish the beginning was like this because I really like it!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Final Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“As I enter the final third the profile changes again. The oak note, from the first few puffs of this cigar, is back and sticks around for the whole third. The cinnamon is back as well. The tingle on the tongue, from the cinnamon, keeps getting strong. As I reach the last inch of the cigar the cinnamon note morphs into more of that of fresh ground black pepper. This overwhelms the palate in the last few minutes of the smoking experience. The cinnamon and black pepper note have ramped the body and length of the finish. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“The finale is easily the best portion of this cigar to me. The strength has grown to an interesting level by the time the final third begins. The salty qualities noted earlier are definitely more central now, and surprisingly the creamy notes of vanilla have returned but in a deeper register now. It’s retained some of the roasty flavor that developed mid-way through this cigar, but still revisits some of the earlier softer flavors. ” –John I. (John I.)

Overall Impressions – Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado

Draw: 92

“The draw was great from start to finish. It allowed the cigar to smoke nice and cool.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Burn: 93

“The burn was solid from start to finish, never requiring a touch-up. The smoke output is generous.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Construction: 90

“Other than the fairly ugly appearance, this cigar was made pretty damn well. It’s a cigar you’d probably overlook in your humidor due to how it looks. It won’t win any awards for looks. Much like myself. Lol” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 89

“I had low expectations for this one based on the appearance, aroma, and first third. The final two portions brought total redemption, however, and left me wanting to light another, and wanting to buy some for the future. This could easily be my morning cigar. I recommend it to everyone.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

“This cigar puts out a fair amount of smoke, and burn is pretty solid from start to finish. From there, I could not find any other redeeming qualities. Intensely vegetal compost flavors, along with bitter, burned, smoked meats, is just not what I’m looking for in a cigar. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“There were some great transitions found in this cigar. Ultimately the fiery finish of this cigar was a little off pudding to me. The early part of this cigar was delightful but from then on the profile was a little all over the place. This might get a little better with some age, but only time will tell. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“As stated numerous times by myself, not attractive at all but it surprised me how well it performed for the first two thirds. The creamy nuttiness and Graham cracker notes worked very well as a tandem. But it ended with a big drop in these flavors which really hurt its final rating. Would make a good morning cigar even though I prefer a stronger cigar personally. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“I’m kind of on the fence. The salty vanilla cream profile here reminded me of Cuban tobacco, but some of the raw green notes, as well as some clunkers in construction, left a good bit to be desired. Mainly I was reminded here of an immature Cuban cigar. I guess there are worse things. ” –John I. (John I.)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 64

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado – Blind Cigar Review