Casa Cuevas Flaco Maduro Limited Edition – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

The original release of the Casa Cuevas Flaco was in December 2018, but very few made it to shelves as all of the individually numbered boxes were stolen in the burglary of the Casa Cuevas warehouse. It has been three years now since the entire inventory of Casa Cuevas Cigars was stolen and the company decided that enough time had passed and brought the Flaco cigar back in both its Maduro and Habano blends to the 2022 TPE Trade Show. Casa Cuevas will release the cigar every three years.

The Lancero vitola is a favorite of the Cuevas family and one of the harder sizes to roll consistently. In 2018 with the Limited Edition Flaco, the Cuevas family felt it was able to roll premium brand available in only a lancero size. Master Blender Luis Cuevas Sr. decided on two blends, Habano and Maduro, and handpicked his best rollers to create it. The name “Flaco” means “skinny” in Spanish and is a reference to Luis Sr.’s son, Alec Cuevas, Casa Cuevas‘s Director of Operations.

Both blends are available in one size, a 7 x 43 that the company calls a lancero, but is traditionally more of a lonsdale. The cigars come in individually numbered boxes of 10, of which only 750 were made for each blend. The cigars are of course rolled at the Cuevas Family-owned Las Lavas Cigar Factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

The Casa Cuevas Flaco Maduro uses a Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler with tobaccos from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and USA Pennsylvania. The Casa Cuevas Flaco Habano uses a Habano wrapper Nicaraguan binder, and filler with tobaccos from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and USA Pennsylvania.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Lonsdale
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 43
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Columbia, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, USA (Pennsylvania)
Factory: Tabacalera Las Lavas S.R.L.
Blender: Luis Cuevas Sr.
Number of reviewers: 4 – Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Isaac M. (The Nothing) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $9.50
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: January 2022
Contributed by: Casa Cuevas Cigars

Initial Impressions – Casa Cuevas Flaco Maduro Limited Edition

Appearance: 89

“Looks a bit rustic with plenty of noticeable veins. Seams are nearly invisible. A Tight wound pigtail cap is a nice finishing touch.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Aroma: 88

“First impressions yield leather and sweet tea mostly, with a touch of honey. All in all, not a bad combination.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

First Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Bakers Chocolate and umami start the show. Continuing into this fraction of the cigar, there is a touch of leather and a bitter fruit sensation. Sometimes raspberry, sometimes grapefruit.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“The initial notes, after toasting and lighting, are woody with a buttery mouthfeel. As I smoke on the woody notes starts to take over the palate. Through the sinuses the smoke is light and airy but once gone there is a bite that lingers. This is echoed on the palate. This has made the finish medium-long in length.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Second Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The second third opens with a undefined sweetness. This is a nice change up from the wood centric opening third. The retrohale is starting to shine. A oily eucalyptus notes covers the sinuses. Where this cigar is still very woody I find just enough accent notes. This keep the flavor profile from becoming overwhelming off pudding. All of this has made for a mouth watering experience while leaving a medium length finish.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“Not much in the way of transition other than a bit of pepper that opens things up a touch as far as complexity. Just not a whole lot going on here.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The final third picks up even more in spice and heat though I wonder if that might be due to the tighter draw of this cigar. There are even more cocoa, molasses, and toffee flavors along with a slight fruity hint that makes me think of plums. I feel like there might be some cinnamon and baking spices as well but the pepper is a bit overwhelming of those notes.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“The wood has finally taken a step back. This allows a cinnamon note to start tingling the tip of my tongue. As I smoke on there are undertones of citrus that start to form. The retrohale has become doughy with notes of vanilla making me think of a vanilla wafers. As I reach the last inch of the cigar the flavor on the palate starts to get darker. Notes of anise and coffee beans take hold. The finish stays medium in length and mouth watering.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Overall Impressions – Casa Cuevas Flaco Maduro Limited Edition

Draw: 87

“For such a small ring gauge this cigar has a wonderful draw. This makes the cigar smoke cool and even throughout the smoking experience.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Burn: 93

” No burn issues to note. The cigar holds up the entire time without much to complain about here.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Construction: 88

“If the burn issues could get sorted, I think the construction would be great. But, because of the constant relighting, there is something wrong with the construction.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 92

“Though it smoked tighter than I like, the flavors were very enjoyable. It is a nice after-dinner Maduro with heavy chocolate, molasses, and toffee notes. The addition of increasing spices throughout the blend hit my palate well but I could see it putting off some who would just enjoy the sweetness of the cigar.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“First and foremost, the flavor profile is not to my liking. I feel like the filler is young and under fermented. This caused the bitter notes early on. Overall the cigar performed as well as it could have. It would be interesting to see what some rest time would do for this cigar. I will most likely give it another shot somewhere down the road.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“I think I know what this cigar is, but I’ll have to wait and see. It is a satisfyingly delicious smoke with great flavors and transitions. Absolutely give it a try, it won’t disappoint. The downside is the burn. If you put this cigar down for a minute, it’ll require relighting. I did end up smoking this until it burned my fingers. Hands down will smoke again.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“I’m going to have to say this one was just fair for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it also lasted about 2 hours. That’s 2 hours of not much happening in the way of complexity or transitions, which was really a bummer. Perhaps this was a dud or something of that nature or maybe my palate was just off this time. All I know is that I was left a bit disappointed. In other news, it has been a hot summer and that means it is paloma season for me. If you’re not familiar, you’re missing out on a refreshing cocktail tailor-made for the summer. I’m going to pour myself a few and end the day on a good note.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 123

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Casa Cuevas Flaco Maduro Limited Edition – Blind Cigar Review