Smoke on the Water with the Board.

Thursday nights are designated Cigar Board nights where our members gather at the local lounge. The meeting agenda is simple, enjoy some drinks and cigars as we catch up and discuss the weeks events. These are open to the public and vary in size depending on who is in town.

On April 13, Farrell, Garfield, Jeff, Joe, Ryan and I met around 8pm for the night’s festivities. I always enjoy a trip through the humidor to find something new to enjoy. As I was admiring the HVC Cigars recently added to the extensive selection offered at Smoke on the Water, a box of Casa Magna caught my eye. Just for a little background on my taste in premium cigars, I smoke everything. I am more likely to buy a single or five pack than purchase a box. I prefer smaller ring gauge and a torpedo over other vitolas.

These Casa Magna were 5” ¾ x 52 Robusto, pressed flat into ovals and laid in a row with each cigar overlapping the one next to it. I have smoked round, box pressed, hexagonal and love the J.C. Newman Yagua’s that just take any weird shape, but oval was new to me. The cap sported a nice pig tail. Humidor manager Joaquin saw me holding the cigar and offered up some background on the Casa Magna D. Magnus II Optimus. The cigar is the child of a collaboration between Mr. Manolo Quesada and Plasencia.

I also picked up an HVC Hot Cake and a Powstanie Broadleaf, the two being cigars that always please and I had been craving. Back at the table I sat with the gang and ordered a sparkling water, unwrapped the Casa Magna (CM) and admired the craftsmanship that went in to rolling it. A beautiful reddish brown Colorado wrapper and red and gold highlights on the band with the name. I small matching foot band with the Quesada name emblazoned across the front.

The pig tail cap presented an issue with my perfect cutter so I grabbed my Colibri V and found that the shape of the cigar only allowed a horizontal V cut which I did and took a cold draw. Tobacco, leathers and earth with a slight sweetness on the finish. Toasting up the foot and taking that first draw was smooth and provided ample smoke. This cigar just oozed quality, visually and smoking it was a pleasure. The “mouth feel” of the cigar sitting on the lips of held with teeth was amazingly comfortable. This line doesn’t do the cigar justice, I must reiterate… this cigar felt so natural and comfortable. You need to experience it.

This cigar is not going to bowl you over with flavor complexities, I didn’t discern changes in the flavors as I smoked through it. A lounge with so many others smoking different cigars around is not ideal for a serious review but I can say that the smoking experience was exemplary. The retro hale was smooth, never harsh or biting. Lots of leather, tobacco, wood presented forward with a slight sweetness and another oddity. As I neared the end of the cigar, the flavors intensified and improved. That is not usually the case when smoking a cigar and at the price of this cigar, a rarity.

I finished off the night with the Hot Cake and two cappuccinos, liquid crack made by the staff at Smoke on the Water. I’ll cover the HVC in a separate review as it deserves its own write up. I saved the Powstanie for another night soon.

If you live in south Florida and want to join us on a Thursday, all are welcome. Just drop a comment below or email [email protected]. We also share our cigars and plans on the group Facebook page which you can find by visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/browardcigarboard. Join us by confirming you are over 21, that’s all we require.

Hope to see you at a Thursday night event soon. If you are interested in picking up the Casa Magna for yourself, click here to visit Neptune Cigar.