MEGA Review: Cusano 18 Paired Maduro

[buzz]

| GRADING:..... | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Overall |
| Abyr......... | .A. | .A. | .A. | ...A... |
| ashauler..... | .B+ | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |
| badwhale..... | .C+ | .C+ | .C. | ...C... |
| buzz......... | .B- | .C. | .C- | ...C... |
| cigarsarge... | .B. | .B. | .B+ | ...B... |
| Cyris........ | .B+ | .B. | .C+ | ...B... |
| Daigz........ | .B. | .B+ | .B+ | ...B+.. |
| Diesel Grinch | .B. | .B. | .B. | ...B... |
| dr. cox...... | ... | ... | ... | ....... |
| Eville....... | .B+ | .B+ | .B+ | ...B-.. |
| logan37...... | .A. | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |
| Mangyrat..... | .A. | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |
| Mizicke5273.. | .B+ | .B. | .C- | ...B... |
| ndv21........ | .B. | .B- | .C+ | ...B-.. |
| prophetic_joe | .B. | .B- | .C- | ...B-.. |
| Steele....... | .B. | .B+ | .B+ | ...B+.. |
| Tdre977...... | .B. | .A- | .B. | ...B+.. |
| AVERAGE...... | .A- | .B+ | .B. | ...B+.. |

| THOUGHTS:.... | .Smoke Again. | ...Buy a Box... | ...Recommend... |
| Abyr......... | Yes.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| ashauler..... | Definitely... | Yes............ | Yes............ |
| badwhale..... | Probably not. | Definitely not. | Maybe.......... |
| buzz......... | Yes.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| cigarsarge... | Yes.......... | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| Cyris........ | Maybe........ | Maybe.......... | Maybe.......... |
| Daigz........ | Maybe........ | Definitely not. | Probably not... |
| Diesel Grinch | Yes.......... | Maybe.......... | Maybe.......... |
| dr. cox...... | ............. | ............... | ............... |
| Eville....... | Probably not. | Definitely not. | Probably not... |
| logan37...... | Yes.......... | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| Mangyrat..... | Yes.......... | Maybe.......... | Maybe.......... |
| Mizicke5273.. | Definitely... | Yes............ | Yes............ |
| ndv21........ | Maybe........ | Probably not... | Maybe.......... |
| prophetic_joe | Maybe........ | Probably not... | Maybe.......... |
| Steele....... | Maybe........ | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Tdre977...... | Yes.......... | Yes............ | Definitely..... |

LAST WORDS:

Abyr: I would buy them if I found a fiver on sale.

ashauler: Good consistent performer. I only wonder when they're gonna run out of tobacco for these. No battery for the camera, sorry. I can't take pictures for shit anyway so you ain't missing much.

badwhale: Overall Impression: I truly appreciate the generosity of Shane, however the Cusano Double Paired Maduro is not for me.

buzz: Big thanks to Shane for generously giving us these cigars. Burn was uneven but it was windy out. I had to smoke it faster than I normally would (because of the wind), and so it got hot/harsh sooner than I would have liked.

cigarsarge: As most of the guys here know I like to be challenged by what I smoke...I prefer stronger cigars. This cigar while not strong is a nice change of pace. It is a good morning smoke. It has some complexity that keeps it interesting. I don't think I'd buy a box but I would be in for a box split. I'd like to keep a few around when a lighter smoke fills the bill. I gave it a solid B.

Cyris: Cigar started off pretty good and took a nose dive at the end. Mine seemed to be a bit tight. Overall it wasn't a bad cigar, but not my first pick.

Daigz: I think that this would be an OK smoke to pick up a 5-er of to keep in the humi. People who don't smoke often could enjoy one of these because it really isn't that complex. I would smoke it again if I had one but I'm not about to start searching the web for them.

Diesel Grinch: It was a good smoke and not a great one. I enjoyed it but I'm not screaming about it. I have a second I'll burn when I'm not drinking and see how I feel about it.

dr. cox: ...

Eville: The foot of this cigar was pretty uneven and concave. I had to touch it up several times throughout the smoke to even the burn back up. The draw was a little easier than I prefer, but not bad by any means. The flavor was nice but not very strong, especially for a double maduro. Maybe it would have been better with a lighter drink. I did enjoy it and want to thank Shane and Cusano for the opportunity to try this one out.

logan37: This was the first Cusano I have ever smoked. I'm now interested in what else the brand has to offer. I'll be trying other cigars from them in the future. Thanks for the smoke Shane.

Mangyrat: Not bad at all, I really enjoyed the first 2/3 but that bitter finish and large amount of smoke kind of disappointed me.

Mizicke5273: I have had a few of these with some age that are pretty outstanding to be honest. They definitely will be better with some age on them. They are reasonably priced, and can turn into a great pleaser!

ndv21: Well, it did not keep me completely interested in the cigar since it was essentially pretty mild.

prophetic_joe: A good cigar but not one I will seek out. There are just too many others out there in a similar range that I enjoy better at this point. I may buy a single here and there but I'm not going to bet on it. It's not a bad cigar by any means but it's not one I am going to rave about.

Steele: Wasn't a bad smoke though I do think I like the Double Connecticut more. I would not be opposed to smoking more but not on a regular basis.

Tdre977: I feel like the cigar just kept changing up flavor on me. This is the only cigar of the group that I've had before, and I feel like I liked the 1st one better, perhaps the 1st one had more age on it. I'd definitely like to pick up some of these to test that out.

[buzz]

PICTURES:

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PICTURES (CONTINUED):

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PICTURES (CONTINUED):

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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Thanks again to all the participants, and a very special thanks to Shane at Cusano for allowing us to enjoy this cigar free of charge! The cigars came packaged nicely in a hinged box, great presentation and no damage to the cigars at all. The box would normally hold 20 cigars, but because these are the 18 year sticks, 18 come in the box. The burn and draw seemed great for just about everyone - seems like these cigars are nice and consistent. The ash color and structure had some variances, perhaps due to the wrapper being oily. The wrapper color was a little odd to me, it almost looked purple and at the foot I had a thin 1/8'' black char line (normal), and then a 1/4'' wide area of light brown – seemed like the heat was changing the color of the wrapper. Not bad, just different than any other maduro I have had – or at least that I have noticed. I am interested in trying out the Double Connecticut to see how it compares – the Corojo ‘97 looks pretty good too. Thanks again Shane!

-Buzz

[Mangyrat]

You did a great job putting this all together buzz, thank you.

[Abyr]

Thanks again for putting this together Buzz, it looks great.

I give it 2 pinkies up.