Curivari really has six separate lines, but they have grouped three of them together under the heading of Reserva Limitada. This review is the second on from that group, with the first review being the Curivari Reserva Limitada Reserva 2000 that I gave a score of 91. The limited information that I have been able to find on the brand includes that the cigars are made in Estelí, Nicaragua, and all of the cigars are Nicaraguan puros.

On its website Curivari describes Café as having a:

Medium to full body cigar with a beautiful brownish wrapper, a perfect compliment for coffee, with lots of coffee and cocoa undertones.

The Café comes in three sizes:

  • Petit Café — 4 1/2 x 42
  • Café 52 — 5 x 52
  • Café 60 — 5 1/2 x 58

Curivari Reserva Limitada Cafe 52 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: Curivari Reserva Limitada Café 52
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacalera de Nicaragua
  • Wrapper: Nicaragua
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $7 (Boxes of 10, $70)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

The initial appearance of this sample is not as impressive as the 1000 Series sample. The wrap lines are clearly visible and a little loose. The overall appearance is much more rustic with some prominent veins and dry but smooth texture. Construction also isn’t quite as good with a couple of spongy areas. The wrapper has an interesting aroma of hay and a hint of sulfur. At the foot the primary aroma is a dry hay. The cold draw reveals notes of cedar, dry hay, and graham.

After lighting, the cigar yields a strong cocoa flavor and not too much else. The smoke is plentiful and has a pleasant creamy texture. The draw is looser than I would prefer, but not so loose that it is a problem. At this point the big problem is the lack of depth to the flavors. The cocoa is there — but I’d like it to be stronger.

Curivari Reserva Limitada Cafe 52 2

Moving into the Second Third the cigar is burning a little ragged and has required some maintenance along the way. A cloven spice has entered the flavor profile along with some cedary sweetness. These additions have helped to round the flavor profile out. At this point I would describe the cigar as pleasant but not really very complex.

Curivari Reserva Limitada Cafe 52 3

The Last Third progresses much the same as the second third. The flavors have remained constant throughout with little if any change. The burn has sorted itself out and I haven’t had to make any corrections.

Curivari Reserva Limitada Cafe 52 4

Final Notes

  • So far neither of the offerings from Curivari have carried the strength that I so often associate with Nicaraguan cigars, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it allows the nuance to show through.
  • Cocoa, cocoa, and more cocoa. The cocoa flavor predominates throughout the cigar and never really changes.
  • I wonder if this cigar wouldn’t be better in the smaller Petit Café where the flavors might be a little more concentrated.
  • The difference in construction between this sample and my sample of the 1000 Series was stark. The band was applied sloppily and it looked like it had been rolled by an apprentice roller. In the end I was really shocked that the construction didn’t really seem to effect the performance of the cigar.
84 Overall Score

I really was hoping for more out of this cigar because of how much I liked the 1000 Series. Ultimately the Café is a fairly well balanced cigar, but not a complex one. I enjoyed smoking the Café, but at $7 a piece I can think of a handful of cigars that I reach for before I decided to smoke this one. Compared to the complexity and flavors of the 1000 Series the Café just doesn't measure up. That being said, this cigar would be very good with a cup of coffee in the morning when the two might play off of one another.

patrickmize

Patrick Mize wrote for SmokingStogie and took part in setting up halfwheel through the latter stages of 2011. Unfortunately, due to his new job, Patrick was forced to stop cigar blogging. Before his time at SmokingStogie, Patrick wrote for StogieGuys.com.