It has been some time since I spoke about Cordoba y Morales Cigars. They are a local Florida cigar company and have just released their latest creation, the Celestina. This is a cigar that Azarias “Z” Mustafa, co-founder of the company, named after his grandmother, something he has been wanting to do for some time. It looks like 2019 was the time and today Mike Holmes and I would like to offer a review of the Cordoba y Morales Celestina Corona Gorda.
Z and his beautiful wife Emily hosted a roll out event at one of my local shops (Paradise Cigarz) the other week, but I was committed to an evening date with my wife the night of the event. My fellow Brother of the Leaf and Stogie Press associate, Mike Holmes, was kind enough to pick up a couple of these cigars so that we could jointly review them here on Stogie Press. Thanks Mike!
So this past Friday evening, we had a mini herf over at the Stogie Press office and sat out on the patio under a clear blue sky with a setting sun and broke out the Cordoba y Morales Celestina. Before we get into the review let me introduce you to this cigar.
The Cordoba y Morales Celestine is formulated from a bold blend of various tobaccos all cloaked with a beautiful Habano 2000 leaf.
- Wrapper – Habano 2000
- Binder – Jalapa
- Filler – Viso and Ligero from Esteli, Condega and Ometepe
The blend comes is 2 vitolas, each packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Corona Gorda (5-3/4 x 46) MSRP $10.00/Cigar
- Toro (6 x 52) MSRP $12.00/Cigar
I know these are available at Paradise Cigarz in Rockledge, FL and currently only 400 boxes have been made, but I hear more are in the works.
Pre-Light Examination
I have never met Z’s Grandmother, but I can tell you that the Cordoba y Morales Celestina is a beautiful looking cigar that has a few veins running through its smooth, light chocolate brown, wrapper. There is a decent sheen to the cigar with a touch of marbling. It has a closed foot and the presentation is finished with an expertly applied twist cap. If this cigar represents Z’s adoration of his Grandmother, then I would say she was a beautiful woman through and through.
There are two bands that adorn the Celestina. The primary is a very ornate band that has the company’s logo on top and the name Celestina gracefully printed in white on a black background with a grey star burst in the background. The company name “Cordoba y Morales” is printed in gold just below. There is also a photograph of Z’s grandmother on both sides of the band. The golden footer band, has the company logo printed in the center and the names “Cordoba” and “Morales” printed on the sides of the logo.
Mike and I both agreed this is a good looking cigar so it was onto the pre-light aroma check. We both noted that it had a deeply pungent, fermented leaf aroma along the barrel and closed foot. Being intrigued by the looks and aroma, we moved onto taking some cold draw puffs.
We both used a straight cut to open the head of the cigar, so as to have a similar smoking experience. With the construction of the cap, it just seemed natural that one would straight cut this, as the twist penetrates the cap of the cigar. We had some differences in the notes we picked out on the cold draw, but we both agreed it had a perfect restriction. As for the flavor, I was getting red pepper on the lips and palate, while Mike detected an apple tart like set of notes.
I looked at mike and said, “Alright then, lets get these fired up and burn them to ash”. We both used a triple flame torch lighter to get things going and the Celestina took right to the flame with its closed foot and offered a solid pepper shot to the gustatory and olfactory senses.
Cigar Review Notes
- Pepper blast to start things off, opening the nasals for whats to come
- There is a lot going on behind the pepper, one could describe it as bread or cracker-like notes
- Light grey ash of good form rests on a thin and slightly wavy char line
- Baking spice enters as the pepper finally receded (1/2 inch of burn)
- The smoke is thick and creamy, filling the palate well
- We both agreed the smoke is much smoother after an inch plus of burn
- This is where I picked up the early apple notes Mike talked about and also a hint of cinnamon. Dare I say it…. Apple Jacks!
- Sweetness rounds out the early profile with an enticing syrupy aroma
- The ash fell in a nice chunk with a well formed and centered burn cone
- Moving into the second third, Mike picked up a hint of brown mustard
- I started to detect a growing fruit note
- Strength is starting to ratchet up – Cordoba y Morales is known for some strong blends
- Cedar notes enter midway
- Mike picked up a touch of sausage as I noted a touch of earth – we both agreed it was savory at this point
- Deep in the second third we both declared there was dry cocoa notes gracing the palate and in the aroma
- Spice re-emerges as it moves into the final third
- The smoke begins to burn a tad hot in the final
- Medium to full in Strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
Overall, the Cordoba y Morales Celestina Corona Gorda was a fine, medium to full strength, smoking experience that offered an array of enticing flavor notes and aromas. From a construction perspective it was a well made cigar that offered little burn issues except for a mild wave now and then in the journey. The only major issue was that the smoke started to burn hot in the final third. This is certainly one you may want to pick up a fiver of. We rate this a 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wave in burn; (-2) Smoke is Hot in Final
