Christian Celuzza, a cigar man if ever I met one. With a broad smile and soft accent, he is a man who knows his cigars. Christian founded his company Remember Cuba Cigars back in 2006 with a simple pledge:
“Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf, we will always provide you the same “Quality and Consistency” in all of our brands. Our 5.0 Star Rating on FaceBook proved that we are doing our job to make that promise a reality.”
I met Christian at this years IPCPR. He was helping out at the Serino Cigars booth and he introduced me to both the Remember Cuba and Serino brands.
Mr. Celuzza is proud to note:
“We have dedicated our lives to providing you with the best cigars money can buy. We make cigars that we want to smoke ourselves. From the taste to the texture; from the roll to the wrapper, we take our time to make sure that your cigar is perfectly aged before your buy and experience our goal… Remember Cuba!”
Today I would like to introduce you to one of the many Remember Cuba Cigars blends – the RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged) Box Pressed 6 x 54. It is part of a 5 vitola lineup that includes
- Toro 6 x 54
- Belicoso 5 1/2 x 52
- Lanceros 7 x 38
- Torpedo 6 1/8 x 52
- Petite Sublime 5 1/2 x 54
Pricing ranges from $8.50 to $12.00 for 20-count bundles and can be purchased directly on the Remember Cuba Cigars website. I should note the photos on the website do not show the new band that I describe in the Pre-light Examination below.
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged) is a blend made up of:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder – Nicaraguan Jalapa
- Filler – Nicaraguan Esteli
All Remember Cuba Cigars products are 100% Hand Rolled Cigars in their Tamboril factory (Santiago de los Cabelleros, located in the Dominican Republic).
Pre-Light Examination
The RCC Nicaragua is medium brown and smooth cigar that is light on veins and finished with a simple cap. It was solid along the barrel with no soft spots and had a decent weight in the hand. This is a soft box pressed cigar in that it does not have crisp edges to it.
The band on this uses a black, gold, and red motif with a touch of white enhancing the lettering. The words Cuba” is proudly centered in the middle with the smaller word “Remember” above and “Cigars” below. It is a classic design and glows on the background of the dark habano leaf.
There is a sweetness and pepper aroma off the foot and an enticing fermented leaf aroma along the barrel. You can tell this cigar has been aged well and ready to be smoked right out of the box.
I sliced the cap and gave it some cold draw puffs. Wow! peppery spice lights up my whole palate and I have not even fired it up. I guess I am glad I ate something before taking this journey.
Cigar Review Notes
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged)
- Early pepper fires up the nasals for about a half-inch of the initial burn
- Once the pepper settles notes of coffee and leather carry you through the first third
- Dark grey ash on a thick char line
- Burn line is a bit wavy but nothing that needs a touch up
- Cedar notes appear starting the second third
- A sprinkle of pepper enters again
- Sweet Cubanesque floral aroma develops
- Touch of fruit fills out the profile
- Sweetness builds through the second third
- Medium body of smoke
- Fruit morphs into more of a citrus
- Very clean finish on the palate
- Spice starts to build moving into the final third
- Cedar returns to complete the journey
- Medium – Full Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 10 minutes
Overall, the RCC Nicaragua (5 Yrs Aged) started with a strong pepper and settled into a pleasant and flavorful smoke. The burn was consistent throughout. I especially enjoyed the cedar and sweetness that seemed to tango through the final two thirds of the burn. I would consider paring this with an aged dark rum to enhance the sweetness.