Casa Magna Domus Magnus II

The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II is the fourth blend in the popular Casa Magna line of cigars made by the Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plasencia.  As the name indicates, the Domus Magnus II is sort of a sequel to the original Casa Magna Domus Magnus.  The original Domus Magnus was introduced in 2011 as a limited edition, box-pressed Nicaraguan puro.  We were wildly impressed by original Domus Magnus and it came in as our #19 Cigar for 2011. The original Domus Magnus was always positioned as a limited run (with an initial target of 100,000 cigars). Many feel it was the Domus Magnus’ Sun Grown Jalapa wrapper which gave the cigar a unique edge. For the Domus Magnus II, the same Nicaraguan binder and filler are back, but this time with a different Sun Grown Jalapa wrapper.  The nice thing about the Domus Magnus II is it doesn’t miss a beat. There are some differences, but it keeps true to the excellence that was established with the original Domus Magnus.

The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II has been a long wait.  Word of this cigar surfaced around the time of the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, but it was only in late April, 2013 when the cigars finally made it to the retailers.

Without further adieu, let’s take a closer look at the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned like the original Domus Magnus, the Domus Magnus II is a Nicaraguan puro. The wrapper, while still a Sun Grown Jalapa wrapper, it is one is from 2007 and from a different crop.

Wrapper: 2007 Jalapa Sun Grown (Nicaraguan)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II is available in two sizes.   The original Domus Magnus was launched in these same two sizes before that line expanded to five vitals.  The Domus Magnus II is packaged ten per box.

Primus:  6 1/2 x 55
Optimus: 5 3/4 x 52

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I went with the Optimus vitola. The Domus Magnus II has striking similarities in appearance with the original Casa Magna Domus Magnus.  The wrapper of the Domus Magnus II looks very similar its predecessor.  The color is medium brown with a colorado red tint.  There is also some dark marbling on the wrapper.  I would describe the complexion of the wrapper as more silky than oily.  There are a few visible veins and the wrapper seams are for the most part well-hidden.  Also like the original Domus Magnus, the cap has a pig-tail on it.

Like the original Casa Magna Domus Magnus, the Domus Magnus has two bands.  These two bands are also similar to its predecessor.  The main band features a large yellow circle surrounded by gold trim.  There is a large red stripe going across that circle.  On that stripe is the text “MAGNA” in gold font.  Above the stripe is the text “CASA” in a smaller gold font right on the yellow circle.  Below the circle is the gold font text “D. MAGNUS II” on a yellow ribbon.  Below that ribbon is the text “LIMITADA” in gold font on a red stripe.  The remainder of the band has brown, black, and gold design on it.  On the left side of the band is the text “ESTELI” in black font on a gold ribbon sitting on a brown background.  On the right side of the band is the text “NICARAGUA” in black font – also on a gold ribbon sitting on the brown background.

The second band is positioned on the footer and is brown with gold trim.  The text “D. MAGNUS II” sits on that background in gold font.  Below that text is “LIMITADA” in a smaller gold font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do with a cigar with a pig-tail cap, I opted to go with a straight cut as opposed to pulling the pig-tail off.  Once the cap was clipped, I began the pre-light draw.  The dry draw notes seemed different than the original Domus Magnus as I got notes of citrus and wood.  There seemed to be less complexity on the pre-light flavors of the Domus Magnus II, but the flavors were still good.  Overall this was a good pre-light draw, so I was ready to remove the footer band, light up my Domus Magnus II, and see what the cigar experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

One theme that I got on the flavor profile the Domus Magnus II when compared the original Domus Magnus was that there was slightly less in terms of flavor transitions.  At the same time the flavors were still robust on the Domus Magnus II.  Many of the flavors I got  on the Domus Magnus II did parallel the flavors of the original Domus Magnus, but they were not exactly the same.

Right out of the gate, I got a mix of citrus, chocolate, and pepper.  The citrus notes had what I term a “pez” candy sweetness quality.  This was something that was very similar to what I got on the original Domus Magnus and I felt it was a unique differentiator.  The flavor profile settled with the citrus/pez sweetness primary, pepper notes secondary, and chocolate notes tertiary.  Meanwhile, I also detected some red pepper on the retro-hale.

Later in the first third, the chocolate notes joined the citrus/pez notes as primary flavors.  The pepper notes diminished further into the background.  I also detected some caramel notes in the background.

By the second half, the citrus/pez sweetness diminished into the background – joining the pepper flavors.  At this point, the pepper notes began to increase in intensity.  Meanwhile, the chocolate notes remained in the background.

Toward the end of the cigar, the pepper, citrus, and chocolate notes all converged in the forefront. The caramel notes still remained but were in the background.  Overall there was very nice flavor as the cigar experience came to a close. The end of the cigar also had no harshness.  The resulting nub was cool in temperature, but soft on the touch.

Burn and Draw

Overall I found the construction of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II to be excellent.  This was reflected with both the burn and draw of the cigar.  From a burn standpoint, the burn line required a few touch-ups to keep straight, but nothing I would consider out of the ordinary.  The resulting ash was tight with a mix of white, gray, and charcoal color to it.  The ash was not prone to any flaking or flowering during the smoking experience.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

 

Burn of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II

The draw to the Domus Magnus II was outstanding – not too loose and not too tight.  Overall, the draw is what I would categorize as low maintenance.

Stength and Body

The Domus Magnus II seemed to be slightly dialed back when compared to the original Domus Magnus – but I wouldn’t consider this to be a major gap.  The dialing back seemed to work nicely with the blend.  From a strength perspective, the Domus Magnus II starts out medium strength.  By the second half, the Domus Magnus II progresses to medium to full strength.  Meanwhile the flavors start out medium to full-bodied.  Like the strength, the body increases and by the second half, the Domus Magnus II has full-bodied flavors.  Overall, this is a cigar where the body has an edge over the strength.

Final Thoughts

The most obvious question is going to be how does the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II smoke versus the original Domus Magnus.  In fairness I’ve smoke a lot more of the original Domus Magnus than the Domus Magnus II, so time will be the ultimate arbiter in my book. As I mentioned when assessing the flavor profile, there seemed to be less flavor transitions with the Domus Magnus II than its predecessor.  At the same time, the flavors were really good – and in a lot of ways, they seemed a little smoother.  I also liked the fact that the Domus Magnus II was dialed back slightly in terms of strength and body. Overall, this is a worthy sequel to the original Domus Magnus.  Given I felt this was a little more dialed back, this is a cigar I can see recommending to a novice cigar enthusiast looking for something that moves into the medium to full strength range.  Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the great flavors this cigar offers.  As for myself, it’s this is an excellent cigar.  It’s even one worthy of considering a box purchase for – and one I would definitely smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Smoke Inn in Boynton Beach, Florida.