Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan by Quesada Cigars

Last month, Quesada Cigars announced a series of three line extensions to its Casa Magna Domus Magnus II (also referred to as  Casa Magna D. Magnus II) line called “The Three Good Emperors”. These cigars pay homage to Roman Emperors who oversaw the Roman Empire during its more prosperous times. This is in contrast to the previous two line extensions that introduced vitolas called “Caligula” and “Tiberius” who were considered two of the more corrupt ones.  The first of the “Three Good Emperors” has been released and it is called the Trajan. Plans are to announce the other two new vitolas later this year called Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius (sizes to be announced). Quesada Cigars keeps to its reputation of introducing innovative vitolas and the Trajan is no exception. This is a cigar that is pressed on one side and rounded on the rest of the vitola.  The end result is a cigar that is “D” shaped  when looking at it from the footer upward. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan. Overall, I have found the Domus Magnus II to be a great line – and the Trajan might be the best vitola in the line to date.

The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II was introduced at the 2012 Trade Show.  It is a modification to the original Casa Magna Domus Magnus. The original Domus Magnus had a Sun Grown Jalapa wrapper over Nicaraguan tobacco, but that particular wrapper used was limited. The Domus Magnus II brought back the same binder and filler but uses a different Jalapa wrapper.  Both the Casa Magna Domus Magnus and Domus Magnus II were originally released in box-press shapes.

The Tiberius and Caligula line extensions featured two vitolas with “non-mainstream” shapes. Tiberius featured a elliptical shape while Caligula was a box-pressed perfecto. Quesada has also introduced uniquesizes such as the Salomon Press (Salomon on the ends, box-pressed in the center) on both the Oktoberfest and 40th Anniversary line.  Quesada even introduced a vitola shaped like a Molotov Cocktail (Quesada Q DEtat Molotov).  As mentioned the Trajan brings a “D” shaped footer into the fold.

D Shape of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan

Trajan was Emperor of Rome from 98 AD through 117 AD.  He ruled over Rome during its greets territorial expansion.

At a glance here is a look at the Casa Domus Magnus II line:

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the Domus Magnus II line uses a Jalapa wrapper (different from the original Casa Magna Domus Magna).  The remainder of the blend is all Nicaraguan.  Like most of Quesada’s Casa Magna line, the cigar is made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua (as opposed to the Quesada Factory in the Dominican Republic).

Wrapper: 2007 Jalapa Sun Grown (Nicaraguan)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Plasencia Cigars S.A)

Vitolas Available

The addition of the Three Good Emperors brings the total vitolas made in the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II line to seven.

Trajan: 5 1/2 x 60 (‘D’ Shape)
Hadrian: TBA
Marcus Aurelius: TBA
Tiberius: 6 x 54 (Elliptical shape)
Caligula: 6 x 60 (Box-press perfecto)
Primus: 6 1/2 x 55
Optimus: 5 3/4 x 52

Closed box of Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan

Open box of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan

Appearance

The Jalapa wrapper to the Trajan is definitely on the thick side.  The wrapper had a medium brown chocolate color with a slight colorado tint.   There wass a slight amount of oil on the surface.  There was few visible veins while most of the wrapper seams are well hidden.  There is a rather firm pig-tail on the cap,

Close of of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan

Like the other vitolas in the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II line, there are two bands are also on the Trajan. 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 opposed to pulling the pig-tail off the Trajan, I opted to place a straight cut in to the cap of the cigar to completely remove the cap.  Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw ritual. The dry draw provided notes of chocolate, earth, and floral spice. Overall I found this to be a very good pre-light draw. At this point, I removed the footer band, lit up my Trajan cigar and awaited what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

Out of the gate Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan delivered notes of chocolate – something I was familiar with on this line. The chocolate definitely had a creamy quality to it. There were also notes of earth, baker’s spice, and white pepper. The chocolate notes became primary early on. The earth as well as the combination of baker’s spice and pepper became secondary. It also didn’t take long before one other Domus Magnus II familiar flavor surfaced – a sweet candy note that almost reminded me of pez candy.  Meanwhile the retro-hale layered this flavor profile with notes of white pepper.

By the second this I found the pez-like sweetness moved to a more traditional cherry flavor.  The cherry notes joined the chocolate notes in the forefront.  Meanwhile the earth, pepper and baker’s spice was secondary.  The white pepper still was prominent on the retro-hale.

On the last third, I found the pepper and baker’s spice mixed in with the chocolate.  The earth and cherry notes. While there was some spice at the end of this cigar, the spice never got overwhelming. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

In terms of these unorthodox, artesian style vitolas, while I find them very nice to look at, they often don’t perform when it comes to burn and draw.  In the case of the Trajan, I had no such problems. The burn remained on a straight path from start to finish requiring only occasional touch-ups. The burn line had some curvature to it, but at no times was it in danger of tunneling or canoeing. The resulting ash was a charcoal gray. The ash was quite firm and came off the cigar in clean chunks. Meanwhile the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Burn of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan

The “D” shape of this cigar did take get a little used to – especially while puffing and rotating this cigar. However it didn’t take long to get used to it. Overall I found the Trajan had the ideal amount of resistance – making this a very enjoyable cigar.

Strength and Body

From both a strength and body perspective, I found the Trajan to be in the wheelhouse of the other vitolas I smoked.  The Trajan may have had a little more in terms of strength and body, but not that much. I found the Trajan to deliver a medium to full strength cigar with full-bodied flavors. The body of the cigar definitely weighed heavier on the palate when the retro-hale was factored in.  Overall when looking at strength versus body, I definitely found the body had the edge.

Final Thoughts

When the Casa Magna Domus Magnus II was released, I found it a worthy successor to the original Domus Magnus. I found the Domus Magnus II kept true to the profile of the original Domus Magnus. I really liked the fact that Quesada Cigars disclosed the Domus Magnus II has a different wrapper than the original. In terms of some of these artesian vitolas, I have also been very positive on it – and in the case of the “D” shaped Trajan, I really liked it. This is an outstanding line extension to what I consider to be a great line. This is a cigar I’d probably steer more toward an experienced cigar experience, but wouldn’t discourage a novice looking for something fuller. As for myself, not only is this something I would purchase a box of, but it’s something worth of squaring off with Chuck Norris for.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.5 – Fight Chuck Noris for Them
Score: 93

References

News: Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Adding “The Three Good Emperors”; Announces Trajan
Price: $8.50
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 126
Stogie Feed: Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Trajan by Quesada Cigars