Prior to the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) 2021 Show, Casa Cuevas Cigars would release its seventh blend known as the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio. The Cuevas family has five generations of experience in the tobacco industry. The name Patrimonio translates to Patrimony and it pays homage to the over 100 years the family has been in the cigar business. The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio is a project started by Luis Cuevas Jr. and his son Alec Cuevas. While the cigar was created in conjunction with Luis Cuevas Sr., the name of the line, its significance, and packaging were not revealed to Cuevas Sr. until the blend was finalized. This was to surprise Cuevas Sr. about the line being a homage to the family lineage. Today we take a closer look at the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio in the Robusto Gordo size.

While the Cuevas family has a long history in the tobacco business, for many years they have produced cigars for other manufacturers out of their Las Lavas factory in the Dominican Republic. In 2016, the Cuevas family decided to go to market with their own branded cigars, Casa Cuevas Cigars. Over the past 5 1/2 years, the Casa Cuevas portfolio has slowly grown. With the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio, it joins six other blends the company offers in its portfolio: Casa Cuevas Connecticut, Casa Cuevas Habano, Casa Cuevas Maduro, Casa Cuevas La Mandaría, Cuevas Reserva Maduro, and Cuevas Reserva Natural line.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo and see what this cigar brings to the table:

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio is a five-country, multi-national blend. Production is handled out of Casa Cuevas’ Las Lavas factory. The interesting thing is the Honduran Corojo wrapper. It’s the first time Casa Cuevas has released a cigar in its portfolio with a Honduran wrapper. In general, Honduran wrappers are not commonly found on Dominican-made cigars.

Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Peruvian, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Las Lavas S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio is offered in three sizes. Each is presented in 20-count boxes.

Robusto Gordo: 5 x 54
Toro: 6 x 52
Gordo: 6 x 60

Packaging of Casa Cuevas Patrimonio (Toro size shown); Photo Credit: Casa Cuevas Cigars

Appearance

The Honduran Corojo wrapper of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo had a medium brown color. The wrapper had a very light sheen of oil on it. There were some visible veins and visible wrapper seams on the surface of the wrapper.

There are two bands on the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio. The primary band has a white and gold color scheme to it. On the front of the band is the text “CUEVAS” prominently displayed in a large gold font. Just above that text is the text “Casa” in a thin cursive gold font. The remainder of the band features some gold medallions also on a white background. The band is finished with a gold trim.

The secondary band of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio also has a white background with gold trim and gold font. On the center of the band is the text “PATRIMONIO”. On the left and right side of that text is the text “HECHO MANO.” The remainder of the band has gold adornments.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo. After the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The dry draw delivered a mix of leather and subtle notes of cedar and pepper. Overall this was a simple, but satisfying pre-light draw. At this point it was time to toast the foot of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo kicked off with a blast of mixed pepper and cedar. The pepper and cedar quickly settled down and were joined by notes of bread, natural tobacco, and dried fruit. During the early stages of the cigar, the retro-hale was quite sharp and delivered another layer of mixed pepper. As the cigar moved through the first third, the bread emerged as the primary flavor. The dried fruit notes were the most prominent of the secondary notes. The natural tobacco, cedar, and pepper notes were more distant.

During the second third of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo, the bread notes remained grounded in the forefront. The dried fruit notes diminished as well as the sweetness. While there was a slight increase in the pepper notes on the tongue, the pepper on the retro-hale was not nearly as sharp as during the early stages. Meanwhile, the cedar and natural tobacco notes remained in the more distant background.

As the cigar experience moved into the final third, the bread notes still were grounded in the forefront. The pepper notes were the most prominent of the secondary notes. The cedar and natural tobacco still remained further back in the background. By this point, the dried fruit notes had dissipated. As the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo burned well during the early phases; as the cigar experience progressed, there was more in the way of jaggedness on the burn line and meandering off the burn path. This required more in the way of touch-ups. The resulting ash was silver-gray with some darker streaks. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels from start to finish.

Draw

The draw of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo had a touch of resistance to it – making for an ideal smoke. At the same time, this cigar delivered a nice amount of smoke production.

Strength and Body

The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo delivered medium to full strength from start to finish. The early stages of the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo produced flavors that were medium to full-bodied. As the pepper settled on the tongue, and later on the retro-hale, the flavors dialed back to medium body. In terms of strength versus body, the strength maintained a slight edge during the smoking experience, but it never overpowered the flavors.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The one thing that stands out with the Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto is that it smokes like no other Dominican cigar I have smoked before. This is not a negative by any means as I did enjoy the flavors from this cigar. The vibe of this cigar definitely was more Central American in my book. The two things that could improve this cigar are more in the way of complexity and a better performance on the burn. I’m definitely eager to smoke this cigar in the Toro and Gordo. In the end, there still was enough going on with the flavors that satisfied me. In the end, this is a cigar I would recommend to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would definitely buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Bread, Natural Tobacco, Dried Fruit, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low to Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent