Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado

Back at the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, a company based out of Mexico City named Casa 1910 debuted. The company was founded by Manolo Santiago, Jamie Baer, and Serge Bolling. The brand captures the history and pride surrounding the Mexican Revolution which occurred in 1910. At the 2021 show, Casa 1910 opted to release a single cigar known as Cuchillo Parado. Cuchillo Parado is a town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is considered to be the place where the Mexican Revolution started in 1910, thus making the appropriate launch cigar for the Casa 1910 brand. Today we take a closer look at the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado.

Over the past two years, the Casa 1910 portfolio has grown to eight blends and three collections. Since then Cuchillo Parado was incorporated into a collection known as the Revolutionary Edition, a collection of cigars paying homage to the Mexican Revolution. There have been two additional collections that were added: the Calvary Edition (tribute to horses), and the Soldadera Edition (tribute to women of the revolution). Each collection pays homage to a different theme of the Mexican Revolution. In addition, each collection is produced in a different country. Finally, Casa 1910 follows a one-blend, one-size philosophy – meaning each cigar’s blend is different from the others, and also has a unique shape.

Edition (Packaging Color)	Origin	Theme	Cigars
Revolutionary Edition (Orange)	Mexico	Battles of the Mexican Revolution	Cuchillo Parado (Robusto) Tierra Blanca (Toro)
Calvary Edition (Green)	Nicaragua	Horses of the Mexican Revolution	As De Oro (Toro) Lucero (Torpedo) Jilguero (Gordo)
Soldadera Edition (White)	Dominican Republic	Women of the Mexican Revolution	Sampetrina (Robusto) Teniente Angela (Toro) La Coronela (Majestuosos)

Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the Casa 1910 Tierra Blanca and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The two cigars of the Revolutionary Series are produced in Mexico. Casa 1910 has not disclosed what factory is producing the cigars. The two cigars each have a different blend. The Cuchillo Parado is not only made in Mexico but features 100% Mexican-grown tobaccos. This is highlighted by a 3-year-old Mexican Sumatra wrapper over 5-year-old Negro San Andrés Mexican tobaccos for the binder and filler.

Wrapper: Mexican Sumatra, 3 years aged
Binder: Negro San Andrés, 5 years aged
Filler: Negro San Andrés, 5 years aged
Country of Origin: Mexico
Factory: Not Disclosed

Vitolas Offered

The Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado is offered in one size – 5 x 50 Robusto. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes.

Appearance

The Mexican Sumatra wrapper had a medium brown color to it. On the surface of the wrapper was a very light sheen of oil. There were some visible veins on the surface of the wrapper. There also were some visible wrapper seams that were present.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, wood, and a slight amount of citrus. This wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light draw is not factored into the numerical score or value rating, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado and proceed with the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado picked up where the pre-light draw left off. There were more notes of earth, wood, and citrus. Early on the wood and earth notes moved into the forefront. The citrus settled into the background and was soon joined by some white pepper. The citrus notes had a slight astringent quality to them. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced additional layers of wood and citrus.

As the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado burned through the second third, the wood and earth notes remained grounded in the forefront. During this period there was a gradual increase of the pepper notes. Meanwhile, the citrus notes (which still had an astringent quality) remained in the background.

There wasn’t much change in the profile going into the final third saw the wood and earth notes remain in the forefront. The pepper notes were now a close secondary note. By this point, the flavors were more muddled than the previous two-thirds. This is the way the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado maintained a straight burn path and had a straight burn, the cigar did require frequent touch-ups to do so. The touch-ups did the trick, but I did find this cigar needed more touch-ups than I prefer. The resulting ash had a very light gray color. This was a cigar that didn’t have an overly firm ash, but the ash also wasn’t a loose one. Meanwhile both the burn and draw maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado

Draw

Overall the draw of the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado had a touch of resistance. If you have read many of my assessments, this is something I like on a draw. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado started out with a profile that had both mild to medium strength and body. Both the strength and body increased in intensity at a gradual rate. By the final third, both the strength and body had managed to just cross the threshold into medium territory. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

When I assessed the Casa 1910 Tierra Blanca, I mentioned that I really liked the packaging and banding scheme of the portfolio of Casa 1910 cigars. The Casa 1910 cigars have a common primary band. The secondary band denotes the name of the cigar, in this case, Cuchillo Parado. Given this is a part of the Revolutionary Series, it features orange coloring on the boxes and the secondary band.

Packaging of the Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One point that comes to mind is that for a Mexican-wrapped cigar, the Casa 1910 Cuchilo Parado is going to be one of the more dialed-back cigars. Normally I wouldn’t prefer a cigar with the flavor profile that I described in the tasting notes, but the fact that this cigar was more dialed back, I can see where this cigar is going. This is a very different cigar that its sibling cigar in the Revolutionary Edition, the Tierra Blanca. I’d still probably reach for the Tierra Blanca. While it’s a little more pricey at $15.00, this is still a cigar I would recommend trying a sample of and seeing if it’s a fit for you.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood Earth, Citrus, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low to Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Final Third)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good