In 2022, Quesada Cigars added a new line to its Casa Magna brand, the Casa Magna Connecticut. As the name indicates, it adds a Connecticut Shade offering into the Casa Magna brand. The Casa Magna brand traces its roots back to 2008 when Manuel Quesada teamed up with Nestor Plasencia to release a cigar to be sold under the Quesada Cigars portfolio known as the Casa Magna Colorado. The cigar was met with critical acclaim and commercial success and is widely considered to be one of the most successful collaborations in history. Over the years, Quesada Cigars has grown Casa Magna into a full-fledged brand – releasing the Casa Magna Oscuro, Casa Magna Domus Magnus II, Casa Magna Liga F, and several limited edition lines. Over the past few years, the lion’s share of Casa Magna production has moved back to the Quesada’s factory. Today, we will look at the Casa Magna Connecticut in the Toro size.

One key thing about the Casa Magna Connecticut is that it filled the gap for a regular production Connecticut Shade in the Quesada portfolio. This gap was created when Quesada Cigars sold the Fonseca brand to My Father Cigars. While there are Connecticut Shade offerings such as Quesada Reserva Privada and the Quesada 40th Anniversary Corona Clasica, those are more limited offerings. The Casa Magna Connecticut was introduced as a premium line with pricing all under $10.00.

Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Casa Magna Connecticut is highlighted by an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut Shade wrapper. The binder and filler are from Nicaraguan tobaccos. Production is handled at the the Quesada Factory, a.k.a TABADEX, in Licey, Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Connecticut, Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacos de Exportacion, INC (TABADEX)

Vitolas Offered

The Casa Magna Connecticut is currently offered in three sizes. Each is presented in 20-count boxes. Casa Magna Connecticut is a regular production offering.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
Toro Gordo: 6 x 56

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper of the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro was light brown with a slightly weathered look. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on the surface. Several prominent veins were visible. Despite the light color, any wrapper seams were not very visible.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of cream, cedar, and classic wood notes. This wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light draw is not included in the final score or assessment rating, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast up the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Casa Magna Connecticut Toro opened up with notes of cedar, classic wood, bread, white pepper, and zesty citrus. Early on, the bread notes became primary. The cedar, wood, pepper, and citrus settled into the background. In terms of the retro-hale, there also was a layer of pepper, but this one was more of the black pepper varietal.

During the second third of the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro, the citrus notes joined the bread in the forefront. The second third saw the wood, cedar, and pepper notes. By this point, the retro-hale had more of a mix of both black and white pepper notes. Once past the second half, the white pepper on the tongue began to increase in intensity.

The final third saw the white pepper notes join the bread notes in the forefront. The citrus notes retreated into the background and joined the cedar and classic wood notes. This is the way the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The TABADEX factory was our 2022 Small/Medium Factory of the Year, and the Casa Magna Connecticut was one of the excellent products from a construction standpoint. The Casa Magna Connecticut Toro maintained a straight burn path with a straight burn line – requiring minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was firm and had a salt-and-pepper complexion to it. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The Casa Magna Connecticut Toro also produced an excellent draw. It had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a cigar that was low maintenance to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of whether the Casa Magna Connecticut Toro is a mild and dialed-back Connecticut Shade cigar, it is not. This is a medium-strength, medium-bodied cigar. I would put both attributes on the upper side of medium. Along the way, the intensity levels slightly increased.

When it came to strength versus body, the body maintained the edge.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The original Casa Magna Colorado band is one that I consider to be one of the iconic bands to come out in the past 20 years. What I also like is how the band has carried over the other Casa Magna cigars released in the brand. In the case of the Casa Magna Connecticut, the logo is accented by pale yellow, and I found it worked quite well with the cigar. The cigars are packaged in gold-colored boxes.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop