Tobacos de la Cordillera - Cumbres Gold

This review is of the Tobacos de la Cordillera - Cumbres Gold.  This is the first of three reviews.
 
Linkage: Robusto Bundle 1x5 Cumbres Gold - http://www.tabacordi...products_id=208
 
First and foremost, I'd like to thank the kind folks from Tobacos de la Cordillera for supplying the cigars for these reviews.  Your participation is most appreciated.
 
I participated in the earlier reviews of these same cigars done by Wilkey in 2006.  Here's a link to that thread for reference.  I had asked what changes had been made in the blends since that review and was told (in thread) that "....Actually our belnds for Cumbres de Puriscal (Gold, Green and Silver), Purisco Azul and Purisco Rojo has been improved..".  I was offered the chance to do a tasting test, which I accepted.
 
The reviewers for these cigars are faces well known to the forum members.  Between us, we have decades of cigar smoking experience and have written many reviews of all kinds of cigars.  These reviews were written with no knowledge of what the other reviewers had to say, so what you are getting here is the honest and independant impressions of the reviewers.  These reviews as posted are the unedited comments of the folks that reviewed the cigars.  
 
Here we go.....

Reviewer - BlindedByScience
 
Cigar Brand: Tabacos de la Cordillera – Cumbres Gold
Size / Vitola: Robusto
Box or Single: Single
Purchase Date: Provided by the manufacturer
Smoking Date: 03-09-2014
Packaging: 5-pack, in cello
Price (Per Cigar / Per Box): Provided by the manufacturer
Where Purchased: Shipped directly by the manufacturer
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
 
Meal / Beverage: Empty stomach - water
 
Wrapper Color: Light brown
Consistent Color within the Box: Consistent within the five pack
Oily / Dry: Dry
Veiny / Smooth: Overall nice, one large vein
Cap Construction: Acceptable
Packaging: Cello within a five pack
Ease of Cutting: Good, some crumbling when cut (Xikar)
Construction: Feels good in the hand, not too hard or soft.
 
Even Initial Light: Good burn – seems well constructed
Even Burn (Initial): Same
Even Burn (1/3): Same
Even Burn (2/3): Same
Even Burn (Final): Same
Resting Smoke (light, even, smoldering): Light
Burn Rate (slow, perfect, fast): Perfect – construction seems very good
Ash (solid, black, white, crumbly, etc.): Mottled black / grey ash, falls at ~ 1.5”
Relighting Required: No
 
Draw (Initial): Some restriction, overall draw is good.
Draw (1/3): Same
Draw (2/3): Same
Draw (Final): Same
Wrapper Stays Intact: No cracking or unraveling
 
Light, Medium, Full: Very light
Bitter, Harsh, Smooth: Creamy, earth, musty
Sweet / Salty: Slightly Salty
Bland, Vegetal, Spicy: Rather bland, some earthy notes
Comments – Pre Light: Super mild, no spice at all, almost no fragrance, some very mild, light tobacco tastes.
Comments (1/3): Thin smoke, earthy bitter taste, seems to coat my tongue / inside of mouth, musty, mossy, not good.
Comments (2/3):  Same as first third; no progression or changes.  Very one dimensional, no complexity.
Comments (Final): Same as first third, no progression or changes to note.  Slight increase in the salty, perhaps metallic taste, mouth is coated, not pleasant.
Aroma: Little to no aroma.
Finish: Coats tongue, unpleasant.
 
Buy Recommendation: No
 
Conclusion / Final Comments:  I wanted to like this cigar and the initial construction was very promising.  Unfortunately the flavors are somewhere between not there and an earthy, mossy taste that was very unappealing.  Coated my mouth and tongue, not pleasant.  Too bad…..

Reviewer: IronPeddler
Cigar Brand: Tabacos de la Cordillera – Cumbres Gold
Size / Vitola: Robusto (5X50)
Box or Single: Single
Purchase Date: Sample
Smoking Date: 03-01-2014
Packaging: Cello
Price (Per Cigar / Per Box):
Where Purchased: Mfg. Sample
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
 
Meal / Beverage:
 
Wrapper Color: Medium Brown, veiny, multi-colored
Consistent Color within the Box: N/A
Oily / Dry: In between
Veiny / Smooth: Lightly Veiny
Cap Construction: Lumpy
Packaging: N/A
Ease of Cutting: Cracked with punch
Construction: Hard
 
Even Initial Light: Toasted right up, very even
Even Burn (Initial): Burn rated 10/11 overall
Even Burn (1/3):
Even Burn (2/3):
Even Burn (Final):
Resting Smoke (light, even, smoldering): Light
Burn Rate (slow, perfect, fast): Perfect
Ash (solid, black, white, crumbly, etc.): Grayish black – crumbles ~ 1 ¼
Relighting Required: NO
 
Draw (Initial): Good, no obstructions.
Draw (1/3): Good, no obstructions.
Draw (2/3): Good, no obstructions.
Draw (Final): Good, no obstructions.
Wrapper Stays Intact: Yes, perfect.
 
Light, Medium, Full: Light – Very little taste
Bitter, Harsh, Smooth: Strange tobacco tastes on tongue
Sweet / Salty: No
Bland, Vegetal, Spicy: Bland
Comments – Started tasteless, then went to mild tobacco.  Tasting the cold draw taste is all there was.  Turned bitter at the 2/3 mark.  Flavorless – bitter when heated, never got pleasurable at any point, made it only to the 2/3 point before bailing out.
Aroma: Not Bad
Finish: A tad stronger
 
Buy Recommendation: No

Reviewer: Brickhouse
 
[SIZE=medium]Cigar:  Robusto Cumbres Gold[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] Notes:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] Prelight:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] A great day for reviewing a cigar, high 50’s with little to no wind and nothing to do but sit and enjoy a smoke.  I consider these conditions to be top notch for paying attention to a cigar.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] The overall construction of this cigar was as good as can be expected.  There was no deep oily sheen to the stick, but it had a rather toothy wrapper, which gave it some appeal.  While toothy, it remained very evenly rolled.  There were no blemishes, cracks, or damages of any kind.  This cigar was put together with care.  Cap construction was as good as can be expected.  I actually like the band on these, unlike anything I’ve seen before in regards to color.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I cut the robusto with my Palio as always, and it gave a clean even cut.  The dry draw was just how I like it, a little firm, but not clogged.  I lit the cigar with my S.T. Dupont Mini and it had no problems starting off.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]1st Third:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]The initial third of this cigar was disappointing.  It was such a nice looking cigar, that I had some hopes it would not be similar to the last review I did, unfortunately there it was again.  One-dimensional flavor of walnuts that have been sitting out on the bar for a week.  It did produce an adequate amount of smoke, which was nice, but it wasn’t thick.  It was simply enough for me to retrohale and play with.  The burn was good.  It stayed even at this point and no signs of tunneling or unevenness.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]2nd Third:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]The flavor hasn’t budged a centimeter.  This cigar is what it was when I lit it up and refuses to change....for the better or worse.  There is zero complexity to it.  It’s a cigar that is just burning to produce smoke.  I am beginning to dislike walnuts.  Construction remains solid and it is burning rather well.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Final Third:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]I could just copy paste from either the first or second third of this review but I owe it a different write up I guess.  Burn, smoke, heat, and construction are all fine.  But the taste is just absent.  I have searched for 40 minutes to find a hint of something I may be missing, but I can’t find anything.  Honestly, it’s not that it is a BAD cigar, it’s just that there isn’t much of anything to it.  I’m happy to be done with it. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Overall:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Presentation was nice on this cigar.  Like the previous one I smoked, there was care put into the construction.  I don’t feel like there is a lack of effort going into its production.  It just comes down to the fact that the tobacco isn’t very flavorful and it certainly isn’t complex.  Extremely bland, aside from the overwhelming nutty profile.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]The easiest way I rate my cigars is by answering 2 questions.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] 1.  Would I buy any of these myself?  No.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] 2.  Would I smoke one again?  No.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] In addition, here are the scores:[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] Overall Appearance and Presentation of Cigar: 17 (of 20)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] Lighting and Burning Properties: 11 (of 15)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] Construction: 20 (of 30)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] Taste: 21 (of 35)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] Total points:  69 (of 100)[/SIZE]

Reviewer: Whylieineedacigar
 
This cigar was kept at 65% humidity. It was then transferred to my dry box for 2 hours before 
 
smoking.
 
Cigar: Cumbres de Puriscal Gold - Robusto
 
Smoking date: 3-8-14 Smoking time: 1 hour 21 minutes
 
Country Where Made: Costa Rica
 
Pairing: Water
 
Cut: Xikar Xi1 - Guillotine
 
Construction:
 
This cigar has a decent construction. It has a smooth wrapper with minimal veins, is well packed and 
 
hard to the touch. 
 
Taste: (I smoked this cigar in the morning with a clean palate)
 
Cold draw: Unpleasant cardboard like taste, a bit bitter on the lips. The draw was perfect, not too tight 
 
not too loose. 
 
First draw: I get a mix of bitter cocoa and barnyard notes, lots of smoke and the aroma is just like the 
 
taste.
 
First Third: The flavors remain the same as the first draw with no noticeable changes. I picked up a very 
 
mild peppery note which faded away rapidly towards the end of this third. The strength of this cigar 
 
is on the mild side. The ash is holding up pretty well and it is solid and greyish looking, I knocked it off 
 
around the 1.5” mark. It is a slow burner with an even burn.
 
Second Third: More of the same cocoa and barnyard notes but now I’m getting some sweetness with it. 
 
The strength has not change and the burn continues to be even.
 
Last Third: The sweetness is now gone and now I’m getting a mineral salty note. I had to retouch the 
 
cigar because it was burning unevenly with no signs of correcting itself.
 
Final Notes:
 
The unpleasant cardboard like taste remained throughout most of the cigar. It came and went like an 
 
uninvited guess that shows up at your house when it’s time to eat. The flavor profile was very bland, 
 
mild, boring and didn’t have any wow factor that would make me want to buy this cigar again, in fact, I 
 
wouldn’t buy it.

Reviewer: Tall Paul, video review:
 
http://youtu.be/DVyIR2U356E

Review of a different vitola of the same blend from Light This!
 
Gentlemen this is my first review here on CP and I’m reviewing a cigar that piqued my interest by its claim of being a Costa Rican Puro. I’ll try anything once, twice and even a third time as I did with this particular cigar. I smoked one with my neighbor, (chucked it 1st third) one on my morning drive (chucked it 1st third) and this LAST one (made it to the final third) this evening for this review and for the sake of this great community of ours. Below are some facts on this cigar:
 
 
Cigar:  Cumbres de Puriscal Gold
 
Size: Torpedo 52 x 6
 
Blend: Costa Rican Wrapper, Binder & Filler
 
Body: Mild to Medium
 
Price: $3.78  (I bought the bundle, which was $94.50)
 
Beverage: Black coffee to keep the palate clean.
 

 
 
 
Let me begin by saying that this is a great looking cigar in appearance. Construction is very good with a nice dark wrapper. Almost reminds me of a bigger BBF but that’s where the similarity ends.  A nice firmness to it when squeezed and by looking at the foot it doesn’t appear to be rolled tightly. A quick sniff of the foot and I get an earthy note. The cold draw reminds me of a mass produced machine made cigar almost like a Philly Blunt with nothing predominantly noticed.
 
 

 
Ok let’s begin……
 
 
I snip this torpedo on a slight angle as I usually do with these vitolas and start to toast the foot. The cigar lit up nicely with the help of my single flame lighter with no issues.
 
 
 
First Third – The first few deep draws and I get this taste of pure tobacco. – in your face type of tobacco. I mean not a pleasant taste but almost a charred tobacco taste that just lingers in your mouth. I can almost relate it to those small dark burnt pieces that are on the edge of your grilled steak when you over cook it that just has a nasty aftertaste. I take a couple big gulps of my black coffee to try to clean my palate and proceed.
 
There is a sign of a hint of something that is trying to come to the forefront but just gets overpowered by the tobacco taste. During the retrohale is the only time that I get decent slight notes of cocoa as faint as they may be.
 

 
 
Second Third – During the first third I had some slight burn issues but finally corrected and the ash finally comes off at about the one-inch mark. So far good smoke production and good ash. Those are the only good things to report on this cigar so far.  Again every now and then you get a slight hint of something that tries to come out but the damn tobacco taste is so strong that it overpowers it. The only other thing that I’m able to pick up is an earthy soil taste. Yes I have inadvertently tasted soil working in my backyard and yes it tastes like shit!  For the most part I’m getting the same charred tobacco taste that just lingers in your mouth. More sips of coffee to relieve my palate of this torture. Will it ever end?
 

 
 
Final Third – (Thank God!) During this final third I now start to pick up the spice. I’m now getting a charred spicy tobacco taste mixed with some bitterness. I clip a little off the head to loosen the draw as it has tightened up a bit and to see If I can get rid of some of this tobacco bitterness that I’m tasting. Unfortunately this cigar is one-dimensional and I just can’t smoke it any longer. I have to put down at this point and drink the rest of my black coffee as if I was drinking water and a nice hot summer day!
 

 
Bottom Line - This cigar was awful and I’m not just saying that to be facetious. I mean I tried it three different times with the same experience. The first one that I tried was with my neighbor and he said the same thing about some flavor that is trying to come out but never does because of the nasty tobacco taste.
 
In the end this cigar is consistent – consistently bad! This cigar might be good for cigarette smokers that are looking for that nicotine taste that’s in cigarettes. I would never buy this cigar again and they are actually being evicted from my humidor. I would not recommend it.

Excellent reviews gentlemen, I could (unfortunately) taste this cigar through your elegant descriptions... ???

Great honest reviews with a real decent methodology.
 
I remember that these were reviewed a number of years ago. Who could forget it if you were familiar with the cigar?
The funny thing is, as horrible a line of cigars I thought it was, I have to imagine somebody liked it, and thought it would sell.
 
In my exploration of the subject of taste, I am becoming more and more convinced that the foods and flavors we are exposed to as very young children
may very well affect our ability to taste, and our preferences. 

Great reviews gentlemen! I was especially impressed with in-depth details an experienced cigar smoker pays attention to.

Really nice reviews gentlemen! It's a shame they all seemed to have the same consistent not so favorable verdict. I sounded like you all REALLY wanted to like this cigar as friendly and accommodating as the manufacturer is. Hell, even I was hoping for favorable reviews. Hopefully, they don't take offense, use this as a learning experience, and then look at what they can do to improve the blending. Maybe even a look at how to improve the quality of the tobacco being used. I wish them the best and I am in their corner, hoping that they figure it out.

Wow... Great job! I really respect and appreciate your time and every single comment...

Now I'm more anxious about to know the other reviews

jfields said:

Really nice reviews gentlemen! It's a shame they all seemed to have the same consistent not so favorable verdict. I sounded like you all REALLY wanted to like this cigar as friendly and accommodating as the manufacturer is. Hell, even I was hoping for favorable reviews. Hopefully, they don't take offense, use this as a learning experience, and then look at what they can do to improve the blending. Maybe even a look at how to improve the quality of the tobacco being used. I wish them the best and I am in their corner, hoping that they figure it out.

Click to expand...

 
John your statement is right on the money. Overall construction and appearance of these cigars are great. CristiCr was very nice to deal with and very generous of her to do this. I too hope they take this as constructive criticism and work on getting it right. It shows me a lot that she genuinely is interested in our feedback as harsh as it might be.

So if it was between this and a ghurka? And you had to smoke one?

Based on some of these descriptions, bitter, dry finish, etc. it sounds like the cigar is not balanced. I.e., is not hitting all four parts of the tongue. Sweet, sour, etc.
If it was, your mouth might even water. Might try drinking a nice sweet rum to balance things out.

Excellent reviews gentlemen. Thank you for the time, effort, experience and sharing your impressions with us.

I enjoyed reading the others thoughts as well.  Well done guys.

Great reviews.  Sorry to hear that these cigars are not very favorable.  

I have with-held from purchasing these cigars until I had an opportunity to either try one or read the reviews of some of our very respected Brothers.
 
After reading their reviews, all of which were very good and provided honest insight (sorry) into a cigar I had no opinion on.
 
I am disappointed though because I wanted them to have favorable comments and drive me to purchase at least a 5'er to try for myself.
 
Thanks guys, I appreciate your honesty.  I will not buy.

This was awesome. Nice job BBS and the brothers involved.

I know Cumbres Gold is a Mild blend... Let's see the reviews about the other blends:
 
Purisco Azul: Medium
 
Cuban Zirconia: Medium to Full

Great review Tom, and other BOTL's. I was on the fence of a buy, but this ain't gonna happen after reading these, which is too bad. Always looking for a decent new stick.

Thank you for the detailed review, I enjoyed it very much.