CLE Cuarenta Review: Patrick Miller

CLE Cuarenta Robusto

I started smoking cigars at the tail end of the cigar boom.  At the time, it seemed like everyone and their brother were making cigars, whether they knew what they were doing or not. One of the reasons I started learning about cigars was to make sure I wasn't spending money on bad sticks. Thankfully, over the last few years the quality of new cigars has skyrocketed, as a new generation of cigar makers with a passion for tradition and quality have started introducing new sizes and new blends...

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Many of these new cigar makers are moving from established brands to start their own premium lines. Christian Eiroa is one of the latest to make the move. After leaving Camacho, he recently started producing the Asylum, Wynwood, and CLE cigars. All are great smokes, but the CLE Cuarenta is a particular favorite of mine.

The CLE Cuarenta is a Honduran puro and features a pristine, silky Habano wrapper. It starts off with the spice you would expect of a Habano wrapper, but quickly smooths out into a rich and complex medium to full bodied smoke. The draw is easy and produces a very full volume of thick smoke. The spice returns as you smoke through the midpoint, but it is never overpowers the blend, maintaining its balance throughout as a soft cedar finish begins to appear. Even down to the very end the flavor is never harsh, though the spice does become more intense and the finish takes on more pronounced notes of pepper.

In addition to the outstanding flavor, the construction of the CLEs is incredible. For me, construction is one of the most important parts of a premium cigar. Every CLE I have experienced has burned evenly, with a solid ash that will hang on nearly halfway through the cigar.

CLEs are also in stock in a Corojo wrapper, so if you're a fan of the Camacho Corojo, you should definitely check these out. The Corojos are also outstanding, and exhibit a more earthy character than the Cuarenta. CLEs are available in a variety of sizes, from a 5x50 Robusto to a 6x60. With prices in the $6-$8 range they're some of the best values going right now.