Well, here it is kiddies; my first impressions of one of the pre-release Costa Cigars that David sent out. I will be looking forward to seeing what others think of this vitola.


Costa Pyramide (6X50 Torpedo)

I only let this one sit in my humidor overnight, and the brochure that came with the vitolas said they are only aged for about two months, so I was expecting them to be a bit green, but I had to give one a shot since there seems to be quite a bit of interest on the forum about these cigars. Dave from Costa Cigars was generous enough to share some of these pre-release vitolas with us to get some of our impressions. I also have pictures on my Yahoo page to go along with the review at:

Costa Pyramide

APPEARANCE AND CONSTRUCTION:
Nice clean torpedo with a well formed cap and just a few small veins. Firm and even throughout, no soft spots or bulges. They don’t state what the characteristics of the wrapper leaf are, though the brochure states that the “Capote” (binder) and Ligero leaves are Panamanian, and the Capa (wrapper), Seco, and Volado leaves are “imported from the finest cigar crop fields of the world”…..so your guess is as good as mine. The wrapper has a slightly oily finish, similar to a Camacho. Looks like a very well made cigar. Terrific pre-light aroma. Nice clean clip with my Xicar, pre-light draw was perfect, with no distinct pre-light flavor.

FLAVOR:
After toasting the foot with a pencil torch, sat back and admired the aroma; very distinctive and pleasant smell that was quite unique. First impressions were very good, a nice woodsy taste with a touch of cedar, but I got a few vegetal undertones in the first inch or so, probably because it’s still a bit young. At about two inches in, it really opened up and the flavor profile changed to more earthy wood, with a definite citrus undertone. Lots of velvety/dry smoke, without any bite or harshness, and I don’t know if it was just me, but I perceived a definite earthy “twang” that I have not tasted in an NC before. At the half-way point, I could have sworn I was smoking a VSG….exactly the same flavor profile with the citrus undertones, and even a very slight touch of very subtle sweetness now and then. Nice complex flavors that changed character throughout the smoke…..and more of what I term as the “Panama Twang”; something very unique. Just a hint of peppery spice here and there, but very little. It also started to deliver a bit of power, but not a head-spinner by any means, but it definitely had a bit of “oomph” from this point forward. The last third was pure pleasure; primarily earthy/woodsy/cedar/citrus combinations. Started to get just a bit “muddy” after I smoked past the band, but after I purged it, the clean citrus undertones came right back.. Nice clean long lasting finish that seemed to change back and forth from woodsy, to citrus, throughout the smoke. I did get a bit of vegetal undertones once in a while in the first half of the cigar, but I’m certain that a bit of humi time would eliminate that completely.

SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS:
Burned perfectly, no relights, razor sharp. Ash held for 2 + inches. I only knocked it off three times in the entire smoke. Ash was flinty salt-and-pepper, very firm and crunchy, not flakey at all; you could pick it up and stand it in the ashtray in one piece. Whoever rolled this baby knew their craft. Never got hot or bitter, even when it was too small to hold comfortably. Nubbed it, and didn’t want to put it down.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
For a relatively fresh-rolled vitola with zero acclimation time, I was quite impressed with this cigar. I would say that it’s a medium-full bodied smoke, though it started off fairly mild, but opened up nicely after the first inch and a half or so. Nice little buzz, but didn’t take my head off. I will be interested in getting other people’s impressions of this cigar, especially to see if you detect the “Panama Twang” that I did. Very interesting flavor profile, not quite like anything I’ve tried before, other than the aforementioned VSG-like flavors. If Costa can maintain the quality of this cigar, I think they may have a winner. It will also be interesting to see what price point these vitolas will be sold at. I’d certainly like to have the opportunity to buy some to put away for a month or two to see how they age. A very enjoyable hour and a half smoke.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rbihari,

nice review. ill be sure to add what i think once i get mine and light one up!

Nice review. They sound good. I'm not sure I'm getting some but I will add my 02 if I get some.

What is the price range of these cigars?

quote:

Originally posted by raven35031:
What is the price range of these cigars?

We don't know yet, I emailed Dave at Costa today to ask him the same question, but haven't heard back yet. As far as I know, they are not on the market yet; these were a pre-release to get some feedback on the cigars. If I hear anything, I'll pass it on.

Nice review bud. I can't wait to fire one up and see how it is. They seem to have very aromatic tobacco even just out of the package. If its got a little bit of "oomph" to it, I'm sure I'll like it even more....me likes strong cigars..

Mike

Nice review sounded like a good cigar I hope Dave keeps us up to date on release and shops that carry the line (Phoenix Az). I didn't get in on the freeby but the review made my mind say hmmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by rbihari:

quote:

Originally posted by raven35031:
What is the price range of these cigars?

We don't know yet, I emailed Dave at Costa today to ask him the same question, but haven't heard back yet. As far as I know, they are not on the market yet; these were a pre-release to get some feedback on the cigars. If I hear anything, I'll pass it on.

Thanks my friend.

Nice Review Bro

Good review. Can't wait to get mine.

Thanks for adding the pictures.

Didn't get in on the free sample, but they sound like nice cigars. Great review rbihari! May have to try these afterall. Price will dictate whether or not it's going to be a regular.

Mine is fairly squishy which I assume is from the water pillow packed with it.

I'll be holding off on my review until it firms up a bit. Very nice looking wrapper and the construction appears top notch. The demi-tasse even has a little triple cap.

quote:

Originally posted by JeepCop:
Didn't get in on the free sample, but they sound like nice cigars. Great review rbihari! May have to try these afterall. Price will dictate whether or not it's going to be a regular.

Neither did I.

great review, can't wait to try mine out...are we sure this dave guy isn't some guy who's passing out cuban cigars and trying to get us to say they aren't???? from this review, i get a feeling this are, how do you say it, cubanesque...

I smoked the torpedo tonight. Where the robusto sucked and was totally lacking the flavor, the torpedo was a very pleasing, fuller bodied smoke. If they are all like this and consistent, then it would be very boxworthy.

Mike