Casa Fernandez Torpedo

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Casa Fernandez Torpedo

A few weeks ago I was digging through one of my humidors looking for something interesting to smoke. In the process, I found a small cache of mixed singles I picked up at last year’s IPCPR. I felt a small twinge of guilt that I hadn’t gotten to them sooner, but then, there are only so many hours in the day, and you have to sleep some time. As much as I’d love to review every cigar I picked up at the show, I just can’t review a single stick. Even if the readers didn’t call B.S. on single stick reviews (and they do), there’s no telling if that one you pick up at the show will actually be the same thing you buy in your local shop later. You’d think it would be, but I’ve heard too many anecdotes to the contrary over the years.

As a compromise, I’ve been smoking through the remainder of these singles looking for one I thought would make for an interesting review. When a stick peaks my interest, like the Casa Fernandez Torpedo did, I go out and buy more for a proper review. The Casa Fernandez was a challenge though. Most area retailers had never even heard of the cigar. Including those that carry other sticks produced by Tabacalera Tropical, like the JFR. I was just about to give up on my search when Walt told me that Top Shelf Cigar Company, a B&M in his area had some in stock. I called and they hooked me up. (And by “hooked me up”, I mean he agreed to take my order over the phone.)

I don’t have a lot of background on this cigar. According to the Tabacalera Tropical/Casa Fernandez website, the Casa Fernandez is part of their super-premium line of cigars, reported to be medium to full in body, and made with “Super Premium grade ‘A’ 2006 Corojo Sun Grown Warpper” and “100% Nicaraguan tobacco from Aganorsa Leaf.” Sounds good to me, let’s set it ablaze.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 1/4 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Sungrown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$8.20

The Pre-Smoke
The Casa Fernandez is a nice looking cigar with a fairly straightforward golden band emblazoned with a calligraphic ‘F’. Probably not one that will grab your attention from across the humidor, but nice. Looking the cigars over, I didn’t see any obvious flaws like patches or cracks, only a few larger veins running the length of the stick.

To the touch, the cigars were mostly firm with just a little bit of give. I also noticed that the cigars were a little on the lumpy side.

The scent of the wrapper was mostly your standard funky compost with a bit of cocoa. But on one cigar, it was all dirty dog. Or maybe wet dog. I haven’t had a dog in years, but it brought back memories. The cold taste was a little more appetizing than the wrapper aroma, offering up a nice creamy caramel flavor.

The Burn
People who are really into the appearance of a cigar while it burns are likely to be a little disappointed by the Casa Fernandez. It’s definitely not going to win any beauty contests with it’s mottled dark gray ash, or it’s often uneven burn.

On the bright side, the ash is solid, the draw was good, there’s a decent volume of smoke, and though you may pull out the lighter to correct the burn, you probably won’t need to relight it. Of the cigars I smoked for this review, only one went out, and that was just before I set the cigar down for good. Though the entire time I smoked another stick, it seemed to dance on the edge of a relight the entire time.

The Flavor
The Casa Fernandez began with a creamy nutty flavor that I want to call velvety. There seemed to be some very interesting texture to the creaminess, and “velvety” was the word that just kept coming to mind while I was smoking it. The first third was a medley of nuts, mild leather, cocoa, cinnamon and caramel. But it was the caramel that quickly came to dominate.

The second third started off with cinnamon and caramel enjoying the spotlight, with less nuts or leather present. About half way into this third, the cigar began to develop a coppery flavor. I think the cigar achieved the height of it’s complexity in this latter half of this third. All at once it was a zingy caramely copper with cinnamon and just a bit of cocoa. It probably goes without saying that I was pretty impressed with what I was tasting.

As the cigar made the final leg of it’s journey, many of the previously noted flavors were still present, though there seemed to be a more cocoa and copper influence at the end. I was also impressed that this cigar remained pretty creamy and smooth right up until the end.

One thing I noticed in my various sessions with the Casa Fernandez is that you really do have a big impact on the flavor. If you smoke it faster, or puff on it more, as I did with the cigar that was always about to go out, the zingy caramel and copper I first noticed in the second third appears much sooner and is more pronounced throughout. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a little more bite out of this smoke.

The Price
It’s nice to see a cigar billed as “Super Premium” coming in under the $10 mark. That designation usually means you aren’t going to get much change for that Jackson. (In fact, Jackson may need help from Lincoln or even Hamilton to make the long trip to the register.) So in short, I’m OK with the price.

The Verdict
I tried not to give it away in the beginning. That first stick from the show? Fantastic. I absolutely loved it. And these were nearly as good. (That probably has something to do with the first being a complete surprise, and the rest facing very high expectation.) On our Stogie Review Fan Forum, I started a thread about my new highest honor for a cigar: Box-worthy. In short, it’s a stick whose combined attributes are good enough that you skip the singles and five packs to grab a box. The Casa Fernandez is box-worthy.

OK, I admit it, I have an ulterior motive in writing this review. Much like Jerry when the camera’s not rolling, I too stroke my goatee, laugh wickedly and scheme. I’m hoping that one or more Atlanta-area cigar shops will see this review, be enticed to try the cigar, and will ultimately carry it so I have a convenient place to buy more. (Not that calling up Top Shelf was all that difficult.) As with the JFR line, my understanding is that Tabacalera Tropical has a no internet sales policy when it comes to the Casa Fernandez, so that option is off the table. Now pardon me, I feel an evil laugh coming on.

Liked It: Yes. Box-worthy.
Buy It Again: Yes, and I did just before I wrote up this review.
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.




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enjoying cigars since 1997

15 thoughts on “Casa Fernandez Torpedo

  1. Brian,

    Nice review. This is a cigar I have never really heard of before but of course will add it to my ever increasing list of cigars to try.

    With that said, go over to Serious Cigars. I think they are selling this cigar for about $8.10.

    Enjoy.

  2. Thanks for the comments guys! This really was a great stick.

    Thanks for that link Irish Mike! I wonder why Serious Cigars didn’t show up in any of my Google searches… Still, I’d love to get one of the area shops to pick this up.

  3. I’m not sure what happened with the images folks, probably has something to do with the environmental issues we’ve been having this week. I’ve uploaded the images again, and with any luck, they’re there for good this time.

  4. Great review on this stick. I’ve heard of this but haven’t seen or smoked it. And thanks for the written reviews occasionally so I can do something on this stupid phone lol.

  5. I have not tried the torpedo; but my local shop carries 3 sizes. The salesman said that the lancero has more sweetness and the day after I bought 2 lanceros I went back and bought 8 more. It’s a good smoke!!!

  6. I am proud to announce that the new and I must add, completely unauthorized stogie review merchandise is now available. Hurry and get your detachable Jerry Beard and Buzzy Bee. The ideal companion for those outdoor smokes. Bee does not come with batteries. The hottest item at the moment is the perfect cigar smoking accessories. …The Brian Hewitt boxers. Please hurry, these won’t be around forever. For an extra $19.95 you can get your boxers completely flame resistant. Perfect for those times when a man just has to be alone. Go on over to http://www.beards,bees,boxersandbayonets!.com Hurry now. Coming soon…The Walt White encyclopedia of Ash, revised edition.

  7. THanks for this great review. Just smoked this cigar this afternoon before reading the review. Velvet was the exact word that came to my mind. We both can’t be wrong.
    Love to see how these age.

  8. Smoked the “Arsenio” from Casa de Fernandez last week, smooth, slightly sweet, and nutty with a smooth draw. Sounds like a very similar smoke. Did notice the wrapper didn’t burn very even though.

  9. i don’t know about “caramel,” “copper” or “cinnamon,” but i’m an inch into this beauty and thoroughly impressed; delicious cigar! just happened to see it at one of my b&m’s and asked the sales guy about it. he’d just come back from vacation and these arrived during his hiatus so he couldn’t elucidate. but as i tend to be a fan of nicaraguan and honduran product, i had to give this a try. good move on my part. box-worthy indeed! i will be sure not to run out of this stick.

  10. I purchased a humidor, cutter, and a couple dozen cigars from a place that I’ve stopped into more than a few times and the owner gave me one of these cigars for free. “When you have time to sit down and give this a try,” was all he said.

    V-cut

    Butane char and then push-back to clear the foot

    Slow smoke while laying in a hammock watching the leaves fall and my dogs play. Didn’t drink anything while smoking, and noticed the following:

    Early smoke was very gentle, I’m a wine guy and was very surprised by a leather, vanilla, and maybe even a bit of spice (nothing to make you pucker, just a hint of what was coming).

    Mid smoke was a bit fuller, more of the vanilla and the spice is starting to come on a little more. The leather is settled in nicely and no issues with runners (an even burn all around).

    Late smoke and it’s a medium-full and quite the surprise. The spice is starting to dominate, but the vanilla and leather are still there; a gentle draw is required not to burn out the mellow character of this cigar.

    I finished my smoke and just kind of wondered at how good of a cigar it was for not much money (the price tag was still on the tube, so free just made it better).

    I’ll be getting more…

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