Little Costa Rica Makes a Big Minnesota Fats Puro Cigar

We know Costa Rica as a beautiful country that is nice to visit and a number of Americans retire there each year for the favorable weather and economic conditions. While small in population (4.6 million) and economic size, Costa Rica has a thriving tobacco industry. In 2010 Don’Juan Gross arranged with Tobaccos De La Cordillera to use their tobaccos, grown organically and without pesticides, for his Dignity Premium Cigars. The wrapper, binder and filler are all grown under these conditions for his puro cigars. I met Don’Juan at the 2014 IPCPR and he gave me his Minnesota Fats Red Label to review.

The Minnesota Fats is a 6 X 62 cigar that is equal to its name and I could easily see it between the fabled billiards player’s fingers. The cigar had a nice “fat” feel to it and no blemishes. The Costa Rican Habano wrapper was slightly dark and smelled “earthy”. This cigar had exceptional smoke volume and an initial taste of sweetness. The draw was about average as was the ash. The burn was slightly uneven and the flavor strength was medium to not quite full. The earthy pre-smoke aroma was confirmed in the taste, along with cedar and occasionally burned marshmallows. Perhaps this was the sweetness coming through. Unfortunately, the burn remained uneven during the smoke, which lasted an hour and 20 minutes.

Minnesota Fats also comes in a Blue Label that is blended towards the milder side and each has an SRP of $10. For a shorter smoke it is available in a 4 X 62 gordito size. I rate the Minnesota Fats a 3 out of 5.