PowerHouse by Cuban Crafters – a Full Bodied Smoke

A couple of weeks ago I spend a nice afternoon at Cuban Crafters in Miami.  It is a colossal store, with a large walk-in humidor, barbershop, wine shop, coffee bar, and lounge.  It is at this location that they roll their Miami series cigars.  At the factory in Nicaragua, they roll many others including the Powerhouse.  It comes in two shapes, a giant Chairman of the Board and a Belicoso.  These are full bodied cigars at an affordable price.

Upon first inspection of the cigar you notice both its large size and its ‘pigtail’ head.  This  adds to the aesthetic of the cigar but has no effect on the taste.  I think its a nice touch.  It smelled of leather and woods.

The cigar is well constructed and does not fall apart after clipping.  I lit the cigar and was surprised to get an open draw with lots of cool smoke.  I really expected to be knocked off my feet by this stick, but it was surprisingly creamy for the first third.

The flavors in this cigar started as a creamy chocolate but about a third of the way in, it changed dramatically.  At this point it really shifted into high gear and earned its name of Powerhouse.  There was a sharp taste of peppery spice with the chocolate fading into the background.  This flavor continued for the balance of the cigar.  The strength of the cigar is not surprising in any way.  It is made with Nicaraguan ligero #2, aged for four years, for the filler and binder.  The wrapper is a sun-grown maduro.  These tobaccos are traditionally used to produce strong smokes.

Overall, this cigar rates well.  At $7.00 you get a lot of smoke and power for your money.