Have you ever allowed an unfamiliar cigar to languish in your humidor for entirely too long? Only to spark it up one afternoon to discover that you were a fool for not firing that bastard up sooner? 

This is how I felt no fewer than five puffs into the outrageously rich and chewy "Reserva Limitada Cafe Noir 56" by Curivari Cigars. 

According to Curivari, this is a premium cigar blend that has been built from the seed up to be enjoyed by coffee drinkers. This a tantalizing advertisement for someone like myself, who typically favors the taste of coffee beans over black, green, or herbal tea. 

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Unlit Impressions

Subtly box-pressed, yet heavy in the hand, this large ring-gauge toro feels about as densely packed as it gets. 

It's a subdued, yet classy cafe-inspired band, and its near-immaculate Nicaraguan Habano wrapper is quite dapper looking. As are the trifecta of Cuban-style caps draped across the head and shoulder of the cigar. The wrapper itself is a rich shade of Colorado Maduro that reminds me of dark roasted chilis or medium roast coffee beans.

At first, the nose detects standard-issue baking spices, like nutmeg, clove, and a hint of star anise. Beneath that are layers of chocolate fudge, cashew nuts, vanilla, and brown sugar sweetness. Cold pulls are nearly identical, save for the addition of some white pepper, a bit of bitterness, and a toasty tannin aftertaste.

Initial Smoke

Starting off on a surprisingly mellow note, the Cafe Noir 56 forges ahead on a path strewn with coffee, vanilla, baking spice, and that earthy Habano taste us cigar smokers savor.

1st Half

First third coming into its own, flavors of chocolate fudge and salted cashews come out. Chewy ribbons of caramelized brown sugar sweetness and a loaded mixture of malted milk and vanilla come forward to help balance out the earth and bitterness.

2nd Half

Somewhere around the central portion of the barrel of the cigar, a shift toward dark fruit flavors occurs. Think samples of red currants, cordial, and cassis all rolled into one.

The coffee taste is still rolling strong too, but with more bitter chocolate now in play, along with a salt & pepper aftertaste. Strength has increased significantly, with the full body of the cigar itself lending further depth to the cigar flavor profile.

Parting Puffs 

Closing notes are more of the same tastes detected up until that point. Straightforward and flavorful, it is a finish that encourages you to keep going. 

No burnt char flavors or unpleasant aftertaste toward the end. Instead, you get a final serving of chewy fudge-like flavor that is just a bit too familiar by that point in the puffing process.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Although it may have appeared well built and firmly packed, this stick struggled to burn evenly from the start of the 2nd third onward. Touch-ups occurred in five places, all along one side, and the ash remained a flakey, mottled affair that bloomed out as it went. The cigar also burned a bit hot throughout, thus docking it a few additional points.

On the upside, the draw was medium-plus in the performance department, and the smoke that was created was just as delicious and chewy as the fudge-like flavors it produced. 

Final Thoughts

As an avid coffee drinker, I took great pleasure in smoking the Curivari Reserva Limitada Cafe Noir 56. This blend has all of the trappings of a top-shelf breakfast cigar but with a nice little belt of peppery spice from the corojo leaf inside.

Naturally, that Cuban seed criollo tobacco within the blend also added some of those milky, nutty, earthy notes that were detected, resulting in a dash of additional depth. 

But the real star of the show was that dark habano cigar wrapper. It's been a hot minute since I've encountered a more fudge-like flavor within an un-infused premium cigar blend. Even with its simple transitions and unexpected construction issues, this stick kept me smiling from ignition to the last puff.

So grab your preferred cup of caffeine, and spark up a Cafe Noir, because this has to be one of the better boutique cigar pairings you can make as a stogie enthusiast.

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