Stogie Reviews: Berger & Argenti Clasico Belicoso

30 Mar 2010

The first major shipment of Clasico cigars arrived at the Berger & Argenti headquarters in Miami on March 11. Now this new blend is hitting tobacconists across the country and heading to a retailer shelf near you.

Berger & Argenti Clasico Belicoso Like Exile Wired and Entubar, Clasico is a product of the merger between Albert and Michael Argenti of Cuban Imports and Don Kiki Berger, creator of the Cupido and Don Kiki lines for Cuban Crafters. It is marketed as a “rich and flavorful cigar smoking experience offering exceptional value and affordability for discriminating cigar enthusiasts.”

Affordable it is. Clasico’s four vitolas—Corona Gorda (4.5 x 46), Rothschild (5 x 50), Belicoso (5.75 x 50), and Churchill (7 x 50)—retail for $4.50 to $7.50 apiece. This price range is especially impressive when you consider that the blend’s Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper is of the “desflorado” variety. As you may recall from my review of the Cubano Claro (another Don Kiki line), desflorado is a finicky leaf that requires the buds on its plants to be cut off before they flower.

The result is a clean wrapper, albeit lumpy and a bit splotchy, with few veins and a nicely tailored cap. The Belicoso’s feel is moderately firm and its faint pre-light notes smell of honey.

Snipping less than a quarter inch from the sharply pointed cap reveals an effortless draw. Once lit, the Clasico—sporting a Nicaraguan Havana-seed criollo binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos—starts with an attention-grabbing profile of spicy cedar and dry cereals. Tasty yet lacking in balance.

Less than an inch passes before the Belicoso becomes more varied and harmonious. Here, additional flavors of creamy nuts and warm tobacco are complemented by a sweet, toasty aftertaste. The overall effect is of a cigar that’s pleasing to the palate and easy to smoke any time of the day.

As the Clasico grows milder in the final third, only to ramp up in cedar spice down the home stretch, it’s impossible not to notice the cigar’s superior construction. The burn is nearly perfect, the white ash is as stable as they come, and the draw remains easy to the nub.

The MSRP on the Belicoso is $6.50 per single or $130 per box of 20—a smart purchase that won’t leave you with buyer’s remorse. For well-blended flavors and brilliant physical properties, this vitola from the Berger & Argenti Clasico line earns four stogies out of five.