My Weekend Cigar Crux Epicure Habano

Epicurean Delight? It Depends on Your Comfort Zone

The Crux Epicure Habano from Crux Cigars made its debut at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show but did not make a retail appearance until more than a year later. Joining its two brothers, Crux Epicure and Crux Epicure Maduro, the Crux Epicure Habano is also made at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Estelí. It shares the same Nicaragua binder and fillers, but the tobacco ratios have been slightly tweaked to complement its biggest difference: a flawless Nicaraguan Habano leaf chosen from a seco priming.

“The Habano will complete the Epicure trifecta,” said Crux Cigar president, Jeff Haugen. “We are blessed to work with the Plasencia Family, making some of the highest quality cigars in the world, and the Habano is no exception.”

The Crux Epicure Habano line is offered in four popular sizes: Robusto (5”x50), Toro (6¼”x52), Gordo (6”x60), and Corona Gorda (5 3/8” x 46), each presented in attractive beige and white boxes of 20 cigars.

Cigar Details:

Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A. – Esteli, Nicaragua
Size: 5 3/8” x 46
Body & Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano (Seco)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Presented in boxes of 20

Crux Epicure Habano Corona Gorda Cigar Review

To my eyes, the Crux Epicure Habano Corona Gorda was perfectly handcrafted. The Habano wrapper was clean with an almost maduro-like color that was even throughout with an oily patina. The cigar felt firm throughout, and to my nose, I got a rich, sweet, grassy aroma.

Using a straight cut, the draw was excellent with a tart, woody flavor. Once lit, the first several puffs were earthy and spicy with a red pepper finish. That red pepper faded by the first half inch, but the cigar remained earthy with what became a long black pepper finish.

After letting it rest a bit I got a better idea of where this blend was going. The smoke was very smooth, medium-bodied, and a note of nutmeg seeped through the earthier notes. Hints of sweet tobacco and wood also arrived for what amounted to a smooth and semi-sweet smoke.

Just shy of the midsection, the body began increasing, as earth and wood were becoming the top notes. Pepper still lingered on the finish, but it was lighter. I even picked up some baking spices in the aroma.

The smoke remained smooth at halfway but began to turn darker. Now full-bodied with only a fragment of sweetness remaining, earth and wood continued to lead with black pepper close behind.

In the last act, the pepper became more aggressive overriding the earthy-woody base notes. Finally, with just under two inches left, the blend turned sharper and that's all she wrote.

Was Crux Epicure Habano Weekend Worthy?

“Remarkably crisp wouldn’t even begin to do Epicure Habano justice,” states Crux Cigars’ website. I think a better description would be how one of the associates in the Famous Retail Store described it: “It’s got some bite to it.” More about that shortly.

Kudos to Plasencia. I liked this Corona Gorda’s 53/8” x46 dimensions, and the construction was outstanding. There were zero issues with the burn, the cigar going out, or unraveling; plus, it burned slowly, providing plenty of time to warm-up to it.

With that, the first half of this Corona Gorda appealed more to me than the second. In those final inches, the cigar just got too earthy and bitey for me. To be fair, there were moments when it revealed several appealing underlying flavors, but as I wrote in a past Crux Epicure Maduro cigar review, this cigar is “for the cigar smoker who wants a no-nonsense blend with a dark, sweet-spicy and earthy character.”

Please Note: Gary’s review was based on his experience and that your mileage may vary.