Casa 1910 Soldadera Edition

The cigar brand Casa 1910 represents an exciting fusion of tradition, history, and craftsmanship. The number in the name refers to the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, during which revolutionaries led by Francisco Madero brought about the سقوط of the long-standing quasi-dictator Porfirio Diaz. The cigars from Casa 1910 aim to be perceived not only as a cigar brand but also as part of a lifestyle, drawing on the revolution as they see themselves as a small revolution: Mexican cigar production has so far largely flown “under the radar,” and that is set to change. To this day, Mexican tobacco is most commonly used primarily as wrapper tobacco. The cigars from Casa Turrent are a major exception here and pursue a similar path of polishing the image of the Mexican cigar.

Casa 1910 Cigars: Revolutionary Homage to Mexican Tradition

Originally launched in the USA in 2021, the first cigars of the Casa 1910 Revolutionary Edition line reached us in September 2022. In autumn 2024, both the Soldadera Edition (Spanish for female soldiers) presented here and the Cavalry Edition were introduced. In Spanish, Caballería might have sounded a bit nicer. Be that as it may, we now have a total of three lines, all of which have a rather martial character. The individual vitolas of the Casa 1910 Soldadera are as follows:

• La Coronela (5.5x58) is a tribute to Amelia Robles, who fought disguised as a man for Emiliano Zapata. The filler blend consists of Dominican and Mexican tobaccos, the binder is an Arapiraca from Brazil, and the wrapper comes from Ecuador.
• Sampetrina (5x50) was named after Petra Herrera, who also fought in disguise for Pancho Villa. Here, the filler is identical to the one mentioned above, while the binder is also Dominican and the wrapper is a Connecticut.
• Teniente Angela (6x52) was named after a soldier from Oaxaca who fought for both Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. This blend uses Nicaraguan and Mexican filler tobaccos, combined with two binders (Mexico and the Dominican Republic) and finished with a Sun Grown wrapper.

The people behind these cigars prefer to remain in the background and often deliberately refrain from introducing themselves by name. Only the master blender, Juan Manuel Santiago Casillas (also known as “Manolo Santiago”), is explicitly mentioned. He can look back on a professional past with the Cuban distribution organization Habanos S.A. and is one of the few official “Masters.” This is the highest distinction for graduates of the Habanos Academy of Habanos S.A. The company was founded by Manolo Santiago, Jamie Baer, and Serge Bolling, with the latter two being Swiss who lived in Mexico for many years.

Soldadera Edition: The Strong Women of the Mexican Revolution

I was accompanied and inspired by the La Coronela while writing this text. Right from the start, the draw felt a bit too loose, resulting in a rather low smoke output. Initially, woody and earthy notes are noticeable, sitting in the medium-bodied range. I find it lacking a bit of sweetness and creaminess. The large 58 ring gauge does not particularly suit my preference, which may slightly lower my overall rating. With such thick cigars, I miss a certain visual and tactile elegance, which can affect the overall impression. The initially somewhat uneven burn corrected itself and stabilized in the second third, so this does not lead to a downgrade. Overall, it is quite harmoniously blended, but a bit too linear for my taste. Even though the focus of this brand is precisely to change this, cigars from Mexico do not quite appeal to me. There is often something in the flavor profile that bothers me, even if it is hard to describe—it is a certain coating, somewhat metallic dullness that, for me personally, does not really allow full enjoyment to develop. Perhaps I focused too much on the topic of Mexico and essentially “tasted” a self-fulfilling prophecy. The cigars are in fact produced in the Dominican Republic at Tabacalera La Isla by Hostos Fernandez Quesada!