Did a bit of an experiment today being that the Casa Cubas landed at my local b&m Federal Cigar. I had a few from a toast across america left and decides to do a literal side by side to see how they compared.
So. Definitely the same blend. The fresher one started with a pop of pepper then smoothed out whereas the older one had to ramp up to it's full flavor. The fresher had a consistenly sharper flavor, more intense. Very sweet and floral.
All in all: go smoke one! Such a damn good cigar.