Wrapper: Honduran San Agustin Havana Seed
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan (Ometepe & Esteli)
Size: 5 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $6.49

I’ve never been a Macanudo fan. They are traditionally a very mild cigar which holds no appeal for me. Macanudo’s forte’ is that they are mild cigars made from high premium tobacco…not the sweepings of some other brand. The brand became knownearly on, as an 18 Holer for the golf club set. They have never been cheap and it didn’t matter if you had a discerning palate.

Over the last few years, Macanudo has gotten on board the medium-full bodied train. I still find them old school since the cigars need a lot of humidor time.

This stick debuted in 2008 as an anniversary salute to celebrate Macanudo being in business for 40 years.

The cigar comes in four sizes: 6×60, 7×49, 5×50, and 6×54. MSRP pricing is: $6.49-$8.00.

This stick was basically the first foray into the fuller strength blends. And it didn’t get much respect back then. Macanudo pushed the cigar in ads saying it was “rich, dark and unexpected.”

My stick is very rustic looking. There are exposed seams, it is lumpy, lots of veins, and has lots of soft spots. Some oiliness shows on the wrapper and it feels very smooth. The cap appears to be a single.

I clip the cap and find aromas of sweet honey, hay, cedar, and cocoa.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are extremely tasty. There is a rich creamy buttery flavor. Some marzipan, cocoa, and a lovely smooth caramel. There is a nutty component that I can’t quite put my finger on yet.

By the first half inch, it accomplishes being a flavor bomb of some note. This ain’t your Daddy’s Macanudo.

The cigar must be in short supply as the big online stores do not carry this stick any longer. One must Google the smaller stores to find it. Or do as I did, walk into my local B & M and be lucky enough to grab one. And that’s all I purchased was one cigar. I just had a good feeling about this stick. So it’s a withering species.

Halfway through the first third, I am in love with this baby. A lush creaminess coats my palate bringing out the best in the other flavors of cocoa, honey, coffee, nuts, marzipan, and a very decadent caramel.

The body, up to this point, is a nice easy going medium. The char line is the slightest bit wavy but not requiring touch ups, and the draw is spot on. This is a superb cigar that could have gone for a lot more than $6.49.

I begin the second third and it has become a bona fide flavor bomb. It begins to show some complexity now. It is hard to define which flavor is upfront as they seem to be rolling themselves up into a ball. The cocoa is just outstanding with a cross between the baking sort and a chocolate malt. The malt is an unexpected surprise. Add the sweetness, and the richness, and the smoothness and this cigar is pulling out all the stops.

Strangely, there has been only the smallest bit of spiciness. It lingers in the background as black pepper. I would have liked to have seen more of its presence but it is a minor detail when the cigar is pumping out juicy flavors like it is doing right now.

I am sipping water as I write this and each sip creates a tsunami on my palate. An old Thai Country Western song title.

While the cigar feels loosely packed, it is a slow burner. Again, I am taught the lesson that one should not be fooled by outward appearances. If I blind taste tested this cigar, the appearance would have put it way down the list of my choices to smoke.

I hit the halfway point and the flavors are all still intact. And now the body begins to loom large. The first sign for me is disorientation between the brain and the eyes. The white page begins to swim like Esther Williams doing the back stroke.

For some reason, Macanudo chose to manufacture this cigar into mostly large sizes. Mistake. I wager that my little robusto is more flavorful than the other big ones.

And another thing that surprises me is that the cigar did not need a lot of humidor time. I bought it while ill intending to smoke it as soon as I felt better. So it has only had a couple weeks humidor time. While not being able to find any info about this cigar; either on the Macanudo site or elsewhere, I have to think this stick was a big production stick in 2008 and that was it. Otherwise, the big stores should be carrying them. And then there is the other side of the coin that this cigar is only made for B & M’s.

1968 was a strange year for me. I graduated high school. I began college. My mother passed away two weeks prior to starting college. And it was the year I truly felt free to join the Hippie movement. I bought my first box of cigars. I went to a real cigar store and bought something good…not like my father and grandfather; who bought their cigars at the liquor store.

And I learned a lot about smoking pot.

I am just about to begin the last third. The nice thing about a cigar claiming flavor bomb status so early is that the flavor profile has time to evolve and gain character.

Which is the case here. The cigar is so well rounded at this point it is hard to believe I am smoking a Macanudo. This cigar was not blended for the golf set. It was blended for smokers with a refined palate.

The body, while seeming to reach out to a full experience, got stuck in 3rd gear and seems to remain at something shy of full. The nicotine level is low.

The last third is all about fun. It is impossible not to have a big smile on your puss while smoking it. Flavors are explosive and well defined. There is a complexity that most cigars never see.

The sweetness, the cocoa, caramel, creaminess, butter, marzipan, malt, honey, and now a bit of coffee make this an impressive little cigar. The last couple of inches sees the stick go for it and becomes full bodied. And a potent red pepper emerges from hiding.

I checked Google and there are quite a few very small stores carrying this cigar. And maybe your local B & M carries it.
If you are a cigar snob like me, you have to try this stick.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS