Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cameroon Maduro
Binder: African Cameroon
Filler: Dominican Corojo, Nicaraguan Viso
Size: 7 x 50 “Churchill-Box Pressed-Reserva Familiar No.1)
Body: Full
Price: $8.00 ($4.50 after discount at Small Batch Cigar)

Today we take a look at the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro.
It made its debut in 2012.

From Cigar Aficionado:
“While it seems that so much of the premium cigar industry is turning to Nicaragua for its tobacco, Philip Wynn, owner of the Felipe Gregorio cigar brand, is looking to Costa Rica. He’s contracted 80 acres of land in Costa Rica to grow tobacco, built a factory and reblended three of his brands with nothing but Costa Rican leaf.”

Per Philip Wynn:
“I grow tobacco from seven varieties of ancestral Cuban seeds,” said Wynn. “The primary strain is Pelo de Oro, a variety that was popular in Cuba during the 1950s. I also use Cola de Gallo (rooster tail), Havana 34 and Havana 44.”

From CA:
“His once Nicaraguan Felipe Gregorio core line is now purely Costa Rican. It’s also made in Costa Rica at Wynn’s Fabrica de Tabacos Santa Marta factory, which he built near his curing barns. When he constructed this factory, Wynn brought a Dominican roller to train the new employees, all of whom are locals. Wynn currently has six pairs of rollers producing cigars in the factory.
“The farm is located in Costa Rica’s Cordillera Central, which is a volcanic mountain range. Although he has contracted 80 acres of land, Wynn is only growing on approximately 24 acres. He intends to expand in the future.”

The Felipe Gregorio Don Cirilo Maduro is a pretty stick. It is a nicely mottled reddish dark coffee bean color. It feels very smooth. Seams are invisible. Lots of small veins. It has a nicely applied double cap. It has a nice oily sheen.

I clip the cap and find aromas of coffee, cocoa, black licorice, spice, cumin, floral notes, cinnamon, and a rich earthiness.
Time to light up.

A blast of red and black pepper begins the journey. For me, black pepper is in the back of the throat and red pepper is up front and includes the tongue tip. I get a tingling sensation on my tongue from red pepper but not black.

Sweetness and milk chocolate begin to show themselves.
The draw is wide open.

Another flavor is custard or crème brûlée. A strong nuttiness emerges. There is a rice pudding element in there as well. I get a strong fresh bread flavor that dominates everything but the spiciness.

Clearly, this ain’t your daddy’s Felipe Gregorio creation.

I love this mix of flavors.

The chocolate increases and by doing so, brings along some smooth creaminess. But that fresh yeasty bread component is unparalleled in anything I’ve smoked for a long time.

I took a wild ass guess when choosing the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro to be a part of the Katman Special II on Small Batch Cigar. My gut drove me right up to its front door. I made the right decision…so far. More on that later.

The cigar is packed tightly with tobacco and is a slow smoker.

Here are the flavors: Fresh bread, spice, creaminess, custard and caramel, chocolate, nuttiness, sweet cedar, and some orange citrus.

This is a warm and cozy cigar. The strength is classic medium. But that should change quickly.

The fresh bread has an enormous impact on the flavor profile.

Mocha latte shows up.

I’ve only burned 1” after 12 minutes. Yes, I have a stop watch. Charlotte uses it in bed with me. Followed by, “Uh-huh. I knew it.”

The African Cameroon gives the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro an incredibly sweet tale to tell. Everything about the cigar is sweet and creamy. You know that Hawaiian bread that you buy in the market? It is sweet.

That is what this tastes like. I’m sure Hawaii residents laugh at this but it is what it is.

There is a doughiness to that bread element. I’ve been lucky lately by reviewing some fine cigars with very unique qualities.

I am telling you now that I won’t be reviewing anything that just came out of the trade show this summer that runs in the price range of $10-$15. These new prices on old brands are ridiculous and insulting. I can see paying $8-$9 for a really good high premium stick but these new prices is piracy. I don’t care how much they describe how hard it was to get the tobacco or how many primings were used or that the Ligero leaves were kept in the arm pit of the rollers for 45 minutes prior to rolling. I will not spend that kind of money on what should be a $7 cigar.

The retail for this stick is $8.00 which everyone is charging. Small Batch Cigar is charging $5.00 BEFORE your Katman10 10% discount.

And this cigar is every bit as good as any $10-$12 cigar I’ve smoked…or more.

I’ve found my new love. For $4.50, after discount at SBC, this is the most ridiculous pricing I have ever seen.
The Katman Special II is something you should check out. It includes this cigar of course plus 5 other singles for $38 before discount.

And Andrew at SBC has 5 packs for $25 before discount. I have to ask if he can put boxes up for sale because I want a box of these. This is the best knock around cigar. Period.

Jesus. I sound like a snake oil salesman.

Back to the cigar.

The spiciness has dissipated. It has moved to the middle of the list. Leather pops up.
At 2” smoked, it becomes a flavor bomb.

The second third begins.

I am getting notes of curry and coriander. The mocha latte becomes a strong cup of coffee. And now I taste maple syrup covered pancakes.

The tobacco used in the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro is exceptional. The earthiness is deep and rich. It is strong enough of an element that it stands alone.

I am enthralled with this blend. It is delizioso. And mind you, I’ve only had the cigar for 2-3 days.

Because of our cold weather, I am not dry boxing my cigars. The extreme cold overnight is drying the cigars out too much. I learned that lesson with the Illusione Fume D’Amour I reviewed yesterday.

The construction is a champ. Almost perfect char line. Perfect draw. No wrapper issues. And the cap is not losing the fight with Katman drool.

The strength moves up to medium/full.

The Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro is now very complex. The same type of complexity you expect from a cigar costing 3 times as much.

The flavor lineup has changed a bit: Creaminess, chocolate, sweet bread, curry spices, coffee, caramel, nuttiness, cedar, leather, maple syrup, and orange citrus.

I don’t like big cigars. I don’t consider this a big cigar. Yes, it is 7” and the ring gauge is 50 but the box press makes it seem like a smaller ring gauge.

I guess that because the cigar is so flavorful from the start that I don’t seem to mind the size. Anything much over 50 ring gauge is difficult for me to chomp on with my small delicate mouth.

This is going to be at least a 90+ minute smoke.

I did the math and the price works out to be 64 cents per inch. I have no idea why I did that.

Strength moves to full bodied.

I’m still plugging away in the second third. Smoke time = 45 minutes.

I am approaching the halfway point.

Smooth. Even though the strength is climbing upwards, the cigar is silky smooth.

I betcha a dollar that with a month’s worth of humidor time on the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro, it will be a monster.

The creaminess and sweet bread elements are friggin ridiculous. The chocolate, coffee, and maple syrup are right behind. A dessert cigar.

If you go to the Felipe Gregorio web site, there are 16 brands/blends. Part of the Katman Special II is the Felipe Gregorio Silencio Salomon. I will review that tomorrow. It is a 2013 cigar.

Actually, I won’t be writing a review tomorrow. I have a procedure to thread double wires up my spine for a trial run of a spinal stimulator. I will have a hole in my low back taped shut and the leads will attach to a remote unit to control and regulate the impulses sent to my spine to shut off pain. Not looking forward to this. I’ve only had my tonsils out when I was 3. And a minor surgery for a meniscus tear in my knee 8 years ago so I am scared shitless. I am such a baby.

FG puts out a lot of inexpensive cigars for a lot of online cigars. This creates a stigma for trying their high premium cigars. A real shame. Because if the other premiums are anything like the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro, then I’ve snobbishly overlooked some really fine cigars.

You don’t see any PR machine behind their blends. This obviously, keeps the prices low. Smart.

I hit the halfway point.

The flavor profile has settled in per the last list. Cruise control.
But the spiciness moves from the middle of the pack closer to the front.

Before being even close to finishing this cigar, I highly recommend it. Whether you try it in my Katman Special II or buy a 5 pack…$4.50 can’t be beat. FG could have charged $9 for this cigar and no one would have blinked. Bitched, pissed and moaned maybe, but well worth it.

My only reservation about this cigar is that its size makes a review a long laborious event. Of course, smoking it on my own, it is a great two hour diversion.

I just emailed Andrew. I want to know if he can put up some boxes for sale. I would like to have a box of these sticks. Right now, he only has it in 5 packs and the Special.

No other cigar in this price range comes close to the quality of this cigar. Not even remotely. This turned out to be a real shocker.

The last third begins. I am at the 90 minute mark.

Even though the cigar is full bodied at this point, it is a kinder, gentler full body. It is so smooth that there isn’t a lick of harshness or heat attached to it.

And so far, no nicotine.

There is no need to describe the flavors. No changes.

I spent some time on the FG web site. There is a cigar I want. It is called the Refusion. The leaf stats are a secret. The retail price for all four sizes range from $12-$15.

SBC has a 5 pack and after your Katman10 discount, the sticks are $7.20 each. So I bought a 5 pack of the robustos.

Charlotte is going to kill me for this but if this $4.50 cigar is any symptom of what you get for your money, the $7 Refusion must be a killer. And this stick gets rave reviews.

I will oil up my bottom so when Charlotte finds out I bought some cigars, the whip will slide off and not hurt so much.

The last couple of inches see the cigar blossom once again with potent and killer flavors. Nicotine finally shows up…but it’s not too bad.

Small Batch Cigar only has four 5 packs left. And of course, if you just want to try a single, you have the Katman Special II.

I go beyond recommending the Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro. It is a gift sent from the gods.
I want to thank Small Batch Cigar for the samples.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Don Cirilo Reserva Familiar Maduro Cigar Review, felipe gregorio