Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54 “Toro”
Body: Full
Price: $15.00 MSRP

Today we take a look at the Debonaire Maduro.
Thanks to a reader, who asked to remain anonymous, for sending me two sticks.
I haven’t tried one yet so it’s a roll of the dice.

BACKGROUND:
Released in 2014.
Regular Production.

From the Ultra Premium Cigars press release:
“Wednesday, January 27, 2016 — Miami, FL – Today, Drew Estate announced their plans to become the Exclusive U.S. Distributor for Debonaire House and Indian Motorcycle Cigars. Both brands are produced in the Dominican Republic under the leadership of Philip S. Zanghi III, a long-time tobacco industry veteran.

Photo courtesy of Cigar Journal:

“Philip Zanghi, founder of Debonaire House, said that, “Our cigars are the culmination of 20 years of personal research, and the final products are what I consider to be some of the finest premium cigars on the market today. This includes the ultra premium Debonaire brand, where I spared no expense to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience. We incorporate the finest, darkest, air cured tobacco from the most superior tobacco crops of Central America and the Dominican Republic.

“The Debonaire Ultra Premium Cigars line includes five regular production sizes including the First Degree (4 x 44), Sagita Petite Lancero (5.5 x 38), Robusto (5.25 x 50), Toro (6 x 54), and Belicosos (6 x 54). All sizes are available in two wrapper configurations, Nicaraguan Habano or Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. The Indian Motorcycle Cigars line includes four sizes, which includes a Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 52), Gordo (6 x 58), and Churchill (7 1/2 x 50). All sizes are available in a Habano or Maduro wrapper.”

From the Ultra Premium Debonaire Cigars web site:
“Debonaire Ultra Premium Cigars were intimately developed out of the passion to experience the perfect cigar at the hands of Philip S. Zanghi III, founder of Indian Tabac Cigar Company and Daniel Sinclair, founder of Durfort Holdings.

“We employ an expert team of tobacconists with a combined experience of over 150 years who leave nothing to chance. We are highly critical of every aspect of production to ensure an exceptional cigar experience. The methods we apply from the hand-chosen seeds, growing, leaf priming, curing, selection of the leaf bunching and rolling clearly showcase our dedication to the artistic craft of first-class cigars. Our mission is to provide connoisseurs with the highest quality cigars by only providing Debonaire to reputable and trusted tobacco merchants, preserving the brand for many years to come.”

Debonaire also makes rum. Check it out.

DESCRIPTION:
This is a gorgeous, rustic in appearance, cigar. A super oily dark coffee bean/baking cocoa wrapper. The color is marbled which makes it even more beautiful. The triple cap is well done on one cigar and a little funky on the other.
Seams are tight. But some of the biggest veins I’ve seen with them bulging like they are on steroids. The wrapper is extremely toothy.
The cigar is packed solid with very little give when depressed.
I love the cigar band; which rarely happens. A classy gold background with white lettering and a horse pulled rum barrel wagon. The words Ultra Premium are at the top of the band.

SIZES AND PRICING:
First Degree: 4 x 44 (Petite Salomon) $7.00
Sagita: 5 1/2 x 38 (Petite Lancero) $9.80
Robusto: 5 1/4 x 50 $13.96
Belicoso: 6 x 54 $15.00
Toro: 6 x 54 $15.00
Above prices from the Debonaire Cigar Store web site.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell a strong floral notes, cherries, spice, citrus, cedar, and dark cocoa.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell very earthy notes, chocolate, coffee, very spicy, hay, barnyard, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of chocolate, spice, peppermint, floral notes, citrus, and cedar.

FIRST THIRD:
The draw is good but not a really smoky cigar.
I gently massage the cigar to open it up a bit and it works. A perfect draw but still not a lot of smoke.
First flavors up to bat: Chocolate, black pepper, coffee, generic sweetness, cream, malts, cedar, and a touch of floral notes.
Good start.

I get a slight V burn and correct it. After that, no troubles. I let it sit and cool off and that usually rectifies any burn issue.
Strength is a solid medium+ body.
And just like that, the lack of smokiness reverses itself and I’m enveloped in huge clouds of smoke.
Complexity begins its long journey at the 1” burned point.

This is a big cigar and with it being so fully packed means a very slow smoke and me sitting here all morning. Beats watching The View or CNN and listen to more drek about Trump. I mean, what happened to all the news around the world? All the 24/7 news channels flog a dead horse with the political stature of Donald Trump and meanwhile nothing else is going on in the world? Makes me ill.

There is a slight fruitiness but I can’t discern what it is.

Strangely, I found only two reviews of the Maduro version and just a couple of the Natural version. And this cigar has been out for about 18 months. One review appears to have been written about too soon and the other review is very descriptive. So no cribbing for your Uncle Katman.

The peppermint element raises its head once again giving the blend a cool texture.

I am playing the “Essential Van Morrison” CD. Starts with “Gloria,” Back in 1966, my first band played it at gigs. I bought the first ever bass fuzz on the market. A Vox Distortion Booster. And I found a photo of it.
It was a long rectangular chrome box with a 9 volt battery in it. You plugged it directly into the input of the bass amp. You then plugged the bass in to it.

It only had an On/Off switch. No controls. And of course, it worked when it felt like it. We would do a “Gloria” Freak Out. In the middle of the song, I snap that fuzz on to my Hofner bass and I got all kinds of crazy sounds including lots of feedback. The audiences, especially the Hippie audiences, went nuts. I remember it cost $80 in 1966. A lot of dough.
I remember one gig we had at some big mansion in Long Beach. They put us on a balcony looking over a massive room with ceilings that were 40 feet tall. All the furniture had been removed. They had all types of lighting effects but every now and then they used a strobe light. If you ever want to find a way to vomit in less than one minute, go into a room with a strobe. It threw my bass playing off and I got very dizzy. In fact, it had the same effect with the rest of the band. We were guitar, bass, drums and a vocalist.

The flavor profile of the Debonaire Maduro is opening like a blooming rose. Or is that a blooming onion? No. A flower.
Early on, the flavor profile was narrow. Like a two lane highway. Now it is an 8 lane freeway. Like Moe would say, “Spread out!”
The complexity is here to stay. Balance is near perfect. The finish is medium long.

This is a very meaty cigar. Like a steak from Ruth’s Chris.
The black pepper moves to the front of the line and the whole thing explodes. A nice sweet caramel component is added.
Here are the malts: Chocolate Rye Malt, Coffee Malt, Cara Munich Malt, and Honey Malt. (See Malt Chart).
Sweet golden raisins is the fruitiness.

I’m very impressed with the Debonaire Maduro. For $15, I should be. I did find it for a bit less at some online stores: Two Guys Smoke Shop, Cigar Federation, and that’s it. And neither of the stores sell it for more than a buck less than the MSRP of $15.
The Debonaire Maduro must be old school style of blending needing extensive humidor aging. The reader that sent me the sticks didn’t say how long he had them. Both were in cellos. I’ve had them several weeks. I suspect there is more to this cigar that several months of rest would accomplish.
Still, it reeks of high premium blend.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Reading about the history of the company and the blending of the cigar, I understand its price point. It is most definitely an old school blend. I will save my other stick and come back to this review in a few months to report on the changes.
The balance is truly outstanding now. The finish is a mile long.

If you’ve read any of my reviews lately, you’ve seen the note in which I beg for cigars. I’m asking for help. And not just from the regulars who always come to my aid. I need other readers to step up to help your Uncle Katman. My meds are out of the park. I just want cigars to smoke. But please, regardless of how big your heart is, no Quorums or other $1 cigars. Remember I have a great palate and I can’t smoke to just smoke. I need some flavor. I know this shows an enormous amount of hubris for asking what types of cigars I want. But I don’t want you to waste cigars on me. Take a gander at my Top 25 Cigars for 2015 and you will see my taste in cigars. It doesn’t have to be any of those blends but you will get the idea of what I like.
Some cigars for review would also be nice. My address is posted on the right side of the page.

OK. Enough self-humiliation. Back to the Debonaire Maduro.
The more I smoke, the better the blend becomes. More complex.
I would love to have a box of these if I were a rich man. “Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum. All day long I’d biddy biddy bum. If I were a wealthy man.”

There are deep, deep layers of flavors. With 3-3/4” to go, I believe I now taste the blender’s intent.
It is warm and cozy with big doses of creaminess, malts, and chocolate. The chocolate has notes of truffle, honeycomb, and pecans.
I’ve reviewed $15 cigars. None had the depth of character that the Debonaire Maduro has. This is truly a treat for all of my senses.
Considering that the current price points on really good blends averages around $12, a $15 blend isn’t crazy.
The sun came out and I’m getting some nice photos. Makes me happy.

I’m at the halfway point. Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
A slow luxurious smoke.
I remove the cigar band and see on the backside: 19 Feb 16.
I have no idea what that means. As this was a 2014 release, is it an expiration date? LOL.

I’ve had the cigar longer than 6 days so it can’t be when it was produced. Hopefully, the folks at Ultra Premium can explain in a comment or email.

I look at past reviews for $15 cigars: Perfecto by Pierson Geoffreys Cigars, Vintage 1967 by Pierson Geoffreys Cigars, Sosa Limitado Stout Torpedo, Fuente Hemingway Masterpiece, Padrón Dámaso No. 17, San Cristobal Ovation, Ave Maria Divinia, Viaje Skull and Bones Ten Ton Tess, Aging Room Bin No.1, and Liga Privada T52…and on and on it goes.
At this point in the Debonaire Maduro, I’d have to make a bold statement saying that this blend is better than those listed above.
Very smooth medium/full body.

Charlotte and I have another appointment to look at a new inexpensive apartment this afternoon. We’ve been looking for weeks and it is stressing these old folks out something terrible. So much false advertising on the apartment guide online sites.
Fingers crossed that the one today is the one.

We sleep in separate bedrooms because the noise my CPAP machine makes. I have sleep apnea. The noise keeps her awake. Plus she snores. Something that seems to happen to most old people.
We can’t afford a 3 bedroom so a 2 bedroom it is. Meaning I will have to put my big over stuffed man cave chair in my bedroom and smoke there. I will go nuts.

Here is the current list of flavors: Malts, chocolate variations, creaminess, coffee, floral notes, black pepper, citrus, raisins, cedar, caramel, meaty, nutty, toasty.

I love this cigar. I highly recommend that if you purchase some, make it the first cigar of the day when your palate is fresh so you are able to taste the complexity and nuances.
Clearly, the best $15 cigar I’ve smoked. Is it worth $14-$15 for this size? Absolutely. Plus, there are four other sizes at various prices.

Charlotte works at Buddy Squirrel. She brought home some sugar free chocolates yesterday. They go for around $32 per lb. They have the most decadent chocolates and nut goods on the planet and is a Wisconsin based company that sells their wares online.
They sell all sorts of popcorn. I love their plain popcorn because they use peanut oil only. What flavor!

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 35 minutes.
I normally avoid big cigars like this but time is flying by.
Strength hits a very smooth full body.

Construction has been excellent. Only minor burn line issues.
The frigid weather has affected my cigars. We keep the heat very low because this piece of crap duplex has lousy insulation. Because our utility bills are outrageous.
Second disc of the Van Morrison album begins. I would love to see him live. I’ve seen him live on TV in concert and he has a killer band.

The last third is just unbelievable. The complexity washes over me like a warm blankey.
I’m not going to use the words flavor bomb that so many cigar forum members make fun of me for over using that term. But that’s what it is. I can’t help if those dumb asses don’t have my palate.

Any time my name is mentioned, it shows up in the site stats of the blog’s dashboard and I can go visit to see what they said.
With a couple more months rest, this will be a monster blend of the highest standards.

I think it rivals my No.1 cigar from my Top 25 list: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa. A completely different blend and flavors but I would put the Debonaire Maduro at No.1 if I could. But it is a 2014 blend. So I can’t.
By far, the smoothest full body cigar I’ve ever smoked.
Kudos to Philip Zanghi. A true master. Now I’m curious about the Debonaire Natural and Indian Motorcyle blend. The latter are under $10.00.
The Debonaire Maduro finishes beautifully. Not a lick of harshness, heat or bitterness.
And NO nicotine! Woo Hoo!
I know it ain’t cheap but I highly recommend the Debonaire Maduro.
Final smoke time is two hours 15 minutes.

RATING: 96

And now for something completely different:

We lived in Mesa, Arizona from 1990-2000. We had to move because California suffered its 10 year recession and construction went into the toilet. I had found a nice job with a good boss as a structural draftsman from 1986-2000. No stress like project managing and good money.

All I had to was draw. And hone my math skills in geometry and trigonometry.
Charlotte’s evil mother lives in a small town west of Phoenix. We stayed there a few weeks until we found our own apartment. Katie was 4.

BTW- draftsmen who worked in construction are called Detailers.

I got a gig over the phone while still in Ca and the money was good but it was an hour’s drive from the mother’s place.
Turned out the guy was a skeez. He paid me $3 less than promised and there was nothing I could do about it.
There were two offices and he gave his lead detailers those offices. The boss worked at a drafting table at the front of the office.

He was a little Napoleonic man who was good looking, married, and a serial cheater. He would bring skanks in and screw them in one of the offices on the guy’s drafting table.
How would you like to go back to work after that?

It was in 1995, I joined a band called The Todd Hart Band. Power blues trio. I had played a few years in another good blues band but the guitarist/vocalist sounded too white. But we worked a lot.

Todd had spent time as vocalist (1985) in the legendary English blues band, Savoy Brown. He had an incredible voice.
We played out all the time. Todd only did music for a living. I played down how much dough I made as a project manager. I will tell you how this went south on me in a minute.
So, he split the money made three ways evenly. Usually $150+ per man; or more.
We had this very strange gig playing at a Women’s Faire. It was staged at the Phoenix Civic Center.
You can guess from the name what it was all about.

They had a very nice stage and we looked very professional.
We didn’t mingle. We stood on the side of the stage drinking beers in the middle of the afternoon.

The prime speaker was Ivana Trump. Just after divorcing Donald. The woman must have been worth gazillions.
She arrived in the side door with the chauffeur driver who was made to carry her purse.
And that’s it. No body guards. No other friends. Just Ivana.
We thought that very strange and very dangerous for her.

She let the head of the convention know she was there and then came back and stood next to the stage with the band…and the timid chauffeur. Couldn’t have protected her if he tried.
Meanwhile, I had my Arizona CCW license and I always carried my .45 cal Glock 30 subcompact in a holster in the small of my back. I wore a pseudo Blues Brothers black coat to hide it.
Now here I am…standing next to one of the richest and most influential women in America with a hidden gun on me.
Todd couldn’t stop laughing.

I could have taken her hostage and then been killed in a hail of bullets by SWAT.

We talked to her for a bit but I couldn’t understand a word she said.
She got up to speak and I still couldn’t understand her and I don’t think the women in the hall could either.
She finished and we played a couple of sets, packed up and went home.

The beginning of the end…Charlotte and I were invited to Todd’s for dinner. He had a live in girlfriend. Very nice girl.
For a change, Charlotte drank too much wine and I have no idea how this came up but I heard her tell Todd in the kitchen how much money I made at my job. Todd turned around and his face went pale.

From that point forward, all of our gigs only paid a total of $150. $50 per man. Of course, he was lying because he figured I didn’t need the money and didn’t deserve an equal share.
I put up with his lying for another month or two.

I remember screaming at Charlotte on the drive home asking her did she know what she just did? She pooh poohed it. But I knew Todd and he would never pay me what I was due again.
And of course that was true.

So I quit the band. Todd had a hanger-on that was this big muscle bound bassist that was only into heavy metal and played like he was on stage at Madison Square Garden playing bass for Metallica.

He couldn’t play blues to save his life but he was available and Todd didn’t care. He had no morality or character. He just wanted to pocket the dough and preen around between sets trying to get chicks in the clubs to admire him and sometimes take him into the bathroom and blow him.

He showed up at all our gigs and gave me the stink eye while I played. He felt I was an inferior player and didn’t deserve my position in the band. I’d say hello between sets and he just ignored me.

A week after I quit, I went to Todd’s place and he was waiting; sitting on the front patio behind 7 foot tall wrought iron fence and gate. I grabbed the latch and it was locked.

He sat at a patio table waving my $50 telling me I’d never get it. Todd was very fit and could probably kick my ass. Yet he felt the need to lock the gate so I couldn’t get near.

He began to go off on me for leaving the band and I just walked away back to my car with my middle finger in the air. He could keep his $50. The pussy.

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