Wrapper: Ecuador / La Luchita / Cuban Seed Habano / Oliva Tobacco Co
Binder: Mexico / San Andrés / San Andrés de los Perros S.A. de C.V.
Fillers: Nicaragua / Esteli / Guadalupe / Oliva Tobacco Co., Nicaragua / Jalapa / Cofradía Relleno / Oliva Tobacco Co, Dominican Republic / Habano ‘92 / (Undisclosed) / Oliva Tobacco Co, U.S. / Pennsylvania Broadleaf / Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co.
Size: 5.625 x 54 Toro
Strength: Full
Price: $11.30

Today we take a look at the Dapper Cigar Co. La Madrina Natural.
I bought a fiver 4 months ago.
I’ve read several reviews and they are all over the place. Some reviewers really dig it and others…meh. But what stunned me is that huge variety of flavors each reviewer found in this blend. A few are standard what you expect flavors…but others were every flavor of the rainbow. Based upon the different reactions, I can only surmise that either this is a ghostly remnant of palates past…or every reviewer wrote about this cigar in a different space and plane in the humidor aging process of the stick. Therefore, all unreliable; as mine will be as well.

BACKGROUND:
Regular production
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.
From Halfwheel.com (2-28-2018):
“Like a number of brand owners, Ian Reith entered the cigar industry from the consumer side, at first wanting to make a single cigar. He comes from the tech world, working as a network communications engineer for a large group of hospitals in California’s central valley, as well as starting a small software company that writes custom software for the education sector.

“La Madrina, which means godmother in Spanish, is one of several lines offered by Dapper Cigar Co. It’s available in both a natural version, using an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, or a maduro, though its wrapper’s origin is not being disclosed until it gets its wide release in early 2019.”

SIZES AND PRICING:
Robusto 5.625 x 50 $10.30
Toro 5.25 x 54 $11.30
Corona Gorda 5.625 x 46 $9.30

APPEARANCE:
Not a badly constructed stick, but no 7th wonder of the world either. The wrapper has some oily sheen that is paper bag brown in room light but explodes with notes of orange, copper, mustard, and blood orange when hit with photography light.

The cigar has some serious hard spots starting at the top of the cigar band and going 1” beneath before it begins to show some give. I see a poke in this cigar’s future.
The triple cap is nicely applied as it is perfectly even as I rotate the cigar before I sit on it and twirl.
I like the cigar band. But there is nothing there that says the cigar company or the blend. I don’t like that.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
First aroma is freshly cut orange. It is potent and delightful. A lovely creaminess jumps aboard, then multi-grain bread, honey, milk chocolate, espresso, cedar, white pepper, and a raw nuttiness… and let’s not forget earth, wind, and leather.

The cold draw is impossible. It is plugged harder than being Justin Bieber during his first night in lock up. I grab my trusty PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and go to work. Man, that took some work. 3 mighty stabs and then some twirling and jabbing…but mission accomplished…I can now draw air through the sausage.

The cold draw presents flavors of black pepper, creamy milk chocolate, orange citrus, cedar, espresso, honey, and earth, wind and leather without Maurice.

FIRST THIRD:
Big graham cracker notes, buttered rye toast, salted pecans, caramel, raisins, cedar, creaminess, black pepper, and a hearty NY Strip with steak sauce.
Good start. But after 4 months of naked humi time, it should shine. Or take its ball and go home.

I believe I’ve failed to dry box the cigar correctly as there are issues of the burn dying on me. It has been raining like gangbusters here and the humidity has been knocking on heaven’s door.

Despite my whining, this appears to be a very good blend with some big potential.
Strength is a solid medium.

An immediate balance shows up…a nice savory v. sweet. The spiciness is mellow allowing nuanced flavors to dance the light fantastic on this old palate. Little fairy dustballs of momentary subtleties appear and then fly away. This is going to be a nicely complex blend.

The stick is still not drawing correctly. Out comes my PerfecDraw once again and I get Medieval on it. This time, the tool pulls a big plug out the size of a VW Beetle. Now, I get a nice draw. Or it could have been a homeless person sleeping in the bushels of tobacco leaves that got crunched up during the rolling process.

I like blends that cause me to smack my lips involuntarily trying to lap up all the flavors present. In public, it could cause someone to dial 9-1-1 to save me.
There is so much tobacco in this bratwurst, I suspect it will be a solid two-hour smoke.

Our daughter is due July 14 with our second grandson. Got a call at 12:30am last night. I answered. Katie said something and I handed the phone to Charlotte. Because of Covid, only Katie’s husband Hawk can be at the hospital with her. Our job is to babysit the three-year-old.

Charlotte said it’s time! I laid back on the bed and passed out. I had just finished 5 days in a row working and I was bushed. Apparently, she tried to wake me up, but I lay there like a beached squid with my CPAP mask in one hand while beyond unconscious. She got in the car and drove the 15 minutes. It was simply strong contractions and she was sent home. When I woke up this morning, I thought it was a dream; although no idea why my CPAP mask was in my hand. Spoke to the kid and then a tired Charlotte to get the details how I failed miserably as a father and grandpa. I promise to be better next time.

Flavors dim a bit. They were much more potent out of the gate. Dapper says it’s full tilt in the strength department but I’m only getting a nice medium gate.

I get grape jelly. The original CAO Amazon Basin had this element. The following blends did not. You can’t reinvent magic.

The sweeter components are overtaking the savory ones. A little mustiness shows up which tells me once again, I did not get the cigar to dry out enough after months of humi time. Damn weather. This is also the reason it is having a continuous hard time with the draw. The cherry is bright but it’s like wet concrete inside.

SECOND THIRD:
A huge swath of wrapper comes loose near the foot…and keeps moving up til it ends right under the cigar band. I whip out my PerfecRepair Cigar Glue and go into surgery once again. You don’t have this stuff, and you end up throwing your stogie away.

Halfwheel’s review had the same issue and showed a photo of how the wrapper undid itself. So, maybe it’s not me.

While a flavorful cigar, I am beginning to wonder about the efficacy of the rolling used to construct this cigar.
Strength is medium/full.

Usually, full strength advertised cigars start out this way…kicking your arse to the curb and then hanging on with your teeth til fini. This blend is way too mellow. At this point, I probably won’t see full tilt til the last third.

Flavors: Honey, graham cracker, milk chocolate, raisins, orange citrus, creaminess, rye toast, berries, smoked meat, cedar, malt, and pecans.

I swear that every time I finish poking this cigar to increase the draw, it starts on a re-healing process. I need to use my PerfecDraw again. Can’t remember the last time a cigar has been such a pain in the ass.
By the time I get the draw right, the only thing left inside the wrapper will be that homeless guy.

What a shame. No reviewer raved about this cigar. But I didn’t dig deep enough to see if they had the construction issues that me and Halfwheel had. Someone read all the reviews of this cigar and report back to me. Go.

Prime Cigar is putting in a Jumbotron TV. 18’-0 wide by 87’-0 tall. They are putting it in the corner…It was only a couple hours before my shift was up yesterday that the crew installing it came in. Thankfully, it still wasn’t up by the time I clocked out. I didn’t want to see several interested patrons crushed by the TV while the two guys installing it couldn’t handle it; also finding themselves crushed in the process. I should call the place to see if it’s a crime scene today.

If this cigar intends to hit full strength, it better take its hands away from its genitals and concentrate on matters at hand. It is barely medium/full now.

Dapper makes good cigars. I loved the El Borracho. Gave it a 94. Sadly, the La Madrina ain’t coming close. I am dazed and confused how this blend started out with giant promise and has reduced itself to the bad kid sitting in the corner wearing the dunce cap.

Complexity that showed promise early on is mostly gone. Transitions are nil. The finish I so enjoyed is D.O.A.
What the hell happened?

This cigar has nearly 50 different leaf stats in it. Did I remove them all trying to get it to smoke right? It should be blowing my mind. Instead, it is blowing the cat.

All those good flavors are in the background. I can taste the blender’s intent. But maybe this cigar needs a year of humidor time? Wouldn’t be the first time.

You get the “Reelz” TV channel? They have a show called “Breaking Up the Band.” I saw the one on The Police last week and sure as shit…9 minutes in, they showed a PR photo of Curved Air and there I was. The band is doing its 50th anniversary and out of the gazillion players that have gone through the band, every time they show Stewart’s time in the band, they choose one of two CA photos and I am always in both. I usually, excitedly, tell my wife and daughter to catch the show…they just roll their eyes.

Oh lord…an hour in and I finally hit the halfway point. Thankfully, I took care of my errands this morning, so the only thing I have left to do today is wash Charlotte with a hose out front. Always gets her in the mood. 12 minutes of hot monkey love and I’m spent.

Beginning to get small cracks near the foot.
It is a pleasant blend. But nothing more. I had high hopes. Too many construction distractions at play.

LAST THIRD:
As I prefer not to make the reading of this review a career choice, I simply moved ahead to the last third…to ease your suffering.

Just noticed I haven’t said fuck this whole time.

Yes, thank you for asking how my Lakers Diet is going. 30 days in and I’ve lost 19lbs. My goal is to get down to 120lbs. At that time, I can eat some potato chips.

Flavors begin to return. Is it momentary or a bullish statement by the blend? Strength remains at barely medium/full.

Seriously, there are 7 different leaves from an assortment of countries in this thing. It should be ringing the bells of Notre Dame.

It must be a blend that needs extensive humi time. No other explanation.

An older gent comes in and asks if we have any inexpensive cigars. I tell him we have some $6-$7 sticks. He tells me he saw a $5 stick. But that is too much. I just stare at him. He thinks to himself for a minute or two leaving the dreaded silence just hanging there. Then he tells me he will go to his pharmacy to get some cigars. He was lucky my machete was in the shop being sharpened. He had no idea how close he came.

A creamy peanut butter element appears for the first time. The citrus is gone. So is the meatiness. Also AWOL is honey, graham cracker, milk chocolate, raisins, creaminess, rye toast, berries, cedar, malt, and pecans.

The wrapper is once again undressing in front of me. Luckily, I’m bi-sexual.

Santana is playing. “Oy Como Vey Iz Mir.” My reaction as well.

I’m now very bored with the La Madrina Natural. I thought that by allowing it several months humi time, I would write a different review than the others. Nope.

I will leave the rest of my sticks in my humidor and smoke them in 2021. I’ll make sure to report back. I know what you’re thinking…be still my beating heart.

I have today, tomorrow, and Friday off so I will be bothering you every day til Saturday.

RATING: 80

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Dapper Cigar Co. La Madrina Natural | Cigar Reviews by the Katman