Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo (A municipality in the Estelí Department of Nicaragua… 52 kilometers from the city of Estelí)
Filler: Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo, Estelí, and Jalapa
Size: 6 x 54
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.75

I was provided samples from ATL a month before its release in October.
My sticks have 3-1/2 months of naked humidor time.

BACKGROUND:
From the ATL Magic press release:
“A single 6×54 vitola created in partnership with Master Blender Luciano Meirelles of Ace Prime – Tabacalera Pichardo in Esteli, (Mil Dias, Luciano The Dreamer, The Traveler, and many others), the ATL Magic features a unique flavor and aroma developed using different fillers of Nicaragua, including the very special Pueblo Nuevo region.

“Luciano Meirelles added, “We have very few private labels we are working with, however the ATL Cigar team’s passion for people and for Atlanta culture is contagious. Although they are a relatively new brand, ATL Cigar Co demonstrates a passion for doing things in the time-honored tradition of premium cigars. It’s not hard to see why they’ve grown so fast in their first year in the industry.”

APPEARANCE:
I was close to a panic attack when I looked at the photos I took for this review. There is a huge vein running down the length of the cigar that appears to be the San Andreas fault line. I stopped hyperventilating when I grabbed the cigar and put a flashlight to it and realized I had been slipped some LSD in my Sex on the Beach cocktail.

We push forward…
The oily wrapper has a bronzed baby shoe sheen. Seams are eventful but tight. The wrapper is deluged with veins…and it is very toothy. The cap appears to be a double.
The cigar is fairly hard with a couple of soft spots here and there. I like the weight of the stick in my hand. The attractive purple and gold band is right out of Minnesota.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
First to be schnoz worthy is a bouquet of flowers…followed by strong barnyard, dark chocolate, flowing with creaminess, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, cedar, some malt, and black licorice.
The cold draw is dead in the water. I grab my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and get to work.
The cold draw presents flavors of barnyard, black pepper, spicy cinnamon, espresso, licorice, baking spices, a strong charred meatiness, black cherries, and licorice.

FIRST THIRD:
Time to tell the story…
It’s a smoke chimney spewing big clouds of burned tobacco.

An immediate complexity shows up. NYC cheesecake hits me in the uvula. Dark cocoa and the espresso join up to eradicate ISIS. This is a delicious blend. I hope it continues on this journey for 6”.

It is a relatively warm winter Wisconsin morning with the temp hitting 20 degrees. My windows are open, and I am wearing a coon skin cap on my genitals.

The cigar is packed nicely…though I did have to puncture it to the end with my PerfecDraw, but all is well now. It will be a nice slow roll. And since I am getting a beautiful palate reaction, all is well.

Most of the reviews I saw were written or video taped a couple months ago. I smoked one after a month and knew it needed at least 3 months for review. The aging is up to us.
Strength is a solid medium.

The balance is 60% savory and 40% sweet. Close enough for jazz.

The tobacco is the rally point for my palate. Individual flavors take a step back and allow the leaves do all the heavy lifting.

Blender Luciano Meirelles seems to have really focused on the whole rather than its parts. This is the style of blend I prefer. A more sophisticated attack.

The spiciness is laying low. Hence, flavors of chocolate, malt, creaminess, cheesecake, cinnamon, and Turkish coffee are the tip of the spear.

I dry boxed the cigar for 24 hours and I know it helped even if I was scared shitless that the cold of night would wreck it. The char line is dead nuts perfect.

The balance improves. But I prefer a tiny bit more sweetness.

“The Wind Cries Mary.” Jimi. Another great tune you had to play back in the day when playing out.

Sweetness ramps up and is in a head-to-head with the savory components. It’s the tobacco, not something from the flavor wheel.

Even though this blend has been done over and over, it has a uniqueness to it that I dig.
Yes, I said dig.

Balance and complexity make the leap with 1-1/2” burned.

The cigar enters the well-rounded category. I am sure that the rest of the cigar will explode with serious intent just moments from now.

In high school, Skip and I had a hanger on because we were in a band. He was all fucked up in the head…very insecure with few friends. He bought a mandolin so he could be cool like us. He never learned how to play it. Instead, he would follow us around with the mandolin always in his hands. He would follow us into Bob’s Big Boy and embarrass the shit out of us.

Once we got a ride from him in his mid-60’s Nash Rambler. Skip was in the back seat. As we got out of the car, I thought Skip had cleared the danger zone and I slammed the front passenger door on his hand while he was grasping the window frame to help him get out of the car. I saw in horror as both doors were shut tight and his fingers were sticking out…it looked like pink sausages as he wiggled them. For a few moments, we just stared. Then the screaming began. I opened the door and he was free. Thank God the car was a piece of shit. No damage to his hand whatsoever.

Magic is still holding at medium strength.

Not much in the transition arena…but it has a nice finish filled with creamy cheesecake, baking spices, chocolate, and coffee.

The sophistication of the leaves is the star. The complexity is spot on and only getting better. I find it nice that a cigar with these leaf stats has its own identity and doesn’t fall right into the AJ Fernandez style.
I taste the passion that went into this blend.

SECOND THIRD:
First third took 35 minutes.

The stick is advertised as medium/full so I guess the second half will kick it into high gear. And that will be the landing zone for the sweet spot.

This is a great morning cigar. Easy going and more than pleasant.

The char line has not wavered. And not a single spot of deterioration due to the cold.

The flavor profile is mild and doesn’t jump out at me with a big list of oddball flavor points.

My favorite cigars are the ones that are not linear, grow in intensity with each puff, present an organized front, and allows the smoker to just enjoy the experience.

I take a quick peek at other written reviews, and I seem to be in sync. Everyone defers to this not being a blend that slaps you in the face with unexpected tangents.

I am happy that this is a good cigar worthy of your attention.
A lot of online sites sell this cigar. And it can be bought directly from the ATL website.

A sip of water and the flavors throw a grenade into my mouth.

Their nap is over…cinnamon graham crackers, hot cocoa, espresso, creamy vanilla ice cream, a bulge of malt, cedar, licorice, black cherries, a slight impression of mesquite, and a root beer float. We are cooking now.

I imagine with more hibernation; the sweet spot will show up much sooner.

I would love a box of the ATL Magic…an excellent go-to stick. Everything about the blend is consistent. No sudden variations. A straight-ahead sophisticated experience.

The graham cracker exposure begins a S’more journey. The balance is spot on.

It is like eating an entire box of Cracker Jack before you find the surprise.

Never drop acid and go to Disneyland. I did this once with a friend around 1972. Standing in long lines is not fun. You just know that everyone senses you are high as a kite. I remember we avoided the vomit-oriented rides. We did make one huge mistake…we took the It’s a Small World ride and found ourselves haunted by that damn song the rest of the day.

The cigar is fucking great. I love a blend that focuses on the whole experience rather than a laundry list of flavors. Both newbies and sophisticates will love this blend.
Strength is barely above medium.

I’m about to hit the last 2” and the blend soars like a flying squirrel.
I told Charlotte about growing up with Rocky and Bullwinkle. She had never heard of the show. She missed out on a lot of entertaining TV shows growing up in Germany.

LAST THIRD:
I am impressed. One hour+ to get here.
I am dead center in the sweet spot.

The last thing I want to do in these occasions is to write about it. Harder to really take it all in while I am furiously typing away.

Unfortunately, I am flummoxed as I stated in an earlier post I was going to decrease the amount of boutique blends on my list. Not sure what I will do…but this cigar is certainly carrying the weight of a must smoke cigar. A real gem.

“Days Like This” by Van the Man. Between the cigar and the music, I’m having a fucking great time.

Not a lick of harshness or heat.
And it is here that the blend reaches medium/full strength.
The tip of my tongue tingles from the spicy cinnamon.
Any black pepper it possessed is in the background.

I like the size, but the cigar is so good that time whizzes by. I plan on nubbing it.

The Magic is not like a million other blends with similar leaf stats. It finds a niche for itself that separates it from an average Nic blend.

Nicotine enters. My vision gets cheese clothed.
A beautifully smooth stick despite the loss of my eyes being able to focus.

The Magic is definitely worth a fiver at the least.
It is a 90-minute smoke.
Always nice to try something different that pleases me no end.

RATING: 94

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS