Blind Review: Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro

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Macanudo from General Cigars is known for offering blends in many styles and tastes using tobaccos from regions all over the world. Their new Inspirado Green released earlier this year is billed as a fuller flavored cigar featuring a Brazilian wrapper, Indonesian binder and Dominican fillers. This was the first chance I had to try this cigar and, smoking this cigar blind, the flavors offered a unique though less than harmonious profile. Read on.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro
  • Wrapper: Brazilian
  • Binder: Indonesian
  • Filler: Dominican
  • Size: 6” x 50 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

The Macanudo Inspiratdo Green Toro sports a veiny maduro wrapper that is dry to the touch. As I squeeze the cigar, it is very firm and almost over-packed with tobacco. The roll is solid and the foot smells of white pepper and rustic notes.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Using my Colibri V-Cutter I cut the cigar and with an airy cold draw some dark chocolate and pepper is evident. I bring flame to the foot and the initial puffs give earth, fruits and graphite. Despite the maduro wrapper, the cigar begins mild in body with stone and minerality on the finish. The retrohale delivers wood and smoky notes along with cedar. The body becomes more medium with coffee and earth on the palate, though the flavors are not very pronounced.

At midway, the burn line is straight, with a weak, flaky ash. The white pepper that I smelled on the foot comes on strong along with more earth and a medium finish. Another retrohale falls short on taste with just a bit of hay and a slightly sour note. The stony minerality is strong and unappealing absent any secondary flavors to balance it out. As the cigar burns at a steady pace, coffee and earth emerges which helps give a little more heft to the smoke on the mouthfeel. At this point the cigar maintains a solid medium body.

In the final third, the Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro starts to rally with spice and chocolate that delivers a longer finish than before. There’s an additional toast and black pepper note that intermingles with dried fruit and nuts. The body on the Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro is consistently medium with more wood, cocoa and earth in a subtle fashion. As I reach the final puffs of the smoke the wood and smoke linger to a surprising lengthy finish.

Conclusion

If the Macaudo Inspirado Green is indeed intended to be full bodied, it never came through in what I smoked. The cigar began mild and then maintained a medium body with stone, minerality and earth at its start. These flavors of earthiness and stone did not complement one another throughout most of the cigar. The Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro was at its best when it developed chocolate, dried fruit and toast. Unfortunately, it only happened in the final third, which is too long to smoke a cigar to garner pleasant flavors. Perhaps another size may yield better results which is what I’d recommend trying from this line.

Final Rating: 88

Blind Cigar Review CAO Bones Blind Hughie

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The CAO Bones is a new line paying tribute to the game of Dominos. Blender Rick Rodriguez gained inspiration from the game and created a blend that can be enjoyed casually while hanging out with friends. The names of the vitolas are in line with phrases and games that are played using dominoes and such is the case with Blind Hughie (a Domino game type) in the toro size.  It seems that this line is not intended to be a sophisticated smoke. Instead, it is built as a cigar that can deliver easily recognizable flavors while the smoker is preoccupied with other events in life. Since I smoked blind I merely tried to analyze the flavors as they are.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed CAO Bones Blind Hughie Toro
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Binder: Connecticut Shade
  • Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Honduran  
  • Size 6″ × 54 (Toro) 

Appearance & Construction 

The dark, veiny wrapper of the CAO Bones Blind Hughie Toro is thick and oily, visually and in hand. The foot is spongy while the rest of the cigar is solid to the touch. The foot smells of dark fruits, earth and pepper. It’s a bold looking cigar and would stand out on a retail shelf.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With a Lamborghini Guillotine I manage a straight cut. The draw is a little loose with cold draw flavors of chocolate, pepper and cashew. Using a cedar taper I toast the CAO Bones and begin puffing, and with that earthiness and white pepper comes on strong. After a few moments, I pick up impressions of toast, milk chocolate and coffee that quickly fade into a bitter finish. The retrohale is mostly nutty with cedar that is underwhelming. The profile overall falls in the medium full range in the first half. 

Towards the center of the cigar, oak and nuts surface which really don’t seem to develop any further. Another retrohale yields similar tones with light notes of wood, toast and a touch of pepper. I detect vanilla and more of a toasty impression while slowly puffing the cigar so as to get more intensity. The profile remains medium bodied and the ash is whitish gray. Near the end of the second third, the chocolate returns, more akin to cocoa powder than milk chocolate leaving a bitterness as it dissipates.

In its final third, the CAO Bones Blind Hughie takes an earthy turn with allspice and more bitterness on the finish. The retrohale gives some pepper and cedar with a slightly sour note as I release the smoke. The ash is flaky and burn line wavers at this point, though not so much as to affect the smoke production. Interestingly, as the cigar nears its end I pick up some vanilla and toffee supplemented by a blast of earth which I think is a pleasant ending to the smoke. A less than multifaceted medium bodied experience.  

Conclusion

The CAO Bones Blind Hughie is certainly more of a care free smoke with flavors that are fairly straightforward. This would be great for playing a game or multitasking where your focus is not as tuned into your cigar. For me the smoke borderlines on boring as the flavors were not just lacking complexity but appeared rather muted. The wood, nuts and pepper seemed light and the short finish left nothing on the palate. Even when spice and earthiness appeared, the CAO Bones Blind Hughie didn’t leave a lasting impression and at its end the sourness dampened the experience further.

If they were looking for a smoke just to have in mouth they’ve found it as it was never offensive, just lacking. If I was playing a game or working on other things that garnered my attention, I would still prefer a milder smoke with more nuances .

Final Rating: 86

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Blind Review: Diplomatico by Mombacho Cigars

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It is just another night at the Carnegie Club. A dimly lit lounge with comfy chairs and walls lined with bookshelves and old photographs of historic figures smoking cigars. Guys and gals dressed in their casual business attires lost in their conversations, only to drown out by a live band performing Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. Knowing it is a Fine Tobacco NYC event night, I arrive early to secure seating for my party. After settling down between JFK and Churchill, I obtain a dram of Glenlivet: Founders Reserve and light up a Cohiba Blue, which is the highlights of the night. The question in my mind is practical: “How many trials and errors did it take for them to figure out this perfect pairing?”

Pairing is a difficult task. Thankfully, Mombacho Cigars S.A has released a line that makes it easier than ever for consumers to solve the problem of making a perfect pairing. They did this by collaborating directly with Diplomatico Rum. With the same name as its rum counterpart, the Diplomatico cigar was blended to complement the Venezuelan rum. 

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Diplomatico by Mambocha Cigars S.A
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Esteli and Jalapa)
  • Size: Petit Corona (4″1/2 x 44)

Appearance & Construction

The oily colorado shade wrapper shines in the sunlight. The cigar has a minor vein but is leveled and covered in little oil bumps, which we describe as “toothy.” The Diplomatico cigar has solid construction; there are no soft spots, and it has a little weight to it. It’s strong enough that I feel like the cigar would not be affected if I accidentally dropped it onto the ground.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The wrapper has a sweet and earthy aroma to it. On the foot of the cigar, it smells like a dry raisin with a hint of spice. Upon taking a cold draw, a stream of white pepper spice tickles the back of my throat. After a quick cough, I taste oats, cocoa, stone fruits, and nutmeg. 

Once lit, the Diplomatico stomps on my palate with bitter charcoal, tree bark, mossy earth notes, dark leather, cilantro, and pistachio shells. The first puff leaves me with roasted coffee beans as the flavor disburses. As I take a retrohale, I get notes of tree bark, leather glove, and white pepper spice. 

After about one inch of the cigar, the flavor profile takes a 180 turn and reshapes itself to a different experience altogether. The smoke becomes creamy. What was once white pepper spice on the palate becomes a gentle cinnamon spice, and the pistachio shell transforms into a peanut shell. While there is still an earthy tone to the cigar, the “dark and heavy” notes, such as bitter charcoal, and cilantro disappear, leaving me with a sweet sugarcane aftertaste.

The velvety smoke dances with the wind as the breeze from the East Side River makes its way inland. Even with a gust of wind from time to time, the pepper and salt ash holds on until it burns past the second third. 

The flavors for this sweet and creamy cigar continue to develop between the second and final third; dark chocolate, oak bark, creamy oats, sunflower seeds, peanut shell, and an undertone of sweet sugarcane. The retrohale also becomes an easy task. I can retrohale an entire puff without discomfort, and am greeted by newfound floral notes, warm cinnamon spice, and blond roasted coffee. 

I smoke this cigar to under an inch, reluctant to put it down. But as my lips begin to burn and my tongue dries out, I know I must end this journey. 

Conclusion

The Diplomatico by Mombacho cigar was anything but lackluster. The construction was superb, the flavor notes complex. The constant change in flavors left me wanting more. I believe if I had a dram of the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, it would take this cigar to the next level. 

Final Rating: 90

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BREAKING: Merchants Cigar Bar to Reopen in December 2020

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In the midst of a global pandemic that has shuttered businesses everywhere and seen the end of NYC cigar industry heavyweights like Nat Sherman, there is a rare piece of good news for NYC cigar smokers. Merchants NY Cigar Bar , which closed in December of 2016, has announced plans to reopen on December 2nd, 2020. The website is back up, complete with a new logo, new design, and much more.

One of the few in NYC to serve cigars, drinks and food in one place, Merchants Cigar Bar will return with an all-new menu of premium cigars, cocktails, and food service. The lounge will have a new look and feel too. When the cigar bar was shuttered in 2016, management redesigned the interior space to a Mad Men-esque mid-century modern vibe and relaunched as Sugar East, a bar where patrons could smoke cigarettes but not cigars. The new Merchants Cigar Bar will keep the same bones, but with updated leather furniture and new visual features.

Fernando Rodriguez, Director of Operations at Merchants Hospitality, describes the new space having a “chill, modern feel” in contrast to the older, more traditional lounge. When asked about how the venue plans to open during COVID, Rodriguez described the rigorous health and safety measures being undertaken. “We have spared no expense creating a venue that New Yorkers can feel safe and comfortable in,” Rodriguez said. “From basics like heightened sanitation and mandatory masks for staff to plexiglass separators for tables and a world class filtration system that kills airborn bacteria and viruses, we are ready to open and welcome patrons in to our new experience.”

To start, the lounge will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm. Currently, the lounge has a maximum capacity of 30 people, less than a quarter of its total capacity.

Merchants Cigar Bar is located at 1125 1st Avenue on the southwest corner of 1st ave and 62nd st on the Upper East Side.

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Blind Review: Patina Maduro Oxidation

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In 2020, Mo Maali of Patina Cigars and Claudio Sgroi of Mombacho Cigars added a maduro blend to the Patina lineup: the Patina Maduro Oxidation. For those who don’t know, patina is the oxidation process that occurs on certain metals that creates a greenish look (for example, the Statue of Liberty).

I’m a fan of Mombacho cigars and this was my first time smoking this collaboration Patina brand.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro
  • Wrapper: Undisclosed
  • Binder: Undisclosed
  • Binder: Undisclosed
  • Size: 6” x 56 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

The Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro is a large cigar with a dark wrapper and a raised vein running along the side. The cigar is stuffed with tobacco and has little give when squeezed. The roll is solid on this impressive sized toro. The foot smells of black pepper, hay and cocoa.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

After a straight cut, the dry draw produces raisin, forest floor and musty oak. Once my torch flame fires up the Patina Oxidation Maduro, I get grittiness which quickly transforms into berries and chocolate. Billows of smoke waft from the cigar rather quickly along with graham cracker and leathery notes that hit both sides of the mouth. As I take a retrohale I pick up bakers chocolate, leather and citrus through the nostrils. The burn line progresses straight with a solid white ash.

As the cigar progresses, bing cherry and milk chocolate emerge with a short, vegetal finish. There is a celery like character on the Patina Maduro that gives a grittiness and turns the cigar sour and bitter. Another retrohale delivers leather, black pepper and a tingling in the nostrils. Continuing on, the vegetal notes subside as coca and earth rise to the forefront and give a medium to full bodied sensation. The feel of the cigar in mouth is a bit overwhelming due to the weightiness of the filler tobaccos in the smoke. Despite this, I’m able to draw on it easily and graham cracker and yeasty notes swirl around leaving a vegetal finish.

Grit, dirt and earth dominate the final third of the Patina which gives the cigar a medium bodied rustic character.  The burn and ash continue to be razor sharp as wood notes of oak and must appear with a ginger snap finish. Earth and wood intermingle, leaving a drying sensation on the palate. Even as the cigar winds down in size, the heft of the cigar still feels imposing.

The last few puffs of the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro bring forth cherries, chocolate and leather with yet another short finish. 

Conclusion

I’ve enjoyed Mombacho cigars and this creation from Mo Maali did not achieve the complexity of the Mombacho brand. That said, when the tastes came through they were quite enjoyable. The cherry, chocolate and leather complemented each other rather well along with citrus on the retrohales. In contrast, the finish on most of the cigar was short which was disappointing and the vegetal notes were displeasing on the palate.

The size and heft to the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro was not to my liking as it wasn’t the most comfortable for me in hand. If you enjoy larger cigar formats then the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro should be of interest.

Final Rating: 88

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