I have not been a frequent smoker of Macanudo for over 10 years. I have often found that the construction in the past decade has been very sub par. This particular cigar is supposed to be a departure from the usual mild profile of all Macanudo smokes, and is supposed to kick up the strength and flavor a couple of notches.
The cigar presents with a nice wrapper the hue of rich coffee, but it seems to be a bit dry. An inspection shows several areas in the cigar that feel as hard as stone and I am certain they will cause an issue at some point. The pre light aroma is sour, but there are some hints of tobacco. The pre light draw is extremely tight, but shows some thin notes of cedar and light spice.
The cigar begins with a core profile that is mostly sour, but shows some thready notes of sweet wood and light spice. There is very little complexity or depth and the sour notes are troubling. At the back of the palate the sour overtones overwhelm any impression that I may have had. The draw is horribly tight and there is heat in the smoke from the opening puffs. The burn is fine to this point and, sadly, is the highlight of the cigar.
The first half of the smoke lacks complexity, depth and most anything that would be appealing. There are some thin flavors of light spice, but sourness dominates the experience. At the back of the palate there are some ideas of light wood and maybe some light coffee, but there is some sourness here too. The draw continues to be nearly impossible and the heat in the smoke is making it worse. The burn is still acceptable to this point.
The second half of the smoke shows no real development. The front of the profile shows some hints of tobacco and light spice, but there is a lack of anything redeeming. At the back of the palate there are still some whispers of light wood and some coffee/cocoa sweetness, but the overall impression has turned from sour to bitter. The draw deteriorates as I approach the final hard spot in the cigar and I have to discard it with an inch of smoking space left.
The finish is short and bitter.
Appearance- 88 some dryness hurt the visual impression
Taste- 72 this was putrid, the sour and bitter notes kill any chance this cigar should have had
Construction- 73 nearly the worst it could possibly be due to the draw, I give it some points for a consistent burn
Strength- 76 a very blah medium
Overall- 75.75 a very poor cigar
I have not had the Robusto size but, I have had the 6 x 60 size a few times. I have enjoyed this size. The last one did seem on the dry side as well. I plan to review this size later on for I have a couple more to smoke.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame they have fallen so far, 15 years ago the entire line was good.
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