Magically Mad Maduro's
One of my favourite styles of cigar would be a Maduro. Usually (although not always) these dark skinned beauties tend to be a little more full-flavoured than their natural wrapped counter parts, delivering somewhat more of the earthy, nutty flavours mingled with chocolate notes. The amplitude of these flavours will vary from brand to brand, but I always find that the depth of flavour can be quite wonderful. I have listed below some of my favourite Maduro cigars, and in my humble opinion, not many other cigars get close to the quality of these.
Eann Wallace - Cigar Buyer
Blackbird Cigar Co. Crow Robusto - Single
From the relatively new Blackbird cigar company - the Crow Robusto is a moderately full flavoured cigar displaying notes of leather, coffee and nuts. There is a touch of spice in there too, but it is very gentle.
Casa Turrent 1880 Maduro Lanceros - Single
A stunning new addition to the Casa Turrent range.
This full-bodied cigar has a gradual tone of cinnamon, cloves and pepper, followed by notes of leather, damp earth, honey and roasted coffee.
Gurkha Cigars Cellar Reserve 15 Year Old Double Robusto Maduro - Single
The Cellar Reserve Limitada is a rich and robust cigar using the finest quality 15-year aged tobacco. This special edition blend is comprised of an appealing Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro wrapper, combining an aged Dominican, Olor binder with a 15-year-old Dominican filler. as with the regular cellar reserve, this cigar is full of flavour and complexity with an added layer of sweetness and body on the finish.
Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro Super Toro - Single
Originally launched to celebrate Perdomo's 10th Anniversary, the range was expanded to include the Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro. This cigar is a Nicaraguan puro blended with a dark, oily six-year-old Cuban seed Nicaraguan wrapper that has been bourbon barrel-aged for an additional 14 months and is paired with six-year-old Cuban seed Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. In 2021 the Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro Epicure was named Cigar of the Year by Cigar Journal.
This box-pressed medium to full cigar has naturally sweet flavours of cocoa, espresso, caramel and pepper that produces a smooth and sweet smoke.
Hiram & Solomon Master Mason Maduro Toro - Single
A full-bodied blend with a velvety Maduro wrapper. Notes of sweet leather and cocoa produce a rich flavour enhanced only by a pronounced cedar aroma that lingers on the finish.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Figurado - Single
Made from a blend of Nicaraguan Habano grown in the Jalapa region of the country and wrapped in a Mexican Maduro wrapper from the lush San Andres Valley. This unique cigar is sure to satisfy the highest expectations of Maduro cigar smokers.
Drew Estate Undercrown 10 Robusto - Single
Drew Estate is commemorating ten years of Undercrown with the global release of Undercrown 10, a bold new ultra-premium addition to Undercrown’s current premium lineup of Maduro, Shade and Sun Grown expressions.
To celebrate the brand’s anniversary in 2021, Drew Estate is getting “All Dekk'd Out”, a tag line that denotes Undercrown 10’s elegant packaging and reinforces the pride of Undercrown’s ten years of excellence. The new, sophisticated packaging is surpassed only by Undercrown 10’s complex, rich and bold blend of ultra-premium aged tobaccos that includes the highest priming of Mexican San Andres dark wrapper, the very finest Broadleaf binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and a tripa blend of select and rare Nicaraguan tobaccos.
“Undercrown 10 offers smokers an experience of Mexican hot chocolate … naturally sweet with hints of raisin and cacao … waves of intense black pepper … along with notes of sun-dried cherries, espresso, woodiness and earthiness,” says La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate Factory Spokesman, Pedro Gomez.
Jonathan Drew, Drew Estate’s Founder and President pontificates, “Undercrown is a noble prince of a brand, both humble and loyal, who is now to become a king. The new UC10 expression represents its super-premium platform, sealing the brand’s destiny … as the good king whose brand promise is gratitude for our talented team at La Gran Fabrica. The new UC10 is so incredibly important to Drew Estate that we gave it two slogans, ‘A Decade of Dedication’ and ‘All Dekked Out.’ Add those two slogans to ‘Born on the Factory Floor,’ and the Shakespeare really unfolds.”
Born on the factory floor at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Undercrown brand is a passionate testament to the creative talent, dedication and self-determination of Drew Estate’s Torcedores. Blended with many of the same rare vintages found in Liga Privada, Undercrown quickly became a grand slam for Drew Estate as consumers felt a deep personal connection to the grass-roots firebrand that celebrates the typically unheralded working-class heroes employed at the Drew Estate cigar factory.
Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Toro - Single
Since its introduction, Black Market has been Alec Bradley's number one selling cigar. Continuing the tradition, Alec Bradley has created the Black Market Esteli. A complimentary blend to the Black Market; the Black Market Esteli focuses more on the Nicaraguan components of the cigar.
The complex blend keeps a similar style to the original but provides the consumer with a unique experience. The cigar pays homage to the very important Esteli Region of Nicaragua, where some of the finest tobacco on earth can be found.
Brick House Mighty Mighty Maduro - Single
Want a really long smoke? Look no further, as this will keep you covered for about an hour and a half. Medium-bodied with a gorgeous gentle spiciness.
Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co 10th Anniversary Toro - Single
Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Oscar making his own cigars. The dual wrapper has been used to striking effect in the particular instance (90% of the cigar is wrapped in a gorgeous, dark, Mexican San Andres Wrapper with the remainder wrapped in a Honduran Candela wrapper) - the cigar tastes as good as it looks too! Big and bold with a deep earthy, almost biscuity edge to it. Totally stunning!
Rocky Patel Disciple Toro - Single
Crafted from the finest tobacco in Nicaragua, showcasing a signature Mexican San Andrés wrapper, this exquisite composition has come together to create a medium to full-bodied profile filled with smooth notes of wood, earth, and a subtle hint of pepper.
In all of our years creating world-class cigars, we’ve never produced anything that more rigorously adheres to our high standards and dedication to quality. We call it: The Disciple, and it’s anything but a follower.
Aging Room Quattro Maestro Nicaragua - Single
The story of Aging Room revolves around a central character who had no idea he was headed for the cigar business: Rafael Nodal. It's a timeline of transitions, partnerships and collaborations that ultimately lead to the creation of the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro, Cigar Aficionados 2019 Cigar of the Year.
But first, we rewind back almost 40 years ago to 1980 when Nodal came to the U.S. from Cuba as a refugee on the infamous Mariel boatlift. With no background in cigars, Nodal sought a career in music that brought him to New York City, then to Miami where he embarked on a more practical career in healthcare. There he met his future business partners Hank Bischoff and Dr Alina Cordoves (now his wife).
Nodal's foray into the cigar world was slow. In 1998, he and his partners began selling cigars online, and in 2002 they took over the Habana Cuba Cigar Co., a struggling company with a mediocre portfolio of forgettable cigars. For a while, the business situation was looking quite grim. Not one to be easily discouraged, Nodal explored the concept of producing cigars in small batches. In 2011 he came out with a new brand called Aging Room Small Batch M356. He also changed the name of his company from Habana Cuba Cigar Co. to Boutique Blends.
The first Aging Rooms were made by Jose 'Jochy' Blanco in the Dominican Republic. (Blanco is also a partner in the brand.) The cigars scored well in Cigar Aficionado, and the Presto size was named in the 2011 Top 25. Nodal got his first taste of critical success - and he kept going. Today, you'd be forgiven if the name Aging Room creates a bit of confusion. There are a lot of different Aging Rooms made in different factories. The crowning achievement, however, is the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro made by AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua. The cigar is essentially Nodal's vision, crafted by Fernandez with his distinct tobacco and signature factory style. Every last leaf in this blend is Nicaraguan and every puff is an overture of flavours that's at times heavy and rich with notes of dark chocolate and wood, and other times, subtle and understated with hints of fine caramel and toasted almonds. In musical terms, the word for this box-pressed torpedo would be dynamic.
Nodal is still an artist at heart and cigars continue to be his creative outlet. If the birth of Aging Room was his breakthrough, consider the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro to be his masterpiece.
La Flor Dominicana La Volcada - Single
The overturned. This is what ‘La Volcada’ directly translates to, although that’s not exactly what this cigar is about. The term ‘La Volcada’ comes from a step in the tango dance that originated in Uruguay where Litto Gomez grew up and this cigar celebrates his Uruguayan heritage.
This is the third instalment in an unofficial series of small batch cigars released by La Flor Domincana; the first being La Nox and the second the Andalusian Bull. An oily San Andres wrapper covers an Ecuadorian Corojo binder and filler from the Dominican Republic. Featuring a knotted pigtail cap this cigar has notes of leather, coffee and pepper with spicy undertones and an open, even draw.
Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty - Single
Quality comes with age, and after 60 beautiful years of life, Rocky Patel’s passion for premium cigars has never been more refined. To celebrate his unbridled love for signature cigars, and in honour of this momentous occasion, here is The Rocky Patel Sixty.
Using tobaccos aged 6 years prior to construction and then a further two years after being rolled, the Sixty is really special. The construction is superb and the flavours just leap out of the cigar and dance around the palate. There is a lot happening from the first draw and it just gets better from there. Smooth and elegant with notes of leather, coffee, nuts and straw which are all backed up by a wonderful, dark earthiness.
Partagas Maduro No.1 - Single
One of the few Maduro Cuban cigars around and the first under the Partagas label. Made with specially selected leaves from the Vuelta Abajo zone in the Pinar del RÃo region of Cuba, these offer up some great complexity and depth of flavour. The wrapper is made using only the best leaves harvested from the top portion of Shade Grown tobacco plants, all of which have seen an additional period of fermentation to develop that rich texture and intense colour. This additional process adds some amazing flavours and nuances that fully compliments the already astounding and complex palate you would expect of a Partagas.