MNBrian
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2015
- Messages
- 1,390
For months now I've been curious as to why the Buena Vista line has been so dirt cheap while the cigars seem to be worth more than a buck a stick. In my search for answers, I happened across the makers of the Buena Vista, MGM Cigars (www.mgmcigars.com) and I noticed they had made another type of cigar around the same time as the Buena Vista.
I decided to give it a whirl, found a 20 pack of unboxed sticks (http://www.cigarpage.com/maravilla-cigars.html) and made a purchase.
So they came in the mail today, and i couldn't wait to smoke one just to see if I had a pile of dog rockets or if I'd struck gold.
Below is my review of the MGM Maravilla.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12761]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12760]
To start, I must say the construction was only so so. I see some stronger veins and portions of the wrapper peeled a bit after lighting. Nothing horrendous and the burn was pretty even, but worth noting.
The first third had a walnut taste, just a hair lighter than the Buena Vistas, but packing the same punch of flavor that makes these cigars almost (and I say just almost) Cuban.
The retrohale really brought out the nutty flavor for sure. It was very pleasant!
My clip was a bit short, causing some air flow issues, which may have been my fault for pulling this one right out of the package and smoking it immediately. I was just too anxious to see if it was worth boxing 10 in one of my Buena Vista boxes or burning the lot in the fire pit.
The shipment came with no humidity packs as one would expect for a bundle cigar at a buck a stick, but it still smoked very well without the time in the humidor to normalize. I was honestly really surprised.
After the recut and the inevitable ash drop, the Maravilla continued to burn evenly and give me loads of nutty kick. It's for sure a medium bodied smoke, beginning almost medium light, but it still really impressed me with the flavor.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12759]
Lots of hay and leather as I enter the second third.
Getting more of a pepper punch now fully into the second third. Delicious and consistent still, with a solid medium body. Not a ton of smoke but who knows what I've done to screw that up by smoking one right out of the mail.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12758]
I'm having draw troubles again by the last third now. A fair amount Iftar buildup has me wondering if the issue is more the tight packing than the poor conditions I gave this stick before trying it. I used my punch to try to loosen up the draw.
The last third was more of the same. No real change from the light pepper, hay, and leather taste with the walnuts still carrying throughout. The strength did pick up just a bit more, which was a welcome change. Still at the higher end of what I'd call medium.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12757]
In summary, if you buy this stick and expect it to taste like you paid 10 bucks for it, you'd be a little disappointed, but not by much. While certainly I wouldn't call it a premium smoke, I'd gladly add it to the weekly rotation at a fraction of the cost. So if you're in the mood for something a bit lighter or are getting some friends into smoking, this would be a great stick to smoke and give away without feeling like your being cheap.
I'll be smoking mine with breakfast on Saturdays as long as the snow stays away.
I decided to give it a whirl, found a 20 pack of unboxed sticks (http://www.cigarpage.com/maravilla-cigars.html) and made a purchase.
So they came in the mail today, and i couldn't wait to smoke one just to see if I had a pile of dog rockets or if I'd struck gold.
Below is my review of the MGM Maravilla.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12761]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12760]
To start, I must say the construction was only so so. I see some stronger veins and portions of the wrapper peeled a bit after lighting. Nothing horrendous and the burn was pretty even, but worth noting.
The first third had a walnut taste, just a hair lighter than the Buena Vistas, but packing the same punch of flavor that makes these cigars almost (and I say just almost) Cuban.
The retrohale really brought out the nutty flavor for sure. It was very pleasant!
My clip was a bit short, causing some air flow issues, which may have been my fault for pulling this one right out of the package and smoking it immediately. I was just too anxious to see if it was worth boxing 10 in one of my Buena Vista boxes or burning the lot in the fire pit.
The shipment came with no humidity packs as one would expect for a bundle cigar at a buck a stick, but it still smoked very well without the time in the humidor to normalize. I was honestly really surprised.
After the recut and the inevitable ash drop, the Maravilla continued to burn evenly and give me loads of nutty kick. It's for sure a medium bodied smoke, beginning almost medium light, but it still really impressed me with the flavor.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12759]
Lots of hay and leather as I enter the second third.
Getting more of a pepper punch now fully into the second third. Delicious and consistent still, with a solid medium body. Not a ton of smoke but who knows what I've done to screw that up by smoking one right out of the mail.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12758]
I'm having draw troubles again by the last third now. A fair amount Iftar buildup has me wondering if the issue is more the tight packing than the poor conditions I gave this stick before trying it. I used my punch to try to loosen up the draw.
The last third was more of the same. No real change from the light pepper, hay, and leather taste with the walnuts still carrying throughout. The strength did pick up just a bit more, which was a welcome change. Still at the higher end of what I'd call medium.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:12757]
In summary, if you buy this stick and expect it to taste like you paid 10 bucks for it, you'd be a little disappointed, but not by much. While certainly I wouldn't call it a premium smoke, I'd gladly add it to the weekly rotation at a fraction of the cost. So if you're in the mood for something a bit lighter or are getting some friends into smoking, this would be a great stick to smoke and give away without feeling like your being cheap.
I'll be smoking mine with breakfast on Saturdays as long as the snow stays away.
