Marco-Polo
Go Irish Go!
Cigar: CuAvana Maduro
Size: Robusto, 5x50
Exec Summary: Competently executed maduro. Nothing wrong with it at all - a testament to exceedingly good construction and a veteran roller - but not a stellar performer. It's the Japanese subcompact car of cigars, a good choice for a beginner or an infrequent smoker. 7/10.
Background: CuAvana is Manuel Quesada (MATASA)'s "value" line. Manufactured in the Dominican Republic, the Maduro version is a line extension to the CT shade, which I believe was launched first. Widely available (cigar.com, ci, cbid, etc etc). Bought on CBid at $7 or 9 for the 5 pack.
First Impression: Milk-chocolate CT broadleaf wrapper, definitely lighter than yesterday's AB Ovation Maduro. Extremely smooth with a little plume coming out. Band is a reddish purple with gold accents, a departure from the standard shield-and-curlicues-blah-blah-blah model. Nice looking smoke.
Prelight: Smells of leather. Cut was slightly uneven, probably operator error (ie, my fault) more than the cigar's. Some resistance in the draw.
Construction/Burn: Lit cleanly and quickly with a wooden match. Burn is absolutely straight. Ash is dark grey to black, comes off easily about every 1/2 inch with cool little razor cuts along the circumference. Tightish draw throughout - not sucking through a straw tight, but full cigar tight. Smoke is on the thin side, possibly related to the draw, and slow burning, possibly also related to the draw.
Flavor/Aroma: Very smooth all in all. Leathery aroma and taste to it, with a little maduro-like sweetness in the mouth. Mild. The CuAvana natural has a distinctive lemony flavor note; this one has some kind of citrus, on the nose rather than in the mouth, but it's buried under the leather-tobacco-cedar monolith. A little bitterness at the end, but no spice or pepper whatsoever, at any point.
I can't help but compare it to yesterday's AB Ovation Maduro. The AB had a few hiccups in construction - this one is absolutely rock solid. The AB's taste was rich, full, complicated. This one is underwhelming. It's not a matter of my taste buds being totally jaded from a diet of Rocky Patels, DPGs and Opus X's (ha! I'll build segmentation models and marketing briefs for food.) but a matter of the cigar reaching for, and achieving, a very modest goal.
Time elapsed: smoked (nearly) to the band in 50 minutes.
Size: Robusto, 5x50
Exec Summary: Competently executed maduro. Nothing wrong with it at all - a testament to exceedingly good construction and a veteran roller - but not a stellar performer. It's the Japanese subcompact car of cigars, a good choice for a beginner or an infrequent smoker. 7/10.
Background: CuAvana is Manuel Quesada (MATASA)'s "value" line. Manufactured in the Dominican Republic, the Maduro version is a line extension to the CT shade, which I believe was launched first. Widely available (cigar.com, ci, cbid, etc etc). Bought on CBid at $7 or 9 for the 5 pack.
First Impression: Milk-chocolate CT broadleaf wrapper, definitely lighter than yesterday's AB Ovation Maduro. Extremely smooth with a little plume coming out. Band is a reddish purple with gold accents, a departure from the standard shield-and-curlicues-blah-blah-blah model. Nice looking smoke.
Prelight: Smells of leather. Cut was slightly uneven, probably operator error (ie, my fault) more than the cigar's. Some resistance in the draw.
Construction/Burn: Lit cleanly and quickly with a wooden match. Burn is absolutely straight. Ash is dark grey to black, comes off easily about every 1/2 inch with cool little razor cuts along the circumference. Tightish draw throughout - not sucking through a straw tight, but full cigar tight. Smoke is on the thin side, possibly related to the draw, and slow burning, possibly also related to the draw.
Flavor/Aroma: Very smooth all in all. Leathery aroma and taste to it, with a little maduro-like sweetness in the mouth. Mild. The CuAvana natural has a distinctive lemony flavor note; this one has some kind of citrus, on the nose rather than in the mouth, but it's buried under the leather-tobacco-cedar monolith. A little bitterness at the end, but no spice or pepper whatsoever, at any point.
I can't help but compare it to yesterday's AB Ovation Maduro. The AB had a few hiccups in construction - this one is absolutely rock solid. The AB's taste was rich, full, complicated. This one is underwhelming. It's not a matter of my taste buds being totally jaded from a diet of Rocky Patels, DPGs and Opus X's (ha! I'll build segmentation models and marketing briefs for food.) but a matter of the cigar reaching for, and achieving, a very modest goal.
Time elapsed: smoked (nearly) to the band in 50 minutes.
