Some of the brightest stars from Macanudo Cigars over the years have been their Macanudo Vintage releases which feature a wrapper leaf from an ideal harvest. For the Macanudo Vintage Maduro 2013 it’s a 10-year-aged U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf. In 2013 the Connecticut River Valley growing season experienced effectively perfect weather conditions: record high temperatures, soggy humidity, and ideal rainfall. The result? A thick and oily Broadleaf crop. During the critical eight week curing process, the wrapper leaves were closely monitored to meet Macanudo Vintage standards. Additionally, the other four nation tobaccos used in the blend were also grown, cured, and aged under strict conditions. The Macanudo Vintage Maduro 2013 release includes three limited production sizes: Robusto, Toro Grande, and Churchill.
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana – Santiago, DR
Size: 5”x 50
Body & Strength: Medium to Full
Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro (vintage 2013)
Binder: Honduran Olancho San Agustin
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano, Brazilian Mata Fina, Nicaraguan Jalapa
Presented in boxes of 20
The 2013-vintage Broadleaf wrapper had a well-aged, ebony color and a fresh tobacco aroma. It also exhibited a fine toothiness and a nice oiliness. The cigar was expertly rolled and firm throughout. When cut, the cold draw offered a mix of sweet grass and cedar.
The first puffs were creamy and mellow working up to a mostly woody and slightly nutty smoke with sweet tobacco notes. Flavors continued to bloom as the cigar gained in body. Nutty flavors became more vivid as hints of black coffee, leather, and cedar followed. A layer of nutmeg and cinnamon, and another layer of dark chocolate and sweet tobacco weaved in and out. Retrohales were mostly black pepper with a floral essence.
At the midpoint, body and strength were medium plus. As a haze of ambient smoke poured from the cigar, leather and dark chocolate were met by earthier notes.
Sweetness returned in the final furlong. Retrohales were more peppery. Now full-bodied, the strength held at medium-plus. Earthier here, too, as nutmeg and charred cedar played the band off at a one-and-a-half-inch nub.
Both of my Macanudo Vintage Maduro 2013 Robustos performed like champs in terms of flavor, refinement, and complexity. What impressed me most was how the flavors were layered; dark, earthy flavors juxtaposed to sweet and spicy flavors, and pretty well-defined, too. That said, I feel like it was blended more for the so-called “experienced palates” than newer cigar smokers mostly because I think those with limited experience may miss some of the subtleties it has to offer. Additionally, although it’s a luxury-class cigar, based on my experience and compared to the price of a lot of new cigars these days, the Vintage Maduro Robusto isn’t all that extravagant. So, if you’re a fan/collector of the Macanudo Vintage line, or looking for a top drawer Connecticut Broadleaf maduro, the Macanudo Vintage 2013 is a sure bet.
If you have an experience with this cigar, please share your thoughts with a comment.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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