|
This cigar review discusses the Macanudo
Vintage 1997 Demi Corona Cigar. I picked up a (wooden) box of 5 of
these little gems at the CigarBid.com
auction site. I didn't expect to get as good a deal on them as I got. They
normally retail for $49.95 a box on Cigars International's
site (the parent/sister of CigarBid).
They're shipped in a very attractive wooden box:
Each Macanudo Vintage 1997 cigar is individually wrapped in cellophane:
These are demo-coronas, 4.3 inches with a 36 ring gauge. They're clearly not a
smoke you'll be spending all day with. In fact, I polished it off while
cooking hamburgers and chicken on the grill. I probably got about 20
minutes out of the cigar. (This is why I don't have any images of it burning or
of the ash/smoke. No time.)
CI describes these cigars as "the cream of the crop from Macanudo" and I can't
say that I will argue with their assessment. The tobacco is from one of
Macanudo's "vintage quality" harvests (1997) and was cured for 3 years.
The wrapper of the Macanudo Vintage 1997 Demi Corona is a Connecticut shade leaf.
Unlit, the cigar has a wonderful aroma with some slight leathery and cedary
overtones. It lit quickly and burned evenly. The ash was a medium-to-dark
grey and very, very firm. It held on to the cigar extremely well. It was a
tighter draw than some cigars I've had, but worth the little extra work.
The smoke is a billowy light grey. When sitting on the ashtray, almost no
smoke is emitted by the lit cigar.
The cigar started out with a very mild strength that picked up quickly during
the last half of its burn. By the end of the cigar I'd classify it as
average to average-strong strength, leaving my head buzzing nicely.
Throughout, the cigar had a slight peppery flavor to it. Its flavor was pretty
mild overall, with a definite peppery note to it. I detected a hint of
leather in the flavor which dissipated as the cigar reached the last half
when the pepper started to pick up. Overall the flavor was light to medium
bodied and not, to my tastes, especially complex but definitely not
boring.
The aroma of the smoke from the Macanudo Vintage 1997 Demi Corona cigar was heavenly. It brought to mind the cigars my late
great-grandfather used to smoke when I was very little. I always liked
that aroma, mostly because it was something different and yet pleasant to
me. I associate it with going for car rides with him in his gold Chevy II.
I really, really enjoyed this cigar. In fact, I smoked it down to the point
where I started burning my fingers - well past the band. I didn't even
want to put it down then, but by that point there wasn't much left but a
nub and the grilling was done so I had little choice.
On a 1-10 scale, the Macanudo Vintage 1997 Demi Corona cigar rates a 9 - maybe even a 9.5. I'll reserve that
last ".5" though, until I've had my next one, and we'll just call it a 9.
A damn fine cigar and certainly worthy of the Macanudo name. If you get
the chance to grab up one of these, I highly recommend it!
Related Blogs:
|
