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Image courtesy Cornelius & Anthony Cigars
Vitola: Corona Gorda
- 5.5” x 46 ring gauge
- MSRP $8.50
- Samples provided by C&A Cigars
Background
Keith and I have both had a chance to experience some of what the new Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars company has been up to in the past few months. I enjoyed the Cornelius, though Keith was not so hot on it. He also took a look at the Daddy Mac, their second release and felt that while it wasn’t the most complex cigar in the world, it was worth the time.
Today I am taking a look at the Daddy Mac. Cornelius & Anthony Cigars sent me several samples in a variety of sizes. I ended up choosing the Corona Gorda for this review because it was the size I enjoyed the blend best in. Daddy Mac is named after C&A founder Steven Bailey’s father, Mac Bailey. It was produced in Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and uses Nicaraguan fillers, an Ecuadorian binder, and a Brazilian wrapper leaf.
As noted above, I’ve smoked this blend a few times already, in a variety of sizes, all of which were provided by Cornelius & Anthony Cigars. Also worth noting is that as I got ready for this review, I spaced out and forgot to take any photos…and I apparently took none at any time I smoked it…oy.
Prelight
The only difference really between the Cornelius and the Daddy Mac is the secondary band. Both cigars share the main band with the company logo on it. It is a good look and using it for the first couple releases does tend to establish the brand in people’s minds…but I would like to see the main band change up in the future. I’ve seen a few companies flog the main band similarity to death over a several year period.
There is no mention of what kind of Brazilian leaf is used on this cigar, although based on past experience I’m thinking Arapiraca. It definitely isn’t a Maduro, either by process or color definition, and looks very close to Ecuadorian Habano really. The color of the leaf was a peanut butter or dark caramel hue with a little oil visible to the eye, but more apparent when I felt the cigar under my fingertips. Giving it a sniff, I got aromas of earth and cedar, barnyard and sweet hay. The earth was a little more prevalent on the foot.
After clipping, the cold draw was good and tasted mostly of sweet hay, with just a touch of earth.
Flavor
At light up, the Daddy Mac had plenty of earthiness at the core, with a layering of grassy and peppery notes, and another layer of moderately sweet fruit on top of that. The nose was spicier still, although the burn didn’t linger long, leaving just a roasted nuttiness. The flavor settled soon into a nice sweetness at the front of each puff, followed by roasted nuts and red pepper, then finishing with some earth and leather.
As I got into the second third, grassy notes started to come through more in the mix. There was still a good amount of nuttiness and a lingering sweetness and spiciness, as well.
In the last third the sweetness came back in the form of a citrus fruit, complementing the grassy and nutty notes that still prevailed.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash.
Value
Good smoke for a good price.
Conclusions
In the end, I enjoyed the Daddy Mac, but I have to agree with Keith, too, in that it’s nothing spectacular. Good solid smoking experience, but not one that begs me to run out and buy a box. As always, I encourage you to make up your own mind, but I would occasionally spend the $8 to $9 to buy this size, but the other vitolas kind of left me cold.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
