Vitola: Torpedo- 6” x 52 ring gauge
- ~$12.50
- Samples provided by ATL Cigar Company
Background
I got to review three of ATL Cigar Company late last year when the company sent me a very nice care package. The one they didn’t send at the time was their original release: Black. Apparently that was because they were getting ready to have it reblended and rereleased…which I found out a couple months ago when they sent me some samples of the ATL Cigar Company Black along with a note that they wanted to “see if you think we pulled off a full-bodied madero without bitterness!” Apparently my thoughts on Mexican maduro leaf have gotten around. LOL
The original ATL Black was made at the Martinez Cigar factory in New York, but the new one is produced in partnership with Luciano Meirelles at Tabacalera Pichardo in Esteli, Nicaragua, the same factory that makes Ace Prime and a good number of Crowned Heads cigars. As noted before, it uses a San Andres Mexican maduro wrapper leaf, a binder from the Masaya region of Nicaraguan, and Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí (ASP), Jalapa, and Pueblo Nuevo.
ATL Cigar Company sent me samples of this cigar for review and this the third one I’ve smoked. I got some background information from the news story that Cigar-Coop published.
Prelight
This original label design probably looks best in black with the red ATL lettering. It’s a classy and rich look. I like it even better than the Magic band in purple, and that was pretty great.
The wrapper leaf was a rich, dark chocolate brown with a little toothless under my fingertips and a decent amount of oiliness. It had a pungent earthiness with overtones of anise and leather, while the foot had a more chocolatey aroma along with hints of cedar and earth.
I’m not a fan of the fact that this is only available in Torpedo and Gran Toro sizes…I don’t like torpedo-tipped cigars in general and I would rather keep the ring gauge around 50. That said, I haven’t had any problems with the construction of the other two Torpedos I’ve smoked so far, so I wasn’t really expecting any here.
I clipped the tip and got an excellent prelight draw that featured milk chocolate, roasted nuts, earth, and light leathery flavors.
Flavor
Once fired up I got a darker, bittersweet chocolate and a strong espresso notes up front, backed up with earth and leather flavor. The finish left a lingering sweetness on my tongue, as well, although it’s hard to pin down exactly what form it took…dark fruit? Dark chocolate? Cola? Weird, but nice. There wasn’t much in the way of pepper on the palate, but on the nose, I got flashes of red pepper that dissipated very quickly. The espresso bean notes picked up as the first third went along and the chocolate flavor took a definite back seat.
Espresso still held sway as the second third started, but there was a low-level pepper burn coming into play on the palate at this time, as well, which added some extra interest to the leather and earth background notes. Chocolate and that other sweetness still flitted in and out of focus at times.
As the last third started, I noted that the espresso bean notes were mellowing out and allowing more smooth chocolate into the mix, along with more of that unusual sweetness.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even enough burn line, and solid ash.
Value
The price tag on these is a little higher than average…of course, just about everything is this year, isn’t it? It really is a very nice blend, though, so I think it’s worth the price.
Conclusions
The question posed was “could we produce a full-bodied Maduro without bitterness?” The answer is…No. There is a certain amount of bitterness inherent in the espresso bean note that was prevalent throughout the majority of this cigar…but it wasn’t overbearing or unpleasant. There was enough sweetness to counter and balance it throughout and I just enjoyed the ATL Black from end to end.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
