Cigar Review: Flor de las Antillas MAM-13 by My Father

Vitola: MAM-13
Size: 6” x 48 ring gauge
Price $7.99
Purchased from Burns Tobacconist 

Background

A bit of a crowning achievement for My Father Cigars, just before they celebrated 10 years in business, was the naming of Flor de las Antillas (FdlA) as 2012’s Cigar of the Year by a Certain Very-Large Lifestyle Publication®. For myself, I have to admit to not “getting it” when it came to that cigar. While it was good, it definitely didn’t hit my flavor receptors as cigar of the year material…hey, different strokes and all. As I’ve said before…if we all liked the same cigar, it would be really damn hard to find!

Last year, word broke in September about a new size of FdlA, called the “MAM-13.” Standing for “Mid-Atlantic Mafia,” this vitola would ship to only 5 stores, all in the general “Mid-Atlantic” region. There would be 500 boxes made (20 cigars in a box), so each store would get 100 boxes. I was happy to see my hope shop–Burns Tobacconist–on the list. MAM-13 is a round cigar, whereas the rest of the FdlA line is a soft box-press. I think more importantly, the MAM-13 has a smaller ring gauge than any regular production vitola; the only limited production vitola that is smaller is the Lancero (a single-store exclusive).

The Flor de las Antillas is a Nicaraguan puro, with the wrapper being Sungrown. I have smoked at least 2 of these before this review stick.

Prelight

Funny story…guy comes into the shop last week and says, “I had a cigar I loved but I can’t remember what it was…but I can describe the band. This may sound stupid but there was a naked lady on it.”

“Ah…that narrows it down a bit!” I took him to the Flor de las Antillas section and he exclaimed, “That’s it!!!”

The band on this cigar is like a piece of fine classical art. The size of the piece and texture of the paper makes it hard to see details, but it’s basically a couple women–one without a top–gathering something. There is a shield or something in the foreground with what looks like a caduceus (medical symbol) on it and some palm trees in the background. There are flowers (roses) in the frame and other ornamentation. It’s all very beautiful, combined with the heavy-weight, highly textured paper and the burgundy ribbon on the foot…it’s a striking and elegant presentation. The wrapper leaf was a medium brown, almost the color of rolled-up cinnamon sticks, although it smelled of earth, leather, and natural tobacco. The foot had more earthiness with a touch of sweetness in the aroma.

I clipped the head with a Xikar Xi and found the resulting draw to be excellent. The cold draw flavors were of natural tobacco and sharp cedar, while the tobacco left a spicy tingle on my lips.

Flavor

Firing up the MAM-13 with a single flame torch took no time at all, and it immediately started producing a steady stream of smoke with a rich flavor. The main reason I have never been enamored of the Flor de las Antillas line is that I have found it to be too cedary. The flavor of cedar was definitely present at the beginning of the MAM-13, but it was much lower in the flavor profile, while notes of hay, natural tobacco, and medium-roast coffee dominated the palate, and a medium-level red pepper spice provided an even burn on the nose. As I smoked through the first third, I noticed an increasing sweetness that had a touch of raisin, as well as a increase of pepper on the palate.

In the second third, I started to get more of the cedar flavor, while the pepper and sweetness decreased a bit. Still, the balance was great, while the body and strength hovered in the medium-to-full range. As I made my way into the final third, the cedar blended with hay and citrus notes, while the sweetness continued at a low level and the pepper spice started to make a comeback.

Construction

This is one of the best-built cigars I’ve had, even from My Father, which is typically excellent. The ash was solid and broke off in chunks, even while maintaining a flawless draw; and I had almost no need to touch up the burn line at all.

Value

$8 is a steal for this cigar, which in my opinion is the best of the bunch for this blend. Buy a box…buy two!

Conclusions

While I don’t agree with the Cigar of the Year declaration of the lifestyle magazine on the regular production vitola of this blend, I could see why this particular vitola would win such an award. The MAM-13 is great from end to end, with great balance and a subtle kick that the other sizes I have had lack. If you haven’t tried it yet, definitely give Burns Tobacconist a call at 423-855-5200 and they can hook you up with a stick, a 5-pack or a box (or two!).

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10

This review originally appeared on Tiki Bar Online.