Vitola: Robusto (box-pressed)- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $6.49
- Samples provided by General Cigar
Background
It really hasn’t been that long ago…just about 6 months, really…since the start of the latest attempt to revamp and revitalize General Cigar’s Macanudo brand. Macanudo has been around since about 1968 but had really come to be known just for their mild Cafe line…very consistent, but really not all that exciting in today’s cigar marketplace. Several previous attempts to revitalize the brand had given us the Robust (gone), 1968 (still around, but getting hard to find), and Cru Royale (still part of the price list, but I haven’t seen them “in the wild” in years). The Inspirado sub-brand, though, seems to have better legs, partly because it’s been used with consistency.
Inspirado Orange first showed up in Europe in 2014, before making its way to the United States. It was the “brick and mortar” side of General’s strategy then, which called for a “online retailer” release that was similar, but not the same, called Inspirado Black. In 2017, the Inspirado Black was reblended and released to all retailers alongside the Inspirado White. I reviewed White and Black versions back in September. For Macanudo’s 50th anniversary, they have released Inspirado Red.
“This bold, full-bodied offering represents the marriage of rich volcanic soil and profound aging techniques to achieve unmatched strength and refinement.” This blend is meant to demonstrate how the brand can be nimble and flexible to today’s taste preferences, producing a “Nicaraguan-forward blend” that also happens to be the first Macanudo made in Nicaragua. The filler contains 12-year-aged Nicaraguan Ometepe, 10-year-aged Honduran Jamastran, and 5-year-aged Nicaraguan Esteli. The binder is Nicaraguan from Jalapa and the wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano ligero. There are three sizes to begin with, each coming in 20-count boxes and costing from $6.49 to $7.49.
General Cigar sent me several samples of the Macanudo Inspirado Red to smoke for this review period. This review is based on either my 4th or 5th time smoking the blend.
Prelight
The overall design of the boxes and bands for the Inspirado series has not changed. Put a new color on it and put it on a different blend…voila! New cigar! But it actually does look good in the red and silver. The wrapper leaf under the band was a milk chocolate brown color with a bit of darker mottling in the mix and a smooth, though not so oily, feel to it. The box press was very “boxy” without being severe.
The wrapper had a mix of earth and cedar aromas mostly, with a touch of grassiness as well. The Nicaraguan-heavy blend showed up mostly when sniffing the foot of the cigar, which yielded up earth, dark-roast coffee and cocoa powder. After clipping, the cold draw was very good and gave up cold flavors of rich coffee and semi-sweet chocolate.
Flavor
The Macanudo Inspirado Red fired up easily and evenly and was soon producing thick smoke that bore flavors of cedar and earth up front, with coffee and leathery notes coming in right behind, followed by a finish that had a slight—but prolonged—pepper heat. The retrohale had a much more intense red pepper fire along with roasted nut and cedar notes. As I got toward the end of the first third, the earth was still very strong but the cedar had turned into almost a cinnamon note. Coffee was diminished, but leather and pepper notes still held on as vital supporting flavors.
The second third of the cigar saw the earthiness get somewhat muddled with the woody and leathery notes. The red pepper heat persisted on the palate, though it had died to almost nothing on the nose, leaving the retrohale mostly just nutty.
During the final third of the Macanudo Inspirado Red, I got roasted nuts and cocoa powder on the palate, neither of which had shown up there previously in this cigar. There was a slight resurgence of coffee flavor and earthiness was still hanging around. Pepper spice died down to a dull burn.
Construction
I had a great draw, even burn line with just a couple touch-ups, and solid ash up to about a half inch.
Value
The Macanudo Inspirado Red is a good cigar at an excellent price point, so I call it a very good value.
Conclusions
As I said in the “Value” section, the Inspirado Red is a good cigar and a very good addition to the Macanudo lineup. It had a pleasing complexity and, for the most part, a flavor profile that clicked with my palate. The middle third was a bit uninspiring, but otherwise, I enjoyed the experience. Along with the White, Black and Orange Inspirado blends, it seems like General really has gotten the Macanudo brand on a very solid track for the future.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
