Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $6.49
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
One of the most venerable brands in the cigar industry, Macanudo has been around since 1968. The most recognizable expression of the brand is the Cafe line, a mild blend that has been a mainstay of newer cigar smokers for several generations. I have recommended the Macanudo Cafe many times to occasional or newer smokers, but I admit that they are not really exciting to me and I haven’t smoked one in years. A few years ago General Cigar, maker of the Macanudo brand, started trying to update the old name for a younger generation of smokers. New releases like 1968 and Cru Royale were meant to appeal to “today’s smokers” while the Vintage, Mao and Estate Reserve lines were more designed to add a layer of refinement and luxury on the name. Despite some doubters, the newer lines do seem to have their fans among novice and more experienced cigar enthusiasts.
The latest push for relevance in the eyes of newer cigar smokers is the Macanudo Inspirado series. This began with the Orange and Black releases a couple years back; Orange was for brick-and-mortar shops only, Black was for online only. These apparently didn’t do quite so well, so they have been replaced this year by the White and Black versions…available in all locations. We recently got both lines in at Burns so I thought I’d take this opportunity to review both of them, starting with the Inspirado White.
White is meant to be a study in contrasts, featuring a 6-year-old Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over an aromatic Indonesian binder and 4-year-aged fillers from Estelí, Nicaragua, and Mexico’s San Andrés Valley. They are made in 3 sizes (to start with anyway…if these succeed, I can see them quickly expanding the number of vitolas…after all, Cafe has about 20 of them) and packed 20 to a box.
Prelight
Paper-covered boxes are not always the best way to go, but in the case of the Inspirado White (and Black) releases, I think it was the right choice. It definitely ties together the two releases with a look that is common, but individualized, plus I’m sure it keeps the overall cost down, which is something everyone can appreciate in these days when the price of cigars seems to just keep going up and up and up.
The band provides enough separation visually from the classic Macanudo look that it can be seen as original, but there’s enough detail in the background to tie it to the old design, as well. In other words, it’s a good balance of old and new.
Macanudo Cafe uses U.S. Connecticut Shade (one of the few cigars that actually do still use U.S.-grown Shade leaf), but this one uses the Ecuadorian-grown varietal. It’s not so much golden in color as a light peanut butter shade. There was a decent amount of oils to the eye and the touch and no massively visible veins. The wrapper leaf had a grass and dry earth aroma, while the foot had more rich earth and a touch of sweetness.
Once cut the Inspirado White had an excellent draw and flavors of cedar, hay and earth.
Flavor
The cigar lit up evenly and quickly and began by delivering a spicy pepper punch and solidly cedary flavor on the palate. The retrohale had an even stronger pepper component. Subsequent puffs had the pepper diminish a bit and be replaced by a smoother, creamier grassiness and earthiness. The rest of the first third was a mix of earth and cream, pepper and subtle sweetness, wrapped up in a smoke that was on the milder side of medium bodied, and definitely a departure from the Macanudos you may have gotten used to years ago.
Heading into the second third, creamy grassy notes enveloped cedar and a more subdued pepper spice, with just hints of the earthiness that had preceded.
The last third of the Macanudo Inspirado White was woody and earthy with creamy overtones and a subtle citrus sweetness. It continued to be just short of a true medium-body.
Construction
Build quality of the Inspirado White was top-notch, with a very good draw, even burn line and solid ash.
Value
The price point on these is great, especially for the experience they deliver.
Conclusions
If all you know of Macanudo is the Cafe line, then it’s time to reacquaint yourself with the brand. Inspirado White is a very nice cigar that falls well in the mild-to-medium (or maybe a little more than mild) paradigm of modern Connecticut Shade cigars. It has a pleasing complexity and flavor profile, never getting dull, at least in this vitola. While it may not top my list of favorite Connys, it is nonetheless very good and something I will repeat on a fairly regular basis.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
