Vitola: No. 10 (Robusto)- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $16.00
- Samples provided by General Cigar
Background
The Macanudo name has become fairly synonymous with consistent, high-quality milder cigars over several decades on the American market. For many people, it was an integral part of their early smoking experiences. In recent years, General Cigar has been trying to revitalize the Macanudo name a bit in some interesting and innovative ways, including the 1968 and Cru Royale releases, the overall freshening of the branding a year ago, and the recent introduction of the Inspirado lines in Orange and Black. The Macanudo Mao is another attempt to get the attention of those who have moved on to other brands, as well as give Macanudo adherents something new to try.
It started with heirloom Dominican tobacco seed from the 1960s…
Reflecting a previously-untouched science, Macanudo’s team of agronomists regenerated the seeds over eight growing seasons, breeding the plants in two different countries to deliver improved leaf shape, color and combustibility, while preserving the rare tobacco’s true flavor.
In just four years, the agronomists have replicated the taste of a bygone era for the sheer enjoyment of today’s discerning smokers.
The seeds were cultivated in the Mao region of the Dominican Republic, which gives the blends its name. The majority of the filler is that regenerated leaf, but they also use fillers from Nicaragua and Columbia, a Mexican binder, and a Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf selected specifically for the Macanudo Mao.
General is making 1,800 boxes each of 3 different sizes. The boxes are 10-count and once the tobacco is depleted, it’s thought that there will be no more of these. I should point out that this is a very limited run for a company like General, so the price of $16, 17 and 18 a stick really shouldn’t be that surprising. General provided me with some review samples; this review is based on my third sample.
Prelight
I can’t comment too much on the boxes and coffins that the finished product comes in as General just sent me cigars in cellophane. From the photos they sent along, though, it looks good. The samples they sent me seem to have a different color scheme on the band, although the design is the same. The design is attractive and upscale, though I’m torn between if I like the color scheme of the stick I see in front of me, to the one from the photo they sent…or the one from their website, which seems to provide yet a third option.
The one in front of me, though, is a heavily gilded color scheme, with just a little cream and brown color used here and there to add counterpoint. It’s rich with some light emboss and gold foil. The wrapper leaf is a dusky gold color and one of the darkest Connecticut Shade leaves I’ve seen. The regular Macanudo uses a U.S. Connecticut Shade, so I’m guessing this is, as well. They do tend to be a little darker than Ecuadorian grown Shade leaves, most of the time, anyway. It had a decent amount of oils and smelled of clean earth and hay. The foot had a slightly more pungent earth note, along with more hay and almost a bell pepper note.
The cold draw was excellent and tasted of sweet hay, light earth and white pepper.
Flavor
For every sample of this I’ve lit up, I expect a very mild cigar. You would think I would learn after the first one, but such is the power of suggestion that my mind keeps expecting something different from what I get. The reality is that the Macanudo Mao fires up with a definitive medium-bodied smoke combining notes of grass and citrus with earth and pepper on the palate, although with a rich nuttiness and touches of citrus and a stronger pepper on the nose.
As I puffed my way through the second third, I got more grassy notes and some graham flavor that improved the way the sweetness developed. There were some additional citrus flavors from time to time, especially toward the end of the third, and the pepper notes pretty much went away on both palate and nose.
The last third had a really nice mix of hay, graham and citrus notes with lighter earth coming through now and again.
Construction
Construction on the Macanudo Mao was pretty fantastic. I had a great draw, very even burn line and extremely solid ash.
Value
I struggled with the price of this Macanudo from the beginning, but I think it’s mostly the name on it. If it wore a Davidoff price tag, no one would question the price and would probably even think it a bargain.
Conclusions
For me the Macanudo line brings with it certain baggage that is hard to get past…they are by and large mild, inoffensive cigars with nothing “great” about them. The Macanudo Mao, though, was an exception to that rule. It was an excellent cigar that had some of the flavor of the original Macanudo while bringing much more to the table in terms of pleasant flavors and complexity. I would judge this experiment in heirloom seeds to be a big success in this format and definitely something you should try if you are normally drawn to cigars like the Davidoff Special R.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
