Vitola: La Lune- 6.5” x 54 ring gauge
- ~$9.50
- Samples provided by company
Background
Back in the old days…specifically 2009…a cigar came out called “Murcielago.” The translation is “Bat.” It was a product of the EO Cigar Company, a partnership of Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega, with the cigars actually made in the My Father Factory in Nicaragua. Several years later, E and O split the company to go their own ways. One of the more immediate casualties of the company breakup was Murcielago, which was discontinued for some time…though not forever.
Last year, Espinosa announced that he was reviving the brand. The original blend stayed with the My Father Cigar Company, but Espinosa and his team did their best to deconstruct the cigars and reverse engineer the blend. The new sticks are rolled in La Zona in Estelí, Nicaragua, using Nicaraguan fillers and a Mexican binder, along with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper.
I have to admit to not really being a big fan of the original Murcielago. It’s one of the early Mexican-wrapped cigars that put me off the leaf for a while…along with the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor, another My Father-blended and produced Mexican blend. I honestly didn’t expect to think much of this new version since they were trying to replicate the old one…then I tried it. The company provided the sample I smoked then…and the one I begged off and saved for this review because I enjoyed the first one. This is my second time smoking this new version of the cigar.
Prelight
The old look of the band and box were never “bad” but I have to say the new band and box totally made me forget what the old ones looked like. The box has tricky folds to make you think of bat wings and the band is red and black foil with a little embossing. It’s all very modern and unique looking.
The cigar itself was softly box-pressed and feels great in the hand. The wrapper was a milk-chocolate brown with an oily feel and just a little toothiness. I put it to my nose and got a whiff of that Mexican earthiness, but I could tell right away that this was different…it’s not as pungent on the nose…much more pleasing than the old one. The foot of the cigar was rich with notes of chocolate and earth and coffee.
After cutting the head of the cigar, I got a good draw on the cold test and found a flavor combination of earth and semi-sweet chocolate.
Flavor
I lit the Murcielago up with my single-flame torch and it quickly got to chugging out a good amount of smoke. Initial puffs had definite dark chocolate notes, along with a little citrus zing, above a earthier core that had notes of strong espresso in the background and just a touch of red pepper. The smoke was thick and oily with a long finish. The retrohale had tons of red pepper over a smooth dark chocolate note. Really, the sweetness and chocolate overtones coming from this cigar were far, far beyond what ever existed in the original version from 2009.
Deep in the second third, I noted that the earthy notes had subsided a bit, allowing for even more chocolate to come through, as well as an introduction of smooth espresso. The pepper burn had faded a bit as well, leaving a nutty note on the nose.
The last third continued with a chocolatey sweetness and espresso smoothness, with bitter earthiness continuing just below the surfacing and providing a very good balance to the proceedings.
Construction
I had a great draw and very even burn line. The ash was solid, but occasionally smoke production would taper off, making me think the cigar had gone out. That wasn’t the case, but it seemed like there were some spots in the bunch that didn’t burn with as much smoke output.
Value
Very fair price for a very good smoking experience.
Conclusions
I was very impressed with this new version of Murcielago. It is sweeter and better balanced than the old version that came from the My Father factory. Put plainly, I think Espinosa has a better handle on how to blend with Mexican leaf. Maybe the increased sweetness is due to extra fermentation time; maybe it’s just a better balance using the Nicaraguan fillers. Whatever the case, this is a very good cigar that ranks up there with the best Mexican-wrapped cigars available. If you like medium-to-full Nicaraguan blends with the extra spice and earthiness that Mexican leaf brings, you should try this.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
