Cigar Review: Serino Royale Maduro XX

• Vitola: Sublime
• 6.25” x 54 ring gauge
• MSRP ~$12.95
• Sample provided by the company

Background

We have reached the end of my look at four blends from Serino Cigars…the Royale Series makes up their premium cigar line and consists of Connecticut, Medio, Maduro, and today’s featured stick: Maduro XX. I am happy to see we are ending with a size that I might actually purchase under normal circumstances…basically a fat Toro with a 54 ring gauge and regular Parejo shape (although I have to admit, if faced with the choice actually in a store, I would probably chose the 48 ring gauge Robusto over this…but that’s just me).

Carson Serino worked with Omar González Alemán on this series of cigars. Alemán is a master blender from Cuba who oversaw everything for the Serino Royale series, from growing to processing to rolling. The Royale Maduro XX features Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí and Jalapa that have been aged for five years, an undisclosed binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper.

As with the previous reviews, Serino Cigars sent me a single sample of this stick for review. I raided Coop’s news article for a bit of background on the blend and the company…if you don’t get your cigar industry news at Cigar-Coop already, you really should.

Prelight

Following the practice of color-coding the boxes of each blend, this Royale Maduro XX is shipped in a black box. The main band and colors on both bands are shared among all four blends. The foot band has identifying type on it, as well. This is a good time to mention that following my first couple reviews, Carson Serino emailed me to say that he agrees about the commonality of the main bands. Those involved wanted to get four different bands for the four different blends, but apparently the FDA regulatory ruling for cigars has had an unforeseen consequence: the factories that make the bands are completely booked as cigar companies try to get as many blends on the shelves as possible before the August deadline.

The coloration of the wrapper in the Maduro XX is actually a touch lighter than on the Royale Maduro. Both are listed as “Oscuro” leaves, which is technically not the same as a Maduro, but both had a rich, mild sweetness to the aroma. The foot of the cigar was earthy with a touch of cedar and hay.

I found a very nice draw once the cigar was cut. The cold draw had mostly earth flavors with touches of coffee and cedar.

Flavor

The Serino Royale Maduro XX was an easy light-up and quickly was burning well. I got lots of cedar at first, along with some hay and coffee. At minute or two in, the earthier notes started pulling ahead in the profile. There was a bit of pepper spice on the palate, but on the nose, it was a 3-alarm fire. There was nothing spelling out the exact differences between he Maduro and Maduro XX but so far, I was enjoying the Maduro XX more, although it wasn’t really hitting me as a “Maduro” so much as an “Oscuro”…just like the regular Royale Maduro.

As I headed into the second third, I was able to identify one aspect of the Maduro XX that was more enjoyable than the previous Maduro…it was simply more smooth and refined tasting. The flavors of earth and coffee flowed freely, with just a hint of cocoa powder and sweetness in the back, while pepper spice continued at a low level and the retrohale took on a more roasted nut aspect.

The last third continued on smooth and rich with notes of earth, coffee and cocoa powder.

Construction

As with the other cigars in this series, the construction was impeccable. I had an excellent draw, solid ash and very even burn line.

Value

This cigar was very enjoyable and stood up to the somewhat steep price of admission.

Conclusions

I really enjoyed this Serino Royale Maduro XX. To me, it was the best of the four inaugural blends the company sent to me and the most likely to find a place in my regular rotation. While it was a full-bodied and fairly strong stick, it didn’t sacrifice any flavor in the process making for a pleasurable smoking experience from end to end. So, the final tally for Serino Royale was two blends I would buy again and two blends that didn’t necessarily appeal that much to me, but that I would smoke if the price were lower (or if they were given to me). And those two blends would very likely appeal to other smokers…so not a bad initial foray into the premium cigar world. Thanks again to Serino for sending me the samples for review. Look for them at your local B&M soon.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10