Cigar Weekly 2011 Blind Review # 2
El Maestro Paesano Cask Aged Petit Lancero
Published Monday, August 8, 2011
Compiled by Doug McGuire (Mad Dawg)
Compiled by Doug McGuire (Mad Dawg)
This review is more than a little different from the others that I’ve edited. That’s because I supplied the cigars myself, whereas all of the other cigars CW has reviewed during my tenure as Reviews Editor have been provided by the manufacturers. I bought these cigars on an impulse, lured in by the blurb in a catalog from Mike’s Cigars:
El Maestro cigars are made right in our store in Miami, FL.El Maestro was known in Cuba as the Master Blender for his unique blending capabilities. He could blend any kind of taste you dare to ask for, and then, some. Here we call him El Maestro because he can roll any shape we dare to ask, and then some. In Cuba he was rolling Cohiba’s and became one of the top craftsmen in the whole country. When he arrived in Miami he came to see us. We made room for his rolling table and we bought the tobacco. Now he is making the most beautiful cigars we've seen rolled right in front of our eyes. If you can’t come over we are happy to offer the following deal, not only you’ll get a great bargain but you will receive made by El Maestro. El Maestro cigars are FULL body and oozing of sweet flavors of burnt caramel with roasted nuts and herbs.
If that weren’t enticing enough, the fact that the cigar came in a narrow ring gauge vitola sealed the deal. The “cask aged” thing was interesting, but really didn’t enter into the equation. When I received the cigars, the first thing I noticed about them was that they were consistently - and conspicuously - underfilled. Not good. I smoked one almost immediately, and my impression was that the underfill problem was really the only flaw in a cigar that could have been great. Seems like the reviewers agreed with that assessment!
Pre-Smoke Comments
bigw: Hints of pipe tobacco, leather, mocha.
briandg: A very fine looking cigar, in a nice chocolate brown EMS. The foot of one looked liked a bit like a sandwich filler, with a few flakes showing. They were quite soft, but not lumpy. They had a nice, elegant shape, and a totally perfect wrapper leaf. They were flawlessly bunched and perfectly round and straight, with no rough spots, no soft or hard spots. Nice easy draw.
Coach: At first glance I was thinking that this would be a “great smoke”, a little soft on construction but looks very tempting.
gui_tarzan: Smells like hay. Pre-light draw is good. Wrapper is very fragile but there is ample cap so it doesn’t unravel. The bunch is very soft, almost like a roll of paper towels.
Poohdvm: Nice wrapper. The bunch was the downfall of this cigar. Both samples were soft and lumpy with many soft spots. This made the draw way too easy. It also affected the burn, causing some runners and a flaky messy ash.
Smoker06: Very noticeable soft spots, under filled at the foot and cap. Exhibited a sweet, florid aroma; very nice. Average, unobstructed draw, perfect. Even with a soft spot at the cap, it clipped perfectly clean. Smooth, almost leather-like medium brown Colorado wrapper, nearly flawless.
DeadmanLiving: A very soft spongy construction.
Smoke Comments
bigw: Burnt well, lots of smoke, coated the palate, not too thick and heavy.
briandg: From the first puff, this one had great flavors and aroma, and it grew and changed throughout the smoke. Nothing stood out, really, but it was a complex blend. I got some slight spiciness, with a lingering finish. It had some sweetish components such as caramel, coffee, chocolate, cream, and burnt sugar. Overall, it was extremely smooth and refined, an especially great morning smoke with black coffee to balance it.
Coach: Looks were deceiving. Though I thought it would be a “great smoke” I was disappointed in this stick. It was very MILD and didn’t appeal to my tastes.
gui_tarzan: Initial light produced a soft aroma. No tang or spice but rather an earthy scent. A half inch in produces a fair amount of spice. Not strong like pepper, but more like a cumin or curry heat. This has just the right amount of spice:flavor mix. The second sample mirrors the first with the exception of a little more pepper 1/3 of the way through but not enough to spoil the flavor.
Poohdvm: When the cigar would burn right and you would get all the full character of the cigar, the smoke flavors were great. Rich flavorful smoke. Unique flavors of fresh baked bread. I know that sounds funny but that is what it brought to mind.
Smoker06: It was almost predictable that this cigar would have burn issues based on the very soft foot. It immediately developed a runner, but straightened itself out after the first inch (once past the soft spot). The initial perception was one of pleasant straight-forward tobacco flavor. The first third, was rather average with herbal undertones and just a little harshness, not unexpected from a small ring gauge cigar. It left me expecting good things to come. The middle third produced a very dark gray, striated, solid (but a little flaky) ash. Not much change in the flavor profile, but a minor increase in strength. I’m still left waiting for that strong flavor increase expected from narrow ring gauges. The finish now has a woodsy impression. Very pleasant. During the last third, the soft mouth is now “mooshy” and I’m a very “dry” smoker. Normally, I’d re-clip the cigar but refrained from doing so for this review. Still no change in profile. Then in the last inch.... there it is, the flavor shift expected out of a lancero. The herbal undertones are gone and a “beefy” character dominates. Very nice. I’m glad I didn’t clip off that last half inch because I’d have missed this. Too bad I had to wait so long for this excellent last five minutes.
DeadmanLiving: First third was very spicy and strong and then nothing.
Summary Comments
bigw: Great morning smoke, not too heavy lots of smoke.
briandg: The bunch was soft, but the cigar was nevertheless well built, and perfectly rolled. It had a beautiful wrapper and it looked great. Smoking it was a true pleasure, for a small cigar it had a good, well rounded character. It was a slightly creamy and sweet aroma and taste that went well with coffee, and would be a perfect morning or mid day smoke if you like a short break smoke; it lasted 20 or so minutes for me. If you power through it, I'm sure it can be a real robust hit, but slowly smoked, it was a mild and tasty blend. It was a rather different experience overall, I'm thinking Nicaraguan wrapper and/or filler. It's going to be a shame if it costs as much as I figure it could, because I'd be in the market for some. I think the 88 score is justified in that what it tries to do, it does perfectly.
Coach: Just didn’t do it for me, too mild and probably would be a good smoke for a beginner or even an experienced smoker that enjoys “mild” smokes.
gui_tarzan: Not a bad smoke other than the looseness of the bunch. It burns well, has a decent flavor that’s not over or under-whelming.
Poohdvm: It’s a shame the problems this cigar has in burn quality. If it weren’t for the glaring problems, this cigar would have rated much higher with me. It has some great flavors but the smoking experience is ruined by the burn and draw.
Smoker06: With the exception of the construction issues, this is an above average cigar. Overall medium strength that built throughout the cigar. I think this blend is much better suited for a full lancero length. With a longer length and better construction, this would probably be a superior cigar.
DeadmanLiving: A very poorly constructed cigar that tries to over power in the first third and either burns your palate out or just has nothing in the end.
Scores
Reviewer
|
Appearance and
Construction (0-5) |
Burn
(0-5) |
Draw
(0-5) |
Aroma
(0-5) |
Flavor
(0-10) |
Taste and
Aftertaste (0-10) |
Overall
Quality (0-10) |
Total
(0-50) |
bigw
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
46
|
briandg
|
4.4
|
4.4
|
4.5
|
4.5
|
8.7
|
8.7
|
8.8
|
44
|
Coach
|
3.5
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
18.5
|
gui-tarzan
|
3.5
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
35.5
|
Poohdvm
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
8
|
7
|
6
|
30
|
Smoker06
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
42
|
DeadmanLiving
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
21
|
Averages
|
3.2
|
3.34
|
3.5
|
3.93
|
6.67
|
6.67
|
6.54
|
33.86
|
To achieve the final score we throw out the high and low total scores then average the
remaining scores. For more details please refer to the Review Methods page |
Review Results
Final Score: 34.5 out of 50 – 3 ½ Stars – Above Average
El Maestro cigars are a Mike’s exclusive, rolled in Miami. Binder and filler are Dominican Republic. The Paesano version comes with a “Habana 2000” wrapper; there is also a Connecticut-wrapper version. Three sizes are available in either wrapper:
Robusto (5x50)
Toro (6.5x52)
Petit Lancero (6x38)
Prices are $65.95 to $79.95 per cask of 20 cigars, and you might get lucky (as I did) and wind up with 21!
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