Cigar Weekly

The meaning of "macanudo" in Spanish is "best of the best," or "first-rate."  This definition is appropriate for the General Cigar line of the same name.  The Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection line goes beyond this.  The cigar makers at Macanudo look for the very best tobacco for the Vintage Cabinet line.  The cigar makers' standards are so high that the Macanudo Vintage Cabinet line has only been produced four times; 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1993. General produced approximately 50,000 cigars of the 1979 vintage; 125,000 cigars of the 1984 vintage; 400,000 cigars of the 1988 vintage; slightly over 1 million cigars of 1993 vintage.

The filler is from the Dominican Republic and Mexico.  The binder is San Andreas Valley, Mexico tobacco chosen for tensile strength, flavor, and long, slow, even burning characteristics.  The wrapper is a Connecticut Shade, grown from Havana-seed in the sandy, fertile soil of the Connecticut River Valley; the wrapper is from the 1993 tobacco crop. Cifuentes y Cia, Ltd. in Jamaica manufactures the Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection.

The Macanudo Vintage comes in nine sizes:

Pre-Smoke Comments

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): A nice figurado with a pointed head. Both samples were hard as rocks, so much that I was worried about the draw on them prior to cutting. After the cut, the draw was somewhat tight, but manageable. The cigar lit easy and stayed lit and the burn was even to the end. Ash color was gray and solid. There were no burn problems. The aroma of the cigar was light and pleasing with a slight burn in the throat.

Gilbert Villanueva (gilv): A very well constructed Connecticut shade wrapper cigar. Torpedo shaped about 6 1/2 inches (sorry I didn't measure them) and 52 ring size. Light color wrapper with very few veins and almost perfect condition wrapper although one of the cigars had a small portion of the wrapper missing at the foot of the cigar probably damaged during handling. Excellent pre-light aroma. And although the draw was tight the pre-light flavor was very good.

Gregory S. Desens (Preferidos-1,2,3): Both of these Belicoso-Shaped cigars are similar looking, both had a Blotchy looking Connecticut Wrapper. There was no noticeable pre-light aroma ,But both felt firm with no soft spots. These looked to be a mild but tasty offering. I think they are Macanudo Duke of Windsor Cafe's.

Jan Esler-Rowe (jancascade): This was a beautiful cigar, it had a slight oily sheen, a pleasant and tempting aroma. I loved the aroma of this cigar before lighting it. I can always tell if I will enjoy a cigar by its' aroma. It was hard to let this one rest up in the humidor before lighting it up.

Jason Wilbarger (ÞF15-Loader): This cigar was absolutely beautiful. The wrapper was smooth and oily with very few, if any veins. The cap was smooth and well constructed as well. The cigar itself was firm with no soft or overly hard spots. Very well constructed. Prelight draw was nice but the aroma of this cigar was overwhelming. It was almost a maple syrup sweet smell. Please don't let this cigar taste the way it smells.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): A beautiful 6x50 cigar. It was oily with small veins with a smooth tapered head. It looks like a Macanudo Duke of Windsor. I was ready to fire it up right out of the box, but waited a week. It had a nice looking wrapper and the cap was smooth.

Ted Slotwinski (Ted): A nice looking toro sized cigar (6x50) with a unique cone-shaped head. Very solid feel with a nearly vein less Conn Shade wrapper. Pre-light aroma was mild and slightly spicy. Clipping the end and pulling air through indicates this cigar will have a tight draw.

Smoke Comments

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): The cigar had very nice balance to it with a mild to medium strength. The flavor of the cigar was slightly woody with no bitterness and with a little burn on the tongue.

Gilbert Villanueva (gilv): While the cigar gave me an excellent pre-light impression it was after lighting it up that it quickly disappointed me. While the initial taste was mid with some sweet or mid herb flavor the cigar became plugged after about 1 inch. I tied unsuccessfully to revive it but to no avail. The second cigar was worse requiring several re-lightings and became helplessly plugged after the first 1/2 inch. What little taste I got was excellent though. I must state that I keep my humidor at 70-71% RH

Gregory S. Desens (Preferidos-1,2,3): I put both samples in my humidor for 3 days to help them recover from shipping trauma. It did not help them at all!!! These samples were identical in taste, both seemed real GREEN Tasting, like fresh from the field. The burn and draw were both good, but the taste was something out of Tales From the Crypt.

Jan Esler-Rowe (jancascade): This cigar produced a fair amount of smoke, the ash was a light gray. The cigar drew very well and burned evenly. It was a mild yet flavorful smoke, just the kind that I enjoy.

Jason Wilbarger (ÞF15-Loader): After lighting this cigar I immediately hoped it would develop into something more. At about the 2-inch mark I was still hoping, it just never developed. At about the 1/2 way point it did seem to pick up some again, however it just never got out of the gate. Unfortunately I found this cigar flat and very one-dimensional. I would describe the flavor of this cigar if I could find the verbiage to describe it. The draw however was nice as was the aroma of the burning cigar.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): It had a great smell and loads of thick smoke. It had a very nice and smooth draw, but burned uneven. I tried to fix it a couple of times but decided it wasn't so bad and let it go. It was mild to medium and it again had a very nice taste. I didn't find any outstanding or over powering taste or flavor that stood out from any other.

Ted Slotwinski (Ted): The initial flavors for about the first 1/2 inch were very nice. Some sweetness and spiciness on the tongue with a medium body. The draw is tight, but I'm able to get a good amount of smoke. Then, for the remainder of the cigar, boredom sets in. Mild-medium bodied with straight tobacco flavor. This sure tastes Dominican, without much ligero in the blend.

Summary Comments

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): This cigar was a good mild to medium cigar which I would smoke in the morning (it went very well with my morning coffee). A few of these will be finding their way to my humidor.

Gilbert Villanueva (gilv): While the appearance was excellent the pre-light aroma was great both cigars became plugged after about 1 inch. The little flavor I got from trying to draw on a very tight cigar I really enjoyed. As soon as the identity of these cigars is known I will try them again, maybe I got a bad batch.

Gregory S. Desens (Preferidos-1,2,3): If these Are Macanudo Duke of Windsor's, they sure took a turn for the worse. But I will chalk it up as a couple of bad representatives. These usually are Good, Mild-Bodied cigars with coffee and Tea nuances. Bottom Line:D-!! Thanks, Cigarweekly for choosing me to review these cigars as I enjoyed doing it!!

Jan Esler-Rowe (jancascade): I am anxious to find out the name of this cigar. It beautifully made, drew well and smoked evenly. I would buy this cigar for my own personal collection.

Jason Wilbarger (ÞF15-Loader): Overall my opinion is this was a beautifully constructed cigar that was obviously rolled with care. However, the cigar itself was lackluster. There wasn't much here to get me fired up. At most, it would be a good fishing cigar or a cigar for when you don't really want to pay attention but would like something to puff on. If it weren't for the beautiful construction this cigar would definitely be a 2 star in my book.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): I enjoyed this cigar very much. It was mild to medium and would be a good morning smoke when you have time to enjoy it. I would like to have some of these in my humidor to sit and enjoy in the morning after a good Mexican breakfast.

Ted Slotwinski (Ted): An OK cigar but not one that I'd buy for myself. If I had to guess, I'd say this was a JR Alt to something.

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 32.1 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average

The Macanudo is the most popular cigar brand, out-selling every other brand, every year. And the Macanudo Vintage should be even better, because it's made with higher quality tobacco that's been aged longer, right? Well, this is where personal preferences interfere with the review process. If you like mild cigars, you'll enjoy the quality construction and smooth, creamy, slightly sweet flavor. If you prefer full-bodied, strong cigars, you'll still appreciate the quality of construction, but you'll find the flavor weak and bland -- and a waste of your cigar money. So if you like mild cigars, I recommend you try a Macanudo Vintage VI, it's perfect for a special occasion. Otherwise, don't let this cigar's good looks seduce you; pass this one by.