Macanudo, America's best selling cigar. When I first started smoking many years ago Macanduo was my go to cigar. I really enjoyed the Cafe and Gold Label for special occasions. As time progressed my palate changed and I started getting into stronger cigars and other brands. Macanudo got left behind and kind of forgotten about. When I revisited a Macanudo Cafe a few years ago it wasn't the same experience as when I was a new cigar smoker. At that time Macanudo just fell off my radar. General Cigar sent a few samples of the Macanudo 1968 which I had never smoked. Can this Macanudo 1968 rekindle some of the magic that we used to have?
Recently General Cigar announced a brick & mortar price reduction of the Macanudo 1968 with an average savings of $3.33 per cigar or $32 per box.
"Macanudo 1968 is made completely of tobaccos which are either grown by General Cigar or cultivated for the company under an agreement of exclusivity. Harvested one sun-ripened leaf at a time, aged in tercios and charcoaled wooden barrels to further enrich its flavor, the blend marries proprietary Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco to a tobacco cultivated solely for General Cigar in the remote Nicaraguan island of Ometepe. These tobaccos were developed expressly to complement the hearty Connecticut Habano binder and flawless, lustrous Honduran San Agustin wrapper."
"Macanudo 1968 is aesthetically pleasing, with the brand’s characteristic round head and immaculate construction evident at the first glance. From the first draw to the last, deeply complex yet balanced flavor envelops the palate with a freshness that celebrates inherent natural sweetness from the soils that bore each tobacco."
Size: Robusto 5X50
Wrapper: Honduran San Agustin
Binder: Habano Connecticut
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan (Esteli), Nicaraguan (Ometepe)
Price: $6.49
The Macanudo 1968 is a fantastic cigar from cap to foot just going on looks alone. The dark wrapper has a reddish tint and is mottled in direct sunlight. A few veins can be seen and there is a nice light oil to the wrapper. The tobacco feels evenly rolled with no soft spots detected. The cigar band is really nice and looks great on this wrapper.
I smoked five of these before finishing my review. My experience with punching or cutting them was identical. All five cigars had great draw, burned thick but evenly, and put out tons of great smoke. Initial flavors of leather, earthy tobacco and cedar were prominent. I was surprised by the great flavors and really enjoyed the start of the cigar. There is a fair spiciness and an underlying salty taste that kick in about half way in. The strength builds towards the end and finishes as a solid medium to me. At the end the burn did get a little hot but I just slowed down a little so I could enjoy the nub.
I admit I had written Macanudo off. Not that they were bad cigars or poorly made. That is not the case at all. I was smoking the mild Macanudo Cigars and my palate changed to where I craved more flavor and strength. This Macanudo was a pleasant surprise and made me realize that you can't write off an entire brand of cigars because you no longer enjoy one of their product lines. Macanudo Cafe and Gold Label are well made cigars that I used to love but just don't do it for me anymore as far as flavor and strength are concerned. This is a really good cigar that smoked well and offered some good flavors. After smoking this I can honestly say that Macanudo is back on my radar. I wouldn't mind keeping a few of these in the humidor especially to share with a mild cigar smoker looking to take the next step up. With the recent price reduction it makes picking up some of these even more appealing.
Check out the pictures here :
http://cigarcatadore.blogspot.com/20...1968.html#more
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