First Look: Limited Edicion Maduro Habanos

By Joseph Giordano
Photos by Steve Faccenda

The age-old question as to whether or not Cuba makes a true maduro cigar can finally be answered, with a resounding yes!

I have had the privilege to sample three of the four different limited edicion maduro habanos; the Montecristo Robusto (4 7/8"x50), the Romeo y Julieta Prominete (7 5/8"x49) and the Partagas Piramide (6 1/8"x52). Unfortunately the Hoyo de Monterrey Particulares (9 ¼"x47) was not available for sampling.

These cigars are a special limited edition made with wrappers from leaves harvested from 1997-1998. The wrapper leaf was gathered from the corona (or crown) of the tobacco plant. The leaves were aged and fermented to bring out the true Colorado-Maduro color.

Overall the appearance of these maduros is a dark mottled color, true to fashion of a Colorado-Maduro. They have a dark marbleized black/brown appearance with only minor veins and a nice oily sheen. They aren't the darkest colored sticks I have seen coming out of Cuba, but they are close. However, once lighting them up you will not mistake these for just a very dark maduro colored stick. These are true maduros in every "taste" of the word. Although the wrapper is several years old there are some subtle hints of youth coming from the filler tobaccos. With about six months of humidor time, these cigars will truly be outstanding.

The exact factory producing these sticks has been debated but they have supposedly been seen being manufactured in the La Corona factory as well as the H. Upmann factory. Only a few boxes will be sent to various retailers and the sticks are reportedly being sold at a premium. Overall they are medium bodied, medium strength cigars which are smooth and chocolatey with an outstanding sweet cocoa and cedar aroma. Construction is excellent and these cigars are truly a site to behold.

Montecristo Limited Edicion Maduro Robusto

This maduro has a dark marbelized brown/black wrapper. Its not quite as dark as other maduros or even as dark as some regular colorado maduro colored sticks, but it's definitely a maduro. It has a slight box press with a good hand and mouth feel.

The cigar has a very nice rich pre-lite aroma. Both the draw and smoke volume were very good. The burn was a bit uneven and these cigars do require a few relites, which I think will disappear with some additional humidor time.

The initial flavors are a true chocolatey herbal maduro taste with some underlying twanginess that substantiates its heritage. There are also some woody notes present.

The ash was a dark grey and very solid. The aroma is a rich cocoa scent with some sweetness to it, very enjoyable. There is also a prevalent cedar aroma, which complements the cocoa scent nicely. The aroma given by these sticks is one of its strongest points. It brought back memories of the richly intoxicating aroma of a Bolivar Belicoso Fino.

After the first few puffs the twanginess subsided and the herbal qualities picked up a touch of spice. Eventually this switched to a cedary flavor at the midpoint. This is where the aroma also began picking up some cedar tones.

It's a smooth smoke with only the slightest touch of spice. This cigar is a medium strength, medium bodied stick and by the flavor you wouldn't have guessed it to be a Montecristo. There was no harshness at all and the cigar remained smooth throughout the smoke. The last 1/4" did show signs of youth with a touch of ammonia in the finish.

It was slightly unbalanced with flavors fading in and out, but with some age this stick will round out and be very enjoyable. Not a powerhouse but a nice mid-day smoke.

Romeo y Julieta Limited Edicion Maduro Prominete

This is a big stick with a very attractive uniform wrapper. It is a dark marbelized color, again not the darkest maduro I have seen. The bunching is firm with a nice spongy give. It is uniform throughout the length of this large DC. The cigar has a slight box press and is exceptionally well made.

The draw is just a touch tighter than I would like but smoke volume is acceptable. The prelite aroma is very rich and inviting. The smoking aroma is sweet with a cocoa, brownie like scent. Very enjoyable and again this cigar's strongest point.

The initial flavors are a chocolately herbal like taste of a maduro with just a whisper of twanginess. This cigar is also very smooth and mellow on the palette with no harshness at all. There are less woody flavors as found in the Montecristo, but more herbal like tastes. As with the Montecristo, the aroma is rich and intoxicating. The finish is medium to long with a constant chocolate\herbal taste.

The burn is pretty even with a solid dark grey ash.

The last third I picked up some woody and cedar notes, with an occassional glimpse of ammonia indicating that these sticks need to rest a bit to fully develop.

Overall these are a medium body medium strength smooth stick. A very good enjoyable daytime smoke. The flavor and aroma profiles of this Romeo y Julieta is very similar to that of the Montecristo, just in a larger format.

Partagas Limited Edicion Maduro Piramide

This is a very good-looking torpedo, not as dark as you might expect from a "Maduro", but it is. Construction is top notch! A more subtle, less inviting prelite aroma than in the Montecristo or Romeo y Julieta.

The draw and smoke volume were very good. The initial few puffs on this cigar were truly an unbelievable experience. Not only was there a rich deep maduro flavor of chocolate and herbal notes but there was a solid twanginess to go along with it. This was much more pronounced than in the other sizes. It truly made an interesting combination, however the twang quickly faded and more woody notes developed.

The herbal flavor of the other sizes is less pronounced in the torpedo and this has a more woody and earthy taste with a very subtle touch of spice. There is almost a "Bolivaresque" flavor developing.

The aroma is very nice but not quite as sweet as the others. There is a bit more sting to it with definite cedar hints, but it is not offensive in any way and is extremely enjoyable, albeit not as much as in the other sizes. With the aroma being the strongest point in the Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta, it is definitely the taste, which excels in this pyramid. Although I felt that the blends of the robusto and DC were the same, this one definitely seems slightly different and even a bit stronger.

The burn was somewhat uneven needing several touch ups to keep it straight. It did produce a dark grey solid ash.

After the first 1/4" the flavors mellowed and the cigar settled into a cocoa woodiness with a slight taste of earth and spice. The flavors flatten out to the point of almost being disappointing and just when you felt a let down the flavors suddenly start developing again and more herbal notes arrive.

This cigar has an excellent hand and mouth feel and provides the most complexity of the three. The Torp is a definite teaser with the flavors fading in and out to keep you on your toes and in each revival of flavors a slightly different taste emerges.

At the half-way point the burn evened out and definite chocolate flavors appeared. The finish is long and sweet with woody notes.

The last 1/4" showed whispers of youth but not as much as the other sizes.

All in all, the Partagas proved to be the most complex of the three samples as well as the strongest, and my personal favorite.

These maduros are definitely true maduro cigars made with aged fermented maduro wrappers. The classic chocolate and herbal notes found in many maduros is present along with the wonderful twanginess only found in Cuban cigars. Although, these smokes will definitely benefit from additional resting time, I would highly recommend them. Hopefully there will be more maduros likes these coming from Cuba in our future.