Unco B's Stogie Diary

The Macaron Orange has the stillness of a marble statue. It doesn’t move much, but there’s tremendous power, structure, and complexity beneath the surface. It’s the epitome of what I value most in a Dominican cigar. Of the three Macarons, this one declares its name most completely.

The Don Carlos No. 2 is like Daniel Craig’s James Bond. On the surface, it’s calm, cool, and collected. But there’s far more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye.

The Privada Patisserie Macaron Series Lemon spends nearly half its smoking time as a mild-mannered, pleasant cigar before erupting with complexity. As they say, patience is a virtue, and in this case, my patience was well rewarded.

Smoking the Crowned Heads Mil Dias is like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of his hat. Each puff begins with a blur of activity before resolving into something distinct and completely unexpected. Just when I think I understand the trick, the cigar reaches into its hat again. This…

The Patisserie Macaron Series Vanilla is frank and almost blunt in its delivery. But that directness hides an incredibly complex and cosmopolitan mix of flavors, with transitions continuing throughout the smoke.

Smoking this cigar reminded me of listening to traditional Balinese music, all bells and percussion. There’s so much going on. This isn’t what I would have expected from an inexpensive cigar.

Complex, full-flavored, and astonishingly composed, the Patisserie behaves exactly like its namesake: a busy French bakery where every movement is controlled, deliberate, and without waste.

House blends are supposed to suck. But the Cigar Page house blends I’ve reviewed so far prove otherwise.