Martinez Don Antonio Escogido Maduro

Purchased: Robusto (6 X 50) 5-Pack
Shop: Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars, NYC
Price Paid: $60.00
Buy again? Absolutely. Not on a regular basis because I won’t smoke this too often.

There are some cigars that I love that start out with a certain flavor profile and just stay there, adding only a couple of other elements as I smoke down the stick. The Oliva Serie O is like that for me. Once the cherry’s going, I know what I’m getting for the rest of the stick, and I love it.

The Don Antonio Escogido Maduro, on the other hand, is the complete opposite experience. It changes as the cigar burns down. Amazingly, it starts out a little spicy with hints of cedar and marzipan. Then it transitions into an earthy, mineral smoke with cacao and espresso with a hint of shiitake mushroom. The mouthfeel thickens to a velvety smoothness with a luscious coffee with cream finish. Then that burns down to dark, Italian coffee with a bit of sweetness, like a Kahlua but only a hint.

The burn is long and even, with a burn line that remains straight throughout the smoke. I got a couple of waves about mid-smoke, but they corrected themselves and I didn’t have to do any touch-ups at all. As you can see from the picture to the right, the cigar is very well-constructed, being able to produce a nice, long ash. It fell off on its own soon after I snapped that picture because someone bumped into me.

Admittedly, I smoked that one much faster than I normally would with a smoke as good as this. But I was at a wedding reception, so I didn’t get a chance to let it rest much. But I still managed to get about an hour out of it, and I still had a couple of inches left before I had to let it burn out as we all got called in for the cake-cutting. And unfortunately, by the time I returned (I was going to re-light it), it had been cleaned up. Bummer.

It was funny that while I was smoking it at a bar table talking with friends and family I’d get this far-away look on my face, and at one point, my son got my attention and said, “You must be enjoying that cigar.” I just smiled and told him I was and I was taking mental notes so I could write them down in my diary.

This is a special occasion cigar and one that will never become part of my regular rotation. I’ve got a real Behike in my humidor, along with a few other very nice – and expensive – cigars. This cigar is in that class.