I got together with a childhood friend the other night and had an informal herf. I introduced him to both the Martinez brand with the NYC Blend “Queens” and the Martinez Don Antonio Escogido sticks. In turn, he introduced me to the 2019 #1 Cigar Aficionado cigar, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua “Maestro” (torpedo).
If you don’t want to read any further, it’s not a surprise that this got the #1 rating. This is a cigar that transitions throughout the smoke. While most cigars are reviewed in thirds, a more accurate way of assessing this cigar would be in tenths. It changes that much!
For me, it started out earthy and a little dusty. Then it transitioned to espresso and cacao. At times it got woody then fruity then back to coffee, then back to earthy. I commented to my buddy that it was hard to nail down the flavor profile of the cigar simply because it changed so much that I couldn’t really classify it. I’ve never had a stick go through this many transitions! And shit! I’ve only had one so far!
As far as construction goes, it was absolutely solid! The construction was even throughout the stick with no spongy or soft spots. The burn was generally even, and I only made a single correction to straighten out a slight angle because I’m anal about that and didn’t want to wait for it correct itself. But angled or not, the burn line was straight.
All that said, though a box of these beauties is quite affordable, I think I’ll try out a 5-pack first, then make my decision on a box. As I mentioned above, it’s not surprising CA gave it their #1 rating based on its inherent complexity. I’m just not sure that – taken as a whole – it’s a stick I’d want to have a lot; hence, getting a 5-pack to see just how much I like it.
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