Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan long-fillers
Size: Salamone (7.1 x 58)
Strength: Medium → Medium-Full
Body: Medium → Full
Price: $7.00 ($3.84/stick for Members in a 20-pack)
Factory: Tabacalera Pages de Nicaragua S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua
Blender: Raymond Pages
Release: June 2024 (Regular Production)
Smoking Time: 1:35
Experience Rating: 95
This is a cheap cigar.
It’s also a house blend, and they’re not supposed to be good. But as I shared in “House Blends Are Supposed to Suck,” Raymond Pages and Cigar Page continue to prove that wrong.
I first heard about this blend from Katman’s review of the double robusto and put it on my list. When I finally ordered some, I saw that it came in a Salamone. I love figurados, so I got a 10-pack.
I will be buying more.
On that note, I would buy it at $7/stick, but being a Cigar Page Page+ member knocks that price down to $3.84/stick in a pack of 20. I was skeptical of the membership when I signed up a couple of months ago, but it will soon pay for itself with the savings I’ve gotten on my purchases.
Synopsis
Strength and body open at medium while activity begins high. Strength rises quickly to medium-full, levels off through the middle, then edges slightly higher in the last couple of inches. Body climbs more steadily, moving beyond strength early and continuing upward until it reaches full, where it remains through the nub. Activity holds high through the first half, peaks in the home stretch, then eases slightly during the last inch without dropping below its elevated starting point.
The Salamone is beautifully rolled. I’m digging the shape of the cigar, especially with its rustic, toothy Mexican San Andrés wrapper covered in a matte-like finish of oils. The stick feels solid in my hand.
The wrapper smells predominantly of barnyard with a mild San Andrés sweetness in the background. There isn’t much of an opening at the foot, but I can still pick up sourdough bread and a floral sweetness.
The cold draw is open but not loose, giving me Chinese chili crisp and teak wood. Very exotic.
The first puff gives me jasmine incense and a floral sweetness at medium strength and body.
Salted rice crackers, grilled meats, cedar, espresso, teak, white pepper, black pepper, and tropical flowers quickly emerge over the next few puffs. There’s already a lot moving around in the profile, giving the cigar a surprisingly complex start.
As I make my way through the tapered tip, I can feel a core beginning to form around coffee, teak, and dark, loamy soil. Strength and body both tick up a notch.
A featherlight touch of spice starts at the tip of my tongue and works its way back through the finish, where a background sweetness appears and lingers. The secondary flavors continue bouncing around my mouth, arriving randomly as individuals and in groups.
As I get into the first half, cream enters the picture and completes the core of coffee, teak, earth, and cream. The sweetness now seems to lead, while nicotine pushes the strength higher and the body continues to thicken.
The spice begins to assert itself. It continues moving from the front of my tongue to the back, but it’s a little more pronounced now and lingers on the finish alongside the sweetness. Rye bread joins the profile, while the secondary flavors continue their random dance.
There’s so much energy in this profile! It reminds me of one of those Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon beach dance scenes. Yeah, I’m dating myself. :)
The teak is really coming out now, and I’m loving the exotic nature of this smoke. I get an image of sitting in a lush Indonesian jungle with traditional Balinese music playing in the background.
I reach the halfway point in only 30 minutes. The cigar is rolled tightly, but there may not be much tobacco volume inside. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s simply how the Salamone was constructed. The airflow is perfect, and it’s burning quickly even though I’m writing as I smoke and taking long pauses between puffs.
The way the secondary flavors bounce around really is like a Balinese song. Strength, body, and activity haven’t moved. It’s as though the cigar is telling me to stop thinking about where it’s going, sit back, and enjoy the music.
Huh. Just as I think I’m going to burn through this quickly, the burn begins to slow.
The profile darkens as I enter the home stretch, but there’s no increase in strength. Coffee turns to espresso, the teak intensifies, and the cream thickens. The background sweetness fades slightly, while the spice firmly plants itself on the tip of my tongue and pulses rapidly. It has been pulling the profile forward for the entire smoke.
Then I hit a meaty, savory transition of stewed beef in a thick sauce, mushroom umami, soy sauce, and green peppercorn reminiscent of au poivre sauce. Freakin’ delicious cigar! No wonder Katman likes this blend so much.
The transitions begin coming one after another. Grapefruit peel gives way to lemon and orange zest. Sage, thyme, and Mexican oregano follow, then Hershey’s cocoa powder and dark 70-percent cacao chocolate. Sourdough toast and oatmeal step in behind them.
All the while, the Balinese music continues playing in the background. These transitions are like traditional Balinese dancers moving across the stage, while the core remains hidden until the finish. It’s still there beneath the performance, providing the stage on which everything else moves.
The burn has really slowed down. I thought this was going to be a quick one-hour smoke, but it will easily go an hour and a half, if not longer.
I’m overwhelmed by the complexity of this cigar. This is why I love Salamone and pirámide shapes. When they’re done right, the changing ring gauge creates a procession of transitions as the cigar tapers.
The Balinese concert continues. Body reaches full while strength behaves itself, edging up only slightly. The transitions appear to stop, but the flavors continue their smooth, exotic dance as the core and spice begin asserting themselves. The spice now tingles on my lips and across the roof of my mouth.
Tar begins building up at the head, so I clip off about an eighth of an inch. The draw opens again, and I’m immediately hit with an assortment of roasted cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamias, and Brazil nuts. The aroma from the foot is intoxicating, filled with roasted nuts and jasmine incense. Simply gorgeous.
Then another transition arrives. Genoa salami, sharp provolone, mortadella, and ciabatta bread come together. It’s like I’m eating an Italian sandwich.
The dark core defines the finish, but the profile around it remains completely articulate. There’s no collapse whatsoever.
The meaty and savory elements take turns as I enter the last inch. I have an entire charcuterie plate in front of me, with meats, cheese, and citrus fruits. Wow.
The Balinese music is still playing, but its theme has grown darker. Gongs and larger bells carry the savory elements as the tempo begins to slow. The smoke is thick, white, and copious.
I finally retrohale, and the roasted nuts return. Amazing.
The dark core becomes dominant at the nub, but it remains incredibly articulate. Bread and roasted nuts lead, followed by the charcuterie plate.
The music hasn’t stopped. That’s the thing about Balinese music: you never quite know when it’s going to end.
I’m just riding this one out and enjoying the music in my head.
What a remarkable cigar.
Clipping a little more from the head in the home stretch made all the difference. Tar buildup was beginning to drag the profile into darkness, but removing that eighth of an inch opened the draw and allowed the concert to continue.
I bought this 10-pack blind based on Katman’s review of the Double Robusto. I’ll be buying more. The Megilla MSA Salamone is an incredibly complex, dynamic, and thoroughly enjoyable cigar that kept the Balinese music playing in my head for an hour and 35 minutes.
This seals the deal for me with Raymond Pages. I already had a renewed respect for his blending skills, but this cigar shows just how much he can accomplish when given a shape that allows the blend to move.
You can buy this fantastic cigar at Cigar Page. It’s already affordable, but with a Cigar Page Page+ membership, the price goes way down.
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