Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra / Ecuador
Binder: U.S. Broadleaf / United States
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano, Dominican Olor, Nicaraguan Condega, Nicaraguan Estelí
Size: Toro (6 x 50)
Strength: Mild-Plus → Medium-Plus (nub)
Body: Medium → Full (nub)
Price: $7.20–$7.99 single (U.S., varies by retailer)*
Factory: STG Estelí, Nicaragua
Blender: Not disclosed
Release: April 2026 (Regular Production)
Smoking Time: 1:25
Experience Rating: 95
Macanudo is fucking with us.
Their cigars are supposed to be uninspiring and pedestrian, yet their latest releases are anything but.
I got into a conversation with the owners of West Coast Cigars, Father Bob and Kyle, this afternoon when Father Bob brought up the new Macanudo Sumatra. He told me it was surprisingly good.
Kyle immediately agreed.
He had been at PCA this year and mentioned that General has been making some moves with Macanudo. According to Kyle, Justin Andrews, the guy who helped completely revamp Diesel, is now setting the direction for the Macanudo brand. Kyle called him one of the best and most underrated blenders in the business.
Then I remembered the Emissary France. Back in April, that cigar caught me completely off guard. It was the first Macanudo I’d smoked in a long time that made me wonder what the hell was going on over there.
Apparently, that wasn’t a one-off, because now that I’ve smoked a couple of Sumatra Toros, I understand what Kyle was talking about.
Nobody I know gets excited about Macanudo. I sure as hell don’t. But this thing? It’s a Macanudo. It’s supposed to be boring.
The only problem is that it’s not boring at all.
I never thought I’d ever say this, but I’m buying a box of these to add to my daily driver rotation. It’s that good.
Synopsis
Strength stays remarkably steady through the first half before beginning a gradual climb, reaching medium around halfway and continuing upward to just below medium-plus at the nub. Body starts at medium and builds more progressively, thickening through the second half before reaching full at the nub. Activity is the most dynamic curve, remaining quiet through ignition and settling in, jumping sharply during progression, staying elevated through halfway and the home stretch, peaking through the last couple of inches, then easing in the last inch before dropping sharply at the nub.
The sharply box-pressed Toro has almost creased corners. The wrapper is toothy and rough under the fingers, with just a faint oil sheen. The seams are barely visible, there aren’t any large veins, and the presentation looks a lot better than I expect from a Macanudo.
The wrapper gives off sweet fruit, rich tobacco, and bread. At the foot, the bread sweetness carries through with a little hay.
The cold draw is surprisingly easy for such a sharply box-pressed cigar, bringing more sweet bread along with a dry sweetgrass note.
The first thing I get when I light the cigar is rich coffee with cream and just a touch of sugar, followed by charred cedar and hickory. Strength sits a little below medium with a medium body.
A light spice comes in like a small wave, then backs off and leaves behind a floral sweetness on the finish that moves up toward the roof of my mouth.
The blend immediately reminds me of some excellent Dominican farm rolls I smoked last year. It isn’t especially complicated yet, but it’s well-structured and already delicious.
As the cigar settles in, the coffee and cream move to the center while the sweetness circles around the profile. The spice continues coming in waves, rising briefly before backing off again.
The retrohale brings sweet bread along with a faint but distinct orange peel. I can taste the influence of the Olor in the aromatics and subtle sweetness, while the Broadleaf binder appears to be adding some weight and structure.
Everything is balanced. It isn’t too sweet, and while the cigar feels structured, it’s not at all dense.
Getting into the first half, the cigar suddenly opens up. Mango, papaya, and pineapple all show up, subtle but unmistakable. I picked up the same tropical fruit in both cigars, so this isn’t a one-off.
There’s malt, orange zest, vanilla bean, dulce de leche, and even a little of that funky Jamaican rum hogo. I was tempted to grab some overproof rum, but this cigar is way too light for that kind of sensory assault.
Strength is getting close to medium as the spice starts to assert itself, and the body thickens a little.
This is where the complexity really starts to show itself, but you have to pay attention. There’s a lot going on, and if you’re distracted or talking, it would be easy to miss some of it. I think the lighter strength has a lot to do with that.
Who knew Macanudo could do nuance?
The Emissary France gave me the first clue that Macanudo was moving in a more sophisticated direction. What I didn’t expect was for them to carry that down into something this inexpensive.
Whoa! The retrohale hits me with dill pickle. Totally unexpected, but I love it!
The flavors start cycling, and I can feel the energy picking up.
By the halfway point, leather and a mineral bite have worked their way in, giving the brighter notes something to push against.
Strength has finally reached medium, but the body still hasn’t moved much. The cigar is getting more active, though, and the spice waves are a little stronger now.
Then black tea shows up, followed by green bell pepper, sage, lemon thyme, and even a hint of celery. Cocoa powder comes in out of nowhere.
Damn! This is a Macanudo! I’m still having a hard time processing it.
I’ve had to make a couple of small burn corrections, but otherwise the burn has been amazingly straight for such a sharply box-pressed cigar. The ash is stacking up in neat little dimes. The one I smoked earlier burned just as straight, although the ash was flakier, probably from the light breeze that was blowing as I smoked it on the lawn outside the lounge.
Into the home stretch, the cocoa powder starts circling with the sweetness, while the spice gets stronger and hangs around longer on the roof of my mouth.
The finish is gorgeous: creamy nougat and dark toffee.
The profile is getting darker, but the strength barely moves. The body thickens a little, and the core starts stepping forward without actually getting stronger. It’s more of a rearrangement.
The spice keeps trying to take over, but the mineral bite holds it in check. Meanwhile, the secondary flavors keep cycling, maybe even a little faster now.
Then I get honeycomb crunch. The See’s Candies kind. One of my favorites as a kid.
Down to the last couple of inches, and this cigar is so well-behaved.
Not in that aristocratic, ultra-premium kind of way. It’s more like a mischievous kid trying to contain himself in church. There’s a ton of energy there, but he knows better than to let it loose during the service. Just that little knowing smirk.
The flavors are still cycling, and the sweetness has turned into Pixie Sticks. The spice is a fixture now. It’s no longer fighting with the minerality and instead gently pulses against the roof of my mouth.
The body has crept up to barely medium-plus, while the strength remains remarkably even.
In the last inch, the flavor cycling starts to slow down. Everything is still there, but the secondary notes aren’t moving around with the same energy.
The core gets darker. The coffee deepens, the leather becomes more assertive, and the sweetness darkens with it. The Pixie Sticks are gone, replaced by brown sugar.
Strength ticks up a little, while the core and spice start taking more control of the profile. It never gets overwhelming. It’s just another shift.
The body thickens along with it. There’s no real compression yet, but the smoke has become noticeably more viscous.
And the burn is still crisp. I’ve smoked $30 cigars that can’t manage this kind of burn with a standard parejo, yet this sharply box-pressed sub-$6 cigar is still behaving itself.
Damn! Again, this is a Macanudo. They don’t do this.
At the nub, the core and spice have pretty much taken over. The secondary flavors are still there, but now they’re just whispers in the background.
Is it nap time?
Strength moves up slightly, and I finally start to feel some nicotine. The smoke gets thick, and for the first time there’s some real compression.
I smoke it until my fingers are burning.
This was beautiful.
Nothing about the way it started gave me any indication that it was going to open up the way it did. The complexity was subtle and easy to miss, but that’s okay. You could smoke this cigar without paying close attention and still have a great experience.
But if you do pay attention, there’s a lot going on.
This thing blew me away. Is it one of the best cigars I’ve ever smoked? No. That’s not the point.
This is a daily driver. An anytime cigar. Something I can reach for without thinking about it, smoke the hell out of, and still find plenty to keep me interested. Yeah, I’m buying boxes of these going forward.
And yes.
Macanudo is fucking with us.
* Even though the listed retail pricing is $7.20 to $7.99, I found a great deal at Famous Smoke. The box price is $134.99, but with code 20DOJO22, the price drops to $114.99 or $5.74/stick. I’m definitely pulling the trigger on this deal!
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