Cigar Reviewed: Macanudo Vintage 2010

Smoked at: Texas

Pre-light: Good flavors on the cold draw include unsweetened cocoa, and a light fruitiness to it - prune I think.

First third: Surprisingly pleasant upon the first few puffs. I pick up notes of oak and cocoa early on. Vanilla and baking spice notes are hidden until the retrohale. Medium body.

Middle third: Not much shift in flavor notes moving into the second third, but the spice notes hit a bit harder and the cocoa notes die down a bit. Quite a bit of tar build-up early into the middle third requiring me to cut just a bit more off the head.

Final third: A little bit of pepper breaks through on the puff, and the oak notes are at their fullest. The cocoa flavors are pretty much gone. The retrohale is still displaying the same vanilla and baking spice notes, although the spice notes are sweetening up a bit revealing a bit of gingerbread. The body also picks up a little bit, but not enough to rate a Medium-Full.

Construction: The burn was very uneven throughout...nearly an inch off on one side. All efforts to correct the burn were in vain. The wrapper also cracked in the middle and started peeling before the light got to it.

Opinion: For years, I've called Macanudo "the Bud Light of cigars" because they sell a product with no flavor by the millions. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in getting a Macanudo for my first review, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flavor in this cigar. The General Cigar Company has finally challenged that statement and proved they can be more than a "Bud Light brand" with this Vintage 2010. The flavor notes were very consistent throughout even though the balance of flavors shifted as the cigar progressed. While the construction could definitely be improved, the overall flavor profile was very pleasing to my palate.