At the end of 2017 we named the original Aladino Cigar of the Year. So the obvious question is how do you follow that up? JRE Tobacco believes the answer is the Aladino Maduro, which got it’s official global release this past weekend on The Cigar Authority podcast. JRE Tobacco is the company owned by the father and son team of Julio and Justo Eiroa, and the cigars are made in Honduras. The cigar is available in four sizes, three of which are box pressed. Those are Robusto (5 x 50), Cazador (6 x 46) and Toro (6 x 50). The fourth size and today’s review is not box pressed.
Cigar Review: Aladino Maduro
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: Honduras (100% Authentic Corojo)
Filler: Honduras (100% Authentic Corojo)
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 38
Vitola: Elegante
The Look: Aladino Maduro comes packaged in 20 count boxes featuring inside lid artwork from an old Cuban magazine that takes us back to the glory days of cigars when gentlemen would wear suits fedora’s. The Maduro box has a more luxurious feel to it as its features a stained wood, and silver foil whereas the original release is unfinished cedar box with the brand and size burned into it. Inside, the 20 Elegantes are packaged in two rows of 10. The band feels like it is placed a bit high not he cigar, and the San Andres wrapper is flawless. It feels toothy under the fingers, with a hefty weight for the size and a well packed foot.
The Notes: Once we clip the cap on the cigar there is a cold draw that reminds me very much of the wrapper that adorns the cigar. It has a cookie dough like note, apricots and an abundance of cedar. The aroma off the foot and wrapper is a sweet milk chocolate. Once lit with my Vertigo Rocket, the initial notes are pepper, especially on the aroma.
Moving into the first third the pepper notes quickly subside and notes of chocolate begin to develop that are fairly easy to identify. As the first third comes to a close, the chocolate becomes more of a cocoa sweetness with nuances of cedar and licorice. The finish is moderate in length, and the retrohale adds some more licorice and oak to the mix.
The second third sees the sweet note change up again becoming a darker mocha note with hints of espresso. The licorice experienced in the first has been replaced by by earth, and the finish has a touch of apricot nectar. The retrohale has hints of wood and black pepper which linger on the finish which becomes longer at this point of the smoke.
The last third of the Aladino Maduro Elegante sees notes of coffee beans and espresso become dominant and there is a chocolate cake quality to it as well complete with mocha frosting. The core notes are earth and the retrohale sees black pepper and cedar on this enjoyable cigar with a moderate to lengthy finish.
The Finish: It’s interesting to see how the flavor profile of the cigar changes between box pressed and round. We will follow-up with the box pressed version later this week. But I truly enjoy this lancero to the point where I have purchased a box. It’s complex and medium in strength, with an excellent burn that never needed to be re-lit. I believe it’s a contender for the 2018 Cigar of the Year, but we don’t make that list official until later in the year, so a lot can change.
Score: 94
Price: $9.69 / $179.99
Aladino Maduro Elegantes
Aladino Maduro Elegantes Box
Aladino Maduro Elegantes Foot
Aladino Maduro Elegantes Burn
