Recluse Amadeus Connecticut Review

On our previous episode of The Cigar Authority before the IPCPR we lit up Recluse Amadeus Connecticut and I enjoyed the cigar so much, I couldn’t believe this one got by me and hadn’t been reviewed on the website. It is the perfect cigar on why the question we ask when we enter a cigar shop needs to change from “what’s new to what’s good?”.

If you listen to the show, you know that Recluse is rolled entubar style for a perfect draw every time. However, enough of the advertisement let’s take a look at the cigar.

Cigar Review: Recluse Amadeus
Size: 5 x 52 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuador Shade Grown
Binder: MBC (Proprietary)
Filler: Dominican Ligero, Dominican Viso, Dominican Seco, USA Pennsylvanian Broadleaf
Strength: Mild
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop

The Look: The band that adorns the Recluse Amadeus has a high gloss white background will silver foil. The logo of the cigar is a spider, and a secondary band denotes Amadeus. The foot of the cigar is protected by a silver foot band even though the cigar comes packaged in cello. The shade grown wrapper as a thin network of veins and has a paper bag brown color to it. Box pressed to perfection the cigar has a Dominican style cap and no soft spots.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Recluse Amadeus Connecticut has some elements of wheat and earth to it while the aroma off the foot reminds me of cedar and honey.

Once the cigar is lit, the initial notes are a subtle spice that reminds me of crushed red pepper. Now don’t get me wrong, the cigar remains mild despite this subtle spice. As the first cigar progresses it remains buttery smooth with elements of cedar and nuts.

In the second third of the cigar some citrus notes develop right around the half way point of the cigar that reminds me of tangerines. Some of the wheat experienced on the cold draw work their way into the mix, and especially noticed on the moderate finish.

The last third of the Recluse remains exceptionally smooth with just enough body to keep me interested and the flavors of cedar, wheat and nuts are complex and diverse enough to make me smile at the end of my cigar.

The Burn: A box pressed that burns well, I’ll be honest that it sounds like a challenge to me. The Recluse Amadeus nails it. The firm light color ash held for nearly half the cigar, and the iconic draw was perfection. The burn line was even and the cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish: I alluded to it in my pre-smoke but sometimes we should be asking the question, what is good. The answer then would be Recluse Amadeus. If mild is your choice is the cigar; this is the cigar to reach for. Smooth and balanced with a nice distinguished profile the Recluse Amadeus delivers.

Score: 92
Price: $7.69

Bullet Points
(Random Thoughts During Smoking Experience)

• The cigars are blended by the son of Jose Dominguez; J.R. Dominguez.
• Iconic Leaf which the company behind Recluse, filed a lawsuit against Kurt Kendall over the use of a spider logo which led to the discontinuation of Kurt Kendall’s 7-20-4 Spider in 2014.
• I’ve said it a million times, but I love the use of a foot band as it help keep the foot protected in your personal humidor.
• The cigar was my first cigar of the day and it was paired with cream soda. I find carbonated beverages help keep my palate fresh.
• Despite an affinity for strong cigars, I do find myself a fan of shade cigars and the creamy, butter notes if blended correctly which this was.
• Recluse claims each leaf in the cigar undergoes eight fermentation cycles. Based on the smooth nature of the cigar I would not question that.
• Total smoking time was 1 hour 40 minutes.