Cigar Review: Kristoff Maduro

Robusto, 5.5" x 54 ring
The Kristoff Maduro is a dark, rustic-looking cigar with large prominent veins all over the toothy wrapper. The head has a pigtail and the foot is finished in shaggy fashion. The stick I smoked was mostly firm to the touch and I found the dual band had an understated classy appearance; the low-contrast printing on a heavy, textured paper stock was a little thing that was very impressive to me.

The prelight aroma from the body was faint to the point of non-existent. From the foot there were aromas of chocolate and leather. The prelight draw was easy without being loose and the flavors were chocolate or cocoa with jut a little spice on the lips.

The lighting took some work because of the shaggy wrapper leaf--the next time I smoke one of these, I will just remove that portion. The flavors after lighting were predominantly black pepper and dark-roast coffee, with just a bit of bitter cocoa. The reviews I glanced at before smoking called this a medium-bodied smoke, but I would have to say medium-to-full based on the first few minutes.

After about three-quarters of an inch, the body mellowed a bit and the flavor turned more toward the bitter, strong coffee aspect while losing any pepper or spice. The draw was not tight, but it did not feel like I was getting a huge amount of smoke of the cigar.

After the first third was done...have I mentioned that this cigar was bitter? Yes, there was a little sweetness in the middle, but overall, the bitterness wins. Not in a bad way, mind you, just not my favorite flavor profile. It was definitely good, but so far not destined to become one of my favorites.

Deep into the second third, the bitterness abated somewhat (finally!) and some spice returned on the finish. The flavor change finally showed some real complexity and showed that the cigar might be redeemable after all.

As I headed into the home stretch, I was pleased with this cigar if not really blown away. I would give it another chance to see if another sample would be better (rather than bitter) over all and I would like to try the other wrapper option (Corojo).

Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 7.5/10