Churchill, 7" x 50 ring gauge, $7.60What is left to say about Don Gonzalez cigars that did not get presented when I reviewed the Connecticut and Corojo last week? I can't think of anything, so if you need more back story on this stogie, I recommend reading last week's reviews. Today's featured smoke is the maduro expression of the Special Edition. It is a Nicaraguan puro with a wrapper that the company's website describes as "complex and flavored." "Flavored with what" is not revealed, but my guess is they meant to say "full-flavored."
This cigar was beautifully dark and oily--a nice dark chocolate appearance. The color was very consistent and the feel was a little rought--on closer inspection, there was some tooth to the leaf. The wrapper had mostly barnyard aromas of manure and hay, but there was just a faint whiff of chocolate. The foot had much more chocolate, but also a complex mix of earth and barnyard. The cold draw was just a little on the tight side, but not out of the ordinary. In prelight, I got flavors of tea and chocolate along with a hint of spice.
Initial puffs brought thick, creamy smoke that had hints of leather and earth along with some chocolate and coffee flavors that came on pretty strong. There was also a hint of pepper spice, but only when exhaled through the nose. The first third was dominated by the bitter tastes of cocoa powder and black coffee, offset to some degree by the natural sweetness of the maduro wrapper. So far, this was shaping up to be one of the best maduros I had smoked in a while--flavorful and smooth with a spicy edge and a nice medium-to-full body. The burn line started to go crooked by the end of the first third, but I decided to give it some time to correct itself.
The flavor of coffee, black and strong, came to dominate the second third, while the chocolatey sweetness became just a mild undercurrent. The burn line straightened up on its own, which I always like to see.
In the last segment, the flavor turned more leathery and earthy, also with a return of some pepper spice. There were still coffee undertones, but the chocolate sweetness all but disappeared. In the end, the Don Gonzalez Special Edition Maduro was an excellent cigar that will appeal strongly to the maduro fans of the world. It was complex and substantial and well worth the price of admission. The body crept up to the full range by the end and there was a bit of nicotine strength because of the larger size.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
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