Burns manager, Matt, handed me two samples that he received from Maria Martin of Pedro Martin Cigars. Both were unbanded, but Maria had written with Sharpie what they were on the cellophane. I thought I would take a short look at them both today.
MADURO
Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge
I have to admit this one has two things against it from my perspective before I even cut it...first, it has a Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf; second, it is a 54 ring gauge. It is just my preference, though, that I don't care for much Mexican leaf and that I like smaller ring gauge cigars. There are exceptions to both rules, so I am definitely willing to keep an open mind. Ammer Cabrera told me that it also features a Maduro binder as well as Corojo filler. He classified both sticks from this preview as "fresh" and said they won't hit stores until September.
This one didn't have the oiliest looking wrapper I've ever seen on a Maduro, but it did feel oily under my fingers. The aroma was a mix of chocolate and earth, with the chocolate dominating on the wrapper and the earth more prevalent on the foot. The cold draw was very good, but there was little flavor there...a subdued cocoa powder, maybe, but that's about it. When lit, the cigar immediately gave up an earthy flavor with hints of cocoa powder and dark roast coffee, as well as some subtle sweetness for balance. The retrohale was powerful and spicy. There definitely was a bit of the Mexican twang that is so familiar with these wrappers, but the blend used with it is interesting enough that it was interesting enough that it wasn't the retraction it sometimes is.
At some points I was tempted to label this as a typical Mexican cigar, with bitter earthiness ruling the day, but there was an added element that kept it more interesting...spice from the Corojo used in the filler. While it did not have the sweetness throughout that I normally would like to taste in a Maduro, this was definitely an interesting smoke.
FIERA
Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge
The only thing Ammer would say about the Fiera is that it is a "powerhouse stick." looking at it there was nothing really to reinforce that notion, but then again, Pedro Martin Cigars does not seem like the type of company that would artificially darken a wrapper just to make it look menacing. This one was a shade darker than light brown, with some darker mottling and few medium-sized veins. The wrapper had a very nice sweet, natural tobacco aroma, while the foot had milk chocolate and coffee notes. The cold draw had flavor notes of dried berry and orange, layered over with chocolate, and it left a spicy tingle on the lips long afterward, making me think this would be a spicy smoke at the very least.
Light up was a challenge...I just about ran my Xikar Executive out of butane, but I finally got it evenly burning. Initial puffs seemed medium in body with a natural tobacco flavor mostly. There was a little dried fruit sweetness and a hint of cocoa powder in there, but understated. The spice was not nearly as strong as I expected on the palate, although it burned like Wasabi through the nose. By the time I was about halfway through the first third, I had a peppery burn at the back of the throat, but up front the smoke was sweet and creamy; dried fruit was apparent, but sweet, natural tobacco was the highlight. So far, the body had not really gone above the medium zone, which made me question the "powerhouse" description of this cigar. Maybe the strength and body comes on later?
And, indeed, a considerable amount of nicotine strength did crop up in the second and final thirds, but there still was not a full body to go along with it, showing that strong cigars do not necessarily have to be full bodied. I continued to get mostly a natural tobacco flavor along with plenty of sweetness in the mix. Overall, a very flavorful smoke but definitely not for the uninitiated smoker.
MADURO
Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge
I have to admit this one has two things against it from my perspective before I even cut it...first, it has a Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf; second, it is a 54 ring gauge. It is just my preference, though, that I don't care for much Mexican leaf and that I like smaller ring gauge cigars. There are exceptions to both rules, so I am definitely willing to keep an open mind. Ammer Cabrera told me that it also features a Maduro binder as well as Corojo filler. He classified both sticks from this preview as "fresh" and said they won't hit stores until September.This one didn't have the oiliest looking wrapper I've ever seen on a Maduro, but it did feel oily under my fingers. The aroma was a mix of chocolate and earth, with the chocolate dominating on the wrapper and the earth more prevalent on the foot. The cold draw was very good, but there was little flavor there...a subdued cocoa powder, maybe, but that's about it. When lit, the cigar immediately gave up an earthy flavor with hints of cocoa powder and dark roast coffee, as well as some subtle sweetness for balance. The retrohale was powerful and spicy. There definitely was a bit of the Mexican twang that is so familiar with these wrappers, but the blend used with it is interesting enough that it was interesting enough that it wasn't the retraction it sometimes is.
At some points I was tempted to label this as a typical Mexican cigar, with bitter earthiness ruling the day, but there was an added element that kept it more interesting...spice from the Corojo used in the filler. While it did not have the sweetness throughout that I normally would like to taste in a Maduro, this was definitely an interesting smoke.
FIERA
Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge
The only thing Ammer would say about the Fiera is that it is a "powerhouse stick." looking at it there was nothing really to reinforce that notion, but then again, Pedro Martin Cigars does not seem like the type of company that would artificially darken a wrapper just to make it look menacing. This one was a shade darker than light brown, with some darker mottling and few medium-sized veins. The wrapper had a very nice sweet, natural tobacco aroma, while the foot had milk chocolate and coffee notes. The cold draw had flavor notes of dried berry and orange, layered over with chocolate, and it left a spicy tingle on the lips long afterward, making me think this would be a spicy smoke at the very least.Light up was a challenge...I just about ran my Xikar Executive out of butane, but I finally got it evenly burning. Initial puffs seemed medium in body with a natural tobacco flavor mostly. There was a little dried fruit sweetness and a hint of cocoa powder in there, but understated. The spice was not nearly as strong as I expected on the palate, although it burned like Wasabi through the nose. By the time I was about halfway through the first third, I had a peppery burn at the back of the throat, but up front the smoke was sweet and creamy; dried fruit was apparent, but sweet, natural tobacco was the highlight. So far, the body had not really gone above the medium zone, which made me question the "powerhouse" description of this cigar. Maybe the strength and body comes on later?
And, indeed, a considerable amount of nicotine strength did crop up in the second and final thirds, but there still was not a full body to go along with it, showing that strong cigars do not necessarily have to be full bodied. I continued to get mostly a natural tobacco flavor along with plenty of sweetness in the mix. Overall, a very flavorful smoke but definitely not for the uninitiated smoker.
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