Coronita, 5.5" x 44 ring gauge / $5.80, Silo Cigars
And so we come to the final review-purchase cigar I found at my visit to Silo Cigars in Knoxville a couple months ago; if you didn't hear me say it before, listen now: Silo carries a unique array of smokes that can be very hard to find elsewhere in the area...this Titan de Bronze is but one example. The Redemption Maduro consists of Nicaraguan filler and binder along with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper leaf. El Titan de Bronze has been in business in Miami since 1995 and all their cigars are rolled there by Level 9 rollers, using the Cuban entubado style of rolling filler and triple caps on each cigar.
Although a Maduro, this Redemption did not look like what American consumers might normally expect from a Maduro. To wit, it was not all that dark. The color was a medium brown with a bit of darker mottling, but almost more of a Sungrown appearance than what we have come to expect from most non-Cuban cigars (Cuban Maduros tend to be lighter like this). Since Maduro means "ripe" and not "dark," though, I thought this is probably a good thing...at least we can be reasonably sure they are not dying the wrappers. The look was fairly dry, but the feel was fairly oily and almost velvety. The banding was classy and simple...conveying a feeling of elegance simply because it doesn't try hard to look expensive. Under the nose, the body of the cigar had notes of wood and earth, with just a touch of spicy cocoa powder; the foot had a distinctly earthy manure note to it. After clipping with my Xikar Xi cutter, the cold draw was easy and had a flavor of natural tobacco along with a sweet note that was almost a mixture of mocha and grass...odd, but very nice.
Initial puffs on the Redemption had a grassy taste up front with a cool, almost minty backside and finish...something I can't say I've ever experienced before. Further puffing revealed more cedar on the palate; something about it here was putting me in mind of a menthol coolness which is where I was picking up mint before. There was plenty of roasted nuts and red pepper on the retrohale. So far, this cigar did not taste like almost any Maduro in my memory, either. By the end of the first third, the flavor was exhibiting lots of earthiness and spice, tasting more like a Sungrown wrapper than a Maduro. This made me think of the Davidoff Maduro which actually is a Sungrown wrapper sold as a "Natural Maduro." Despite the discrepancy in leaf name to flavor, though...I was enjoying it.
In the second third the earthiness did develop into more traditional Maduro flavors of cocoa powder and dark roast coffee, although without much of the sweetness I also associate with Maduro. There was some sweetness, to be sure, but just the smallest amount necessary to balance out the more bitter flavors. A bit of spice endured as well, mostly on the palate, while the retrohale was more nutty than anything else. The construction was superb...perfect burn line, strong ash and a draw with just enough resistance. The cigar had smoked slowly and evenly so far.
Spice came roaring back on the palate during the last third with the cocoa powder taking a more supporting role. On the nose, the smoke was still quite nutty. Overall, the Redemption Maduro was an very good cigar even if it was more Sungrown than Maduro in flavor profile. The body was medium to full and there was a bit of nicotine strength, though not so much that it became overwhelming. This is definitely a cigar that I would buy again, perhaps in a different vitola to see if the Maduro flavor would come through better.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
And so we come to the final review-purchase cigar I found at my visit to Silo Cigars in Knoxville a couple months ago; if you didn't hear me say it before, listen now: Silo carries a unique array of smokes that can be very hard to find elsewhere in the area...this Titan de Bronze is but one example. The Redemption Maduro consists of Nicaraguan filler and binder along with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper leaf. El Titan de Bronze has been in business in Miami since 1995 and all their cigars are rolled there by Level 9 rollers, using the Cuban entubado style of rolling filler and triple caps on each cigar.
Although a Maduro, this Redemption did not look like what American consumers might normally expect from a Maduro. To wit, it was not all that dark. The color was a medium brown with a bit of darker mottling, but almost more of a Sungrown appearance than what we have come to expect from most non-Cuban cigars (Cuban Maduros tend to be lighter like this). Since Maduro means "ripe" and not "dark," though, I thought this is probably a good thing...at least we can be reasonably sure they are not dying the wrappers. The look was fairly dry, but the feel was fairly oily and almost velvety. The banding was classy and simple...conveying a feeling of elegance simply because it doesn't try hard to look expensive. Under the nose, the body of the cigar had notes of wood and earth, with just a touch of spicy cocoa powder; the foot had a distinctly earthy manure note to it. After clipping with my Xikar Xi cutter, the cold draw was easy and had a flavor of natural tobacco along with a sweet note that was almost a mixture of mocha and grass...odd, but very nice.
Initial puffs on the Redemption had a grassy taste up front with a cool, almost minty backside and finish...something I can't say I've ever experienced before. Further puffing revealed more cedar on the palate; something about it here was putting me in mind of a menthol coolness which is where I was picking up mint before. There was plenty of roasted nuts and red pepper on the retrohale. So far, this cigar did not taste like almost any Maduro in my memory, either. By the end of the first third, the flavor was exhibiting lots of earthiness and spice, tasting more like a Sungrown wrapper than a Maduro. This made me think of the Davidoff Maduro which actually is a Sungrown wrapper sold as a "Natural Maduro." Despite the discrepancy in leaf name to flavor, though...I was enjoying it.In the second third the earthiness did develop into more traditional Maduro flavors of cocoa powder and dark roast coffee, although without much of the sweetness I also associate with Maduro. There was some sweetness, to be sure, but just the smallest amount necessary to balance out the more bitter flavors. A bit of spice endured as well, mostly on the palate, while the retrohale was more nutty than anything else. The construction was superb...perfect burn line, strong ash and a draw with just enough resistance. The cigar had smoked slowly and evenly so far.
Spice came roaring back on the palate during the last third with the cocoa powder taking a more supporting role. On the nose, the smoke was still quite nutty. Overall, the Redemption Maduro was an very good cigar even if it was more Sungrown than Maduro in flavor profile. The body was medium to full and there was a bit of nicotine strength, though not so much that it became overwhelming. This is definitely a cigar that I would buy again, perhaps in a different vitola to see if the Maduro flavor would come through better.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
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