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I must admit that I was turned away by Macanudo for awhile. It was disheartening that I’d find so many of the cigars at your local gas station, grocery store, bar, restaurants, etc. I was getting overwhelmed with the site of them, as well as not enjoying the oversaturation of the brand. Most of the times when I did try and partake in a Macanudo cigar, I was reminded that rarely any shops outside of a well kept tobacco/humidor shop, can keep a good cigar. Then on my search for a really good natural cigar, I decided to try and get back on the Macanudo bandwagon. Normally before I smoke a cigar, I like to read the reviews to see how close or how far I feel to most of the reviews. Strangely, for Macanudo being one of the most popular brands in the country, there really aren’t a lot of reviews being written up about it. I’m wondering if many cigar aficionados feel the same way as me, oversaturated of the brand. Anyway, from the reviews I did see, they were mostly short and positive.

The Macanudo Café Crystal was a good looking cigar, and you can’t help but be inquisitive on why it is the nation’s best selling and most popular cigar brand. The Crystal has a Connecticut Shade wrapper with a Dominican Mexican filler and a Mexican San Andrean binder. It’s completely crafted in the Dominican Republic.

Lighting & First Taste:

After taking it out of the tube, the cigar did seem quite fresh. It wasn’t tight at all, and had a sort of sponginess to it. I tend to like this type of texture, as I feel it gives off a great smoke, and can be cut well. Again bringing out my trusty $2 cutter, I had a clean cut and it lit quite well. Macanudo’s always tend to taste sweet to me, and this one did as well. There was absolutely no harshness on the first few draws, and I’d go as far as to say it was quite a mild start to this cigar.

Smoking the Cigar:

The one thing that Macanudo is really known for is consistency. This cigar began mild and was constant throughout the body. Although it is considered a mild cigar, and I would agree by this one, there was a good strong taste, and a good amount of smoke that came from this cigar. The cigar never tightened up, and actually moistened up through the finish of the cigar. I never had to strain to take a draw and this, in my opinion, always brings out the best taste of the tobacco.

The Finish:

There was good ash throughout the cigar, and the finish had a good oak-wood type taste, but again was consistent with being a mild cigar. The smoke was good through the cigar, and even the finish of the cigar had no harshness. The sweetness did fade away somewhere within the middle of the cigar.

Band & Packaging:

The packaging, a glass tube, is great for traveling or if you know you are going to smoke the cigar soon. I’m always afraid of cracking them because I usually throw them in my bag when I know I’m going to have time for one later. The band came off well and did not stick to the leaf of the cigar.

Rating:

7.5 out of 10 puffs