I've been on a corona/petit corona kick lately but felt the need for something a bit larger tonight. In a recent PIF, Warrior sent me a couple of nice sticks so I thought I'd give one a try: the Hemingway Signature Maduro (an odd size at 6x47 with the perfecto shape) . I've had and very much enjoy the natural wrapper Hemingway series, so the Maduro should hopefully be that much better!
The stick has a strong, rich aroma which hit me the second I took off the cellophane wrapper. It is slightly bumpy in some spots but seems to be constructed well. Not the polished look I thought it would have. Cut by the trusty Xikar, lit by matches with cold water to drink, and man is it a beautiful night out.
Pre-light - The pre-light draw is smooth, with a healthy tug that you would expect from a perfecto. Vaguely I taste a sweet, raisin-ish flavor. Lighting it was no problem, though it always feels weird with the tiny end.
First Third - The immediate flavor is rather mellow (not sure the age situation on this stick since it was from a PIF) with coffee notes backed up by toasty and spicy/pepper flavors. Once it gets past the tiny tip, the spiciness opens up a bit and the smoke becomes thicker, though the draw stays relatively the same. I have read other reviews that claim a very mild pepper flavor with a creamy texture, but this stick seems the opposite; pepper has become rather strong (though tasty) and I would describe it more as mellow than creamy. The burn is tilting one way, but I'll wait it out to see if it will fix itself. So far, it is not at all what I expected, and quite different from what I remember about its natural cousin.
Second Third - A slight harshness developed at the beginning of the second third, probably because I'm puffing too much (trying to get the flavor out of it!). It is defiantly more on the mild side of medium as far as my palate goes. The pepper from the first third has diminished some as the main characteristic, leaving a blend of the pepper, toastyness, coffee, and an earthy tone. My ash got up to a decent inch+ before I dropped it, the draw is decent, and the burn has evened out a bit, so I guess the construction is pretty good. So far I'm enjoying this smoke but waiting for something to blow me away- this has defiantly not happened yet, and I have to say I really did expect more of an excellent cigar. The complexity piece of a cigar that I really enjoy is not really popping up with this stick.
Third Third - The burn has totally evened out now (without my help), but the flavors continue to be the same as the second third here at the beginning of the third. The pepper has taken back its role as the flavor leader though, which I am enjoying. Not much is changing this third, though the burn and draw have become almost perfect. I love a cigar with alot of smoke, with which this stick is very generous. I'm beginning to really embrace the pepper flavor, though not much has changed throughout the stick. A good pepper flavor isn't my everyday flavor of choice, but its nice once in a while. I'm nubbing this stick because its so beautiful out and the fact that there is no hint burning.
Conclusion and Score - After having the natural Hemingways I was expecting even more out of this stick. Though it did have a nice construction, draw, and smokiness, the nice pepper flavor was not enough for me to be sold on it. The mix of flavors was nice, but nothing special, and pretty far short of complex. As far as strength, this was defiantly not a full bodied cigar, and probably on the lighter end of medium- not at all what I had thought. This is not to say I would not try it again, but probably will not buy more than 2 or 3 at a time. Maybe some age will help it become the classic I was thinking? We'll have to see. For a rating, I would give this stick an 86, though I will have to revisit and see because others have seen reason for higher ratings. Surely a solid stick, and if the price is right, something to have around in the humi.
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