El Artista showed off the Cimarron at the 2018 IPCPR trade show. This new line comes in two blends: Natural and Maduro. There is a third blend, Sun Grown not available in the USA.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The blend for the Maduro uses a San Andres wrapper, Negrito leaf grown by El Artista on their farms around Tamboril for the binder, and multiple county filler including a T-13 Hybrid developed by Radhames Rodriguez. Pricing starts at $7.20 for the robusto vitola. The three vitolas available will be 54 x 5 Robusto, 50 x 6 Toro, 60 x 6 Doble Toro.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 6″ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Mexican San AndrésMaduro Binder: Dominican Republic Negrito Filler: Columbian & Dominican Republic Factory: Tabacalera El Artista Blender: Juan Peña Number of reviewers: 4 – Alan(Eulogy) Eric (smalls29) Adam B. (Bushboy) Steve (ThaGreatWazoo) Price: $7.60 Age: 6 Months Release Date: August 2018 Contributed by: El Artista Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 94
“This cigar has a very dark brown wrapper with some light shadows peeking through. Extremely gritty into the wrapper that has quite a bit of texture. The texture does not come from the veins, but more from the bumps on the leaf itself.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
Aroma: 93
“Wow. A great smell of sweet leather. Very inviting and comforting to me.” –Eric (smalls29)
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“There’s a nice heavy cream, mild white pepper, leather, dark chocolate sweetness on the draw. Tobacco and a nice blast of pepper on the retrohale is a nice change from the draw. The draw is way too tight and the spongy making it difficult to smoke.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The first third of the cigar was a medium body and very mellow bread-y flavors. The wrapper is very toothy in the stick has a very firm feel. Slight pepper for the first inch or so that seems to be fading moving into the second third. Ash is a fantastic contrast of white against a deep dark brown wrapper. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
Flavor: 91 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“There’s a nice dark chocolate sweetness with notes of leather, mild pepper, cream, and an almond finish. All the flavors actually work really well together but it’s very difficult on the draw. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The second third picked up slightly, but was still in the medium light range. The woodsy aroma and profile took over and the licorice vanished. The smoke filled up slightly and gave off a richer, thick aroma in the car. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“Carryover from the second third in the flavor realm. No dominant flavors developed or took center stage. Warm yeast with a spicy finish dominated. Always pleasant and tasted like I was smoking a S’more. Gram cracker and chocolate with a touch of sweetness. Burn line stayed almost dead nuts even the entire smoke. Draw was next to perfect and ash was layered and contrasted the wrapper beautifully.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“The flavors are really good. My problem is that it’s almost impossible to draw. The notes of heavy cream, almonds, slightly sweet dark chocolate, leather, and white pepper are fantastic. It’s just almost impossible to draw from and the smoke is very thin. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 92
“Nice and easy draw. Made for a nice experience.” –Eric (smalls29)
Burn: 96
“The burn was even and smooth. No problems at all.” –Eric (smalls29)
Construction: 94
“I liked the build and feel of this cigar. It was well made and showed the expert production when holding and smoking. Nice choice on the wrapper. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“If the draw was better it would have been a fantastic cigar. The flavors were on point but the smoke output was very poor and thin. I would like to try another one and see if the draw is better. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The first two-thirds were very interesting. From flavors of lemon, black licorice, and a sweet wine made for an interesting start. It left me wondering where it was going. After awhile the wine taste left and the black licorice took over. The lemon in the background was nice. There also appeared a nice peppery tingle on the lips. In the end, however, it became bitter and sour. I was ready to put it down before it was done. Overall an interesting flavor experience.” –Eric (smalls29)
“This cigar was enjoyable to say the least. Flavors did not develop or transition, however remain consistent and enjoyable throughout. Strength built a touch but that is expected with a ring gauge around 50. I would definitely smoke again and recommend” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“This was a middle of the road cigar for me. It had a great construction to it and looked really good in the hand. But, the performance lacked a little extra boost. I kept waiting for it to come and it never really arrived. Maybe with a little age it will pop, but as it stands, nothing overly exciting. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Blind Cigar Review: El Artista | Cimarron Maduro Toro
Summary
"This cigar was enjoyable to say the least. Flavors did not develop or transition, however remain consistent and enjoyable throughout. Strength built a touch but that is expected with a ring gauge around 50. I would definitely smoke again and recommend" -Adam B. (Bushboy)
