Back in 2016, Recluse Cigar Company announced the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos. This is one of many line extentions to the Amadeus line. The blend uses a Grade A San Andreas Maduro wrapper and a variety of Dominican and Pennsylvania fillers. The look of the cigar is meant to capture the feel of Los Cabos Mexico. The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos was first shown off at the 2016 IPCPR and a few were sold to beat the FDA deadline, with a full release happening at IPCPR 2018. The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos comes in Fourteen sizes: Petit Corona 4×42 24 $5.95, Corona 5 3/4×46 24 $6.75, Robusto 5×52 24 $7.50, Toro 6 1/4×50 24 $8.50, Belicoso 6 1/2×56 24 $8.95, Lancero 7×38 24 $8.95, Tarantula 6×60 24 $9.50, Excepcionales 7 1/2×56 24 $9.75, Sidewinder #1 5×57 24 $8.50, Sidewinder #2 6×57 24 $9.50, Sidewinder #3 7×57 24 $10.50, Kanu #1 6×54 20 $10.25, Kanu #2 7×52 20 $10.95, Kanu #3 8×58 20 $11.95.
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.
This is the first cigar from Recluse to be rolled at Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas, which is run by J.R. Dominguez. Every leaf in the Recluse is said to be fermented for two years and every cigar is rolled in the Cuban style of ‘entubado’. Every filler leaf is individually rolled into a tube and makes three air channels. The three air channels create better air flow. This also makes a better box press on the cigar. The box press compresses the space in the cigar. The amount of air flowing is reduced in the cigar allowing less combustion and allowing it to burn cool.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6.25″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Grade A San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Republic and Pennsylvania
Factory: Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas
Blender: Scott Weeks
Number of reviewers: 5 – John I. (John I.) Daniel S. (Daniel S.) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Diana (ArmyRN) Matt H. (Mattehh)
Price: $8.50
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2018
Contributed by: Iconic Leaf
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“Kind of an oddly flat toro. If the press was intentional it reminds me of the DE Norteno, which I’ve also found to be a bit overly pressed. Otherwise this is a nice smooth, medium brown with a bit of a greenish/OD hue. ” –John I. (John I.)
Aroma: 89
“The aroma at the wrapper is chock full of baking spices with just a hint of sweetness. At the foot, the aroma reminds me of freshly turned leaves and has just the slightest hint of compost funk.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“There is a hint of pepper on the initial draws of the cigar. It’s a nice amount that I enjoy and it is not overpowering. Hazelnut is present which is not a flavor that I like but objectively speaking this adds a nice balance of flavor mixed with pepper and some oak wood. As I get into the first third the pepper recedes some and is very much in the background. There is a hint of sweetness coming forward which for me helps balance out the hazelnut flavor that I initially was getting.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Starting out the cigar was very mild and light in flavor. Wood with a slight sweetness in the background. As this third smoked on the wood got more defined and was of cedar. More flavors joined with tobacco and leather. The retrohale was of light spice and was sweet. Very smooth smoke.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
“The second portion of this cigar has remained extremely mild with the baking spice hints. Additionally I’m getting some earthy notes at this point that are a very welcome change.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The second third is getting better for me. The pepper has basically mellowed out and the hazelnut has pretty much faded to the background. I’m getting a bit of a floral note that also seems to have a hint of mineral flavor. There is a cocoa flavor coming forward also and may be part of the sweetness that I am getting. The complexity of the cigar has progressed which I am very glad has happened. This has made the cigar more enjoyable to my palette.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The final third of this cigar has remained quite mild, but enjoyable as well. The baking spices have ramped up slightly along with the earth notes, but none are overpowering in any way and they are really serving to enhance each flavor. Through the nose the power of the pepper has increased just a bit but is still light enough to retrohale every puff without problem.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“In this third the flavors seemed to change considerably. The cedar went to just a indistinguishable wood note. Black coffee that got bitter, but not in a bad way. Still had a leather. Smoke was still smooth and over all was a dryer smoke. ” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 90
“There were no draw issues with this cigar. There was a pleasant amount of smoke produced and the draw did not vary throughout the smoking experience. For a tightly packed filler I was happy that there was no tightness to the draw.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Burn: 90
“This sample was really superior in regard to burn quality. The burn was nice and slow, and remained razor sharp throughout the entire cigar. I’m really pleased with the burn characteristics. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 91
“Overall this functioned within expectations, but I didn’t care for the press. Far to flat, which created an odd and vaguely uncomfortable feeling in the mouth. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Not a bad smoke. The first half was really enjoyable, but the third and fourth quarters were kind of a grind to get through. Not of fan of the ribbon like press of this thing. I’m assuming this was intentional as the general construction didn’t have any major issues. Just felt strange and irregular to draw on.” –John I. (John I.)
“This was a strong cigar right from the start but it did have balanced. I enjoyed the strength this cigar offered and the strength did not seem to be overwhelming. The cigar did lack transitions and seemed a little one note with the pepper. Even though it was primarily a one note cigar, I was not bored. I would definitely smoke this cigar again.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“As a guy who prefers a strong, full bodied cigar, I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this cigar. For being mild, it presented enough of a range of flavors and transition that I was engaged for the entirety of the smoke and wished that I had more to enjoy in the future. I’d be glad to recommend this to a friend, or new smoker, and will gladly smoke another in the future. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Aside from the hazelnut notes that is not a flavor that I particularly enjoy, this was a pretty enjoyable cigar. The second third was the sweet spot for me. It had the most complexity and great mix of flavor notes. The first third was a little one dimensional for me and last third was less flavorful but very enjoyable. I would revisit this smoke for sure but it would not be a go to for me simply because of having to power through the hazelnut tones in the first half.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“I will put this down as a decent cigar. It wasn’t a knock my socks off with flavor but had enough to keep me interested. It started too light but picked up in the end.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 81
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"As a guy who prefers a strong, full bodied cigar, I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this cigar. For being mild, it presented enough of a range of flavors and transition that I was engaged for the entirety of the smoke and wished that I had more to enjoy in the future. I'd be glad to recommend this to a friend, or new smoker, and will gladly smoke another in the future. " -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
