Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2Cigar Info

Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars Factory has been  producing cigars since 1974. All Martinez Cigars are made by hand in their factory in midtown New York City. They proudly maintain the tradition begun by our founder, Don Antonio Martinez, honoring his talents, skills and memory. This review is for the Martinez | Flatiron #2.

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.

Their most popular sized Flatiron #2 is features our proprietary blend of 5-year-old Nicaraguan filler tobaccos bound in a sun grown Nicaraguan Broadleaf and is finished off with a natural Ecuadorian wrapper.

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2Vital Stats:

Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Martinez Cigars
Blender: Jesus Martinez
Number of reviewers: 4Jeff (ExpendableYouth) Derek (StogieNinja) Steve (ThaGreatWazoo) Ryan (Youngryan216)
Price: $11.00
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: 2014
Contributed by: Martinez Cigars

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2Initial Impressions

Appearance: 91

“This was a very nice looking cigar. Good torpedo look and feel with very minimal lines in the wrapper. The cap was well built and the foot was clean with a nice handrolled filler and binder look.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Aroma: 90

“The aroma coming off of the foot is a sweet chocolate, coffee and hay.” -Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2
Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The first-third begins with a light pepper that quickly fades out and is replaced with earth, mineral and a metallic taste that I am hoping is going to fade. The draw, burn and smoke output are really nice. Unfortunately the metallic taste has been building and drowning out the rest of the flavor profile making this third less than enjoyable.” -Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

“The first few puffs were very bitter and tight. The cigar really picked up about 1/2″ in to the cigar. Some real nice smoothness developed with a medium-full finish. There were great hits of oak and cedar with a earthy undertone. Great start.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2
Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

Second Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Into the second third, the cigar has lightened up a bit. Same overall profile–coffee, coca, nuts, baking spices, light pepper, leather, and cedar–but the dry wood is at the forefront, with simple syrup sweetness coating the palate. It’s not as dry as it was in the first third, though I wish it were.” -Derek (StogieNinja)

“The second third kept on with the woodsy profile. The pepper finish picked up slightly and was very pleasant. The flavors paired well together, but there was no real complexity or depth. The burn wavered slightly, but was easily fixed.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2
Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

Final Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“No major changes from the second third. Same overall profile, though it seems a bit wet. The sweetness that was clean and crisp in the first third, has now gotten syrupy and coats the palate. The dry wood and cedar has transitioned into a damp wood. It’s still quite good, just not as good as it started.” -Derek (StogieNinja)

“During the final third, the heat picked up and began to overpower the flavors. A slight harshness followed, but was not to detrimental to the cigar.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 91

“The draw was really nice on this cigar. I used a straight cut and angled it which gave off a really good amount of smoke and flavor.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

Burn: 87

“Burn line wanders a bit, and combustion is a little touchy. Feels like it needed more time to rest and acclimate to a lower rh, honestly I’m not sure it’s the maker’s fault.” -Derek (StogieNinja)

Construction: 89

“Well made with a nice shape, and no problem areas. Evenly constructed, with no soft or hard spots.” -Derek (StogieNinja)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 84

“The core flavor profile was pretty good. but the metallic flavor that persisted really killed the overall experience for me. I think some rest might mellow this smoke out and I would revisit it in six months to year, but I wouldn’t recommend it as is.” -Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

“Overall, it was good, but as it progressed it became clear the cigar was too wet. I can’t help wondering how the experience would be improved with a couple months downtime at a lower rh. It felt like it had potential, especially at the start, but then things got soggy. I’m very interested to see what the others experienced, and will likely purchase one to revisit myself after a few months downtime.” -Derek (StogieNinja)

“This was a really great cigar to smoke during my annual camping trip. Wasn’t to light and wasn’t a pepper bomb. Perfect mix of flavors paired well with a few glasses of scotch by the campfire. These will not disappoint. Enjoy.” -Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

“The cigar began with decent flavors, but any subtlety was quickly lost to the poor burn and subpar construction. I had to give up on this after the second third, which contributed to my short smoking time.” -Ryan (Youngryan216)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 71

 

Reviewer
Appearance
Aroma
1/3
2/3
3/3
Draw
Burn
Constr.
Overall
Experience
Jeff ExpendableYouth) 88 88 85 83 83 90 87 88 83
Derek StogieNinja) 95 92 92 90 87 88 85 92 87
Steve ThaGreatWazoo) 95 92 95 90 87 95 87 95 90
Ryan Youngryan216) 88 88 85 85 85 92 75 83 78

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2

Blind Cigar Review: Martinez | Flatiron #2
Appearance
91
Aroma
90
First Third
89
Second Third
87
Final Third
87
Draw
91
Burn
87
Construction
89
Overall Experience
84
88
Total Score - Good