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 | Pasión 654.
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 654 is the boldest of this line, featuring an aged blend of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos and wrapped in a spicy Nicaraguan leaf, this medium to full bodied cigar was crafted specifically for those who demand the ultimate in flavor, smoke and enjoyment.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: USA
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Martinez Cigars
Blender: Jesus Martinez
Number of reviewers: 4 – Steve(ThaGreatWazoo) Derek(StogieNinja) Ryan(Youngryan216) Alan(Eulogy)
Price: $11.00
Age: 8 Months
Release Date: 2014
Contributed by: Martinez Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 86
“This cigar looked really nice with a darker brown wrapper. There were a few visible veins throughout the wrapper. The cap was well constructed and the overall look was nice.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Aroma: 89
“The cigar smells of faintly sweet tobacco.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
First Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The cigar started well and then quickly faded out. The feel of the cigar was different. Very soft throughout the wrapper, almost as if half the filler was missing. This created a very bad draw, which produced zero flavor. Not very good.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“It immediately starts out with a very heavy amount of red pepper that is spicy on the tongue and back of the throat. There’s a woody note that isn’t cedar with a weak tobacco finish. The draw is very loose and the head of the cigar crushes like soft bread.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 85
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The cinnamon is there, but a little lighter. Still plenty of tea and bread dough, and ligero kick. The cocoa is gone, which is a shame. It’s still good, but it could use that richness and hint of sweetness to balance things out.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
“””The cigar refuses to stay lit after an inch or so into the experience. Multiple relights made the blend very acrid. Somehow, the cigar seems hollow, or underfilled.
I had to abandon this experience early into the second third.”” –Ryan (Youngryan216)”
Final Third
Flavor: 81
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third had no change. The softness of the cigar continued. The cigar almost was pressed in half by me holding it. Very weird. Not a good cigar experience.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“Into the final third, there’s still some cinnamon, herbal tea, and bread notes, but the sourdough bread has increased, and the ligero kick has faded a bit. It’s a bit more balanced now, in a different way than I had wished for, but it’s a bit better all the same.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 78
“The draw was too loose, and the cigar burned odd because of it.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
Burn: 83
“The burn line remained fairly sharp, but the cigar doesn’t want to stay lit. I have to purge every few puffs to stope the cherry before each draw to get satisfactory smoke output. Add to that the frequent popping sounds, and it’s not a great result. Not unsmokeable, but not great.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Construction: 81
“The entire cigar was spongy to the touch and was very loosely rolled.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 83
“This cigar was a bad smoking experience. I hope other reviewers faired better. Not worth a retry if the next feels soft like this one.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“The overall score suffers due to the abundance of popping, a loose draw, and the poor burn. Fans of stronger cigars could appreciate this cigar; It’s not particularly well balanced or delicate, or nuanced, but it is decent, and with proper combustion and a better draw, could actually be something I would smoke again. The best part of a blind panel review is discovering whether my experience was a one-off situation or more common. Given the issues I experienced with the cigar, I’ll be very interested to learn which of the to it was!” –Derek (StogieNinja)
“I tried to power through this one, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I would not smoke this again.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
“The construction really held this cigar back. It was loose, spongy to the touch, and difficult to draw from. The flavors, while not great, were average and it did build to a nice finish.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Cigar Info
Vital Stats:
