Blind Cigar Review: Maya Selva | Flor de Selva Maduro No. 15

We received such great feedback from readers and the participants of our inaugural series of collaboration reviews that it was a no brainer that we would continue with another round. In this second round of collaboration reviews, you will see some of the participants from the first round returning, as well as some new participants. For new readers who are unfamiliar with our previous collaboration reviews, we have invited cigar reviewers from other cigar review sites, podcasts, blogs, etc. to join the Blind Man’s Puff staff in doing blind reviews using our format. This collaboration review is with a new participant, Jordan from Cigar Dojo. Jordan, along with Master Sensei Eric, have a great site and app. Cigar Dojo consists of short, easy to read cigar reviews, but primarily focuses on their social app which is available on smart phones and on the web. The easy explanation of the app is the Twitter for cigar smokers. Their tag line of “Never smoke alone” is the idea behind it as there are always members on the app posting about cigars they are smoking and allows you to communicate with others about their experiences. We highly recommend that you check out their site and app.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Jamastrán (Honduras)
Binder: Brazialian Mata Fina
Filler: Habano Jamastrán (Honduras) and Ligero Azacualpa (Nicaragua)
Factory: Tabacos de Oriente, S.A.
Blender: Maya Selva
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Jordan (Cigar Dojo) Gregg (McGreggor57) Dave (mdwest) Robert (NavyPiper) Emmett (rhetorik)
Price: $12.00
Age: 1 Month
Release Date: July 2014
Contributed by: Maya Selva

 

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 90

“Cloaked in a dark brown, well packed, tightly sealed wrapper that is so toothy that the cigar actually feels rough to the touch, this stick has great seams, a perfectly placed cap and is very visually appealing.” –Dave (mdwest)

Aroma: 91

“There is a very pleasant aroma, it isn’t bold and in-your-face, but seems subtle and refined – I have a feeling there are some good tobaccos used. The wrapper has a leathery aroma and the foot smells of barnyard hay.” –Jordan (Cigar Dojo)

 

First Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The first thing I notice is cinnamon, shortly followed by a myriad of worldly spices. The flavor is very interesting, unlike your typical “flavor bomb” cigar. But that’s not to say it’s lacking flavor, there is a lot here and it may take a little bit to sort it all out. It has a perfect draw and a satisfying amount of smoke with each draw. Although, the burn is quite wavy and needed a touchup to correct some tunneling early on.” –Jordan (Cigar Dojo)

“The first few puffs are just awesome, lots of leather and spice. The baking spices come to life even more as I get a little further through. Towards the end of the third some pepper spices come in and mix well with the leather.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

 

Second Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“In the second third, the original flavors are all present, just picking up some wood now and then. By the middle of the third, the woodiness is consistent. Despite its strength, it’s really pretty smooth, and no harshness at all. Loving this spice! Wish I could say the same for the burn. It’s all over the place! I can’t remember how many times I’ve touched it up in this third and it still isn’t evening out.” –Robert (NavyPiper)

“A strong cedar flavor joins the leather in this third. The spices have died down a bit but are still in the background somewhat. Although a mild transition, it is a nice one. This third wasn’t quite as complex as the first, but still good.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

 

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“After another touchup, the final third showed warm flavors of caramel and toast. Spices lingered long on the finish in the retrohale – though the dominating spices from the first third were much less present. Darker notes began to take over, with campfire roastiness, dark toast, malt and anise. I may have smoked this one past its prime, as the final few puffs had some harsh, maybe even chemically notes.” –Jordan (Cigar Dojo)

“More oak with pepper returning with a vengeance on the retohale. Even though the flavors aren’t very complex, they are solid and work well together. Near the end some allspice appears.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 93

“The draw was very slightly on the tight side, but not so much as to negatively effect performance or the enjoyment of the stick. Still very good.” –Dave (mdwest)

Burn: 88

“No relights required but the line was off considerably from the half inch point on.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Construction: 89

“Overall, the construction was pretty good, but the burn could have been better and I think some tar came through the cap making things bitter at the end third.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

 

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 88

“This was a fun cigar with interesting notes you won’t find on your typical full-flavored stick. I’d recommend smoking this when you have some time to decipher the full range of flavors it offers – maybe not for the novice smoker. And while there were a few hiccups, I’d certainly smoke another, given the opportunity – maybe a longer acclimation period would help sort out its flaws.” –Jordan (Cigar Dojo)

“I would return to this cigar for the first third alone. The initial flavors of molasses, burnt caramel and oak were very nice. The rest of the cigar never really developed much additional flavors, nor did the ones present offer any transitions.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

‘This was one of the best sticks I have reviewed for BMP in a while. Great flavors, great performance and pretty to look at. What more can you really ask for? Certainly worth buying and considering putting into regular rotation. I’ll be patiently waiting on the reveal on this one.” –Dave (mdwest)

“If it wasn’t for the burn, I’d have given it a great. I really liked the flavors, that spice was awesome! Great draw, couldn’t complain about that at all, but the burn, oh Lord…” –Robert (NavyPiper)

“I really thought this cigar was going to be great based on the first third and part of the second, but things went progressively downhill. It became bitter and lost complexity. I would try this again after some more rest, and I think if times smooths out the edges this could be a great cigar, but based on this sample, I wouldn’t buy any more.” –Emmett (rhetorik)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 69

Edit

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Jordan	90	92	90	92	88	100	83	95	92
Gregg	90	90	90	88	88	85	85	88	88
Dave	95	90	92	92	92	90	92	92	92
Robert	88	88	88	88	88	95	70	88	88
Emmett	95	92	95	92	85	95	90	88	88

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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Blind Cigar Review: Maya Selva | Flor de Selva Maduro No. 15