Maya Selva Cigars has been around since 1995 where it launched in France. The company has three lines Flor de Selva, CUMPAY, and Villa Zamorano. Today, Maya Selva can be found in 30 countries worldwide. Today we are looking at the Maya SelvaVilla Zamorano Reserva.
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 Villa Zamorano line is the company’s value priced offering and has two blends the regular, and the Reserva. The Reserva is said to have the same flavor profile or the original, but with more premium tobacco. The line was launched in 2016 but it didn’t make it to the US until 2018. The blend is a Honduran puro that uses a wrapper grown at Maya Selva Cigars’ farm, Santa Eulalia in the Jamastrán region of Honduras. It comes in either sizes: Expreso 3 1/2 x 52, Intenso 4 x 46, Corona 5 x 42, Robusto 5 x 50, El Gordo 5 x 56, No 15 5 1/2 x 54, Churchill 7 x 48, and the most recent Soberano 6 x 60 which was added last year. They are all available in 15 or 25 count bundles as well as 25 count boxes. The cigars are made at the San Judas Tadeo factory in Danlí, Honduras.
“Nice looking, light brown, with some prominent veins and long sharp ridges likely from pressing.” –John I. (John I.)
Aroma: 88
“First impressions of aroma presented a nice mix of sweetness and oats. There were no barnyard smells or lingering hints of ammonia. Some cedar and woods smells were noted at the foot of the cigar. Overall a pleasant aroma.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The first few puffs were very encouraging. Coffee, nuts, leather, cream, and a mild amount of pepper were there just long enough to get my hopes up. Quickly, an ammonia flavor started to dominate the draw making the entire profile bitter and unwelcoming.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Begins with a very forward and sharp dryness. Some nutty flavors apparent right off. Twenty minutes into this the sharpness has softened revealing a nice creamy nuttiness. Frequently offers some raw notes of bitterness, particularly on the finish. Draw isn’t great. Feels a bit snug and pulling to one side. Burn seems to be tending to one side also as a result.”-John I. (John I.)
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The citrus (lemon) has become the dominant note as I proceed into the second third. It definitely created a sour citrus but managed to refrain from being unpleasantly bitter. Further in the lemon settled down and the original nuttiness first experienced, re-emerged.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The ammonia flavor from the first half is still in full effect till about the halfway point. After that I start tasting something I can only describe as spoiled milk. There’s an occasional reprieve of coffee, leather, and a medium level of pepper but it doesn’t stay for long.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Flavor: 83 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Any positive experiences here have fallen away for the finale. Gone are the nuts and cream, and flowery flavors that were apparent earlier. Nothing left but fairly sharp blasts of smoke. Dry, super crisp, and largely bitter despite efforts to keep this burning nice and slow. Really unpleasant finish here.”-John I. (John I.)
“Going into the last third the cigar developed a tight draw. The flavors were muted but remained fairly much the same as the previous two thirds; wood notes, mostly oak, some nuttiness and citrus floating in and out. It was difficult to get a full flavor experience with the compromised draw.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 86
“Draw was a bit compromised in the early stages to the point that the burn was noticeably off. Corrected at some point along the way, but generally snug for the duration. Not terrible, but a distraction.” –John I. (John I.)
Burn: 87
“The burn was consistent and good and the cigar did not need any touch ups or correction until the last third. The ash was a beautiful white and held fairly well until I decided to give it a tap. There was plentiful smoke until the last third.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Construction: 86
“Between draw and burn concerns, this gave the impression of being under-filled, particularly in the final third where it just seemed to burn really hot.” –John I. (John I.)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 85
“I don’t like it. I know that I got it looking like a man that lost a fight at the bar but even past the damage the flavors are being killed off by it being in a sick period or just overwhelmingly bitter on its own accord. I’ve never had a cigar remind me of the taste of spoiled milk before and I don’t care to have to write that tasting note again.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“While not the most complex cigar, at least the flavors that were there worked well together. The construction and wrapper problems really bummed me out. But as I said, it happens a lot in Missouri with these types of wrappers. I would give this Subpar. Would have scored higher if the aforementioned issues weren’t there.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“There were some nice things happening here, but they were fleeting and a bit elusive. Some good flavors characteristic of a mild-medium bodied cigar, offering nuttiness, cream, and some floral tones. Unfortunately there were also a lot of really sour notes along the way. Sharp bitterness was probably the largest flavor component on display. Some construction clunkers also marred the experience. And it tasted a bit on the raw side. Not a cigar I’d care to revisit.” –John I. (John I.)
“This was a decent cigar although the lemon citrus notes almost became too much for me at one point. I enjoyed the woodiness and the hints of leafy vegetation and mild nuttiness that was there from time to time. I’d definitely try this cigar again, to re-evaluated the overall flavors and note any flavor changes with an improved draw.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Blind Cigar Review: Maya Selva | Villa Zamorano Reserva Robusto
Summary
"This was a decent cigar although the lemon citrus notes almost became too much for me at one point. I enjoyed the woodiness and the hints of leafy vegetation and mild nuttiness that was there from time to time. I’d definitely try this cigar again, to re-evaluated the overall flavors and note any flavor changes with an improved draw." -Diana (ArmyRN)
