Mbombay showed off a new cigar at IPCPR 2018, MQBA. It is pronounced “em-kyoo-bha”. The tobaccos are grown 100% from their farm in Ventana, Ecuador. The first seeds for this cigar were planted in 2009. Today we are reviewing the Mbombay | MQBA Diadem.
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 cigar comes in 4 sizes: Diadem (7×56), Torpedo (6×52), Toro (6×52) and Nikka (6.5×42). All of the come in 24 count boxes and in gift packs of 4, except the Diadem which comes in a pack of 3. The prices range from $12-$16 per cigar.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Diadema Length: 7″ Ring Gauge: 56 Country of Origin: Costa Rica Wrapper: Ecuador Binder: Ecuador Filler: Ecuador Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica Blender: Mel Shah Number of reviewers: 4 – Mickey T. (irratebass) John A. (Bostoneo) Alan (Eulogy) Jeff (ExpendableYouth) Price: $14.29 Age: 3 Months Release Date: October 2018 Contributed by: Mbombay Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 98
“A very large cigar! This huge Solomon has a silky smooth dark tan wrapper, veins well hidden, seems tight, superbly executed.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Aroma: 93
“There's a slight barnyard and tobacco note from the foot and the wrapper. The predraw is a bit more interesting with raisins, baking spice, and mild pepper.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“It's all heavy cream and cashews on the initial light. Notes of leather and baking spice begin to develop with a long finish of black coffee. The draw is a little bit tight at first but opens up just after the taper. There's a rich heavy cream on the retrohale with a very mild level of pepper. about an inch and a half in there's some notes of molasses, walnut, and cinnamon that pop in intermittently.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“An easy draw gets the light up on this giant cigar going easily. Initials flavors of fruitiness, leather, creaminess and nuts create a melody for the senses. An inch in and we delve into rich creamy, vanilla oak flavors any whisky connoisseur would thoroughly enjoy. Word of caution however, this wrapper on the cigar is very fragile. If you were to look at it the wrong way it will crack and break your heart.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Flavor: 94 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“There's a a nice note of white pepper that is beginning to develop adding just a hint of heat. The balance of flavors are constantly changing just a bit adding quite a bit of depth to the profile. At moments notes of vanilla and molasses create a nice sweetness. After a few puffs, a nutty flavor of walnuts and clove steps in and drives the profile to something slightly more savory. On the rare occasion when both are found together it reminds me of cake with white frosting. On top of that, there's still notes of black coffee, cinnamon, and Spanish cedar. The white pepper and cinnamon begin ramping up slightly as I round out the third and as where it probably ends somewhere near medium it's a perfect complement to the other flavors.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The second-third has improved quite a bit from the first-third. There is a baking spice, subtle sweetness, grass, cedar, mineral, and earth. The retrohale has notes of raisins and oats. As I continue into this third it starts to remind me of a malty IPA.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“Last, and most neat since burning past the wrapper issues. Vanilla, cream, and oak flavors intensified compared to the previous thirds. Don't get me wrong but this is a pretty tasty cigar but I would love to see something different in the progression. These flavors only become more and more bold until I am finally done!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“The final-third has become a bitter herbal tea with grassy notes. There is an aggressive white pepper and almost cardboard flavor that is just destroying my pallet. I really think that I should have let this cigar sit for a while longer since it reminds me of a very sick hand rolled Cuban cigar. At this point there is not a single redeeming quality left in this stick. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 95
“After the initial taper it was a perfect level of resistance that I look for. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Burn: 93
“The burn was spot on throughout the cigar. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Construction: 83
“Wrapper either very fragile or wrapped too tightly. Cracks all over. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“This was not a good smoking experience. The cigar really had no flavors, it was very boring and mild. The cigar eventually unraveled on me and then went out completely. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This was an extremely tasty stick. Bourbon lovers will defiantly enjoy the flavor profile of this cigar as it will pair nicely with the flavors it offers. The only qualm I had was with the super sensitive wrapper that had a cracking tendency that made me a sad panda. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“One of the best cigars that I have smoked this year if not ever. Construction issues aside, this cigar is amazing. I would smoke this thing every day if I had it. The flavors were on point and the transitions kept this cigar constantly feeling fresh; which is quite amazing considering the shear size of this beast. Go out, buy a box and thank me later. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The second-third had some real promise but the first-third and final-third were really terrible. The cigar smoked like a really sick hand rolled Cuban with bitter notes of tea, grass, earth, mineral, and cardboard. I wish I would have like this cigar rest for another week or so. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 121
Reviewer
Apr
Aro
1/3
2/3
3/3
Draw
Burn
Const
Ovr
All
Mickey T.
88
78
80
70
70
90
90
70
70
John A.
97
93
97
95
92
100
85
75
92
Alan
97
93
95
95
95
97
92
92
97
Jeff
97
95
83
93
78
93
95
95
78
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
"One of the best cigars that I have smoked this year if not ever. Construction issues aside, this cigar is amazing. I would smoke this thing every day if I had it. The flavors were on point and the transitions kept this cigar constantly feeling fresh; which is quite amazing considering the shear size of this beast. Go out, buy a box and thank me later. " -Alan (Eulogy)
