Cigar Info
Dapper Cigar Co. came out with the original La Madrina in 2018. The idea behind the line was to have a complex blend with tobaccos from many different countries. Last year, the company came out with a line extension called the La Madrina Shade. It replaces the original Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with an Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper. The rest of the blend uses an undisclosed binder, and fillers that include: Nicaragua, Esteli, Guadalupe from Oliva Tobacco Co.; Nicaragua, Jalapa, Cofradía Relleno from Oliva Tobacco Co.; and Dominican Republic, Habano ’92, U.S., and Undisclosed.
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.
Dapper rolled all its cigars at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA), the same factory that makes Dunbarton’s Mi Querida line. La Madrina Shade comes in four vitolas: Belicoso 6 1/4 x 52 $12.38, Corona Gorda 5 5/8 x 46 $10.36, Robusto 5 x 50 $11.06, Toro 6 1/8 x 52 $11.68.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, USA
Factory: Nicaragua America Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
Blender: Ian Reith
Number of reviewers: 4 – Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Price: $11.68
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: September 2021
Contributed by: Dapper Cigar Co.
Initial Impressions – Dapper La Madrina Shade Toro
Appearance: 94
“A gorgeous Connecticut shade wrapper adorns this cigar. It has an almost honey mustard like color. Very smooth velvet like texture.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Aroma: 93
“Cinnamon, whole grain bread and honey are the notes I am getting off the foot, with the body of the cigar having the same sans the cinnamon. Pre-light draw is fairly open and has notes of honey and cedar.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Roasted the foot with a soft flame and immediately was met with salted roasted peanuts and cashew flavors. The butter flavors also provide a nice addition to the aforementioned flavors. Creamy and smooth with a very easy retrohale. Very mild in strength. An enjoyable first third.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“After toasting the foot of the cigar, the initial notes are of a fresh brewed latte. As I smoke on there is a grassy and woody note starting to build on the palate. This is giving a nice contrast to the flavor profile. Pushing some smoke through the nose, I find notes of white pepper and coriander. The smoke is smooth, while the ash is firm.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Bitterness is the profile moving into the middle part of the cigar. Cedar, dry grass, and sawdust are all present. The retrohale has shifted to have a mustiness that is reminiscent of a garage, along with the white pepper note that was present early on. Thankfully the creaminess is still on the finish or this cigar would be so dry it would almost be unenjoyable. Burn, draw and smoke output remain the same, and the cigar settles into the medium range in strength and body.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The bitterness has faded quite a bit and the blend has begun to smooth out. I’m getting a mild sweet spice just on the tip of my tongue, along with the earth and floral notes becoming more prominent.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Final Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Thankfully the bitterness fades and bread notes along with some sweetness appears in the final part of this cigar. The sawdust notes have also left the retrohale, with white pepper and other cabinet spices making their presence known. Burn and draw continue along as they have throughout. Right at the finish of the cigar, a menthol note appears and adds a weird dynamic to the flavor profile, muting almost all of the other flavors save for the bread notes.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The final third sees the strength ramp up a bit but the flavors remain the salted nuts and buttery creaminess. Not as muted as in the second third but still very mild. Milder than I usually enjoy but some people might find this right in their wheelhouse.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Overall Impressions – Dapper La Madrina Shade Toro
Draw: 97
“Clean and easy from start to finish with the perfect amount of resistance. This creates a ample amount of smoke.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Burn: 96
“A thin burn line was going on for the whole smoking experience. It was straight from the jump and never looked back.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Construction: 91
“This was a very well made cigar. Burn and draw were nearly perfect.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 88
“This one was a meh for me. I was excited with the spiciness at the start, but the bitterness and dryness early on just made it a miss for me. The cigar did not exhibit any bad behaviors, it just did not offer up anything exceptional in the flavor department for me.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“This was such an enjoyable cigar that burned nice and slow. There was notable flavor changes throughout the smoking experience that enhance the total experience. It is completely approachable to all levels of cigar smokers. This cigar would be a nice way to end a great meal. Grab yourself a night cap and this cigar and enjoy the end of the night.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“For a Connecticut shade cigar, this was fairly enjoyable. There weren’t any flavor transitions to speak of but the salted nuts and butter worked well together. Very mild in strength but it would make a good morning cigar or a cigar to start your day with. Coffee might overpower the flavors in this but I can see it being enjoyed with a milder coffee or chai tea. It didn’t wow me but my palate tends to enjoy the darker stronger cigars.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“If you enjoy sweet and bitter flavors, this will be a great cigar for you. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of bitterness, so it did not hit my palate well. I did enjoy the floral, earth, nuttiness, and hints of spice. There was nice complexity to the blend overall to me, the bitter notes just overwhelmed me.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 82
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Kevin A. | 88 | 90 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 95 | 90 | 85 |
| Estevan Z. | 95 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Kevin J. | 95 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 88 | 100 | 97 | 90 | 87 |
| Lauren S. | 93 | 92 | 85 | 92 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 92 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.