Macanudo 1968 Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Back in 2008, Macanudo decided to commemorate their 40th anniversary and released a special cigar for the occasion: the Macanudo 1968. Traditionally a milder brand, at the time, this cigar strayed from that profile and created a stronger blend to appeal to a different audience and give their existing fans something different. When it was released, the cigar cost ranged from $8.50 to $11.00, then in 2011 they actually lowered the price to between $6.49 and $7.99.

The year 1968 celebrated the year Ramon Cifuentes began development on the Macanudo brand, which finally came to the U.S. in 1971. This cigar pays homage Macanudo’s place in modern cigar history and offers a different smoking experience from the typical Macanudo. All tobaccos in the blend are all proprietary to General Cigar. The blend uses tobacco from three countries, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The wrapper is a Honduran Olancho San Agustin (OSA), with a Connecticut Habano binder, and filler from Dominican Republic, Esteli, Nicaragua and Ometepe, Nicaragua. It comes in five vitolas: Churchill: 7 x 49, Gigante: 6 x 60, Toro: 6 x 54, Robusto: 5 x 50, and Trompeta: 5 x 60.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Honduran Olancho San Agustin (OSA)
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
Blender: Jhonys Diaz
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Chris M. (Chris) Noah S. (Noah) Angel M. (Angel) Randy B. (randobush)
Price: $7.00
Age: 6 Years
Release Date: 2008
Contributed by: General Cigar

Initial Impressions – Macanudo 1968 Robusto

Appearance: 94

“A certain raw beauty encompasses this stick that showcases a mottled chocolate brown wrapper that is thick and bumpy, all of which remind me a rich suede leather. Rounding out its appeal are prevalent teeth from head to foot and thick noticeable veins that complement the bumps in the wrapper.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Aroma: 92

“The aroma of this cigar is not overpowering pre-light. It has a slight musty barnyard aroma mixed with fresh hay.” –Randy B. (randobush)

First Third

Flavor: 95
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The initial puffs have a tangy bite, not necessarily harsh but certainly sharp with flavor. Charred oak is dominant early on and is accompanied by a gambit of dried fruit flavors including cherry, apricot and plum all of which is leading into a long dry finish. The retro echos the sweet notes up front with hints of marshmallow and marzipan that contributes a nice nuttiness to the finish as the first third comes to a close.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“This one starts with a fairly interesting mix of musty cedar, light roast coffee and marzipan up top. Just beneath are floral notes, dry earth and a touch of honey. Around a half inch in I start to get a faint spice tingle through the retrohale and on the finish, almost a green peppercorn. The earth gains a mineral quality creeping up on the second third.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Second Third

Flavor: 96
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Headed into the second third the burn continues to be wonky, but unproblematic. The ash continues to hang on at the 2 inch mark. It’s a choppy looking ash, versus a beautiful stacked like dimes ash. The cedar, and citrus zing, rest on the palate with the paprika taking the place of the white pepper. You almost have to Retrohale in order to pick up the baking spices, but once you do, it certainly adds to the bouquet of flavors.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“In the second third, all the flavors remain fairly the same with just a change in their consistency. The leather came to the forefront along with the cedar, the baking spice dropped to the far back however the nuttiness remains. The smoke remains very smooth and cool in temperature, although a small amount of bitterness has kicked in but nothing negative. Still a very enjoyable and flavorful cigar.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“A nice mix of notes. Licorice on the front end with notes of peanut on the back end.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Going into the final third, the wrapper takes on a more oily texture and appearance, while a smoky paprika and baking spices takes over the flavors, along with a salty cedar, and lemon zest to finish it off. It’s kind of amazing that you really only get the baking spices when you ask for them via the retrohale.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Overall Impressions – Macanudo 1968 Robusto

Draw: 95

“The draw was pretty good throughout the entire cigar and offered up a perfect amount of resistance with a satisfying feel.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Burn: 91

“Even burn from beginning to end. A nice strong grey ash that stays on the cigar for an inch or better.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Construction: 91

“Tight flat seams, a firm roll throughout and a well applied double cap are all signs of an expert level roll.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 95

“Another close-to perfect cigar that brings great pleasure to smoke. Notes of hickory, oak, dark cherry, licorice, and peanut. A nice strong grey ash that falls off by itself. I didn’t want this cigar to end. I’d go out of my way to get a box of these to share with friends. A great quick smoke.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“This was definitely a smoke I’d have again. All sorts of subtle shifts throughout, with a fairly complex base of flavors to start with made this a very easily enjoyable cigar . I wish the burn hadn’t faltered a bit after the first third, but it didn’t affect my personal experience too much.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“All in all this smoke was decent and pleasurable for the most part. I can relate the overall experience to a bell curve as this stick really only shined and truly knocked my socks off in the middle where flavors were most abundant and dynamic. Although a nice lineup of flavors were present in the beginning, it wasn’t until the second third that the complexity really started to pop. In the end, everything fell flat with regards to flavor and complexity resulting in a forgettable finish. No real transitions took place throughout this smoke. What did occur rather was an ebb and flow of the same mix of flavors that danced in and out of the picture at random. Had the final third not fallen flat my opinion of this cigar would surely be different. I’d give it another shot at some point but probably will not be seeking it out anytime soon.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“Overall, this was an excellent cigar. The flavors were excellent, and the texture of the smoke was perfect. The draw could have been a little better, but still very good. All in all, I would most definitely smoke this cigar again, and I’m curious to see what it turns out to be.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“I enjoyed the cigar experience pretty well. The wonky burn was really the only drawback, but I was able to overlook it with the perfect draw and the changing flavors during transition. I would smoke the cigar again.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 66

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Macanudo 1968 Robusto – Blind Cigar Review