Cigar Info
In March of 2023, General Cigar announced a new Macanudo cigar in their Inspirado line: Macanudo Inspirado Tercio Aged. The name comes from the technique of tercio aging. This method of aging is strenuous and time-consuming and involves covering the cigar's Dominican Piloto Cubano leaves in handmade bales made of royal palm bark that age the tobacco in a unique climaite for six months. This method is said to smooth out the tobacco in a way that is not achievable through other techniques, delivering deep nuances and heightened aroma.
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 blend for Macanudo Inspirado Tercio Aged uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Indonesian binder and Colombian and Dominican fillers. It is produced at at General Cigar Dominicana in Santiago, Dominican Republic. This cigar comes in two sizes, with 3,400 boxes being released in the U.S: Toro (6” x 54) $10.49 MSRP and Churchill (7” x 49) $10.99 MSRP. Each box has a QR code that links to a video that displays the tercio-aging process.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Indonesian Bezuki
Filler: Dominican Republic, Columbia
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
Blender: Jhonys Diaz
Number of reviewers: 4 – Kevin J. (maninblack77) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Bill C.(Bill)
Price: $10.49
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: April 2023
Contributed by: General Cigar
Initial Impressions – Macanudo Inspirado Tercio Aged Toro
Appearance: 91
“Visually this is a rough-looking cigar and it feels extra hefty. The Wrapper is very bumpy and veiny with some splotchy coloring. It is rolled well though with a nicely applied cap.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Aroma: 92
“Tons of chocolate and leather aromas as well as some earthy notes. The same goes for the aromas coming from the foot.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
First Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The opening is incredibly mild and hard to pick up a flavor, likely due to a very tight draw. After recutting and poking it open a bit, I finally was able to get a better draw. At this point, an odd floral astringent flavor comes through on top of some strong mineral notes.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)”
“The first few puffs exhibit a sweet cream character with some undertones of fresh espresso. In the retrohale, there are light floral notes with some cinnamon burn on the backend. The smoke is thin and dissipates quickly. The mouthfeel is light and airy and the finish is on the shorter side.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Second Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The second third is where the chocolate and leather notes ramp up and the woodiness takes a back seat. The chocolate is decadent at times and very rich. Such an enjoyable second third. Creamy rich smoke. Medium bodied in strength so far.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“One of the most pronounced coffee notes I've ever gotten in a cigar. The mouthfeel is fairly gritty too, it's almost like having a mouth full of ground. This is an experience that isn't for everyone – but as a coffee lover, I'm enjoying it. There's still some pepper on the retrohale, but I'm not doing it much because I'm enjoying the regular draw so much.” –Bill C. (Bill)
Final Third
Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third is where the wide array of flavors really meld together and each one hit my palate in the sweet spot. The milk chocolate, leather, oak, and earthy notes were each able to be discerned from each other but also created a great flavor mixture and profile.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“I get a return to the first third on the palate. Espresso and cream combine together making me think of cup of cappuccino. As I progress into the final third an element of cinnamon begins to creep in. It tingles the tip of the tongue making the finish even longer. The retrohale has a shift as well. The smoke has an anise note to it. This is by far the best the cigar has to offer in my opinion. The mouthfeel is the same while the finish has gotten incrementally longer with each third.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Overall Impressions – Macanudo Inspirado Tercio Aged Toro
Draw: 93
“It took a little time for the draw to work itself out but once it did I had an enjoyable experience. It gave off a fair amount of smoke per puff.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Burn: 96
“The burn was one of the best things with the cigar. Solid burn lines and nice ashes. I never had to touch up or relight the stick.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Construction: 93
“If it wasn't for the tight draw, that required a lot of work from me to improve, the construction would be spot on. Great wrapper application and a wonderful burn.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 89
“While the flavors weren't mindblowing or unique, they were very enjoyable when judged as a whole. A wide range of flavors including milk chocolate, leather, oaky woodiness, and earth really hit my palate right in the sweet spot. I'd love to smoke this again, perhaps in a smaller vitola to really get the flavors from the wrapper to shine.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“If I only smoked the last third of this cigar I would have been a big fan of it, sadly that was not the case. The first two third just didn't impress me. I will give it another shot once I know what it is.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“I'm a bit torn about the blend. The opening draw caused difficulty but once I resolved that it wasn't an issue again. The odd astringent flavor at the start was strange but the nice mineral and metallic earth that followed was enjoyable. By the end, I liked the smoky spicy retrohale, the earthy flavors, and the return of the weird almost sandalwood cologne flavor. Overall I don't know if I enjoyed the journey to the final third enough to make me want to go back to it again.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“This is a weird cigar to write a synopsis for. The highs were pretty high, and it never dipped into unpleasant territory. But the first and last thirds seem disappointing compared to the excellent second third. I'd like to try another to see if I can replicate or improve upon the experience of the second third.” –Bill C. (Bill)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 90
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Kevin J. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 95 |
| Estevan Z. | 92 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 90 |
| Lauren S. | 88 | 88 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 97 | 92 | 88 |
| Bill C. | 90 | 90 | 87 | 95 | 85 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.