Selected Tobacco Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Selected Tobacco showed off an extra aged version of their Atabey blend at the 2023 PCA trade show. The cigar is the Limited Edition Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged.

As the Goddess of the Taino Indians, Atabey is rich in history. It was the Taino Indians who first smoked a primitive form of what is known today as a cigar while praying to their Goddess Atabey. This spiritual ceremony was known as the Cohiba and the tribe communication to Atabey was communicated through their spiritual guide, the Behike. The regular production Atabel line is aged for five years in multi-cedar lined humidors, where humidity is reduced and raised to help the cigars breathe in the different cedar notes and cleanse itself in Nelson's version of a spiritual ceremony. Now, with this new release, Alfonso wanted to see what an additional five years of aging does to an Atabey Dioses.

Contrart to what one would expect from a cigar that has been aged longer than its predecessor, Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged costs the same as its regular production counterpart. This is only true for the first batch of the cigars, of which only 370 boxes of 25 cigars are available. They are presented in the same dress boxes as the traditional Atabey line with the addition of a 10-Year aged sticker on the inside of the box, and outer carton signifying the extra aging time.

The Atabey Dioses is rolled in Costa Rica and measures a hearty 8 x 50. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and undisclosed binder and filler with the clarification that it includes some Peruvian Ligero in the filler. Each cigar has an MSRP of $36.00. Production is limited to 370 boxes of 25/9,250 Cigars.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Double Corona
Length: 8″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica
Blender: Nelson Alfonso
Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Quinn (quinnpins269) Alan (Eulogy) John A. (Bostoneo)
Price: $36.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2023
Contributed by: Selected Tobacco

Initial Impressions – Selected Tobacco Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged

Appearance: 94

“A very nice light brown almost blonde wrapper was wrapped around this slightly firm-packed cigar. The wrapper and the cap are the definition of seamless in every way.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Aroma: 91

“Perfect resistance on a cold draw reveals flavors of new leather, vanilla, oak, and mild & fruity tobacco. Running this sample across the nose gives of scents of honey, almonds, and the mildest peppered cream.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

First Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“Snug… out of the gate. I did expect to have some resistance at the beginning of this eight inch cigar, until the tobacco loosed up a little. Luckily about 6 puffs in the draw began to open up nicely. I was introduced to a wonderful mix of sweet creamy tobacco and a very faint aroma of hay.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

“The initial flavors of this cigar are light in strength but chock full of creamy pecan praline goodness. Initially sweet, the smoke finishes with a buttery oiliness that has my palate coated with oil. Through the nose there is a lightly pleasant white pepper.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Coming into the second third, I am greeted with light butter, cream, and a slightly fuller black pepper note. I feel like this cigar may have become milder, it's a tough one to nail down specific flavors even burning through into the end of this third due to how mild it has become, almost flavorless.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“There is a nice brown sugar sweetness with a walnut finish. Other notes of baking spice, cedar, and tobacco are still present but this is a far sweeter third than the first.” –Alan (Eulogy)

Final Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Final third was pretty much the same as the 2nd third, however, there were some coffee notes that decided to linger on my palate a bit more than previously.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“As this marathon of a cigar is near the final stretch, I have been paying close attention so as to not overheat the cigar. The smoke does not appear to be hot, but the tobacco is putting off a charged bitterness. I am still getting a sweetness coming through, but it is hidden behind the bitterness every so often.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Overall Impressions – Selected Tobacco Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged

Draw: 93

“Draw was top notch on this cigar, impressive given the size.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Burn: 96

“The burn was particularly impressive for such a large cigar. I never needed to give any special attention or relight which was nice and allowed me to focus on flavor instead of dealing with burn issues.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Construction: 94

“Great construction on this cigar. It is impressive on this vitola to not encounter any issues.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Overall Strength: Mild-Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 92

“Overall this was a good smoke, but damn was it long….I smoked it for over 3hrs!!!!! I got cream, honey, hay, some coffee as well as black & white pepper. It wasa mild to medium, but really just at a medium for me. I would smoke it again, but I would prefer a shorter vitola the next time around, I bet as a robusto or a corona this would be a banger.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“I've never been a fan of Connecticut shade cigars but this one may just change my mind. Plenty of flavor in a cigar that was pleasantly mild in terms of strength. A can't think of a better cigar to enjoy with morning coffee…just plan on drinking a pot…you're gonna be there a while!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

“Would I smoke this cigar again in this vitola? I'd be hard pressed to say yes. Maybe a corona or a toro, absolutely. I think it was a great mild to medium blend that had a wonderful profile. The vitola was the drawback for me personally.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

“If the draw was better I would be signing it praises. With this sample I found the profile to be excellent but the draw and size are a problem. It is a weird feeling to be almost an hour and a half into a cigar and only reach the halfway point. The flavors were good and there were enough profile transitions to keep me engaged though. I would smoke this again but I would have to block out a substantial amount of time to do so.” –Alan (Eulogy)

“This cigar started with the promise of a top-rated stick… however… it became almost completely flavorless starting halfway through which was a big disappointment. The other aspects, such as the construction, draw, and burn of the cigar were top-notch quality. In the end, I really don't find much pleasure in smoking a cigar that loses much of its flavor, especially when it is eight inches long and probably takes most folks over 2 hours to smoke.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 144

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Selected Tobacco Atabey Dioses 10-Year Extra Aged – Blind Cigar Review