Tabanero Maceda Connecticut Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

When walking along 7th Avenue in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood, you will come across quite a few small, boutique cigar shops offering their own brands of cigars, many with rollers in the window and shop area displaying how the cigar their cigars are made. One of these shops is Tabanero Cigars. As of last year (2022), the company is branching out beyond its retail and online shops and had a booth at the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show. One of the cigars that has been sold in their retail shops for a few years now is the Tabanero Maceda Connecticut, which is the focus of our review today.

The blend uses a U.S.A. Connecticut Shade wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Nicaraguan ligero, Nicaraguan seco, and Ecuadorian volado fillers. It comes in two sizes, a Robusto and Toro.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut Shade
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua, Ecuador
Factory: Tabanero Cigar Factory
Blender: Yanko Maceda
Number of reviewers: 4 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Alan (Eulogy) John A. (Bostoneo) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $11.00
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: 2022
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions – Tabanero Maceda Connecticut Robusto

Appearance: 90

“The cigar is adorned with a faded, yellowish gold wrapper with very little blemishes throughout.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Aroma: 88

“A perfect cold draw reveals lively flavors of shoe leather, hay, cream, and a spot of pepper. Running it by the old sniffer reveals scents of freshly light roasted nuts, cream, and honey, wowie!” –John A. (Bostoneo)

First Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Full-bodied charred wood and cream start this Robusto off post-light. Half an inch in the char notes, thankfully, fade away and we are left with a sweet creamy honey profile which is sure to delight any mild to medium-bodied smoker. Big smoke plumes exude from the brilliantly white ash as this cigar keeps its creamy profile through the end of this third.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“Very surprised at how bold this is starting out. There are heavy notes of baking spice, minerals, tobacco, red pepper, and heavy cream. The draw is good with a very creamy smoke production.” –Alan (Eulogy)

Second Third

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

“Ok the sweetness is still there, but it’s WAYYYY in the backseat now There is more of an earthy, leather tone that is in the front seat and asking to drive. Not hatin’ it, but I’m missing my friend in the back seat……just waiting on a pit stop so they can change places. I’d say this has officially made this cigar a mild to medium in strength.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“Things don’t change much with a continued rich buttery note that I’m not complaining about one bit.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Final Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Sweetness returns to the passenger seat with earthy, leather notes in the back seat… I look in the rearview mirror at them and smirk, while nudging the sweetness. Yes, the sweetness has returned, but earthy and leather don’t go quietly oh no… they yell and bicker at each other the whole trip like kids.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“Moving into the final third, the same mild profile of cream, cashew, and honey remain the focal point of this cigar. Half-way through, charred notes return and quickly fade after while this cigar goes all the way to the end with the same profile adding on a bit of cereal note towards the end.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Overall Impressions – Tabanero Maceda Connecticut Robusto

Draw: 95

“Using a shallow v-cut, I get that resistance that I am looking for which is what I like to call the Goldilocks Effect.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Burn: 98

“Razor-sharp burn from begging to end. I never need to do any touch-ups or relights and it burns perfectly.” –Alan (Eulogy)

Construction: 98

“While this cigar was rolled a tiny bit looser than ideal, this cigar’s construction was top notch.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Overall Strength: Mild-Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 93

“This cigar was EPIC! This cigar is the reason why I smoke cigars… this cigar was the holy grail of cigars… let me take you down the rabbit hole: The look was clean, smooth, and just pretty, sure there were some visible seams and veins but who cares? It’s a man-made product! In the first third, it was just refreshing, it was so sweet with honey, and cream, and hints of cinnamon here and there, and I just wanted the cigar to stay like this, but oh no. In the second third, leather and earthy notes showed up and pushed the sweetness to the back… how I got leather out of this pretty cigar is beyond me, but I continued on. The final third brought back the sweetness and cream to the forefront but also let the earthiness and leather have their time to shine as well. The cigar went from mild to mild-medium and never went above that. This cigar was without a doubt the best cigar I’ve had in 2023 so far. *Chef’s kiss*” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“I was expecting a very mild cigar and was blown away by the depth of flavors. This is a very rich and bold cigar with a fantastic smoke output and creamy smoke. Certainly a highlight of the year for me and I will be buying more of these in the future.” –Alan (Eulogy)

“This was one of the easiest cigars I’ve ever smoked. It was perfectly constructed, had a perfect draw, and had no burn issues! Mild in profile for the most part, wonderful notes of leather, cream, honey, and cashew spotlighted the main flavors given by this fine stick. Burning on the faster side, this cigar gave off brilliant white ash and huge clouds of smoke when sampled. While it did burn on the fast side, this would be an easy cigar to recommend for a stable flavor profile that was enjoyable and relaxing without the worry of a poorly built stick; smoke it slowly though!” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“This was an exceptional cigar that offered a lovely, albeit, gentle experience consisting mainly of cinnamon and buttered toast. I say gently because, between the strength and the body, it really wasn’t pushing any heavy-duty kick. Instead, it offered just enough to enjoy without being over or underwhelmed. Goldilocks.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 87

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Tabanero Maceda Connecticut Robusto – Blind Cigar Review