avantgrade purchased this cigar on 2010-01-15.
It has 4 months of additional aging.
Like I mentioned before, this is a very impressive looking cigar. It appears to be nicely packed with tobacco, with no spots to indicate otherwise. Even before I could pull it out of the cello, the sweet smell of quality tobacco abounds. And upon lighting the perfecto foot, the cigar establishes a true burn line until the nub.
The aroma from the cigar is wonderful, spot on with what a good maduro should offer. A little bit of spice is coming through, but the majority of flavors are a combination of medium-roast coffee and dark chocolate. There is also a little bit of fruit-like tangy bits that sit in the background.
As the “perfecto foot” burns off, a nice burn line establishes. The cigar is producing thick plumes of white smoke, which seems to turn a little blue as the wind carries it away. Given the tight roll on the cigar, the ash holds for the entire first 1/3 of the cigar without any issues. The ash is dark gray with a little bit of white. I am still getting the wonderful coffee and chocolate flavors from the initial burn. Once in a few puffs, the coffee flavors intensify, increasing in the depth of roast, differentiating into espresso notes. The chocolate flavors are a nice match for the coffee, and a faint creaminess is starting to build.
By the time I get into the second 1/3 of the cigar, it already has been 30 minutes since lighting (did I mention that this is a BIG cigar?). One thing is for sure, I am not getting bored of it in the least. The creaminess that started to creep in earlier carries with it additional spice and some leathery nuances. Along with these changes, the body of the cigar builds slightly, leveling off right around medium.
Before the final 1/3, I ashed the cigar a total of 3 times. There is simply a good and heavy amount of tobacco built into this smoke, and you start to feel it a little bit in the head.
The finally has been over an hour and fifteen minutes in the making. The best way I can describe the “nub” of the Maduro Chairman Figurado is to compare it to the Nub cigar line from Oliva: the “nub” lasts for at least 2-3 inches! Usually when you hit the sweet spot of the cigar, you can only enjoy it for a few minutes. Here, I savored it for a half of an hour.
Black pepper spice builds up, but so does the creaminess, soothing the palate after the spice dishes out its hardest hits. Meanwhile, some of the chocolate notes disappear and cocoa flavors appear. This transition is fairly slow, but very enjoyable.
The Arganese Maduro Chairman Figurados are an absolute bargain. Boxes of 25 can be snatched up for well under 60 dollars, and at less than 3 dollars a stick, you cannot beat it!