SAN LOTANO MADURO
5x52 Box Pressed Robusto
This first thing that anyone is gonna notice about this cigar is the box press. It
isn't just a slight press, it isn't just a regular box press... it is REALLY
box pressed. Like, this thing has SHARP corners. Anyway, San Lotano is A.J. Fernandez's
first brand of his own, having made his name blending and producing cigars for other
people (primarily online houses, CI in particular comes to mind). The San Lotano brand
is a family brand, going back to his family in Cuba, back in the day, blah blah. Fernandez
is a protege of Alejandro Robaina, the master of Cuban tobacco, God rest his soul, and
has become known for his full bodied, Habano wrapped blends. The San
Lotano brand comes in three wrapper variations, each available in 4 vitolas (Habano,
Maduro, Connecticut). The Maduro I will be reviewing today is the robusto, which
features a Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper, Honduran binder, and a mix of fillers
from various countries.
This particular example features a dark chocolate wrapper, with a slightly mottled
color to it, and a toothy matte finish. The look of this cigar actually is somewhat
reminiscent of the Padron x000 series. The band is something I have to *** about,
as an artsy fartsy type myself... It looks like it was designed with MS Paint or something.
No graphic designer should or would be proud to be responsible for this band. That said,
I don't smoke cigar bands, so aside from looking weak, it doesn't matter... The cold
aroma is wet, and earthy, with a touch of musty tobacco. The cold draw is sweet and
creamy, and offers primarily a dark chocolate flavor, the source of the sweetness.
The draw itself is a bit firm, likely owing to the ridiculous box pressing going on.
The wrapper itself looks great, no veins (all smushed in the box pressing process, no
doubt), and applied masterfully, with a good enough looking double cap and tight seams.
The pack itself is full... this thing feels like a brick, and has almost no give to
it when squeezed...
Lit at 7:47pm.
At first light, this is a somewhat lighter, softer smoke than I expected, offering
a dry, soft mouthfeel, and a simple, sweet tobacco flavor, with just a touch of spice
on the finish, that gradually builds as it moves across the palate. Smoke production
is not great at this point, probably as a result of the slightly snug draw. The burn,
after just a few draws is already a little wacky, due to the hard edges from the
box pressing. Hoping these little nuisances will correct themselves as things progress.
The first third is going well, and the tight draw has actually probably kept my pace
slow, which is good. The flavor profile offers a dark chocolate bitterness, and a creamy
sweetness, which contrast nicely. The finish has a mild spice to it that moves around
the mouth a bit, and lingers for a good length of time. There is a heaviness developing
through the mouth-feel of this cigar. The smoke is dense, and oily, where it started much
lighter. Burn line has also worked itself out, requiring only a pair of quick touch
ups.
Ash falls for the first time just a bit into the second third. The flavor profile
continues to contain a great spread of sweet, dark flavors, now with an almost oaky
character mingling on on a few draws. This is not an overly strong cigar, like some
of those that AJ Fernandez makes, and not as complex as some, but it offers great
flavors so far, with no issues, and a balance that is superb on the palate.
Throughout the final third, unfortunately the only further development is a bit more bitterness
that eventually becomes hot, and unpleasant... but only really at the end. From start to finish
this is a great, inexpensive, sweet, rich, maybe not overly complex, but pleasant cigar that
really delivers what I think of as the flavors I look for in a maduro wrapped cigar.
Perhaps the only negative thing I could say about this cigar is that the draw remained a bit too
tight the whole time, but that is something that can vary a good deal from stick to stick,
so I don't put much stock in it. if this is what we can expect from AJ Fernandez in the future,
I will certainly continue to pay attention. Lasted a total of 1 hour 35 minutes approximately.
More photos:
SIO
