Ave Maria Reconquista ~ An Amateur's Point Of View (Bumped for today's March Madness Deal)
Steve2010
Posts: 1,036 ✭
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WTF is that? That, my friend is an Ave Maria (Hail Mary) in Cyrillic.What does that have to do with a cigar review? Nothing, but Cyrillic looks cool and I never knew that Ave Maria was Latin for Hail Mary. Anyway AJ Fernandez is constantly coming up with a ton of new blends and each one seems to be better than the one before it. When is the madness going to end?
One of the more recent creations is the Ave Maria Reconquista.
First off, theres the packaging and presentation. I purchased a box
of three and each cigar comes in its own individual coffin. The coffins
are placed into a bed of scrap tobacco in a beautiful box. The
presentation is elegant and first-class.
The cigar itself is a huge 7 x 54 torpedo and is wrapped in a
flawless Brazilian Habano Oscuro leaf. Supposedly, this wrapper is
really rare and apparently its the first time its being used.
The binder is Honduran and the fillers are Nicaraguan from the "big three (Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli).
The wrapper is dark with minimal veins and glistens with oils.
Smelling the wrapper and the foot of the cigar only hints at its
complexity with damp earth, leather, and sweet spices.
After a careful torching, the cigar lets you know that youre in for a treat.
The flavors are rich and complex right from the start with oak, well-oiled leather, coffee notes, and black pepper up front.
The smoke is thick and creamy, almost to the point of being chewy.
The draw is flawless and the burn is as straight as can be.
The first third is definitely full bodied.
The strength seems to taper off a bit during the second third, but the flavors and complexity still boggles my mind.
The initial flavors are still there and caramel-like notes add to the taste.
During the final third, the flavors seem to intensify and its hard
to focus on anything else. At this point, black cherry and vanilla make
their appearance.
Normally, Ill sit out on my recliner and read a book while smoking. I
found myself putting the book down this evening and focusing solely on
the cigar.
The strength kicks back up to the lower end of full and by the time the cigar is nubbed I felt like I was physically and emotionally drained.
Strong, yet eminently refined.
How good is this cigar? After some serious reflection, I honestly
have to say that this is one of the more refined cigars Ive smoked. Easily a Top 10 smoke, and if you look through my Photobucket, you'll know that for me to call it a Top Ten-er is saying something.
The Ave Maria Reconquista is the complete package and AJ Fernandez
has reset the standards for what a super- premium cigar should be.
I believe they maxed the production of these out at 16,000 boxes.
For those that thought this is just an Ave Maria with a different wrapper wrong.
Ive heard an analogy from another reviewer that seemed to fit: Its like the Ford Mustang.
You have your basic V-6, the GT, The Boss, and the Shelby. Not to
mention the others like Roush, etc
Same basic starting package, but
different looks and definitely different under the hood. Think of the
Ave Maria as the V-6 and the Reconquista as the Shelby.
So what exactly is a Reconquista?
I had no idea, so after Googling it, I found out that it was a period
from about 722 AD to the late 1400s when several Christian kingdoms
retook the Iberian Peninsula, the Pyrenees, and part of today's southern
France from the Muslims.
The box of three retails for $45 but since price versus value is
subjective, I truly believe that for the experience that I just went
through, the Reconquista is a bargain at $15 each. Obviously not an
everyday smoke, but for a special occasion, you'd be hard-pressed to
find something better.
Comments
rightfully so.
I smoked the first one with a week's rest and the one I reviewed had a month. I smoked one the other day that had 5 months on it and didn't notice any perceptible change. So to answer your question, I would say: fire it up.
Indeed.