Cigar review; Team review and notes on Micallef Experiencia La Crema
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Team Cigar Review: Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro
- Vitola: Toro
- Length: 6?
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Sumatra
- Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
- Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Panama
- Factory: Micallef
- Blender: Joel Gómez Sanchez
- Price: $11.50
- Release Date: February 2019
- Source: Micallef
Aaron Loomis
John McTavish
Jiunn Liu
Pre-light Experience
The wrapper on the Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro is light brown with a network of visible veins that are well pressed. The seams are easily visible as they are slightly raised. The head is finished with a well applied set of caps, but the top cap is a more vibrant brown than the rest of the caps. The cigar feels hefty for its size. The band has the traditional design for the brand with this line having a navy blue lower half and denoting Experiencia. The aroma from the wrapper is lightly damp wood and an interesting baking spice. The foot brings wood, tobacco sweetness and pepper. The pre-light draw brings an aged, dry cedar.
Pre-light Experience
The Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro has a chocolate colored wrapper with firmly pressed veins throughout. The band is quite elegant with a mixture of red and metallic gold accents and a blue-gray background. Nosing the cigar, I picked up aromas of sweet cedar, hints of cocoa along with some earth. Sweet plum was present in the foot.
Pre-light Experience
The Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro has a Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight but visible, bunch and roll even and on the firmer side and head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper give mainly dry wood. Aromas from the foot tell welcoming black pepper spice, cedar and hay. Cold draw tells hay and cedar.
First Third
The cigar begins with wood, dry earth and light mustiness. At a half inch in, a faint black pepper joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, a light bitterness becomes present. The retrohale brings mustiness, dry earth and light black pepper. At an inch and a half, the black pepper is only present as light on the finish. As the third comes to a close, the profile is wood, dry earth mustiness and faint bitterness with a very light black pepper finish. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.
First Third
The first third opens with some sweet, tannic cedar. The post draw consists of a slightly dry cedar. As the cigar begins to settle, a sweetness comes through at the end of each draw, and that carries nicely into the post draw. About an inch in, cream and powdered cocoa combine and join the profile.
First Third
The first third has a medium body and strength formula. Flavors consists of buttered bread, roasted nuts and hay. There’s something to be said about the mouthfeel of this cigar. It is delicately oily and buttery. Retrohaling shows sharper cedar and tart cherries. The finish aside from the buttery mouthfeel has namely a lingering aged cedar.
Second Third
The second third continues on with the profile from the first. At a half inch in, the profile is musty wood and dry earth. The bitterness and pepper finish are no longer present. The retrohale is musty wood, dry earth and light bitterness. As the third comes to a close, the profile of musty wood and dry earth has continued unchanged. The strength remains at slightly below medium.
Second Third
Sweetness and cedar drive the profile in the second, with some mild dry cedar on the post draw like the first third. Some sour citrus takes up space in the middle of the profile as the cigar settles in. Tannic cedar steps up in strength at the halfway to medium., and takes over the middle of the profile for the remainder of the third.
Second Third
The second third continues with the same medium body and strength profile. The profile picks up some tannins on the tongue, which gives the profile more structure. Other than that, it is still a buttery mouthfeel of buttered bread, roasted nuts and hay.
Final Third
As the final third begins, a slight char joins the profile. The retrohale is now slightly young wood, mustiness and dry earth. At an inch in, the profile remains charred wood, mustiness and dry earth. The cigar finishes out with the same profile. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.
Final Third
Dry cedar leads the profile into the last third. Sweet minerality and some earthiness make up the retrohale. Some time later, the profile evolves into dry cedar and some tannins which carry the remainder of the third.
Final Third
The final third finishes the same medium body and strength. Tannins on the tongue, buttery mouthfeel, buttered bread, roasted nuts and hay.
Burn
The burn line was straight the entire way. The ash held on through each third.
Burn
The first half of the first third is relatively straight, becoming slightly uneven in the second half. That uneven burn continued in the second third, eventually requiring a touch-up. The burn is relatively straight for the remainder of the experience.
Burn
Burn performance was overall very good. Only negatives were a wavy burn which resulted in a couple touch-ups.
Draw
The draw was fairly snug throughout and a second cut and draw tool provided no relief.
Overall
The cigar began with wood, dry earth and light mustiness. Some black pepper joined in fairly quickly. Some bitterness joined in towards the end of the third. The second third saw the bitterness and pepper drop off about halfway through. The final third saw some char join the wood, mustiness and dry earth. Construction was great other than a tight draw and strength was slightly below medium most of the way. The Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro had a fairly average and linear profile throughout. The heft of the cigar pre-light was an indicator of the tight draw I experienced. Based on the flavor profile and price, probably not something I see myself coming back to.
Draw
The draw is at most a half notch into the resistant spectrum which rates it an ideal, or amazing draw.
Overall
The Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro was enjoyable in the first third with interesting components of sweetness, cedar, creaminess and powdered cocoa. The profile flattened out for me for the remainder of the cigar experience becoming primarily sweetness and dry cedar. Given the wrapper, binder and the origin of many of the tobaccos, I was expecting more flavor intensity and strength. Construction was excellent overall. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 53 minutes.
Draw
Draw was a little tight, which resulted in being very good instead of a perfect 10.
Overall
This is unfamiliar territory for me. New cigar brand and factory in which I’ve never had the opportunity to dabble in (until now). True to it’s name, the Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro packed quite a bit of cream like notes starting off with an oily mouthfeel with flavors of buttered bread, roasted nuts followed by hay and tart cherries on the retrohale. I had a great first experience with the brand. Let’s hope it continues.
Aaron |
John |
Jiunn |
||
| Good | Pre Light |
Good | Pre Light |
Good |
| Average | First Third |
Good | First Third |
Good |
| Average | Second Third |
Average | Second Third |
Good |
| Average | Final Third |
Average | Final Third |
Good |
| Amazing | Burn | Very Good | Burn | Very Good |
| Good | Draw | Amazing | Draw | Very Good |
| Average | Overall | Average | Overall | Good |