Cigar Review: La Hoja Maduro

• Vitola: No. 1 (Robusto)
• 5.25” x 52 ring gauge 
• MSRP $11
• Sample supplied by La Hoja Cigars

Background

Last week I took a look at the first announced release from La Hoja Cigars: the Edicion Clasica 1962. Today I’m smoking the second release, which is a Maduro version of the same cigar. From the press release:

The Edicion Clasica Maduro 1962 features similar Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan tobaccos found in the binder and filler of the Edicion Clasica Corojo. What sets the Edicion Clasica Maduro apart, says J Carlos Gomez, Executive VP at La Hoja Cigars, is the carefully selected Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper.

“The San Andreas Maduro wrapper gives this blend a sweet and earthy touch,” said Gomez, “but in order for us to incorporate this into a blend that meets La Hoja quality standards, we had to be incredibly discerning about the other leaves to make sure they complement the wrapper.”

The danger of San Andreas Maduro wrappers, Gomez says, is “that particular leaf can create a smoke that is too dry and that parches the smoker. We’ve blended this cigar specifically to offer the flavor of San Andreas but with considerable balance as well.”

So…Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers (and binder, I’m guessing) that are similar to the other version of the cigar, but not necessarily the same…then a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper. Pricing is about the same and this is also available in 4 sizes. Thanks again to La Hoja for giving me the chance to take this cigar out for a test drive.

Prelight

The look is almost identical to the regular Edicion Clasica…the difference being in trim color. Whereas the Corojo version has black trim on the bottom third of the band and a black ribbon foot band, this uses red for both, which does contrast well with the dark chocolate color of the Mexican Maduro wrapper leaf. The wrapper leaf had some rough texture under my fingertips, but I also came away with some oiliness. The aroma was identifiably “Mexican San Andres” with a ripe earthiness and hints of cedar. The foot had an aroma very close to the Corojo version of the cigar, with that same grain note mixed with some earth.

The cold draw was excellent and tasted of earth, hay and tea.

Flavor

Lighting up La Hoya Edicion Classic Maduro, right away I got more of that tea flavor, with some earthiness underneath and a semi-sweet chocolate finish. The retrohale was peppery and nutty. All in all, while I definitely got an aroma of Mexican wrapper on the prelight, I could not definitively say that’s what it was when I first started burning it, as it lacked that very bitter earthiness that I came to associate with the leaf. As I burned through the first third I did get some coffee bean and dark earth notes.

The second third saw a much earthier flavor profile hold sway with more of the bitter notes I’ve come to associate with Mexican wrapper. If the blend isn’t well balanced, that can become overwhelming, but it didn’t cross that line here.

In the last third the more bitter notes faded a bit and more sweetness came through…some cocoa powder and earth. Although this blend uses a lot of Dominican leaf, it was hard to see the influence of it with some a strongly flavorful wrapper leaf.

Construction

I found very good construction throughout. Draw was perfect. Ash was solid. Burn line was even enough. It almost went out on me at one point, but it was probably because I wasn’t puffing enough.

Value

I would call this one worth the price, although just barely for my palate. Fans of Mexican wrapper should see it as well worth it.

Conclusions

In the end I liked La Hoya Edition Classic Maduro, but not as much as the Corojo-wrapped version of the cigar. But…that’s why they make more than one blend…because different people like different things. That being said, I would smoke it again and I would recommend it for fans of Mexican leaf.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10