Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is medium brown and has a bit of a turtle shell effect. There are a few slight raised veins present and the seams are smooth and hard to detect. The head is finished off with a triple cap where the edges are raised in some places. The band is a traditional style in green, white and gold denoting the line. The aroma from the wrapper is sweet hay and barnyard while the foot brings stone fruit sweetness and wood. The pre-light draw brings stone fruit and cedar.

Pre-light Experience

The El Artista Cimarron Maduro Robusto has a chocolate brown wrapper with some water spots present. The band is the same as the band on the Cimarron Connecticut, with gold lettering and accents against white and green. The wrapper has aromas of sweet raisin, tobacco, cedar and hay. The foot has an intense raisin and sweetness.

Pre-light Experience

The El Artista Cimarron Maduro Robusto has a fine grade sand paper feel to the Colorado Maduro wrapper. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head finished off with a roughly applied triple cap. Aromas from the wrapper give strong cedar and barnyard. Aromas from the foot give a subtle white pepper spice, hay and sweet dried plums. Cold draw gives namely cedar and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with a slightly charred and musty wood. At a half inch in, the wood is more defined as cedar and a light buttery note hits around mid draw. The retrohale shows musty wood. As the third comes to a close, the cedar still has a slight char to it as the mustiness is right behind. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

My initial flavor impressions are cocoa, minerality and hay. There is some sweetness at the end of each draw that lingers and mixes with the hay. On the retrohale, I pick up baking spices and light cocoa, finishing with cedar. As the cigar settles in, the cedar moves to the front of the retrohale palate. Cedar has a lingering medium length post draw finish. Further along, some baking spices add some edge to it with some tannic quality to the cedar. At the halfway mark, the tannins on the cedar have fallen away, with cocoa moving to the front of the palate.

First Third

The first third has a pretty good bouquet of flavors centered around cocoa, minerals, a hint of ripe plums and hay. Retrohaling brings forth more minerals and ripened plums. The finish is essentially one note of earthiness (dirt/soil and cedar). Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

The second third continues on with the slightly charred and musty cedar. At a half inch in, a slight cream joins the profile. The retrohale shows off the musty cedar. At an inch in, the char begins to increase. As the third comes to a close, the cedar transitions to a slightly young general wood note. The strength in this third remains at slightly below medium.

Second Third

Cedar, cocoa and minerality leads the profile into the middle third. Faint baking spices are present as the second third starts to establish itself. The tannins from the first third return at the end of the draw, but only have a short finish. Sweetness develops at the front of the retrohale, pushing the cedar into the middle of the palate. At the middle of the cigar, tannins are lingering much longer and the light cocoa has fallen off. Toasted earth comes through at the end of the draw, taking over the post draw as well. Cocoa comes into the retrohale in the middle of the palate, and then hands over to the earth to finish.

Second Third

The second third gives way to more minerals as well as a subtle underlying metallic note. The cocoa and ripe plums are toned down quite a bit as well. Strength and body remains medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood no longer has the young characteristic. At a quarter inch in, a slight mintiness joins the profile. At a half inch in, the profile consists of charred and musty wood with a slight mintiness. The retrohale maintains the musty wood note. The same profile is maintained until the cigar comes to an end. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Final Third

Earth carries the profile moving into the last third. That earth lingers on the post draw and brings some light pepper with it. Some vegetal notes are detectable as the last third settles in. Cedar returns at the middle of the palate, pushing the earth from the post draw finish.

Final Third

The last third continues to build on that metallic note from the second third. The metallic note is namely paired with cedar and also drowns out the cocoa and ripe plums. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn line was slightly wavy but never needed any attention. The ash held on through each third.

Burn

The burn is straight through the entire experience. Ash holds on a respectable amount up to 1-1/2 inches.

Burn

The burn was a bit lackluster. Since the initial ash, half the side of the cigar had a very difficult time burning causes 3 major touch-ups. The burn was burning cool and ashes were pretty solid.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The cigar began with musty and charred cedar and a slight buttery note. The musty and charred cedar held on through most of the cigar until the end of the second when it became a general wood note with a young profile. The young profile quickly went away and it was just a general wood note with the char and mustiness. Construction was very good and strength was right around medium. The flavor profile was fairly linear throughout and provided an average flavor experience. I preferred the Connecticut shade version of this line and would be interested to see what a Habano wrapped version would do. In regards to this one, probably not something I’d be in a hurry to revisit.

Draw

Draw leans about 1/2 a notch towards the resistant spectrum, but well inside the scope of an ideal draw.

Overall

The El Artista Cimarron Maduro Robusto has a reasonable list of flavors including cocoa, baking spices, cedar, earth, vegetal notes, minerality and some sweetness. Unfortunately, the cigar struggles to harmonize throughout the experience, with the middle third being the most organized for me. The burn, draw and overall construction of the cigar are nearly flawless. Overall, I found the flavor experience to be fairly average for what’s available in the marketplace.

Draw

A slight tightness to the draw but overall still considered very good.

Overall

The El Artista Cimarron Maduro Robusto showed a great first third with delicious notes of cocoa, cedar, minerals and ripened plums. Unfortunately, by the time it got to the second third, the unpleasant metallic note, although subtle and underlying, was a major factor to the overall profile. Due to this reason and the lackluster burn, the cigar was an overall average experience for me.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$1.36

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.23

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.33

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: El Artista Cimarron Maduro Robusto