Pre-light Experience

The cigar has a very drastic rectangle press to it with a dark brown wrapper that carries a couple of slightly raised veins. The seams are pretty well hidden and the head is also squared off and covered in what appears to be a double cap. There are two bands, the first being the traditional design for the brand, but in a blue and silver color combination and is made to look like a second strip band that designates the Amadeus line, but they are connected on the back. The foot band is a silver ribbon. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of wood, white pepper and floral perfume. The foot brings floral sweetness, but not like the perfume variety I got from the wrapper. The pre-light draw is a mix of wood and floral notes with a mild spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos Toro is nicely pressed and comes with a beautiful milk chocolate colored wrapper. There is some tooth present on the cigar and with that is some noticeable veins throughout. It is a firm cigar and is smooth and silky in texture. The foot of the cigar is showing aromas of cinnamon, milk chocolate and dark cherries while the wrapper is giving off aromas of sweet spices, rich earth and stone fruits.

Pre-light Experience

The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos Toro has a silver foot band, a deep blue and silver primary band, and also an attached secondary band with the word ‘Amadeus’ in silver font. The cigar itself has a wafer box press, with a dark chocolate smooth wrapper. The cigar has aromas of intense barnyard, aged wood, some mustiness and buried sweetness. In the foot, I get some prominent stewed raisins.

First Third

The cigar begins with creamy wood, black pepper and floral notes. At a half inch in, the cream takes the lead while the wood is not far behind and the black pepper and floral notes are quite a combination in the background. At an inch in, the cream fades back to become even with the black pepper while the wood is now up front and the floral note remains in the background. The retrohale has the wood and pepper even with a slight floral finish. At an inch and a half in, the cream increases once again to become even with the wood up front. The black pepper has a long mellow finish to it. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third opens up by showing notes of milk chocolate, hazelnuts, sweet spice and toast. There are some touches of red pepper on the finish and it is an enjoyable experience. It is not as full as I was expecting. I would classify the cigar as being medium to medium-full for strength and body, but it has nice flavors. Nothing overpowering, but simply enjoyable.

First Third

The Amadeus Los Cabos immediately has flavors of powdered cocoa, baking spices, and cedar. The cedar is at the forefront of the palate, with the cocoa taking up the end of the draw and background notes. On the retrohale, I also get white pepper, which migrates to the back of my throat on the post draw. At the 30 minute mark, the cocoa starts to intensify. By the halfway point, the profile is largely creamy chocolate, finishing with post draw creamy cedar.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the creamy wood is up front and the floral note hits right about mid draw. The black pepper is fairy faint in the background and still has a long subtle finish. At a half inch in, the creamy wood remains up front while the floral note is very faint and the black pepper has completely left the profile. At an inch in, some coffee has joined the creamy wood and faint floral note. At an inch and a half, some char joins the creamy wood while the coffee and faint floral note remains. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

I am in the second third of the cigar now and finding the flavors to be on the rise. It has become spicier overall and it is showing cinnamon, red pepper and some Asian spice qualities. It is paired with some soft rich earth and milk chocolate notes, and the finish is that of hazelnuts. It is showing a lot of the flavors present in the first third, but they are taking different roles now and it is a better delivery. The strength and body are at a medium-full level and it is a nice second third.

Second Third

As the cigar moves into the middle third, the cedar starts to fight back for palate dominance. The post draw picks up some toasted cedar at a medium-minus strength level. Once the middle third has settled in, powdered cocoa starts to carry into the post draw, along with light plus spices which join the retrohale. At the second half, the post draw cedar takes on a charred character, which recedes during the transition to the last third.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the char picks up a little bit with the wood while the cream moves slightly behind and the coffee and floral notes are in the background. At a half inch in, some mustiness and bitterness join the charred wood while the cream is still lightly behind. The coffee has left the profile while the floral note is only detectable on the finish. The retrohale presents a musty wood note. At an inch in, the bitterness, cream and floral note have gone away as the charred and musty wood is the remaining profile. As the cigar comes to a close, some cream returns to combine with the musty and charred wood. The strength in this third remained at medium.

Final Third

When I get into the final third of the cigar the flavor profile shows more transitioning. It is delivering a nice bit of spice, lots of red pepper and it is paired with some dry earth and wood notes. It is not showing those chocolate or hazelnut flavors from before, but it does have a nice toasty quality on the finish. It is smoking at a medium-full level for strength and body and it is a nice finish.

Final Third

Vanilla is added to the creamy cocoa profile. Some char returns at the beginning of the final third, and then falls off again several minutes later. Once the final third has settled in, the creamy sweetness takes on a syrupy sweet aspect.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy at times and straight at others. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

The construction was fairly good. It started a little poor but improved greatly halfway through the first third to the end.

Burn

For most of the first third, I found the ash to be quite flaky, with an uneven burn. I also had to perform a touch-up. For the remainder of the smoking experience, the burn was quite even, the ash started to hold on well in 1.5 inch increments and was bright white.

Draw

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

Overall

The floral note in the first third combined with the wood, cream and black pepper was fantastic. The profile dropped down in complexity in each third. Construction was fantastic and never needed any attention. In terms of strength, it never got higher than medium and makes this a good any time of the day smoke. I know not everyone likes floral notes in their cigars, but I do, so I found the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos Toro to be quite enjoyable. With so many vitolas in the line, I’m eager to try others to see if I can find one where the flavor profile I got from the first third can endure longer. I would have no problem going back to this cigar and look forward to doing so. If you like the profile I described, it’s well worth your time to track some of these down.

Draw

The draw was slightly loose in my opinion and it smoked quickly. I had to really take my time with each draw.

Overall

Overall, this was a decent cigar. The flavors were enjoyable but it did not really wow me. You could tell you were smoking a San Andres wrapper as it was delivering a flavor profile that I enjoy, but it was just lacking some additional complexity to make this a really great cigar. There was nothing to this cigar that really made it stand out among the pack of San Andres offerings. Now, if you are a fan of the Recluse brand you will be happy with this release if you were looking for a Mexican offering, but I do not see anyone jumping to get their hands on this cigar otherwise. In some ways, it was just another Mexican offering.

Draw

The draw was in the ideal zone, with just the right amount of resistance.

Overall

The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos Toro was an enjoyable cigar that showcased a lot of chocolate flavors from the San Andrés wrapper. The flavor profile was just over medium, and the strength held to under medium for the entire smoking experience.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.92

Cost/Point

$1.23

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.45

Cost/Point

$1.56

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.97

Cost/Point

$1.22

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos Toro