Cigar Review: Maria Guerrero Belicoso
Summary:
This is a very good mild to medium bodied cigar and is becoming one of my personal favorites. Creamy and smooth, it is never harsh. There is a rich nuttiness to this cigar, mingled with coffee, chocolate and woodsy tones and a spicy complexity throughout. A perfect smoke when you’re in the mood for something lighter that isn’t at all bland.
Background Information:
At 6 1/2 inches with a 52 ring guage, this is a fat Belicoso. It is a medium-bodied cigar with an African Cameroon wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder. The filler an exceptional blend of Nicaraguan, Honduran and Peruvian tobaccos. Manufactured by Fabrica de Tabacos La Flor de Copan at their factory in western Honduras for Altadis.
From the Manufacturer:
“A revival of a classic brand originally created to capitalize on the sensual beauty of the much heralded Spanish stage actress Maria Guerrero, today’s incarnation is an extremely creamy blending of long leaf fillers from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru wrapped in genuine African Cameroon. Notes of coffee and chocolate enhanced by a gentle spice make this a decadently pleasurable cigar to smoke.”
Cigar Envy Cigar Review:
Appearance: 10 of 10 points
The wrapper is a perfect example of what a Central African Cameroon should be: smooth, oily, slightly veiny, and a beautiful deep brown color. The presentation is very good.
Aroma: 15 of 15 points
Pre-light aroma of the cigar is excellent, with the sweet spiciness of the wrapper naturally predominating. This is mellowed and blended, however, by the filler mixture in a way that suggests this is going to be a very pleasurable cigar to smoke.
The smoke aroma is extremely good. This is another cigar that I have had non-smoking friends (and my daughter) comment on as smelling sweet and very pleasant.
Burn: 9 of 10 points
Very even burn. A flaky white ash is the only negative here.
Consistency: 14 of 15 points
I frankly haven’t smoked enough of these yet to rate the box to box consistency, so in fairness I’ll knock a point off here. However, every stick I have sampled so far has been amazingly consistent. Very dependable.
Construction: 9 of 10 points
Excellent construction. The delicacy of the Cameroon wrapper prevents a perfect score here, but the trade-off in flavor more than makes up for it.
Draw: 10 of 10 points
Excellent draw. No tightness in any of the ones I have smoked, nor any other problems.
Flavor: 28 of 30 points
I have very eclectic tastes in cigars (and in wines, liquors and most other things). I appreciate a powerhouse cigar that hits you with full bodied flavor, mild cigars that are subtle, and everything in between. As I’ve noted before, my way of evaluating cigars is to take each one on its own merits, comparing it to similar cigars of the same flavor profile that I’ve smoked.
That mini-disclaimer is to warn you that if you do not like mild to medium-mild cigars, you may not like this one. It is creamy, smooth and highly nuanced. It sneaks up on you rather than assaulting your senses.
I like it. I like it a lot.
It starts off with prominent notes of chocolate and nut — let’s call that white chocolate because of the creaminess of the cigar. As it settles in, the nuttiness stays and some pleasant woody tones are added to the mix. Coffee notes begin to be apparent — again with the creaminess let’s call it Brevé overtones — and a wheat toast note blends in and out. The toastiness is really more a part of the aroma than the flavor. The cigar never becomes harsh, never becomes bitter, and although this is rated a medium bodied cigar I’d say that it starts out mild after the initial kick and only edges into medium toward the end. The complexity can fool you into thinking that it is a fuller-bodied smoke than it actually is. In my experience, it also seems to sweeten a bit on the toasty finish.
This is an easy cigar to get lost in, just drifting off into those ample clouds of fragrant smoke. It is good for relaxing in the early evening, but light enough to have enjoyably any time of the day. (In fact, at last year’s Big Smoke in Las Vegas, Chef Charlie Palmer finished off his “Real Man’s Breakfast” with a Maria Guerrero Toro. I prefer the Belicoso myself, but the Toro is a also a good smoke. If you try it, you’ll find that leather mingles in rather than the toasty notes of the Belicoso.)
Number Sampled For Review: Six.
Other Reviewers:
Cigar Aficianado gave it a 90, commenting on its ” smooth, balanced flavors of light spice, wood and graham cracker.”
Graham cracker?
Graham cracker!
Somehow, I missed those notes. And Sylvester Graham must be revolving merrily in his grave at the flavor of his Temperance snack being found in a cigar! Especially if partakers of the Maria Guerrero Belicoso are also enjoying an adult beverage with their graham-crackery smoke.
Smoke Magazine gave it a 4.2 on their old 5 point scale, with panelists mentioning its “nuanced flavors” and calling it ” a mild-bodied cigar with some real character.”
Price:
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is US $150.00 per box of 25 ($6.00 each).
Famous Smoke Shop has the current online low price per box 0f 25 at US $119.95 (which is a little over 20% off and works out to $4.80 each). Everyone else I’ve checked who has them is selling them for $135.00 a box, so the Famous price is a very good one. I have a feeling that this one will go up, rather than down, as time goes on.
The best online price for a five pack sampler ($30.00 retail) as I write this can be found at Atlantic Cigar for $20.75 ($4.15 each). Everyone else is offering them for $27 or $28 a pack if they have them at all. Of course, you might want to check CigarBid, Cigar Auctioneer, or the JR Cigars Auction and see if you can find them, but I haven’t seen them listed often at auction.
Prices do not include shipping and are current at the time of this review.
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Tags: altadis, belicoso cigar, big smoke, cameroon cigar wrapper, cigar ratings, Cigar Reviews, honduran cigars, maria guerrero belicoso, medium bodied cigar, mild bodied cigar
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CigarJack’s Cigar Review Weblog. » Blog Archive » Cigar Review: Maria Guerrero Belicoso
November 5th, 2005 08:55
[…] A cigar review from Cigar Envy This is a very good mild to medium bodied cigar and is becoming one of my personal favorites. Creamy and smooth, it is never harsh. There is a rich nuttiness to this cigar, mingled with coffee, chocolate and woodsy tones and a spicy complexity throughout. A perfect smoke when you’re in the mood for something lighter that isn’t at all bland. […]
Cigar Jack
November 5th, 2005 08:59
Great review, I’ve been waiting to try these but I haven’t found them in a local shop yet.
Jeffrey
November 6th, 2005 16:43
Thanks for the kind words. I think you’ll enjoy it based on what I’ve read in your own reviews at your site. I’ve found them interesting and helpful.
Richard Hendrix
November 6th, 2005 17:39
Awesome review. I feel as though I no longer need to smoke one to enjoy one!
Curious choice of flavor descriptor from Cigar Aficianado, graham cracker, never had that cross my palate before from a cigar. I’ll check to see if this stick is available here locally and give it a try.
richard