Originally slated for release in 2002 the Reserve Maduro series was postponed due a shortage of Connecticut broadleaf. Altadis uses the same leaf on its Onyx reserve and the machine-made Backwoods. It is somewhat amusing to me to think that a Romeo y Julieta project could be sidelined by a bunch of mangy Backwoods… but bidness is bidness.

The Reserve Maduro is a completely different blend from the natural (1875) version, which is all Dominican with an Indonesian TBN wrapper. Fairly often a maduro line of a given brand will have the same blend as the natural line, just with a maduro wrapper. Not in this case. What we got here is a “Blackened” Connecticut broadleaf wrapper surrounding a Nicaraguan binder and a Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian filler. The wrapper is described on one site as being “triple-fermented,” a phrase I’ve heard before that I suspect is largely window dressing. Maduro wrappers are normally fermented multiple times, so maybe there’s something I don’t understand here.

This fellow measures 50 x 6. Not the prettiest sight in the humidor, but Connecticut broadleaf is not known for its gentility. Prelight it smells like a chicken coop. Snipping off the cap and whiffing the head gives me a premonition of a very rich smoke to come — rich earth in addition to the unfortunate coopiness.

This is an unusual cigar. The barnyard factors high in its flavor profile, along with a sweet char typical of maduros. It’s medium in body, certainly not the powerhouse I was expecting. This is good — despite the imposing appearance of this stick the interesting flavors are fairly subtle. There’s an earthy richness which proves my initial pre-light impression correct. It’s a smelly smoke, with an excremental element that might turn some people off. I can see this being a “love it or hate it” cigar.

The Onyx reserve tastes nothing like this, so if it is in fact the same wrapper, I’d guess that the Peruvian filler is somehow involved in this odd flavor profile. When my father was stationed in Turkey he saw skeins of tobacco stretched out on the ground upon which camels would relieve themselves from time to time. He told me this is why Camel cigarettes taste the way they do. I think he was joking, but maybe there is a similar practice in Peru.

My final opinion is that the R Y J Reserve Maduro is a cigar of interest. Definitely worth a try just for the experience, but I don’t think I’ll add it to my regular rotation.

In which the author, having spent the previous several days recovering from a head cold by ingesting large quantities of vitamin C and reading Tom Jones, attempts to satisfy his craving for a good Nicaraguan cigar…

Altadis acquired the U.S. rights to the Juan Lopez trademark and released this Nicaraguan puro in 2004. The brand was originally registered in Cuba in 1876, and is still in production as a quality medium-bodied smoke.

The Altadis USA cigar is a Nicaraguan puro which tends more toward the heavy end of the spectrum. Made in Esteli by NATSA, it’s square pressed with a mottled, pretty colorado maduro wrapper.

The Belicoso measures 6 1/8 x 52 with a sharply pointed head which I promptly sheared with a double-bladed guillotine. It fired up with a little reluctance, but once going it burned well. The draw is effortless with a nice volume of smoke.

It’s a nice cigar, but not all that complex. I wandered over to the back of the yard to see what my neighbor’s horses were up to, and they were about as interested in me as I was in this cigar. They came over to say hello and then went about their business.

But it’s not a bad cigar by any means. Medium to heavy in body, a little woody, a pleasant fragrance and slightly spicy on the finish. But overall just a decent straight forward cigar. The only problem is a thick wrapper that requires touching up periodically. Not a Padron, but a decent Nicaraguan.

5 1/2 x 54

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

This version of El Rico Habano was introduced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s El Credito Cigar Co. in 2001. It shares some of the same characteristics of the La Gloria Cubana Serie R line — medium to heavy in body and rich in flavor.

One look at the oily oscuro wrapper and I thought this was going to be a winner. The wrapper smells sweet even before firing it up, and the foot of the cigar smells of newly turned black loam. I was expecting a real powerhouse from the git go.

It turns out that this is a surprisingly smooth smoke. What really makes this a world class cigar is the perfect construction. I received this as part of a grab bag deal, so I’m basing this judgment on one sample, but with that caveat I will say this is one of the best constructed cigars I’ve ever smoked. The pack is firm and full but the draw is effortless and brings a considerable volume of smoke. After each puff tendrils of smoke waft from the head. The burn is even and needs no caretaking.

It starts out sweet and rich, and within half an inch the spice picks up. It seems to peak at the two-thirds point, after which it settles down and maintains a consistently sweet and spicy smoothness to the finish. A mild and pleasant aftertaste seals the bargain. It’s not as powerful as the LGC Serie R, but every bit as complex.

I used to think the El Rico Habano was LGC’s kid brother, a knock off of some sort. Not so. Based on this one sample, I’ll definitely be looking for more.