Do you currently smoke Cuban Maduros?

[JohnS]

In 2007, Habanos S.A introduced Cuban Maduros in regular production; namely, the Cohiba Genios, Magicos and Secretos. In 2015, another cigar was added, the Partagas Maduro No.1, followed by the Partagas Maduro No.2 and Partagas Maduro No.3 in 2018.

Since then...nothing. Have you tried these cigars. If so, do you continue to smoke them and will you do so in the future? If you have tried them and no longer do so, why not?

Has the introduction of Maduro wrappers onto regular production cigars been a success or a failure? Will we see some more releases in the future?

What are your thoughts?

Feel free to do the poll.

And lastly, have a look at the threads below to add context to these questions...

[MagicalBikeRide]

They’ve never really done it for me. So I just couldn’t prioritise them above other Cuban options at current pricing. 

[Li Bai]

I've had my fair share of Partagas Maduro n°3 and I really like it, the n°1 and 2 not so much...

As for the Cohibas, I've had too few to say anything about them and wouldn't grab them today at current pricing...

[Chitmo]

Cuba making maduros is kinda like Doxa making a dress watch or Ferrari making a family car. Nice idea, but in practice never really adds up.

[Glass Half Full]

The Magicos and Genios are both very good IMO, but the Secreto is truly a favorite.  If it weren't for the price, I would enjoy those little gems on a regular basis.  In our current world, they are more of a "treat" to enjoy on occasion.  ...Maybe later today!  

I have also enjoyed the Parti Maduro 1's but they are sort of a one trick pony as I recall.  Solid and pleasant flavor but lacking complexity and somewhat linear.  (From that experience, I wasn't encouraged to seek out the other maduros from Partagas. ) 

I just re-read the links JohnS kindly provided.  I've never experienced a bad Secreto nor the inconsistencies noted.  However, those cigars do benefit greatly from age IMO.  I was fortunate to buy an ABR Apr 2008 from our hosts back in the day, and those convinced me to set aside all younger ones so they could age into their full potential.  

[Ford2112]

In my opinion maduros shine in New world cigars. I'm just not a big fan of Cuban maduros. A good Padron 64 maduro blows away cuban ones for me. I do like secretos but at the price nahh. 

[VeguerosMAN]

Padron Anni, Ashton aged maduros, Fuente anejo, Oliva V mad, the list goes on and on.  If you are a Mad lover CC mad isn't even on the radar. 

[benfica_77]

Got a box of Genios after sampling a quarter box and enjoying them. I was extremely fortunate to pick these up in late 2019 before the world imploded. I like them, they are a yearly treat, I'm going slow because I won't be purchasing another box of them. 

I tried the Partagas Maduros, I had the No 3 which didn't tickle me....I was planning on grabbing a No. 1 to see if my mind changed but then with the price increases I focused my funds elsewhere. 

As others have mentioned on here, maduros have been mastered by NCs try a Padron Maduro for example 

[Li Bai]

Your answers are very interesting.

As a member of an European cigar aficionados community (nearly only dedicated to CCs) I always assumed the wrapper color doesn't have much impact, that it was only a visual thing as it is commonly admitted here.

I can see that for those who educated themselves with NC (at least at first) it is a big deal (Connecticut, Cameroon, San Andrès, Maduro, Shade...). I assumed it was a way of broadening portfolios for NC cigarmakers.

I have had thousands of CCs and for the same vitola I've had big variations in the wrapper colours (like every CC smoker) without ever noticing that much of an impact so when i learned that Sr Perdomo stated that the wrapper is 70% of the flavour profile for any cigar, I called BS on that. It was (and maybe still is) a marketing trick to me.

But it's a good thing to change one's own point of view sometimes and you made me want to dig deeper into it so that's what I'll do 👍

[SigmundChurchill]

To me, it’s kind of like putting steak sauce on a steak.  It may make a mediocre steak taste better, but I wouldn’t put it on a prime porterhouse.

That said, when it comes to Cuban Maduros vs NC maduros, of course a prime porterhouse with steak sauce is still a lot better than a mediocre steak with steak sauce.

[Chibearsv]

Secretos is a sad Cohiba in my opinion. Ashton aged maduro and Padron 1964 Maduros are surprisingly good cigars for me. 

[VeguerosMAN]

4 hours ago, Li Bai said:

Your answers are very interesting.

As a member of an European cigar aficionados community (nearly only dedicated to CCs) I always assumed the wrapper color doesn't have much impact, that it was only a visual thing as it is commonly admitted here.

I can see that for those who educated themselves with NC (at least at first) it is a big deal (Connecticut, Cameroon, San Andrès, Maduro, Shade...). I assumed it was a way of broadening portfolios for NC cigarmakers.

 I have had thousands of CCs and for the same vitola I've had big variations in the wrapper colours (like every CC smoker) without ever noticing that much of an impact so when I learned that Sr Perdomo stated that the wrapper is 70% of the flavour profile for any cigar, I called BS on that. It was (and maybe still is) a marketing trick to me.

But it's a good thing to change one's own point of view sometimes and you made me want to dig deeper into it so that's what I'll do 👍

In the world of NC I think wrapper plays a bigger role than CC. Try Padron anni maduro vs natural - they are totally different cigars.

[Li Bai]

4 hours ago, VeguerosMAN said:

Try Padron anni maduro vs natural - they are totally different cigars.

I will, if I find them. 

I'll taste them blindfolded (don't know how yet 🤔) to get rid of the confirmation bias because at the moment I can't see how the wrapper could play a bigger role depending on the cigar's terroir, a cigar is a cigar...

[VeguerosMAN]

3 hours ago, Li Bai said:

I will if I find them. 

I'll taste them blindfolded (don't know how yet 🤔) to get rid of the confirmation bias because at the moment I can't see how the wrapper could play a bigger role depending on the cigar's terroir, a cigar is a cigar...

It's not rocket science to taste the difference between conn shade wrapped cigar vs conn broad. 

[Li Bai]

8 minutes ago, VeguerosMAN said:

It's not rocket science to taste the difference between conn shade wrapped cigar vs conn broad. 

It's not rocket science but it's not that simple either...

One can SEE the difference so one WILL taste the difference, whether it exists or not, that's the confirmation bias. Really interesting hypothesis, if you want to look it up, here:

Confirmation bias

[VeguerosMAN]

3 hours ago, Li Bai said:

It's not rocket science but it's not that simple either...

One can SEE the difference so one WILL taste the difference, whether it exists or not, that's the confirmation bias. Really interesting hypothesis, if you want to look it up, here:

Confirmation bias

Of course. But then again the difference between thick Conn maduro wrapper vs conn shade wrapper is too obvious.  Well, some say we smoke with our eyes. Then what's the point of blending or buying expensive cigars when one can just settle for cheapies.

The mouthfeel is totally different between natural vs maduro.  If we are comparing habano vs corojo wrapper then it would be harder to tell the difference blindly. 

[Cigarsmoker81]

I bought few boxes of partagas maduro back in 2020 and revisit it recently and honestly I think I prefer ncs ( didn’t use to smoke ncs back in 2020) to Cuban maduro. I found partagas to have classic Cuban flavors but no “ personality”, no twist or turns.

[Cigar Surgeon]

3 hours ago, Li Bai said:

I will if I find them. 

I'll taste them blindfolded (don't know how yet 🤔) to get rid of the confirmation bias because at the moment i can't see how the wrapper could play a bigger role depending on the cigar's terroir, a cigar is a cigar...

There's a number of brands that make the same blend but with different wrappers. Broadleaf vs Habano vs Sumatra are common lineups. You will find them remarkably different from each other. 

[TacoSauce]

I bought a Partagas Maduro #2 as a single, and was surprised to find that the wrapper color was actually lighter than many other non-maduro CCs. From that experience I always assumed that the wrapper isn't true maduro. Instead, they just sort the normal wrapper leaf and try to take the darker shades. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't -- they don't care. Not worth chasing in my opinion.

[Lt4-396]

I have only smoked out of 9-10 boxes of Party M#1 & M#3 and my conclusion is they are wildly inconsistent. Some are true Partagas DNA but with a dark chocolate sweetness with a touch of cream. While others are just a muddled strange profile. I stopped buying these during the price hike as they just aren't worth the current prices, especially since there are much better value cubans out there. Even when they were at $13/$15 they were bordering on not being worth it to me.

The ones that are on I absolutely love but the muddled ones are actually difficult to smoke. I don't think I've ever experienced such an enjoyment spread/delta on a single cigar. Shame considering D#4, Lusi, 898, Shorts, Presidentes etc. are all super consistent.

[cigaraholic]

I’m nursing my way thru a box of Partagas #3 that have a delicious chocolate croissant flavor. I used to enjoy the Cohiba line. But my bank robbing days are behind me, so unless HSA comes out with a maduro mini I’ll be saying goodbye to Cuban maduros.

[King of North]

Love the Maduros. Especially the Cohiba Genios and Partagas No 2. I think these two stand out. Improving with age. Will continue to smoke Cuban Maduros. Haven´t smoked the Partagas No 3 in some years. Looking forward to having one. Now six years on them.