Macanudo is a name that goes back ages. In fact, there was a time when it was the best-selling brand in America! Now, we’re spoiled with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cigar options. But Macanudo continues on, delivering a timeless flavor profile that is a go-to still for countless cigar lovers as one generation shares with the next.
The Macanudo Gold Label has been around for a while, and at first glance, it might look pretty familiar. That Connecticut shade wrapper is just what you’d expect from a brand that has built its reputation on mild and creamy coffee sticks. Pop the hood, though. This Macanudo is smuggling some flavorful Mexican tobacco! There’s a binder leaf grown in the San Andrés Valley, and you’ll find Mexican products in the long-filler blend as well. This is joined to the mandatory Dominican tobacco. For the Macanudo Gold Label, it’s been a piloto cubano varietal that has served as the backbone of the blend.
The flavors are sort of in the ballpark of what you might expect but offer interesting notes that make the Gold Label a rich experience from start to finish. You’re getting warm flavors like toasty bread and buttercream, zesty notes of citrus and baking spice, and intriguing tastes of almond and cedar. Certain examples also get a little “wild” (at least for a Macanudo), offering aromas of grass and minerals.
Call it what you like, but it’s not boring. And don’t let the mild strength rating fool you – Macanudo Gold Label cigars are bigger in flavor than that.
The milder notes are probably due to the selection of the wrapper leaf. Instead of something from the top of the tobacco plant that is full and strong, the company chooses to wrap this blend in a “capa especial” pulled from first and second priming tobacco harvests. These leaves are found lower on the plant, and as a result, get less sun. This makes them thinner and less veiny. They impart a smooth, rich, and creamy flavor to the blend. In contrast, the spice and untamed notes are probably coming in from the Mexican tobacco, if we had to hazard a guess.
All in all, this is a solid blend and perhaps a touch more interesting than your average Macanudo.
Please browse our selection of Macanudo Gold Label cigars at your leisure.
