Pedro Martin Gold

One of the Indie cigar companies that has been getting a lot of buzz has been the Martin Family of Cigars company – and in particular Pedro Martin cigars.  The company was started by Maria Martin, the daughter of the late renowned blender Pedro Martin.  Maria Martin, who was formerly with Camacho has integrated several of her father’s blends into the cigars that have been launched.  Earlier this year, the Gold Series was released  (a Platinum Series follows).  The Gold Series consists of 3 cigars and the common denominator in this series is use of corojo tobacco.  The cigars cover the full spectrum of cigar enthusiasts: the Pedro Martin Ruby (for cigar enthusiasts looking for a stronger, more full-bodied cigar), the Pedro Martin Corojo (for Medium smokers), and the Pedro Martin Gold (has same name as the “Gold” series and provides a milder strength smoke).  The Pedro Martin Gold seems to have gotten the least attention of the three cigars in the Gold series, but in my opinion, this might be the best blend of the three.

If you have been following the 2011 cigar releases, this has been a competitive year for Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper cigars.  A lot of cigar companies have been jockeying for position to try to differentiate their blend from the competition.  In the case of the Pedro Martin Gold, it is the use of Corojo wrapper in the binder and filler that makes the difference.

Let’s take a closer look at the Pedro Martin Gold.  This was a cigar I received at the 2011 IPCPR, so it is being included in my 2011 IPCPR Series

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the binder and filler are Corojo leaves.  These leaves originate from Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo

Vitolas Available

The Pedro Martin Gold is available in seven vitolas:

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 48
Six by Sixty: 6 x 60
Pequeno: 4 1/2 x 50
Lancero: 7 1/4 x 38

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For this cigar experience, I sampled the Churchill vitola of the Pedro Martin Gold.  I opted for a straight cut through the cap and commenced the pre-light draw.   The dry notes were very good on this cigar.  I picked up the usual cream notes commonly found on a Connecticut shade cigar.  I also detected some pepper spice and an interesting sweetness that I could not put my finger on.  With a very good pre-light draw, I knew it was time to fire up my Pedro Martin Gold and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The initial notes of the Pedro Martin Gold continued the notes of cream, spice, and sweetness provided on the pre-light draw – but slightly bolder. I still could not put my finger on what the sweetness was.  The cream and spice were the primary notes while the sweetness played more of a secondary role.

Early on the sweetness soon fused well with the cream notes.  Eventually the sweetness developed into more of a flavor that reminded me of mixed fruit.  Around the 25 percent mark, the creaminess dialed back slightly and the pepper notes increased slightly.  Once the smoking experience reached the midway point, the cream notes would be in the forefront.   Meanwhile the sweetness moved more toward the background.

The last third of the Pedro Martin Gold took an interesting twist.  The spice moved to the front, but was now more of a classic cedar spice.   I also detected some floral notes as secondary notes.  This was something I did not expect from this cigar.  The finish was very smooth.  The closing nub for the smoke was outstanding – firm and cool.


Burn and Draw

The Pedro Martin Gold had some very good attributes when it came to burn and draw.   The burn was razor-sharp throughout the smoke – requiring minimal touch-ups.  The cigar also burned at an ideal rate and ideal temperature.  The draw was also outstanding on this cigar – making the Pedro Martn Gold a joy to smoke.

Razor Sharp burn of the Pedro Martin Gold

Strength and Body

The Pedro Martin Gold is your classic Connecticut Shade cigar from a strength profile.  It doesn’t deliver a lot of nicotine and is be mild in terms of strength.  From a body standpoint, the flavor depth tended to stay in the mild to medium range.  There were a few times, the notes did seem to creep into the medium-bodied zone.

Final Thoughts

I said up-front I enjoyed this cigar the best of the three entries into the “Gold Series”.   The use of the corojo leaves in the binder and filler definitely helped contribute to an interesting flavor profile – especially the floral notes at the end.  This has been a year where many cigar manufacturers are trying to push Ecuadorian/Connecticut-shade cigars into the medium-strength/medium-bodied profile.  In the case of this cigar, I like how the Pedro Martin Gold stays in the zone that Ecuadorian/Connecticut cigars are intended to be.  At the same time, this Ecuadorian Connecticut delivers more in terms of complexity. Overall, a great cigar for a novice enthusiast.  As for the seasoned enthusiast, they would have to appreciate a mild strength, mild to medium-bodied cigar for me to recommend this.  Overall, I would smoke this again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild
Body: Mild to Medium
Assessment: Nice to Have

Source: This sample was from Martin Family of Cigars via the 2011 IPCPR trade show..  These sample was initiated by Martin Family of Cigars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review.

Note: All samples received from the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show will be included in my “2011 IPCPR Series”