At the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, Maya Selva Cigars introduced a 6 x 52 Toro to both its Flor de Selva Connecticut and Flor de Selva Maduro lines. Flor de Selva is one of three brands of cigars made by Honduran cigar manufacturer Maya Selva Cigars. The company is named for its owner, Maya Selva. Maya Selva Cigars has had a footprint in Europe for quite some time and recently has turned its attention to the U.S. market. Given the Toro size is a popular size in the U.S. market, adding this vitola to the Flor de Selva line fits in with Maya Selva Cigars’ initiative to expand its footprint in the U.S.. Back in July we took a look at the Flor de Selva Connecticut Toro. Today, we take a look its counterpart, the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro. Overall, this new maduro offering is a home run for Maya Selva Cigars. Not only is this the best release by Maya Selva Cigars to date, but it is one of the standout cigars for 2015.

Maya Selva Cigars is also not a new company and neither is the Flor de Selva line. The company is named for its founder Maya Selva and is based in France. It was in 1995 when the company launched its first Flor de Selva Connecticut. Since then, the Flor de Selva line has continued to grow and has added a maduro blend. With 2015 being the twentieth anniversary of Maya Selva Cigars, the company has released a special limited edition lancero cigar called Flor de Selva No. 20.

In addition to the Flor de Selva line, the company has its value value-priced Villa Zamorano line. The company also has a Nicaraguan puro line called Cumpay – offered both in natural and maduro offerings.

In addition to a new size, Maya Selva Cigars is launching new packaging for the Flor de Selva line:

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Flor de Selva Maduro Toro features a naturally fermented Honduran Habano maduro wrapper.

Wrapper: Honduran Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Honduran
Country of Origin: Honduras

Vitolas Available

The philosophy of Maya Selva Cigars is to create a blend for a specific vitola. For completeness, we list the vitolas offered for the Flor de Selva Maduro.

Toro Maduro: 6 x 52
Tempo Maduro: 6 x 60
Robusto Maduro: 4 3/4 x 50
M15 Maduro : 5 1/2 x 54 (Belicoso)

Appearance

The Honduran wrapper of the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro has a rich chocolate color to it. Upon closer examination, there is a slight dark marbling to the color scheme. The wrapper has an oily complexion to it. There are a few visible veins and very few visible wrapper seams. Like many Flor de Selva cigars, the Maduro Toro is a densely packed cigar and actually feels heavy.

There are two bands on the Flor de Selva Robusto. The primary band is white with a bronze front. The image on the front of the band has the likeness to a Roman Statue. To the left is the image is the text “FLOR DE” and to the right is the text “SELVA”. On the left and right side are the band are images of a leaf and medallion surrounded by a circular design.

The second band is on the footer. It features a red to dark maroon gradient style background. Sitting on the background is the text “Maya Selva Cigars” in white cursive font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I used a straight cut to remove the cap of the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro. Once the cap was clipped, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The cold draw provided a mix of mocha (which I term a combination of coffee and chocolate), cream, and a slight cedar note. Overall I found the pre-light draw to the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro to be excellent. At this point I removed the footer band, lit up the cigar and awaited what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The Flor de Selva Maduro Toro started off with a mix of mocha, cedar, and white pepper notes. The mocha notes quickly moved to the forefront. The cedar and pepper notes became secondary notes. Some nut notes also entered into the picture and were also in the background. Meanwhile the retro-hale added a black pepper component as well as some cedar.

During the first third, the mocha remained in the forefront. At times the mocha exhibited more of a classic chocolate flavor and at other times it exhibited more of a cocoa powder flavor. Meanwhile the cedar, pepper, and nut flavors remained secondary notes. Toward the middle of the first third, some creamy notes also surfaced in the background. This creamy note increased and by the end of the first third, it was in the forefront with the mocha notes.

During the second third of the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro, the mocha notes began a transition to more of a classic coffee note. The chocolate component did diminish somewhat during this stage of the smoke, but didn’t totally dissipate. The cream notes remained in the forefront while the nut, cedar, and pepper notes remained secondary.

By the last third, the coffee notes remained primary. The cedar notes had also made their way into the forefront. There still was an occasional chocolate note I picked up. The cream notes were a close secondary note along with the pepper. I also still also picked up a slight nut flavor in the more distant background. This is the way the Flor de Selva Maduro came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro performed quite well. There was a slight curvature on the burn line early on, but this straightened itself out quickly. Overall the burn path remained straight and the cigar was never in danger of tunneling or canoeing. The resulting ash was firm and came off the cigar in clean chunks. The ash itself had a light gray color to it. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw to the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro was excellent. There was a touch of resistance to the draw, but this is something I consider optimum. There was an ample amount of smoke also produced during the smoking experience.

Strength and Body

The way the Flor de Selva Maduro Toro started out, I found this to be a cigar to be medium to full in terms of strength and body.  As the cigar moved through into the last third, I found a sharper spike in both the strength and body as both attributes progressed to full.  This is one of those cigars where the strength sneaks up on you.  I found the strength and body balanced each other nicely for the first two thirds. During the last third, I did give the strength a slight edge over the body.

Final Thoughts

When a cigar delivers excellent flavor, provides plenty of complexity, and also is well-constructed, this cigar is that total package. The Flor de Selva Maduro Toro is that type of cigar. I smoked my first sample of this back in July, and it already was an impressive cigar. Now with almost three additional months of age, the Flor de Selva Maduro goes to another level – and is one of the better maduro releases I have had in 2015. Given the spike in strength and body toward the end, I would recommend this cigar to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this one is a no-brainer – it’s easily a cigar I would smoke again.  Not only is this a box worry cigar, but it is a cigar I’d fight Chuck Norris for.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Last Third)
Body:Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Last Third)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.5-Fight Chuck Norris for Them
Score: 94

References

News: Flor de Selva Toro Connecticut and Maduro to Launch at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show
Price: $10.50
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Episode: Episode 159
Stogie Feed: Flor de Selva Maduro Toro by Maya Selva Cigars