In 2016, Mombacho Cigars S.A. celebrated ten years in operation. As many companies do, Mombacho decided to release a special limited edition cigar to commemorate the occasion. That cigar would be appropriately titled the Mombacho 10th Anniversary. While the company has been in business since 2006, it was only in 2014 that the company formally entered the U.S. market with the release of the Tierra Volcan line. Prior to that, distribution had focused on markets such as China and Canada. I’ve recently smoked the Mombacho 10th Anniversary in the Magnifico (i.e. Toro) size. This cigar is a home run for Mombacho and one of the company’s best releases to date.
Currently, Mombacho offers two regular production cigar lines – the Tierra Volcan and Liga Maestro. Both of these cigars are Nicaraguan puros. The Mombacho 10th Anniversary is also a Nicaraguan puro. For the Mombacho 10th Anniversary, the blend utilizes tobaccos from both the Tierra Volcan and Liga Maestro lines.
Like all Mombacho Cigars, the 10th Anniversary is made at the company’s Casa Favilli. What makes this factory unique is that it is located in Grenada, Nicaragua. This is a bit out of the ordinary as most manufacturing operations in the cigar industry take place in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Blend Profile
As mentioned, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary is a Nicaraguan puro. It features a Shade Grown Habano wrapper from Jalapa that is double fermented. The remainder of the blend consists of various Nicaraguan Criollo and Habano tobaccos from Jalapa and Condega.
Wrapper: Shade Grown Habano Viso (Jalapa) – Double Fermented
Binder: Habano-Criollo (Condega)
Filler Seco Habano-Criollo (Condega), Viso Mediano Habano-Criollo (Condega), Viso Grande Habano (Jalapa), Ligero Mediano Habano Criollo (Jalapa), and Ligero Grande Habano (Jalapa)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Casa Favilli)
Vitolas Available
The Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico is available in one size – a 6 1/4 x 52. The cigars are packaged in ten-count boxes. A total of 5,000 cigars (500 boxes) has been made. According to Mombacho Cigars, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico is a true limited edition, once current inventories are depleted at retailers, there will be no more of this particular cigar.
Appearance
The Jalapa wrapper of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico had a chocolate brown color to it. There was some oil present on the surface of the wrapper. Most of the wrapper seams were well hidden, but there were a few visible veins. The cap was finished with a thicker pig-tail cap. As for the cigar, it had a firm pack with no soft spots.
The Mombacho 10th Anniversary features the new banding scheme that was introduced by Mombacho Cigars SA in 2016. This new banding gives a more consistent look to the cigars in Mombacho’s portfolio. The primary band is one common across most of Mombacho’s portfolio. This band features a brown background with gold trim and gold font. On the front of the band, it features the company’s triangular volcano logo. Just below it is the text MOMBACHO. On the left side of the band is the text “Grenada Nicaragua” in cursive font while on the right side is the text “Casa Favilli” – also in cursive font.
The back of the primary band is stamped with the date “DIC 2015” (i.e. December 2015)
The secondary band is also brown with gold trim and gold font. It features the text “10TH ANNIVERSARIO” on the center of the band. On the left side of the band is the text “TOTALAMENTE A MANO” while on the right side is the text “PURO NICARAGUA”. There are also some gold adornments to the left and right. In a ticker tape pattern toward the top and bottom is the text “EDITION UNICA” in gold font on brown background.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
When I commenced the cigar experience of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, I opted not to pull off the pig-tail on the cap. Instead, I placed a straight cut to remove the cap and the tail. After detaching the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw. On the dry draw I picked up notes of leather, earth, and coffee. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I removed the footer band of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, toasted the foot and awaited what the smoking experience would have in store.
Flavor Profile
Out of the gate, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico delivered a mix of chocolate, earth, cream, and white pepper. The chocolate and earth notes became primary early on with a creamy texture to them. The white pepper moved into the background and was joined by a slight hay note. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced a spice more of the red pepper varietal.
As the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico moved through the first third, the earthy notes transitioned to more of a classic black coffee note. At the same time, the chocolate notes and creamy texture were still present. Normally I will assess a coffee/chocolate combination as a mocha note, but in the case of the Magnifico, I found both notes to be separate and distinct. The hay and white pepper remained in the background, but occasionally I picked up a touch of sourness.
During the second third of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, I found the coffee and chocolate flavors got richer. The slight bit of sourness that was present earlier on had dissipated. In the background, there will still notes of hay and white pepper, however, during the later part of the second third, the pepper notes started to increase.
By the last third, the pepper spices had some cedar notes mixed in. The cigar lost some of its smoothness and richness. These notes eventually displaced both the chocolate and black coffee notes in the forefront. I still found touches of coffee, chocolate, and hay mixed in this. This is the way the flavor profile of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature, but slightly soft to the touch.
Burn and Draw
While there was a slight amount of curvature on the burn line of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, this didn’t prove to be a troublesome burn. The burn path remained straight, and any touch-ups needed on the burn line were more cosmetic in nature. The resulting ash was silver-gray with some darker spots mixed in. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
The draw of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico performed very well. It was not too loose, nor was it too tight. This was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
Strength-wise, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico was medium. There was a slight uptick in strength in the second half, but overall I still found the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico to be medium when the cigar experience came to a close.
As for the body of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, I also found it started out medium. The body did increase in intensity and by the second half, I did find the flavors had enough depth to be considered medium to full-bodied.
In terms of strength versus body, both attributes started out even. As the body increased at a greater rate than the strength, I found it had the edge over the strength in the second half.
Final Thoughts
Mombacho Cigars Master Blender Claudio Sgroi has done an amazing job with this blend. While this is a pricier offering at near $20.00, it is a cigar that delivers. The flavors were excellent and commanded my attention from start to finish. I particularly liked how the flavors developed a richness in the second third. There were several things that fit this blend like a glove – namely the 6 1/4 x 52 size as well as the strength and body levels. This is a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast or a novice looking to move to something “medium/medium plus”. This is not only a cigar I would smoke again, but it’s one that is worthy of a box purchase.
Summary
Key Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, White Pepper, Hay, Earth
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Summary: Medium+
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 92
References
News: 10th Anniversary Mombacho Magnifico Cigar to be Released at 2016 IPCPR
Price: $19.95
Source: Mombacho
Brand Reference: Mombacho
