Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto

Macanudo is General Cigar Company’s most successful brand in its vast portfolio. Back in 2014, General Cigar created a new offshoot in its Macanudo brand known as Macanudo Inspirado. Macanudo Inspirado was geared with the more contemporary smoker in mind. Originally Macanudo Inspirado made its debut in the European market in 2014. Two years later, General introduced the Macanudo Inspirado Orange to the U.S. market. In addition to Macanudo Inspirado Orange, there have been three other core line additions (Macanudo Inspirado Black, Macanudo Inspirado White, and Macanudo Inspirado Red). At press time a fifth regular production line with Macanudo Inspirado Green is slated to hit the markets. In addition to these core lines, there is a limited production line that was introduced in 2019 with the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium. Palladium continues along the lines of being a contemporary offshoot of Macanudo but uses some old-style techniques to get there. Today we take a closer look at the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium in the Robusto size.

The Macanudo Palladium uses an old Cuban technique that involves using tercios to age the tobacco. With tercios, the tobaccos are aged in Royal Palm tree park instead of traditional burlap. According to General, the bark forms a tighter seal, trapping in oil and retaining the tobacco’s natural taste characteristics. The end result is intended to be tobacco that delivers bolder flavor.

As for the name, Palladium is a chemical element (Atomic Number 46) that has a silvery-white color.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In terms of the blend, the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium features a five-country multi-national blend.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Connecticut Havana
Filler: Mexican, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana

Vitolas Offered

There are three sizes of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium. Each is presented in 10-count boxes. A total of 3,000 boxes have been allocated for this initial run.

Robusto: 5 1/2 x 50
Lonsdale: 6 3/4 x 43
Churchill: 7 1/2 x 49

Packaging of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto would definitely be categorized as a “dark Connecticut” – meaning it is a couple of shades darker than a traditional “golden” Connecticut Shade wrapper. There was some oil on the surface along with some minor toothiness. Upon closer examination, there was some mottling on the surface. There were some visible veins and some thin visible wrapper seams.

There are two bands on the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium. The primary band has a mostly silver color. On the center of the band is the text “MACANUDO” in black font. Just below the silver stripe is the text “Inspirado” in white scripted font. Behind the band is the new Macanudo logo in black and silver font. The band also has some additional older Macanudo logos in a watermark stamp-like design.

The secondary band has a black stripe with silver trim. On the black stripe is the text “PALLADIUM” in silver font. The remainder of the band has silver adornments that surround it.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The dry draw delivered a mix of cream and floral notes. Overall this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light experience is not factored into the numeric score of value rating, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast the foot of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto started out with a mix of cream, hay, cedar, floral, and natural tobacco notes. The cream natural tobacco and cedar notes became primary. The was a combination of bitterness and sweetness to the natural tobacco notes. The hay and cedar notes became secondary. Meanwhile, there was a combination of woody and cedar notes on the retro-hale.

As the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto moved through the first third, the natural tobacco displaced the cedar and cream as the primary notes. The cedar and cream joined the hay and floral notes in the background. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco notes began to take on more musty characteristics. By the second third, the mustiness displaced the natural tobacco as the primary note.

During the second third, the mustiness remained the primary note. A black pepper note surfaced in the background replacing the hay notes. Along with the black pepper, there still were notes of cedar, cream, and floral notes. As the Inspirado Palladium Robusto moved into the second half, the cedar notes increased in intensity.

The last third of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto saw the cedar notes take over as the primary note.,The mustiness cream, pepper, and floral notes remained secondary. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

In terms of burn, the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto scored well. This is a cigar that maintained a straight burn path and had a straight burn line. The resulting ash was silvery gray. This was an ash that was firm and came off the cigar in clean chunks. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both performed at ideal levels.

Burn of the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto

Draw

The draw to the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto also performed well. There was a touch of resistance on this draw, which for those who read my assessments, know this is the sweet spot for me. At the same time, there was no trouble deriving flavor from this cigar.

Strength and Body

Despite what I had heard with this cigar, I still found the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto to be bolder compared to most traditional cigars. This was a cigar that was medium in strength from start to finish with little variance in the intensity level. The body was also medium, but in the last third I found the body to notch its way into medium to full territory. In terms of strength versus body, the body had the edge – particularly in the final third.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

There are some positive things to say about the Macanudo Inspirado Palladium Robusto. First, the tercio aging is a good thing. Second, there is some excellent construction to this cigar; and finally, this is a cigar that is a complex smoke. The problem is that the flavors produced simply did not satisfy me. There were points of bitterness, mustiness, and cedar notes that just weren’t as enjoyable as I would have liked. Sometimes a blend doesn’t click with a palate, and this could very well be the case. That being said, this is a cigar I would recommend one try a sample of before deciding whether to purchase or not.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Mustiness, Cedar, Cream, Black Pepper, Hay
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good