In 2021, ATL Cigar Co launched its fourth blend, the ATL Magic. The company is a venture formed by Leroy Lamar, Janelle Lamar, and Peter Gross. As the name of the company indicates, ATL Cigar Co pays homage to the culture and people of the city of Atlanta. In the case of the ATL Magic, it celebrates the magic of the city of Atlanta. Since launching the company, ATL has worked with different factories for each of its previous lines. With the ATL Magic, the company turned to Luciano Meirelles of ACE Prime and co-owner of Tabacalera Pichardo. Today we take a closer look at the ATL Magic in the Sublime size.

ATL Cigar Co is still a relatively new company as they launched back in 2020. If you aren’t familiar with ATL Cigar Co’s offerings, they offer the following lines:

ATL Liberdad: A Corojo wrapped line made in conjunction with Aganorsa Leaf
ATL Good Trouble: A Habano wrapped offering that pays homage to the late Atlanta Congressman, John Lewis
ATL Black: A bold San Andres maduro offering
ATL Magic: A San Andres offering done in partnership with Tabacalera Pichardo

Without further ado, let’s break down the ATL Magic and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to a San Andres wrapper, the ATL Magic utilizes all Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler. Both the binder and fillers contain tobacco from Pueblo Nuevo, a region in the northern part of Nicaragua near the Honduras border.

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo
Filler: Nicaraguan: Pueblo Nuevo, Estelí, and Jalapa
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo

Vitolas Offered

The ATL Magic is currently offered in a single size – a 6 x 54 Sublime. The cigar is offered in 20-count boxes.

Packaging of the ATL Magic Sublime (Photo Credit: ATL Cigar Co.)

Appearance

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the ATL Magic sublime had a classic chocolate brown color to it. The wrapper was oily and had a nice toothiness to it. There were some thin visible veins. There also were some pronounced visible wrapper seams present.

There are two bands on the ATL Magic. The primary band is purple with gold trim. The center of the band has a shield design. On the band is the text “ATL” in black font with slight white trim. Just under that text is the text “CIGAR CO” in smaller white font. There are also gold adornments below the text. The left and right sides of the band also have gold adornments. On the left side is the text “HECHO A MANO” in small white font. On the right side is the text “FOLIUM FRATRIBUS ET SORORIBUS” in small white font. On the far is the text “WWW.ATLCIGAR.CO” in white font arranged in landscape mode.

There is a secondary band just below the primary band. The secondary band is also purple with a gold strip near the top and bottom. On that band is the text “MAGIC” in white font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the ATL Magic Sublime, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of coffee and earth as well as subtle notes of bing cherry and cedar. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to light up the ATL Magic Sublime and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The ATL Magic Sublime started off with notes of earth, coffee, bing cherry, red pepper, and cedar. Early on the earth and coffee notes moved to the forefront. Both the earth and coffee notes alternated in intensity. Meanwhile, the cherry, red pepper, and cedar settled in the background. On the retro-hale was an additional layer of red pepper.

At the start of the second third of the ATL Magic Sublime, the coffee and earth continued to be in the forefront. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the earth took over as a primary note. There was an increase in pepper and cedar. By the second third, the cedar notes joined the earth in the forefront. Meanwhile, the coffee settled with the pepper and cherry notes in the background.

The last third saw the cedar notes take over as the primary note. This was rounded out by the earth, pepper, coffee, and cherry notes. As the ATL Magic Sublime came to a close, it finished with a soft, cool nub.

Burn

The ATL Magic Sublime was a well-constructed cigar and this was reflected in the scores on burn and draw. The burn to the ATL Magic Sublime maintained a straight burn path and relatively straight burn line. There were not a lot of touch-ups that were required along the way. The resulting ash had a silver-gray color and was skewed toward the firm side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw also performed well for the ATL Magic Sublime. It had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I consider ideal.

Strength and Body

The ATL Magic Sublime started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. Along the way, there was a nominal increase in the intensity of both attributes, but in the end, the cigar still finished out with medium strength and medium body. When looking at strength versus body, both attributes complemented each other nicely with neither attribute overpowering the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall I found the ATL Magic Sublime to be a very nice offering. It’s good a pretty straightforward flavor profile and if one is a fan of San Andres, you will like what this cigar brings to the table. The nice thing is that the blend seems to tame down some of the pungency associated with San Andres wrapped cigars. It is also worth mentioning the excellent construction on each of the cigars I smoked. In the end, it was an enjoyable smoke that kept my attention. I have been quite impressed with the ATL portfolio as a whole, and this was a nice addition. I’m curious to see how this blend performs in other sizes. I would recommend this cigar to a novice or experienced enthusiast. It’s certainly a cigar I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Cedar, Bing Cherry, Red Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good