Today, we review the Mayflower Dusk in the Robusto size. Mayflower is a relatively new cigar company. Michael Knowles spearheads the company. Michael Knowles is a political commentator best known as the host of The Michael Knowles Show, heard on Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire. Knowles is also a well-known cigar enthusiast. Late in 2023, Knowles announced the launch of Mayflower Cigars. Originally, Mayflower Cigars was a direct-to-consumer project, but over the past few months, Knowles has started to move his brand into the brick-and-mortar space as well.

Mayflower has launched two cigars to start: Dawn (a Connecticut Shade) and Dusk (a Habano). Knowles chose the name Mayflower as a tribute to the famous ship that transported the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. According to Knowles, ancestors of his came to the New World on the Mayflower.

Knowles also stated that cigars have been an important part of his life. As a youngster, Knowles would often watch the cigar rollers on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Knowles said it was an essay on his love of cigars that got him into college. He also says a cigar review was part of the reason why The Daily Wire gave him a program.

Let’s break down the Mayflower Dusk Robusto without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Mayflower Dusk Robusto – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Mayflower Cigars’ production is handled by Oliva’s TABOLISA facility in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Habano wrapper for the Dusk is grown in Ecuador. The remainder of the blend features a Sumatra binder and all Nicaraguan fillers.

Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: TABOLISA

Vitolas Offered

The Mayflower Dusk is offered in three ongoing production sizes, all of which come in 15-count boxes. A fourth Corona Gorda size is exclusive to the Mayflower website.

Robusto: 5 1/2 x 50
Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
Gordo: 6 x 60
Corona Gorda: 5 1/2 x 46 (Mayflower Exclusive)

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Dusk Robusto had a dark cinnamon shade. Upon closer examination, there was a slight amount of mottling on the surface of the wrapper. There were also some visible veins and wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Dusk Robusto, I removed the cap using a straight cut. Once the cap was clipped off, the pre-light draw ritual began. The cold draw was unique, combining molasses, cedar, and baker’s spice. To me, this was an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast the footer of the Dusk Robusto and see what the smoking phase had in store.

Tasting Notes

The Dusk Robusto opened with a combination of molasses, earth, cedar, baker’s spice, and cocoa notes. The molasses and cocoa notes moved into the forefront early on while the earth, baker’s spice, and cedar notes receded into the background. Meanwhile, a layer of white pepper was present on the tongue.

The second third of the Dusk Robusto saw the molasses and cocoa gradually decrease. Just past the midway point, the earth notes became the primary notes. The molasses, cocoa, and the cedar and baker’s spice became secondary notes. Concurrently, white pepper notes started to emerge in the background on the tongue and the pepper and cedar both began to increase.

It was difficult to discern a dominant note during the final third. The earth, molasses, and pepper notes muddled the flavors, but you could still detect cocoa, cedar, and baker’s notes. This continued until the end of the smoking experience. As the Dusk Robusto came to a close, the resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Dusk Robusto required touch-ups to maintain a straight burn line and burn path. While the touch-ups did the trick, this cigar needed more touch-ups than I preferred. The resulting nub had several shades of gray. The ash was skewed toward the firmer side. The burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The Dusk Robusto’s draw performed exceptionally well. It had a touch of resistance, which I liked. Although I had to put in a little work to get the flavors, it was never difficult to derive them from this cigar.

Strength and Body

The Dusk Robusto opened up with medium-strength and medium-bodied flavors. There was a slight increase in intensity, but it was very slight. The cigar remained in the medium range for strength and medium to full-bodied range right until the end.

In terms of strength versus body, the body held the edge from start to finish.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The bands of the Mayflower Dusk are attractive. They have a charcoal, white, gold, and red color scheme. The red is not overly bright, and I found it nicely complements the wrapper’s cinnamon color without clashing. The center of the band features a mayflower flower, known for its five white petals.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In terms of cigar performance, my initial reaction was that this cigar could benefit from longer-term aging. The cigars used for this assessment were about 60 days of age from purchase. My personal feeling is there was too much sweetness and longer-term aging might temper that sweetness a bit. However, the flavors were still enjoyable – just a little too rich at times for my liking. This is a cigar I probably would steer toward a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again, preferably putting it aside for longer-term aging.

This was a nice debut from Michael Knowles. When I interviewed Knowles on KMA, he seemed to understand the cigar business very well. However, time will tell if there will be long-term success for the brand.

Summary

Key Flavors: Molasses, Earth, Cedar, Baker’s Spice, Cocoa, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good