Way back in July of 2023, Micallef launched their color series with the Micallef Black. Since then, they’ve had two other releases (the Red and the Blue). Micallef’s shift away from their “Grande Bold” lines to the color series has been wildly successful. The reception to each of new release of the color series seems to bring in a wider audience. Earlier this year, during the PCA 2025 Trade Show and Convention in New Orleans, Micallef Cigars announced their latest release in their color series: the Purple.
For those of us who don’t remember what colors make up other colors, when you combine red and blue you get purple. During my interview with Dan Thompson in New Orleans, he made this observation. The Purple has the same Mexican San Andrés Sumatra wrapper from the Blue, while using the binder and some of the fillers from the Red. The MSRP remains the same for the Purple release, as well. A robusto is $7 and a toro is $8. Micallef is having fun growing their brand and their business, while not breaking the consumer’s wallets.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Toro
SIZE: 6″ x 52
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Micallef Cigars SA
WRAPPER: Mexican San Andrés Sumatra
BINDER: Nicaraguan Broadleaf
FILLER: Mexican, Dominican, Nicaraguan
STRENGTH: Medium
SOURCE:
Press Release
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:
May 19 @1pm
DRINKS:
Bottled Water
WEATHER:
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE April ’25
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 25
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Toro (6″ x 52)
o Robusto (5″ x 52)
BAND DESIGN
Unsurprisingly, the band is purple in color. the gold accents set it off. I’ll borrow from what I wrote about the Micallef Black bands: “Elegant, understated, simple, and just plain gorgeous! The black with gold accent is striking and more “grown up” than previous iterations of their bands and logo.” All of that still applies, almost two years later. Simple, effective, and noticeable in a humidor. What more do you want from a band?
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Mexican San Andrés Sumatra wrapper, in my humble opinion, looks almost green. It’s certainly not as green as a candela wrapper, but their is a greenish hue or tint to the wrapper. It has a smooth texture, though there are multiple veins found throughout each cigar. There is some tooth to the wrapper. Pockets of oil can be seen in shimmering in the light. The Purple has no soft or hard spots…there is the right amount of give as I gently squeeze the cigar between my fingers. The triple cap appears to be expertly applied.
AROMA
The Micallef Purple’s Mexican San Andrés Sumatra wrapper gives off big notes of barnyard and freshly mowed grass. It’s flanked by hints of cedar and herbal tea. The foot has much more subtle notes of fruit, chocolate, and nuts.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw reveals notes of hay, fruit, cereal, and maybe a touch of baking spices. There’s a bread quality to it all. The draw is almost flawless, with the perfect amount of resistance.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector’s ICON III
The Micallef Purple starts out with notes of dry grass, cayenne pepper, baking spices, sweet cream, freshly baked bread and black pepper. It’s a rich blend of flavors and it’s a lot right off the light. There’s a sweetness that lingers on my palate. Peanuts and fruit also join in. The notes are big but easy to distinguish one from another. There’s some woodiness in there, as well.
SMOKE
The smoke output is downright impressive. Each draw brings a satisfying amount into my mouth and coats my palate. The smoke is creamy and oh-so-good.
FIRST THIRD
>> Sweet Cream, Bread, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper
As the initial light calms down, I still find that cayenne pepper clawing at my throat. Notes of sweet cream, bread, nuts, and dry grass leap out. Black pepper rules the retrohale. The smoke is still creamy. Baking spices mix well with the sweet cream and bread notes. It’s a lot like eating a fresh pastry while mowing the lawn. It’s not an unpleasant melding of flavors…just different. The burn line is a bit less than razor sharp, but not by much. The ash is gray with streaks of black. It’s a compact ash, too. There’s still a sweetness that lingers on my palate. The cayenne pepper is almost all gone, but the black pepper on the retrohale is everything. I recall saying the Micallef Blue didn’t smoke like a Sumatra. The Purple starts off smoking like a Sumatra. Towards the end of the first third, I notice a bright citrus note start to emerge. The acidity cuts through some of the richness and really stands out.
SECOND THIRD
>> Baking Spices, Coffee, Citrus, and White Pepper
The middle third begins much more baking spice forward. The baking spices are accompanied by notes of coffee & cream, salted nuts, and burnt toast. The retrohale is baking spices and white pepper. There is still a hit of citrus that lingers on my palate, but it’s still a fairly clean finish. The Purple has creeped up to medium bodied. The smoke is still creamy and unctuous. The ash is compact and beautiful. The burn line does this dance of going from uneven to even. Honestly, I’m not mad at it. The dry grass note is there, but lurking in the background. It’s drowned out by bolder, richer notes…but if you pay attention, it’s there. I’ll say this, I’m not any good at getting the ash to hold. Our friend Chad M Chad is the king of that. I, however, am not. At last it made it in the tray…mostly. Black pepper reappears.
FINAL THIRD
>> Earth, Toasted Bread, Coffee, Black Pepper
The final third of the Micallef Purple begins with notes of earth, dark roasted coffee, and baking spices. Black pepper rules the retrohale. The dry grass is there, and more noticeable than in the previous third; however, it works really well with the coffee note now. Toasted bread and a chocolate sweetness add some depth. Avocado oil lingers on my palate. The final third has more of the complexity I was looking for from the middle third. It’s still medium strength. Cayenne pepper is back to tickle the back of my throat. The ash is compact and the burn line remains…inconsistent, but not bad. I know the ash is going to fall soon, so I deposit it in the tray. With the band off, the wrapper looks less green. Just an observation. Butter, campfire, toasted bread, and coffee. Does it get any better?
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Micallef Purple starts out with a more mild than medium profile of bread, sweet cream, hay, and baking spices. The cayenne adds a nice kick t it and the black pepper really pulls it all together. It begins to ramp up in the second third to an almost medium plus profile, though still medium, with notes of coffee, cream, and white pepper. The final third brings it home with toasted bread, chocolate, dark roasted coffee and black pepper. The final third is definitely my favorite third as the buttery notes really smooth it out and add depth and nuance.
BURN EXPERIENCE
It was wonky on all the cigars smoked for this review. It was also not wonky. I know, I know. Look, it always evened itself out. That’s what you want: A burn that doesn’t require your attention. Was it annoying? Maybe. But there were no touch-ups or relights required.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.77 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.70 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.48 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Rich flavors that were held up by baking spices, sweetness, and dry grass.
- Noticeable changes with each third and flavors that made sense, even if they were a bit predictable.
- Inconsistent burn...but always self-corrected.
A MEXICAN SUMATRA THAT TASTES LIKE A SUMATRA.
As I said before, the Micallef Purple shares the same Mexican San Andres Sumatra wrapper as the Micallef Blue. The big difference, for me at least, is that the Purple tastes like a Sumatra. The baking spices were rich and vibrant, especially when compared with the flavor notes of the Blue. The Purple had a sweetness that followed it through each third. That and the dry grass note carried the baking spices, bread, earth, coffee, and other notes throughout the entire smoking experience. The final third was, hands down, the best third. It had the most nuance and complexity. It offered up a velvety smooth butter note that really allowed the others to shine. You got the same type of effect each time the citrus note came through.
If you’re looking for objectively great cigars at absolutely great prices…especially in this economy…then look no further than the Micallef color series. The Purple is just the lates release from Micallef that gives you a great cigar at stellar prices. The Purple is the perfect fit for the color series, adding a true Sumatra experience to their repertoire.
