Micallef, there is a lot to unpack with this brand. Full disclosure, I like the Micallef / Gomez Sanchez Family cigars, every one I have smoked I have enjoyed. I have had the chance to chat up their team at the PCA this year. If we are looking at the beginning of an end to the current cigar mini-boom this is a company that will make it. They have an amazing team and are not running a cigar company, they are running a company that produces amazing cigars. Amazing cigars, that’s where Gomez Sanchez Family comes in. A chance meeting due to Joel and Edel Gomez Sanchez’s car issues led to them spending three days with Al Micallef, oh to of been a fly on that wall.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Gran Toro
SIZE: 6-3/4″ x 54
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Micallef Cigars S.A.
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Sumatra
FILLER: Nicaragua & Dominican Republic
STRENGTH: Medium
SOURCE:
Micallef
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Cabin on the River
WHEN:
Early Evening
DRINKS:
Coffee
WEATHER:
81 and sunny
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Release
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE March 2020
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Bundles of 20
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Gran Toro (6-3/4″ x 54)
BAND DESIGN
Sporting the blue, red, and gold dual bands, the large band carries the Micallef family crest as well as the “Handmade by the Gomez Sanchez Family” on the left side and Fabrica De Tabacos, Esteli Nicaragua.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The cigars appear on the Oscuro side of Maduro, oily and delicious. Firm all around with no soft spots. It seems almost perfect.
AROMA
Pre-light aroma was typical tobacco with a hint of sweetness.
COLD DRAW
Even and smooth cold draw, just the right amount of resistance.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Straight
Fire: That same old twelve-dollar Vertigo
Initial tasting notes from the light. Dark Cocoa/Coffee/Graham Cracker
SMOKE
A generous amount amount of smoke is produced throughout the entirety of the cigar.
FIRST THIRD
>> Dark Cocoa/Coffee/Graham Cracker
The first third has just the right blend of Dark Cocoa, roasted coffee, and a sweetness of Graham Cracker that makes for an enjoyable smoking experience.
SECOND THIRD
>> Dark Cocoa/Coffee/Graham Cracker
The first third has just the right blend of Dark Cocoa, roasted coffee, and a sweetness of Graham Cracker that makes for an enjoyable smoking experience.
FINAL THIRD
>> Dark Cocoa/Coffee/Graham Cracker
The first third has just the right blend of Dark Cocoa, roasted coffee, and a sweetness of Graham Cracker that makes for an enjoyable smoking experience.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The flavor progression was nonexistent the exact same flavor profile was exactly the same in each third. The dark Cocoa, Coffee, and Graham Cracker all varied just slightly but not very much at all.
BURN EXPERIENCE
None of the cigars smoked for this review required a relight or touchup. All of them burnt evenly with no issues whatso ever.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.70 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.40 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.00 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.40 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- A solid flavor profile enjoyable and fitting into most smokers pallete.
- The A is truly a beautiful cigar to look at and the construction is what I would call perfect for what it is.
- The lack of flavor progression made this a single note throughout which will leave some wanting.
GUESS WHAT YOU’RE SMOKING?.
From the cold draw to the first light all the way to the nubby end, this was a solid smoke throughout, Dark Cocoa, Coffee, and Graham Cracker.
The three flavors I found in the cigar are a perfect blend for any cigar smoker, easily identifiable and just as easily enjoyable. The burn was even and ash held together nicely.
You may believe that you caught a editing or reviewing error as all thirds were exactly the same in this review. Well, jokes on you, it is not an error. They were EXACTLY the same. How could this possibly be you ask? Well read on…
Turns out that other than the wrapper and binder, this bad boy is a machine made cigar stuffed with nothing more than short filler! Now don’t get me wrong, that is not a bad thing in this case. Everyone thinks short filler equals crap-stick, but they forget thing like the Drew Estate Papas Fritas. The Papas Fritas is made from the trimming of the Liga line from DE, and is proof of concept for a good short filler cigar. I do not know where the fillers for the A come from but they are a high quality tobacco that is to be enjoyed by anyone. I have been tricking my friends by gifting them one and letting them get half way through it before telling them it is a six to eight dollar, machine made short filler. All of them have been shocked, and all of them have purchased several sticks, or even bundles. Give it a try, you will not regret it i promise you.
