Northstar Cases

    The Macanudo line of cigars has been made by General Cigar for generations and has always been one of the top sellers. Unfortunately, "seasoned" cigar smokers give the Macanudo cigar series a bad rap, sometimes describing other cigars as "flavorless like a Macanudo" or saying that Macanudo's are "training cigars" for the less serious smoker. But when a Macanudo Robust Hampton Court was tested, a blind review showed otherwise.

    The Macanudo Robust Cigar is blended to be the stronger of the Macanudo line, thus the "Robust" tag. According to the General Cigar website, "Macanudo Robust is unlike any other cigar you have ever tried because it delivers a robust flavor with all the smoothness you have come to expect from a medium-bodied Macanudo Café cigar."    

     Hmmm, flavor and smooth...the holy grail of cigar smoking. Let's see if this dark Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar delivered on that claim with our reviewers.

    Appearance, check. Five reviewers, five grades C+ and above. In fact three of the five gave the Macanudo Robust a B+!
"Smooth silky wrapper. Slightly oily. Nice looking cigar."
"Has a nice dark brown slightly mottled wrapper"
There you have it, dark brown wrapper that is rustic in appearance. No complaints.

    Quality and Construction, check. Again, high praise with a single dissenter. Three ratings in the "A's" as well.
    "...has a nice firm feel from top to bottom. Pre-light draw is good, it lit and burned perfect, no touch-ups needed. Plenty of smoke is given off this stick and the ash is a nice light grey color."
    "...has a well made cap, firmly rolled giving it a nice firm draw great even burn with light grey ash. The ash held on for the first inch & half and stayed firm throughout the cigar & only needed ashing 4 or 5 times."
    We are starting to see a pattern emerge, with 4 reviewers giving fantastic grades for the Hampton Court, while we have one lone dissenter who wasn't much enamored with the smoke after lighting. Aroma grades followed a similar pattern as Quality...perhaps this is going to be one of those "4 out of 5 dentists recommend" reviews.As always, the meat of the review shows up in taste, aftertaste, and overall smoking experience. Our pattern held true, and people gave the Macanudo Robust scores that make this guy stand tall with just about any smoke. One word of advice, don't take the word "Robust" in the cigar name and expect to be blown off your seat. This cigar is "Robust" as compared to the standard Macanudo line. It's a medium bodied smoke outside of the Macanudo family.
    "This is a good cigar. The predominant flavor I have described as "sweetness" but that is too one dimensional a term for it. The "sweetness" was unique and very captivating. That it lasted almost half the cigar is rather unique for a non-Cuban cigar. Perhaps more time in the humidor will smooth out the second half harshness. If the "sweetness" will last the whole cigar is something to be seen."
    "A fine medium bodied smoke with a slightly sweet finish. Definitely on my list of cigars to smoke again. I would recommend this cigar to my friends."
"The initial sniff of this cigar fulfilled its promise of coffee and earth, but that was it. Very one dimensional and mild, this cigar didn't change its flavor at all. It did become creamy toward the middle and promised a long finish that I wasn't sure I wanted."

    Macanudo Robust Hampton Court, check. This review was not what we expected. In fact we have fallen into the group that often categorizes the Macanudo line of cigars as training wheels for cigar smokers. We'll admit to our mistake, the question is will you be big enough to hop into your local tobacconist and give the Macanudo Robust Hampton Court a try? If you don't, you may be missing out on a darn good cigar.