Macanudo Cru Royale- The New Macanudo

Macanudo has recently launched a new cigar, the Cru Royal, that appears to be a move in the right direction for the cigar line.

Size: 5 x 50
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuador
Filler:  Brazil, Domincan Republic, Nicaragua
Binder: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Price: $5.60 online

My choice of test cigars is the robusto sized cigar.  The pre-light inspection shows some variation in the coloring of the wrapper, but with out any imperfections and with a good firmness to the stick.  The cap takes a clean cut and the toast takes a good coal quickly.

The first draw on the stick is a blast of pepper with some wood undertones.  This powerful pepper flavor stays through the initial 3rd as the dominant flavor, at times threatening to be a bit overpowering.  As the stick transitions from the first 3rd to the second 3rd, this powerful pepper diminishes to an afterthought, and a blend of creamy wood and leather begins to prevail.  Moving further through the second 3rd, some notes of chocolate appear, and a bit of toasted nut hit on the fringes of the pallet.

Noted at this point is that the burn starts to move a bit off track, requiring a touch up from my torch to bring it back in line.  The burn begins to become a problem from the second 3rd until the very end, and adds a bit of frustration to the enjoyment of the cigar.  Since I am enjoying this smoke at the Macanudo Cru Royal launch party, I query the other smokers and the tobacconists about this burn problem.  It would seem that the problem exists only with the robusto and toro sizes, and it is quickly attributed to the cigars arriving late for the launch party giving them a less than ideal rest time from shipping.  The lonsdale and gigante sizes did not have the same problem.

The second 3rd transitions to the final 3rd smoothly, and with very little change in the flavor profile retaining a nice complexity.  The pepper remains on the edges of the smoke, and the earth tones remain dominant with the threads of sweetness.  The cigar has an easy draw which produces beautiful clouds of creamy white smoke and a tight gray ash.  The final tally reveals the Cru Royal to be a great break from the norm for Macanudo.  It is a solid medium strength cigar that hits a reasonable price point for the average smoker.