Dapper La Madrina Robusto
Posted on November 02 2021
Vitola: 5x50
Smoking Time: 71 Minutes
Cigars Smoked: 3
Body: Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, USA
MSRP: $10.30
Dapper cigars was founded by Ian Reith in 2013, their profile started with the Cubo Claro. It seems this is becoming a more popular story, simply rolling cigars for personal use, sharing with friends, then demand starts to grow. I have heard about it happening with a number of companies and I'm not sure the story will ever grow old. Dapper is a well known boutique company that uses a large portion of tobacco from Oliva Tobacco Company, but do not stop there, they source Mexican leaves and are not afraid to mix in Broadleaf from the U.S.
Visual Inspection: This wrapper is extremely oily, with dense clusters of tooth. For an Ecuadorian wrapper it is a beautiful black, mixed with coffee brown. The seams are very present, and the veins are surprisingly the opposite. After lightly squeezing the cigar, no soft spots are revealed. The head cap is durable and no splitting occurred when I cut the cigar.
After using a V Cut, the draw is slightly tight, but time will tell. After a cold draw sweet notes of raisin, fig, and the slightest touch of cocoa present themselves. The overall aroma of the cigar is only slightly different from what I picked up in the cold draw, it is more chocolate forward, and does seem to have more body to it.
First Third: I will admit, I was unsure about how The Madrina would live up to the full bodied hype, but immediately upon lighting I am blown away. The flavors are a mix of the cold draw and wrapper aroma, very sweet and chocolatey. Fig is right up front, but quickly replaced with heavy espresso notes. Sub notes of cocoa, yeast, oak, and walnut, linger. There is a warm, almost spicy heat on the tip of my tongue when inhaling, but it lacks the feeling of a pepper or hot sauce.
The ash is a light color, almost white, and firm enough to not flake all over. I am still not terribly pleased with the draw, it is just tight enough to make it annoying. Shortly after lighting the cigar, there was a hot spot, which did not last, but made the burn line wonky, as this third comes to a close, it cleaned itself up very nicely without a touch up. A retrohale brings notes of cinnamon candy, and raspberry.
Second Third: After struggling with the draw, I’ve used my PerfecDraw and now the draw is much smoother. Now smoke production is ample, and allows for more flavor and body to come through. The yeast flavors are most upfront, but bring a certain sweetness to my palate. Reminiscent of a fig newton, but more so raisin and raspberry. Followed by cocoa, coffee, and oak. I am very surprised how full the body is, Ecuadorian wrappers don’t normally produce this body, in my experience.
Ash has firmed up very well, and has retained its color. The burn line is rough, but not awful. The retrohale is undoubtedly heavy, it really does add a whole mess of flavors to the profile. The sweet notes meld so well with the chocolate and coffee, making this a semi complex cigar.
Last Third: Charred wood is starting to be more prominent, followed by the familiar notes of cocoa, walnuts, and raisin. There are very few cigars that I can compare this to. The flavors are very bold, while retaining its full body, which is wildly unique. The retrohale is a necessity and adds an important punch to the overall profile.
The burn line ended up being very clean, and overall performed well. Now the body is even more full than it has been and that is saying something. Staying true to the statement, this is not for the faint of heart.
Final Thoughts: The Madrina is a great cigar, any way you splice it. The flavors are amazing and unmatched. Very unlike anything on the market, if I had to make a comparison, it would have to be Viva La Vida. I havent smoked too many cigars from Dapper, but what I have enjoyed, I do so often. If you like full bodied cigars, this is for you. Pair it with coffee or your favorite bourbon. And stock up on these bad boys, they disappeared once, who knows if they will again!
-Sam