Cigarro: OM MANI Maduro Gold Toro
Fábrica: N/A
Country: Dominican Republic
Capa: Ecuadorian Sun Grown (Maduro Shade)
Capote: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Tripa: Dominican (Cibao Valley) / Nicaraguan (Esteli)
Dimensions: 6 x 50
Vitola: Toro
Production: Regular Production/Core Line
MSRP: $6.95 USD
Released: N/A
OM MANI Cigars is an upstarting cigar company ran by Pete Taylor 3. The company draws on nostalgia associated with cigars to promote inspiration, motivation and enlightenment. The company has a few lines and wrapper choices in the lines to include the Helix, Satori, Buddha, and Gold Label, which the Maduro Gold is a part of. There are also Gold Label blends with Habano, Sumatra, Cameroon, and Connecticut. OM MANI cigars are currently sold direct from their website.
"The Gold Label is available on the website which varies in construction from a Habano to an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper with different strengths and profiles. The Buddha is more spicy and fiery while the double wrapped Helix is more calming” stated Pete Taylor 3.
"Before The Flame"
The Gold Label's maduro offering is a medium dark brown that is a bit bumpy. The seams aren't all that tight and it had a couple protruding vein that do not run the length of the cigar. The wrapper smells of hay, leather, and nuts. After clipping off the cap the cold draw is nice and firm and presents a nutty, salty, and peppery flavor.
1/3 "The Appetizer"
I initially begin to pick up notes of pepper and floral. Once I'm a few draws in I taste white pepper, a good dose of floral, chocolate, and dried fruit. A little later on cedar, grassy notes, and salt join the flavor profile. At this point I'm excited to see just what the Maduro Gold has to offer. There are times that I get a true to life table salt and pepper mix. A citrus component is added towards the tail end of the 1st.
2/3 "Main Entrée"
Once the 2nd is underway nuttiness start to envelop my palate. The grassy notes didn't last long, just barely making it into the 2nd. The pepper begins to ramp up and begins to take on a spicy red pepper form. I also detect a faint honey sweetness. The floral note has been in the dead center of the profile and doesn't seem to be letting go at all. There is still a chocolate along with fruitiness in the secondary zone of flavors. The salt and pepper mix can still be tasted. By the end of the 2nd the fruitiness has just about left the picture.
3/3 "Dessert"
In the last third woody notes would gain a bit in intensity. The fruitiness emerged some as well. The leading note of floral, well, is still leading the profile. And the pepper note comes along to the end as well.
Intensity
This isn't going to stifle you with strong flavors or nicotine. It's a medium bodied and strength cigar with medium-plus flavors.
Construction
Construction has some room to improve in but it isn't all that bad. A few touch ups were needed, mainly in the 1st third.
Closing Thoughts
It could be the marketing that made me think of incense in the 1st third as I started to taste floral and fruity notes, but incense was far from what it tasted like, it just brought that up in my mind. I didn't know what to expect going in to this. The spirituality and message that the company seems to have been built on, may not appeal to everyone, but regardless of how you take the marketing of the brand, underneath the packaging is a decent cigar that is indeed worth trying. Once your journey with this cigar is complete you can remove the band to get a little food for thought in the form of a spiritual/motivational quote.
Smoking Time: 1 hours 45 minutes
Pairing: Zero Water
Scoring: 87/100
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