Macanudo is one of General Cigar Co.’s best selling brands, so it is a pretty big deal when a new line is released. One such line was introduced at last year’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, when General showed off the Macanudo Mao, a cigar that is blended with filler tobacco that was developed over eight growing seasons from the same seed used to create the original Macanudo blend in the 1960s.

Offered in three different vitolas, the Macanudo Mao incorporates tobacco grown from the original seeds that were crossed with other seeds before being planted in the Mao region of the Dominican Republic. Blend-wise, the Mao is covered in a Cuban-seed Connecticut shade wrapper, while the binder hails from Mexico and the filler tobaccos are from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Each of the three vitolas is limited to just 1,800 boxes of 10, and every cigar is packaged in individual coffins that open upwards, similar to General’s Estate Reserve Series.

Here is what I said in my original review back in October 2016:

After smoking three of the Macanudo Mao, there is no doubt that the new cigar is a smooth cigar, both in terms of profile as well as strength. Unfortunately, the flavors that are present in the blend are also quite linear, and just did not make much of a positive impression. While construction was quite good overall, the overripe mango note that was noticeable throughout the profile really thew off both the overall balance, and at times led to a cigar that was just not that enjoyable. The backstory on this release is extremely interesting, but is sadly not enough to get me to recommend it.

  • Cigar Reviewed: Macanudo Mao No. 10
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
  • Wrapper: Connecticut
  • Binder: Mexico
  • Filler: Colombia, Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
  • Length: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $16 (Boxes of 10, $160)
  • Release Date: September 2016
  • Number of Cigars Released: 1,800 Boxes of 10 (18,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

Visually, the Macanudo Mao No. 10 is covered in a golden brown wrapper that is sandpaper rough to the touch, and features just a touch of oil. There are a multitude of very prominent veins running up and down the length of the cigar and it is quite spongy when squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of creamy nuts, dark chocolate, leather, manure and sweet nutmeg, while the cold draw brings flavors of coca nibs, cedar, hay, cinnamon, generic sweetness, and black pepper.

The Macanudo Mao No. 10 starts off with some fairly significant aromatic oak as the dominant note, along with other flavors of dark cocoa nibs, bitter espresso, cinnamon, hay, earth and a touch of salt. There is a slight amount of white pepper on the retrohale, as well as some spice on my tongue, but neither are doing much to affect the overall profile at this point in the cigar. The finish features both a slight nutmeg sweetness as well as a slight bitterness, both of which seem to be much getting stronger as the cigar progresses. There is a touch more nutmeg sweetness on both the finish and retrohale in the second and the profile has also become noticeably creamier. In addition, the dominant flavor has shifted a bit to more of a espresso bean note, although the oak that was so strong in the first half is still a major player. Other flavors of peanuts, hay, dark chocolate, bread, cinnamon, and leather flit in and out, while the white pepper on the retrohale has increased quite a bit, all of which remain constant until the end of the cigar.

Construction-wise, the Macanudo features an excellent draw throughout after a straight cut, and while the burn needed touching up a couple of times in the second third, it was not bad enough to be anything more than mildly annoying. Smoke production was both dense and copious for the entire cigar and the overall strength increased steadily from a strong mild at the start to end a just over the medium mark by the time I put the nub down with less than an inch left.

86 Overall Score

This is one of those cigars I am glad I did a redux review of, as it is quite different than the first time I smoked it almost a year ago. While the Macanudo Mao No. 10 is still not exactly packed with unique flavors, it is noticeably more complex, with none of the overripe mango note I picked up the first time around as well as more of a balanced profile overall. In the end, the 11 months of rest has made a world of difference in the enjoyment of this cigar, although the price is still a bit hard to swallow.

Original Score (October 2016)
80
Redux Score (September 2017)
86
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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.