CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza

RoMa Craft Tobac doesn’t put out a lot of new releases, and when the company does, they tend to come with a bit of a backstory, drawing on history, anthropology and other topics.

The company’s latest release, Maestranza, is no exception, but instead of tapping into a textbook, the cigar is inspired by the people have helped get RoMa Craft Tobac and the associated Nica Sueño factory to where they are today, with a nod to “Chef’s Table.”

As Skip Martin, co-founder of RoMa Craft Tobac explained on social media:

I considered a cigar in 2015 called La Maestranza de Barrio Oscar Benevides for CRAFT 2015. We had finished building Nica Sueño in our new neighborhood, and I wanted to mark the milestone of all of the work it took to get from our humble beginnings to that point.

In an early episode of Chef’s Table (Season 1, Episode 3) Francis Mallmann uses the word ‘maestranza’ defining it as ‘the people who are around you helping’. It had resonated with me ever since.

I’m very excited to get this one out there and hope whatever success it achieves stands to honor all of the people who are, and have been, around me helping me to execute and realize the vision that was/is RoMa Craft Tobac and Nica Sueño.

As the saying goes: No great thing was ever done by a single person. So it can also be said that no cigar is the result of the work of a single master. This project as with all of the thousand other little things we do every day are, as always, the result of the hard work and dedication of dozens of people, hundreds of pairs of hands on the oars moving them forward.

The blend comprises a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Brazilian binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Martin noted that the wrapper is a lighter-colored version of the varietal that the company uses for its Neanderthal line. That color led Martin to consider this a Spanish Market Selection wrapper, saying that:

The rosado maduro hue reminded me of cigars I enjoyed in my youth before dark cigars were popularized that were generally referred to as Spanish Market Selection (SMS). Having a good American Market Selection (AMS) cigar and a few English Market Selection (EMS) cigars in our portfolio, it felt right to close it out with the addition of an SMS…and so the Maestranza blend was developed, produced and aged for almost a year.

The three regular production sizes will be:

• Maestranza Ciutadella Catalonia (4 x 50) — $9 (Box of 40, $360)
• Maestranza Castillito Murcia (5 x 60) — $11 (Box of 40, $440)
• Maestranza Caballería Valencia (6 x 52) — $10 (Box of 40, $400)

Those cigars began shipping on Oct. 7, and come wearing bands that list the initials of every employee of the company’s Nica Sueño factory.

 

But the company created a fourth size to preview the line’s full release. It’s called the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza, a 4 1/4 x 56 petit gordo and it uses the same blend as the other three sizes. It has an MSRP of $12.50 per cigar and is limited to just 800 bundles of 10 cigars. The cigars debuted on July 19 at an event at Cigar Den in East Brunswick, N.J., with more cigars shipped to other retailers in August 2024.

• Cigar Reviewed: CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Brazil
• Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua
• Length: 4 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $12.50 (Bundle of 10, $125)
• Release Date: July 19, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 800 Bundles of 10 Cigars (8,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Since there is no branding on any of the bands, it takes me a moment to find the cigars amongst those in my review stash, though the two ribbons used to create a foot band are immediately recognizable as being a nod to the Spanish flag. The wrapper has a slightly waxy finish, a dark, evenly colored hue, and veins that are visible but small and far from obtrusive. Only one cigar has seams that I would describe as being clearly visible due to a slight variation in shade. All three cigars look to be rolled very well, with no visible issues. The CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza is much firmer than most box-pressed cigars, with little give and some spots where the cigar has essentially no give. The feet of the cigars have an aroma that is light and peppery; my first thought is of dehydrated apples with a finish of black pepper. Sometimes that apple sensation gets thicker and more developed, such as apple sauce, while other times it is drier and more singular. I don’t consider the cigar’s aroma to be inherently sweet, but what sweetness can be thick in my nostrils, providing a very pleasant sensation. In terms of airflow, the cold draw varies; the first and third cigars’ are smooth, while the second cigar feels slightly impeded—this is also the cigar with the incredibly firm head. The flavor has a lighter, thinner fruit sweetness without the pepper, while a bit of light nuttiness complements the flavor.

The CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza gets underway with a profile marked by dry wood and some light, mouth-tingling black pepper, as well as a bit of creaminess that takes a few puffs to emerge and contribute to the experience. I’d call the starting puffs engaging but not overpowering, and with a profile that latches on to my taste buds and captures my attention. At the one-inch mark, there are some puffs that are really impressive; offering a profile that is creamy, peppery, balanced, nuanced and enough to stop me in my tracks for a moment. Retrohales thus far have a soft, almost fluffy creaminess that is a great first impression before black pepper comes along to tingle my nostrils, followed by what reminds me of warm root beer finishing things off. Flavor is a very pleasant medium-plus, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-minus. Construction is very good with no issues, offering a smooth draw, an even burn line, plenty of smoke, and a tight, durable ash.

At the transition to the second third, a bit of vanilla extract appears in the flavor and right behind that is a more pronounced spiciness, which builds on the pepper but takes the physical sensations to a new place. Retrohales have a more pronounced black pepper that is tight and very focused on my olfactory system, and doesn’t have the spiciness that showed on my taste buds a few moments earlier. The flavor picks up a bit of earthiness in this section, and while I don’t know if it’s related, the pepper and spice begin to settle down just a touch. There is a very subtle woodiness in the resting aroma, almost cologne-like, that I find waiting for me after I step away from the cigar for a moment. The second third of the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza finishes with a more vibrant black pepper and some spice in the retrohales, while the flavor has a thick body marked by creaminess, earth, some pepper and a bit of wet firewood. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium-full and strength is medium. Construction remains very good, though it seems like the smoke production has dialed back just a touch and there’s a need for a slightly quicker puffing rate.

The final third starts off on a very good note, with creaminess, pepper, some soft woodiness around the edges and hints at nuttiness, while the aroma reminds me of a cup of black coffee that has a woody top note. After being somewhat obscured, the black pepper gets more distinct, standing out with a distinct clarity atop the core earthiness, wood and some creaminess, all flavors that have been core parts of the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza since the start. There’s a bit of a push in the flavor intensity in the very final inch, and I can feel some nicotine strength beginning to kick in as it comes time to put the cigar down. A bit of heat comes in, which seems to elicit more tingle from the smoke as it hits my tongue. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Construction remains outstanding, with plenty of smoke, an even burn line, and a smooth, unobstructed draw.

Final Notes

• In terms of striking a balance between the size of a cigar and the intensity of flavor that it offers, the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza seems like it’s in a real sweet spot. The amount of cigar and the amount of flavor are both great.
• Along those lines, I’m hoping that this comes back as a regular production size, as it seems like the three regular production sizes might either be too much or a bit too little. That is purely speculative, of course, as I haven’t smoked the other three sizes.
• Due to trademark issues, the cigar will only be sold in the U.S.
• As noted above, there is some nicotine strength in the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza, steadily building as the cigar progresses. I didn’t find it to be overpowering or problematic, but if you’re sensitive to nicotine, I’d keep it in mind.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 4 1/4 x 56 petit gordo. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 55 minutes on average.
• Site sponsor Smokingpipes carries the CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza, while Atlantic Cigar Co. lists the three regular production sizes.