M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro

The M by Macanudo Dark Rum was one of three extensions to General Cigar Co.’s M by Macanudo line that debuted in mid-August, shipping alongside the M by Macanudo French Vanilla and M by Macanudo Mint Cocoa. Each flavor is offered in a 6 x 50 toro vitola, is priced at $8.49 per cigar and comes in boxes of 20 cigars. They are all produced at General Cigar Dominicana in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

While the added flavorings are distinctive, the cigars all use the same blend, with an Indonesian wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler. To create the three variations, General uses what it calls a “proprietary flavor infusion process.”

“The new M by Macanudo flavors continue to defy the typical flavored cigar experience,” said Steve Abbot, director of marketing for Scandinavian Tobacco Group—which owns General Cigar Co.—in a press release. “They smoke like a premium Nicaraguan cigar, yet are enhanced with enticing flavor notes to deliver an indulgent departure from the everyday smoke. The French Vanilla, Dark Rum and Mint Cocoa offerings are a great compliment to summer smoking occasions and will help to keep the vacation vibe alive when the mercury dips.”

The trio joins the original coffee-flavored M by Macanudo line that debuted in 2018 and which is offered in several vitolas, as well as the M Bourbon by Macanudo which debuted in 2019.

• Cigar Reviewed: M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
• Wrapper: Indonesia
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $8.49 (Box of 20, $169.80)
• Release Date: August 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro’s wrapper has a slightly reddish hue to it, while the veins are fairly unique, showing the veering, puckered texture that I tend to find on Cuban cigars. It’s not long after I pull the cigar out of the cellophane that I begin to get some rum notes wafting off the cigar. I also sniff the inside of the cellophane and find a thick aroma of rum that leans into root beer and vanilla cream soda. The cigar has the kind of focused aroma that I get from a drink in a glass with a narrowed opening, often referred to as a tulip glass. I would not say the cigar is spongy, but it is softer than average on the whole and in some spots it has a lot more give than I would expect from a premium cigar. I also wouldn’t say that it feels damp, but it has the kind of pliability that generally comes with very moist tobacco. The aroma from the foot is quite rum-forward, rich with brown sugar and molasses and accented by vanilla, yet without much in the way of pepper. Behind those consistent aromas, there is something that reminds me of canned mushrooms, an interesting secondary aroma that appears more prominently on one cigar than the other two. The cold draw is firm and not quite as spirituous, but it still has the brown sugar and molasses combination that leads me to think of rum. If anything, it reminds me more of rum cake based on how the air hits my taste buds. There’s a bit of buttery oiliness as well, in one cigar tasting like it is dripping out of the head. But it’s when I take the cigar out of my mouth to light it that I really get a thick, syrupy, rum-sweetened flavor on my lips.

If for some reason it wasn’t clear what the M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro was going to be about either by its name, the aroma or the cold draw, the first puffs should make it abundantly clear. On the whole, the rum flavoring is better than I had hoped, as rum-flavored things can often get too sweet or too boozy for my liking, and this cigar’s flavor doesn’t quite cross that line. Make no mistake, it is sweet but it still tastes like rum with a lead note of either caramel corn or kettle corn depending on seemingly the sample or the mood of my taste buds. Each time I take the cigar out of my mouth, I get more of the rum sweetening, though it does seem to be diminishing in intensity with each puff. If I had to provide a comparable rum, it reminds me a bit of both Zaya and Zacapa, hitting my palate with a decent bit of sweetness but also some barrel notes. There’s a bit more smokiness than I would have expected, and while I don’t generally think of rums being smoky, it works pretty well here. Retrohales are interesting in that there is still the rum sensation, coming across not that far off from nosing a glass of the spirit, with a bit of black pepper added in as a subtle accent. One sample has a more robust black pepper that carries a bit of dry earthiness with it, which makes for an interesting contrast to the syrupy aspect of the rum flavor. Because of the rum flavoring, it’s a bit harder to assess the flavor; it is so mouth coating that I’m tempted to call it full-flavor, though supporting flavors and the underlying cigar flavors are medium-minus. The body is medium-plus and strength is close to medium. Each cigar burns well, even the one that is the spongiest of the three, with good smoke production and an even burn line.

The second third of the M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro sees some black pepper begin to emerge in the profile, while the wood barrel notes continue to be a factor, and with the reduction in the outright rum flavor, those other two aspects are more closely intertwined. I’m surprised by the dryness of the wood, particularly through the nose, as it has quickly established itself outside of the overarching flavor of syrupy rum. While the retrohales were more of a contrast just a few moments ago, they are now much more cohesive with the flavor, possibly serving as a signal that the cigar’s overall profile is starting to undergo a transition. Even regular puffs manage to send some black pepper to the nose, as well as just a touch of a mineral flavor that comes out of the earthiness. The midpoint shows a brighter pepper through the nose, seemingly enhanced with a bit of the mineral aspect from the earth. Past the midway point, the flavor makes a sharp pivot, as the wood barrel flavors begin to turn, almost spoiling as if it had be left out in the open to air out, and oxygen is affecting the soaked-in rum. The cigar is smokier, a touch ashier, and in a very different place from where it was when it started. There is still some rum flavor, but even it changes to take on a slightly vegetal flavor, not quite like rhum agricole, and certainly not as much as a candela wrapper would offer, but enough to be noticeable. Most notably, while I would have been more likely to purchase the cigar based on the first third, with the rum steadily departing, I’m finding myself smoking a cigar that has a profile I wouldn’t be eager to spend my money on. What is left of the rum is found mainly on the lips by way of what I have to think is a sweetened cap. Flavor is now a different type of medium-full than what was offered in the first third, body is medium, and strength is medium. Construction and combustion are both very good, with smoke production good even while the cigar is at rest.

The final third of the M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro sees the most variance among the three samples, as once the cover of the rum has been removed it reveals a cigar with a profile that has varying combinations of sharp woodiness, dry earth, crisp white pepper and some vegetal notes. At their best, retrohales are dry, woody, and rich with black pepper, a familiar combination that is on par with non-flavored cigars, while other times they are close to being as disjointed as the flavor can be. It’s no surprise that a lot of cigars get a bit softer as they burn, but with an already somewhat soft density, the M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro has a propensity to get quite squishy by the point where the burn line would be passing through the band. While the vast majority of the rum flavor is gone by this section, one cigar holds onto just a touch of it, seemingly the final drops being wrung out of the woody notes and giving me a bit of a cedar flavor. The final inches are where each of the three cigars begin to really struggle, with one cigar getting so sharp and woody that I kick it into the ashtray with just over an inch left, convinced that the flavor won’t be able to come back from the change. One cigar holds on better and manages to finish on par with what I would call an average cigar, with some dry soil, dry lumber and black pepper, with a decently lingering finish. The sponginess of the cigar doesn’t impede the draw from otherwise being good, while the burn line is even and smoke production is still good, if slightly reduced. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium to medium-full depending on the individual cigar.

Final Notes

• The band has some incredible detail in its white trim, as there are small streaks of the central caramel color, almost as if the ink was just slightly wet when the band was applied.
• The only smoky rum that comes to mind is the Cuban-made Havana Club Cuban Smoky, which was part matured in ex-Islay smoky whisky casks.
• Speaking on a broad term, I find that most flavored cigars tend to lose their signature flavor during the second third. I’ve come to wonder if this is a limitation of the flavoring process, an intentional design so as to not overwhelm the palate with the flavoring, or a response to an idea that most smokers of flavored cigars don’t end up smoking the whole thing, so there’s no reason to add the flavor to the back half of the cigar.
• I also question how my taste buds and perceptions of such a prominent flavor change over the course of the cigar.
• The transition out of the heavily-flavored portion of the first third and into the start of the second third is one of my favorite parts of this cigar. It still has the rum notes, but also shows a decent amount of complexity and depth of flavor before the rum fades completely and the cigar hits a point where I no longer find it agreeable on my taste buds.
• I was surprised by the amount of nicotine strength in this cigar, as the first cigar had me going right to the sugar dish to help neutralize the effects.
• General Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours on average.
• Site sponsors Famous Smoke Shop carries the M by Macanudo Dark Rum Toro.