Maestro del Tiempo 6102R

This July, Warped Cigars became the latest company to release a cigar offered only to retailers who attend and place orders at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.

That cigar is the Maestro del Tiempo 6102R, a special size and blend of the company’s new Maestro del Tiempo line. It is a Nicaraguan puro made from AGANORSA tobaccos including a corojo 99 wrapper from Jalapa and criollo 98 and corojo 99 fillers.

It’s offered in two regular production size as well as the 6102R, which is a tweaked blend that includes high priming medio tiempo tobacco from Estelí. Medio tiempo is the highest priming on a tobacco blend, above the ligero primings, that is only found on a fraction of plants.

The 6102R is limited to 150 cabinets of 100 which feature a unique split lid opening that uses two lids to cover the large cabinet. In addition, the cigar is designated by a special secondary band.

• Maestro del Tiempo 5205 (6 3/8 x 42) — $9.65 (Boxes of 25, $241.25) — Regular Production
• Maestro del Tiempo 5712 (4 1/2 x 52) — $8.99 (Boxes of 25, $224.75) — Regular Production
• Maestro del Tiempo 6102R (5 1/4 x 48) — $10.50 (Boxes of 100, $1,050) — 150 Cabinets of 100 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)

• Cigar Reviewed: Maestro del Tiempo 6102R
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA)
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Robusto Extra
• MSRP: $10.50 (Boxes of 100, $1,050)
• Release Date: July 2016
• Number of Cigars Released: 150 Cabinets of 100 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The cigars all appear rolled well, though after running them each through a squeeze test I’m a bit concerned since there’s quite a bit of difference in the amount of give. Aroma off the Nicaraguan wrapper is somewhat sweet with cedar and a touch of acidity. The foot is significantly more developed: sweet with candied nuts, cocoa and some redwoods. Unfortunately, the flavor from the cold draw is not as detailed, though it’s still sweet with cocoa, some candied fruitiness in and lemon-lime Gatorade.

This Warped begins with lots of nuttiness and some faints of spices before a heavy cream enters on the finish. As it progresses, the basic flavors remain the same. The array of nuttiness is still the central focus, although it’s leaning more towards salty peanuts. That might be due to some Himalayan salt, a secondary note alongside cotton candy, some pizza crust and burnt caramel. The finish is creamy along with some pie crust. One sample is flawless construction-wise, another needs a burn touch-up and one has developed a notable crack which doesn’t help the draw.

By the halfway point, the nuttiness has backed off quite a bit. It’s still there, but not the dominating force it was. The mouth has hay, french fries, Worcestershire sauce and creamy coffee, but that’s not really where the majority of the flavor is. Through the nose, the Maestro del Tiempo 6102R offers cotton candy and some sort of umami flavor that at times can seem like chicken skin. If it wasn’t for the rich umami flavor, I’d be spending a lot more time trying to distinguish whether it’s just a mild yet rough harshness or minerals on the back of the throat. Whatever the case, the good outweighs the bad. It’s still medium-full in flavor, full in body and mild to medium in strength. All three cigars need a correction for the burn: one cigar almost goes out, one is tunneling and the other is still getting over the split cigar syndrome.

Right around the transition to the final third, I pick up some Wheat Thins. The Maestro del Tiempo 6102R is getting significantly less sweet than earlier parts, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any sweetness to be had. A pistachio ice cream takes over for the creaminess and at times there’s a sugar candy in the nose, but it really is about the carbohydrates. A more generic wheat picks up for the declining nuttiness and there’s some added rice. Unfortunately, the harshness on the back end begins to play a larger role. I find myself providing varying degrees of touch-ups to all three samples, something that isn’t surprising give the second third.

Final Notes

• Maestro del Tiempo translates into master of time.
• There is absolutely no pepper to be had throughout the Maestro del Tiempo.
• The packaging on this release, from the box to the bands is fantastic. In addition, credit to Warped for not throwing two gigantic bands on a shorter cigars.
• Strength is a notch below medium.
• While one cigar cracked pretty poorly, it tasted fine. That being said, all three cigars had varying burn issues. In fact, one of the samples that didn’t crack received more deductions for construction issues.
• There’s no question this cigar enjoys to be smoked as slow as possible. As such, the final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes.
• Site sponsor STOGIES World Class Cigars (713.783.5100) has the 6102R in stock.