Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico

During an event on Jan. 23 in Granada, Nicaragua, Mombacho Cigars S.A. showed off a new cigar that was specifically blended to commemorate the company’s 10 years in business for the first time. Appropriately dubbed the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, the cigar is a a 6 1/4 x 52 toro that features both a foot band as well as a small pigtail cap and production is limited to 5,000 total cigars packaged in boxes of 10. According to the company, more than 20 iterations of both blend and size were tried out before the final combination was selected and no more than 200 cigars were rolled during single day when they were produced in September and October at the Casa Favilli factory located in Granda, Nicaragua.

“The Magnifico incorporates the history of our cigars into one unique blend using tobaccos from both the Tierra Volcan and Liga Maestro lines,” said Claudio Sgroi, master blender at Mombacho Cigars, in a press release. “We broke one of our main rules, which is not to mix the tobaccos used in our different lines. It’s the best blend I have made in my career and it will only be used for this limited release.”

Speaking of the blend, the Magnifico incorporates a shade grown habano viso wrapper from Jalapa as well as a habano-criollo binder from Condega and a filler composed of seco habano-criollo from Condega, viso mediano habano-criollo from Condega, viso grande habano from Jalapa, ligero mediano habano criollo from Jalapa and ligero grande habano from Jalapa.

• Cigar Reviewed: Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Casa Favilli
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Viso (Jalapa)
• Binder: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo (Condega)
• Filler: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo Seco (Condega), Habano Criollo viso mediano (Condega), Habano viso grande (Jalapa), Criollo ligero mediano habano (Jalapa) and Habano ligero grande (Jalapa)
• Length: 6 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro Grande
• MSRP: $19.95 (Box of 10, $199.50)
• Release Date: July 2016
• Number of Cigars Released: 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico is covered in a mocha brown wrapper that has a noticeable red hue to it and is slick to the touch. Along with some obvious oil and multiple viens, the cigar also features a small, compact pigtail on the cap and has some nice give when it is squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of sweet oak, earth, manure, dark chocolate and hay, while the cold draw brings flavors of creamy leather, roasted coffee beans, aged oak, black pepper and a touch of nutmeg sweetness.

Starting out, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary features a dominant combination of flavors that include roasted almonds, leather and creamy oak, with lesser notes of tart citrus, bitter espresso and hay. There is a great nutmeg sweetness on the retrohale has been brought over from the cold draw, and it combines nicely with some significant black pepper that is also present. Construction-wise, the draw is excellent after I do nothing more than pull off the small pigtail on the cap, and while the burn is wavy, it is nowhere near bad enough that I need to correct it yet. The smoke production is both dense and copious, while the overall strength starts out quite mild before settling at a point between mild and medium by the time the first third ends.

There are some significant changes during the second third of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary, including a decrease in the amount of black pepper as well as an increase in the nutmeg sweetness on the retrohale. The dominant flavors remain a combination of creamy oak and roasted almonds, with other notes of dark cocoa nibs, cinnamon, espresso beans, leather and baking spices bringing up the rear. Both the smoke production and draw continue to impress, and the burn has evened up nicely, although it is still not close to what I would consider razor sharp. The strength has increased noticeably, but not aggressively, and ends the second third still a bit short of the medium mark, although it is will end up higher than that before all is said and done.

The final third of the 10th Anniversary Magnifico shifts a bit again, with the roasted almond note becoming the dominant flavor in the profile, followed by notes of cocoa nibs, sawdust, creamy oak, leather, earth and a touch of floral. The nutmeg sweetness that has been so prominent before this point seems to fall off a cliff, although it is still noticeable enough to impact the profile, and the black pepper on the retrohale actually increases a bit. The overall construction seems to have found its sweet spot, with the burn, draw and smoke production all working in perfect harmony, and while the strength level increases as expected, it still just barely enough to hit a solid medium by the time I put the nub down a little more than an inch left.

Final Notes

• For a time, it was unclear if the 10th Anniversary Magnifico would be sold under the Mombacho name in the U.S., since that name is owned by Casa Fernández. It’s unclear if that trademark dispute has been resolved.
• While most of the cigars I review have smoke that smells pretty close to the same thing—i.e. some combination of tobacco, wood and leather—the smoke emanating from the cigar had a scent that reminded me strongly of peanut butter cookies.
• With cigars that feature a pigtail, I usually just pull it off of the cap instead of cutting it, as it usually gives me a great draw without the need for a cutter. I was a bit concerned that this would not be the case when I saw the small, tightly coiled pigtail on the cap, but my fears turned out to be groundless and the resulting draw was excellent on all three samples I smoked.
• If you are wondering, the mountain depicted in the logo of the Mombacho brand is the Mombacho volcano, which is located outside the city of Granada, Nicaragua and was last active in 1570.
• Along with the above, I have always loved the simplicity of the Mombacho logo, but it really does not stand out very well in any humidor I have been into.
• You can see halfwheel’s coverage of the Mombacho booth during the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show here.
• The cigars smoked for this review were given to halfwheel by Mombacho Cigars at the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
• The final smoking time of all three samples average just over one hour and 50 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar has them in stock.