21. Micallef Grande Bold Ligero 552L
Micallef
- Country of Origin: NIcaragua
- Factory: Micallef Cigars S.A.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra Ligero)
- Binder: Ecuador
- Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
- Length: 5 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Robusto
- MSRP: $8.75 (Boxes of 20, $175)
- Release Date: July 2018
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Original Score: 92
There’s nothing like putting a couple of flavor-steering words in the name of your cigar, which is what Micallef did with one of its 2018 releases. Referencing the topmost and fullest flavored leaves of a tobacco plant as well as the term bold would certainly seem to indicate what this cigar is about, yet in our experience, it only scratched the cigar’s surface.
While the name might suggest a pepper and strength bomb, neither are quite true. Rather, the cigar’s inspiration comes from the desire to show the essence of ligero, and it is in that light that the cigar shines brightest. The cigar is able to show not just the strength but the natural sweetness that those leaves tend to offer, both in restrained and measured doses so as to never tip the scales of strength or flavor too far from balance.
Most importantly though, the cigar delivers something that its name might not imply it being capable of: approachability by smokers of many strength preferences. While the name might suggest caution, our experience encourages engagement with the nuance and depth that the Micallef Grande Bokd Ligero 552L has to offer. — Patrick Lagreid.
