Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Toro Especial (6 x 52)

Video review HERE.

Drew Estate announces the rebranding of the Herrera Esteli flagship brand, as well as the national release of the Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro and Herrera Esteli Miami. The entire, updated Herrera Esteli brand will be displayed in Drew Estate’s Booth at the IPCPR Convention and Tradeshow, held July 14-17, 2018 in Las Vegas Nevada.

The Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro features a dense Plantation Grown Mata Fina wrapper, over a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf binder with fillers from Nicaragua. Manufactured at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro was blended by Willy Herrera is presented in 5 vitolas:

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Robusto Grande 5 ¼ x 52 MSRP $227.94/ Box of 25

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Toro Especial 6 x 52 MSRP $241.94/ Box of 25 REVIEWED TODAY

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Lonsdale 6 x 44 MSRP $231.94/Box of 25

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Fino 6 x 52 MSRP $269.94/ Box of 25

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Short Corona Gorda 5 7/8 x 46 MSRP $203.94/ Box of 25

The cigar is described as a 52 ring but it definitely looks larger. It is a dark brown and well made. The wrapper is somewhat oily. The cigar has a nice feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet orange citrus, chocolate, whipping cream, brown sugar, light cinnamon and nutmeg notes, and a black coffee base. There was black pepper rated at a 7 1/2 and it was very good on the retrohale. A pretty nice start.

At the first third (26 minutes) the citrus notes are a little more elevated. The whipping cream notes are slightly decreased. The other notes are about the same. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is cream with light citrus and chocolate notes. The lingering black pepper was pretty good. The cigar is good but not mind blowing at this point. I rated the first third at a 92.

At the second third (1 hour) I lost the citrus notes. They are no where to be found. The chocolate and coffee notes are elevated. The whipping cream notes are more noticeable. The nutmeg seems to be taking away some of the sweetness. The cigar is a low grade medium to full bodied. The finish is chocolate, cream, and nutmeg. In short, the nutmeg has also elevated. The cigar is quite dark noted. I preferred the cigar with the nice sweet citrus notes. With their loss and the cigar turning darker I lowered the second third score to a 90.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 24 minutes. In the final third a sweet cedar appeared. It's not the nice citrus but it's something to compete with the chocolate and coffee. There is also some nice brown sugar mixed with the cedar. The nutmeg notes are quite manageable at this point. They are not overwhelming. The whipping cream notes are still there giving some needed sweetness. The cigar is still a low grade medium to full bodied. The finish is the same as before but with some added light cedar notes. This has been a pretty good cigar for me but not great. I am a fan of the regular Herrera Esteli line and had high hopes for this maduro but it fell a little short. I rated the final third at a 91 with the added sweet cedar notes. You can try these cigars by going HERE and they are also available in 5 packs and singles.

Overall Score: 91