Maestranza is the latest from Skip Martin & Mike Rosales owners of RoMa Craft Cigars.
According to a facebook post from Skip Martin, “In an early episode of Chef’s Table (Season 1, Episode 3) Francis Mallmann uses the word ‘maestranza’ defining it as ‘the people who are around you helping’. It had resonated with me ever since. I’m very excited to get this one out there and hope whatever success it achieves stands to honor all of the people who are, and have been, around me helping me to execute and realize the vision that was/is RoMa Craft Tobac and Nica Sueño. As the saying goes: No great thing was ever done by a single person. So it can also be said that no cigar is the result of the work of a single master. This project as with all of the thousand other little things we do every day are, as always, the result of the hard work and dedication of dozens of people, hundreds of pairs of hands on the oars moving them forward.”
Cigar Review: RoMa Craft Maestranza
Size: 6 x 52 ( Caballeria Valencia aka Toro)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Natural
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos NicaSueno
Release Date: October 2024
Box Count: 40
The Look: The box pressed Maestranza from Roma Craft features a bright yellow band over a secondary white band that is embossed with all the initials of the workers at Fabrica de Tabacos NicaSueno. This exquisitely rolled cigar is a beautiful example of a box pressed cigar with its seamless roll and oily wrapper. In the hand the cigar feels smaller than a 52 ring gauge and it feels more like a corona gorda. The cigar is well packed with a hefty weight.
The Taste: The cold draw reveals notes of orange and tangerines with a subtle nuttiness while the aroma from the foot has a sweetness that offsets the acidic citrus. Once the Maestranza is toasted and lit it produces an exorbitant amount of smoke with a nice dark chocolate note to start.
As we smoke the first third notes of chocolate and nuts captivate the palate with a mouth drying finish. The mouth drying aspect is reminiscent of San Vicente tobacco which is a hybrid tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic. They retrohale has some considerable zing and zest to it in the terms of black pepper and a subtle orange rind that carries over to the finish
Moving into the second third the notes of sunflower seeds, cocoa and pine nuts begin to develop as the cigar becomes more balanced and flavorful then the first third. Around the halfway point the cigar is medium in flavor and strength. As we cross over the halfway point the pine nuts become dominant with a subtle citrus in the background.
Moving into the final third of the Maestranza notes of pine nuts remain dominant with nuance of mocha that lean toward a mild coffee. The cigar is smooth and balanced and I find myself not wanting to put the cigar down. In the final couple of puff notes of leather develop and the aroma develops a touch of brown sugar which makes it way to the palate as well. The retrohale remains unchanged with pepper and a hint of citrus.
Conclusion: The RoMa Craft Maestranza in the first third didn’t live up to what I expected from RoMa Craft. In the second third the cigar hit it’s stride developing into a really good medium bodied cigar that was milder then I had expected. The company which made a name for it self with strong cigars such as Cromagnon, Aquitaine and Neanderthal has shifted somewhat over the last few years. The Maestranza should appeal more to the masses and open up a new customer base for the Texas based company.
Score: 90
Price: $10.00 (Before any local or state taxes)
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