Review: Murcielago Belicoso

 

Happy Superbowl Sunday! For today's special day in American sports, I chose to smoke a cigar that I've been looking forward to since I got it in a trade back in early December. If you've been reading cigar blogs in the last few months, I'm sure you've come across countless glowing reviews of the Murcielago from EO/United Tobacco. Espinosa and Ortega are an extremely hot duo in the cigar world currently and have been scoring high with almost all traditional and non-traditional cigar media outlets. Time to fire up "the bat" for myself and see if I agree with the experts.

Specifics (taken from Stogie Review)

Vitola: Belicoso
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Mexican
MSRP: Approx. $9.61
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Pepsi

Pre-Light

 

The Murcielago was a beautiful cigar to look at. The maduro wrapper was a very dark color, has an oily glimmer and was as smooth as silk. The cigar was very well packed. I felt no soft spots, but it also had a nice give to it that I was sure would produce an excellent draw. There was very little aroma from the unlit cigar, but after I clipped the head, the cold draw had a nice cocoa flavor to it. Before I get into the smoking part of the review, I have to mention the very cool looking band. I'd be doing  this cigar an injustice if I didn't. The bright red color and black bat graphic is an awesome contrast to the dark wrapper. This is most certainly a band that would catch your eye if you saw someone smoking this stick in your local lounge.

First Third

 

Firing up this cigar was effortless. The burn was immediately perfect and produced tons of dense smoke. The initial flavors of my Murcielago were black pepper mixed with nutty and cocoa notes. The finish was very clean and left a nice spicy flavor in the back of my throat. The draw, as expected, was free and very enjoyable. Something to also note was the strength of the ash. I smoked this cigar for a good two inches before dropping the ash in the ashtray for fear of wearing it. Even then, it took a few good knocks for the ash to fall. I'd say the body of the first third was a solid medium.

Second Third

  

The second third of my Murcielago stayed very similar to the first third. The cigar had a nice black pepper spice that was balanced brilliantly with the cocoa and nuttiness. Some creamy notes did start to take shape toward the end of the second third and I hoped that they'd increase even more in the final third. The body of the cigar stayed medium and, again, the ash was very strong and tight.

Final Third and Final thoughts

The final third of my Murcielago was dominated by two flavors -- cream and chocolate. The spice and nutty flavors of the cigar dissipated and the rich cream and chocolate dominated my palette. This was actually a nice change up to the cigar and made what would have been an enjoyable (but somewhat simple) cigar just that much better. The body also picked up slightly and made for a very relaxing finish to this stick.

Smoking the Murcielago is an absolute treat. The construction is second to none and the flavors are bold and up front. I think a person new to cigar smoking would be able to pick out the differences. The change-up in the final third's flavors and body were unexpected. I'm thinking I may need to smoke more of these to get the whole experience.

Would I buy it again? The price tag is slightly steep, but I think it is justified. I will seek out a few more single sticks and consider a box split with another BOTL.

Would I buy a box? A full box is out of my budget at this time, but I'd recommend it if you can afford it.

Dan