Brand/Line: Licenciados Supreme Maduro
Vitola: Corona
Name: No. 200
Size: 5 ¾ “x 43
Packaging: Cellophane wrapped singles
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler blend: Dominican Republic
Manufacturer: MATASA, S.A.
Blender: Manuel Quesada
Distributor: Mike’s Cigars
Appearance: The Licenciados Supreme Maduro No. 200 comes wrapped in a dark and slightly marbled, thick maduro wrapper. While a little rustic in appearance, this heavy leaf has a fairly heavy grain to it. The cigars are wrapped perfectly with a slightly flattened cap while the foot reveals a good distribution of the filler leaves and nice bunching. As with all of the Licenciados lines, save the Anniversario, the Supreme Maduro line bears the classic yellow band with a carriage, a play off the Cuban Diplimaticos brand cigars. A matching bold yellow dress box completes a striking presentation.
Construction: Like most every product of the MATASA plants, the Licenciados Supreme Maduro No. 200 is a very well made cigar. Every bit a premium cigar, there are no soft or hard spots to be found. There are some slightly thick veins in the wrapper, but not so much so as to affect the burn of the cigars. Overall, these are very well made.
Cut and light: The cap of the Licenciados Supreme Maduro cuts easily and cleanly with a double blade cutter and provides a free and easy cold draw which has a slightly sweet, rich tobacco flavor to it. Lighting the cigars with a single jet torch lighter produces blue, wispy smoke that carries a sweet aroma and is indicative of the sweet smoke to come.
The Smoke: From the start, the Licenciados Supreme Maduro produces a thick, rich and heady smoke. Spice with an underlying sweetness predominate the first inch or so of the cigar complemented by a rich finish. As the cigar progresses, the spice fades to a pleasant background player as the natural sweetness of the wrapper begins to really show its character.
Woody and sweet, the cigar continues on a medium bodied path as the spicy component fades more. About half way through, the cigar takes on an even more sweet and woody profile with the spicy notes fading almost, but never entirely, away.
A beautiful, bluish smoke is produced at the foot which permeates the smoker’s surroundings with a soft and enjoyable aroma.
Smoke time: 40 minutes (smoked slowly and deliberately)
Discussion: While not overly complex by nature, the Licenciados Supreme Maduro is not the kind of cigar that need be. With a consistency in both flavor and aroma that persist nearly throughout the entire smoke the Licenciados Supreme Maduro is the type of cigar you simply light, sit back and enjoy.
At a great price point, the Licenciados Supreme Maduro No. 200 represents a great value in premium cigars. Several comparable smokes I have enjoyed carry prices up to two times the cost per stick and while it may not make Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year list, it is a cigar that every serious smoker should try, if for no other reason than to see how the Licenciados stacks up against some higher priced, premium maduro cigars.
Why I like this cigar: Living in the Great White North of Wisconsin, I am always on the lookout for cigars that are well suited to winter smoking. Since I am no fan of winter weather, I tend toward shorter vitola in the cold, specifically those with a heavy wrapper leaf such as this Licenciados vitola.
The thickness of the wrapper on these cigars stands up well to the shock of going from the warm, toasty, humid confines of my humidor to the stark cold and dry air of a typical Wisconsin winter. Many other cigars with similar wrappers come in at a significantly higher price point, making the Licenciados Supreme Maduro an even better choice for these inhospitable conditions.
While not the most complex cigar on the market, I personally find this a plus, especially when working in the deep-freeze. This is not to say that the Licenciados Supreme Maduro line of cigars is lacking in any way; to the contrary, I feel that this makes the Licenciados Supreme Maduro line an even more important member of my cigar family.
These are great cigars, made by a great manufacturer, for a great price… What more could you ask for?
Author: Marty Klausmeier
