Don Lino 1989 Maduro

I was gifted today’s cigar from the guys at Ashes Tobacconist in the Bronx, NY. As a fan of the Don Lino Africa line, I was curious to try this smoke which I have never seen before. It is always nice to come across a brand that is new to me even if it has been out for a while.

Cigar: Don Lino 1989 Maduro
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Columbia, Nicaragua, Mexico

Appearance & Construction (16/20): A dark chocolate wrapper adorns the box pressed cigar from the Miami Cigar Company. The regal looking band sports the classic Don Lino brand name is a cream colored rectangular box. The rest of the band is adorned in colors of gold and shades of red making it very appealing. The cigar itself has some stems visible at the foot of the cigar, and the wrapper has a few blemishes.

Flavor & Notes (25/30): The initial notes of this cigar are nuts with some coffee. Nothing special here, but enjoyable at the same time. As we approach the 2nd third the cigar the coffee notes really begin to shine through. As we finish the cigar the notes of coffee remain with a touch of earth.

Burn/Ash/Draw (22/25): This box pressed cigar offer a nice draw, with a dark gray ash that while flaky holds on strong. The burn line was slightly wavy but it never got out of control.

Overall (21/25): Smoking this cigar took me down memory lane to when I first got into the enjoyment of cigar. I would be sitting in The Humidor in Brooklyn NY when it had its original owners, with guys that had names like Tony Karaoke and Tommy Locks. Tommy Locks would always be smoking a Don Lino cigar as we played the Italian card game Briscola. So perhaps I enjoyed this cigar a little more then most, but it was a nice memory to visit and I can still still hear Tommy Locks laughter, may he rest in peace.

Rating: 84
Price: $28.99 for a 5pack at Famous Smoke Shop