1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV Maduro – Cigar Review

I have never driven a Lamborghini motor vehicle,  let alone the one and only 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV, but as an engineer I have always admired the company’s  innovative thinking and balance of artistic design. The same can be said about my love of cigars, especially when I find one that has such balance of craftsmanship, flavor, and art. Enter Lamborghini Latinoamerica USA. The Esteli, Nicaragua based company and official representative of Lamborghini, SPA, announced June 7, 2016 that it struck a manufacturing and distribution deal with the Miami based  Lord of the Cigars (LOC) Corporation, to produce two premium cigars.

These two new introductions represent the proud heritage of the iconic Lamborghini brand.

The first is the Lamborghini MCMXCIV Habano which celebrates the establishment of Lamborghini LatinoAmerica and also represents the 30 year anniversary of the Lamborghini company. It is also interesting to note that 1994 was the year Lamborghini introduced the limited-production Diablo SE30.- a street-legal race vehicle that was lighter and more powerful than the standard Diablo including a 523 hp powerplant!

The second is the 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV Maduro which is the subject of today’s review and is named after the 1st ever Lamborghini.

Lamborghini Latino America CEO,  Mr. Anthony Crudup, stated in the announcement:

“We are glad to announce our recent tie–up with such an eminent name as LOC. We wanted someone who believes in the elite standards, principles and exclusivity of the esteemed Lamborghini lifestyle and LOC fits the bill perfectly. Each of our cigars is hand-made to ensure the boutique flavor and beauty of a perfect premium cigar and that’s a quality really crucial for us. Our exclusive cigars have to team perfectly with someone living the Lamborghini lifestyle”

---

The 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV Maduro

Produced at the Tabacalera Hernandez Cantillo (THECA) Factory and rolled by the top (4) rollers, the 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV maduro is a bold, 7 x 56, Mexican San Andrés wrapped torpedo.

The complete blend profile is described as:

• Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés (aged 5 years)
• Binder – Nicaraguan
• Filler – Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic

Billed as a luxury brand the, 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV maduro comes with an MSRP of $21.00. They are packaged in boxes of 20 and I am told there are less than 1,000 boxes currently available.

How does the 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV maduro perform?

Continue reading as we take it for a test drive.

---

Cigar Review Notes

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

• Dark and glistening Mexican San Andrés wrapper – with a very light grit
• Large torpedo, solidly built
• No soft spots, no serious veins, and tight seams
• Pre-light aroma offers an earth with a touch of spearmint!
• Two bands adorn the cigar, a primary and a footer
• Simple slice off the head get things started
• Cold draw brings some pepper, earth, and fruit
• Off the line, there is a jolt of pepper cloaking a hidden dry fruit sensation
• The nasal exhaust is quick to open up with that high-octane pepper
• Light grey ash develops
• The lounge is filled with the sweet bass sounds of Jaco Pastorius on Pandora radio
• Pepper settled down and the fruit starts to rev up
• The early aroma is spicy and floral
• Smoke volume is medium to full through a slightly governed  draw
• So far this cigar lives up to its iconic brand name
• Nice even burn and good solid ash
• This is a perfect ending to the fine chateaubriand dinner my lovely wife made for me
• The throttle opens up after the first inch as the smoke volume increases and has smoothed out well
• I found myself ingesting a puff here and there
• A delicate sweetness just adds to the pleasure
• Some dry leather enters after 1st third accompanied by a hint of nut
• The aroma maintains a floral fruit
• Ash falls after two inches
• Perfectly balanced spice and sweet fruit are dominate notes midway 
• Spice reveals itself as a sweet ginger midway through 2nd third
• Beads of oil appear near the burn line adding to the already glistening wrapper
• Cocoa powder joins the mix at the start of  last third
• Everything just settles in beautifully to the nub
• Smoking time – 2 hours

Overall the 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV maduro is a fabulous cigar from foot to nub, perfectly constructed and deserving of the Lamborghini logo. Flavors were pleasant and well-balanced and the burn was spot on. I actually paired this with a 25 year Calvados – a French, apple based, 80 proof digestive that opened the palate to the fruit of the smoke. This is certainly a cigar you may not smoke everyday but it is one that makes the Stogie Press top 25 for this year. Now I need to rent a Lamborghini for a few hours to complete the pleasure.

~ Boston Jimmie