Mike Bellody and MLB Cigar Ventures has once again taken the lead in a crowded boutique cigar market with the latest introduction to their lineup the Imperia Adventador. You may have read about two years ago that the company’s original Imperia blend grabbed the cigar world by surprise and made numerous top cigar lists, including being named the 2015 #3 cigar of the year by Stogie Press. Well not to be left in the dust, Mike has once again turned to Quesada Cigars to produce his latest creation, the Imperia Adventador, which by all accounts is his best blend so far for the young company.
The Imperia Adventador will be debuted at this years IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas in July.
Before I get into the details of the Imperia Adventador, let me state with absolute transparency, MLB Cigar Ventures is a premier sponsor of Stogie Press. Like all reviews, this one is honest and is not biased because of their sponsorship. In fact, we wanted to be so sure of our notes that the primary Stogie Press team each sampled the blend and each of these notes are listed later in the review.
I will say the team and I were impressed and I was so inspired by this blend that I will take more of your time to talk about it.
Firsts things First
The Imperia Adventador is the third release of the MLB Cigar Ventures Imperia line. The other two were the original Imperia and then last years Imperia Islero. This years addition to the line has a rather interesting name, as it is the same as one of the greatest sports cars on the market. I guess you could say Mike is pushing the envelope with the Adventador and the richness of this blend is one that a most discerning palate will appreciate.
The blend for the Imperia Adventador is described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuador
- Binder – Dominican
- Filler – Dominican and United States (PA)
The Imperia Adventador is available in 5 vitolas and packaged in 20 – count boxes except the Fundador which will come in a 10-count box.
- Fundador (7 x 50/30, $15.20)
- Gordo (6 x 60, $11.90)
- Pita (5 .5 x 44, $9.10)
- Robusto (5 x 52, $10.60)
- Toro (6 x 50, $11.30)
I know what you are going to say – gee Boston those are expensive cigars. Yes, they don’t come cheap, but then again some things are just worth the price and the Imperia Adventador is one of those. True luxury does not come cheap and like every thing luxurious, you have the right to expect enduring quality. In this case, a couple extra clams will buy you a memorable experience.
Let’s start to break down the Imperia Adventador
The Imperia Adventador has a gleaming waxy look and feel to it. It is a beautiful specimen of a cigar, milk chocolate-brown, light on veins, and containing a gentle marbled texture. It is expertly finished with a well applied triple cap. Running it along the nose, there is a rich raisin and pepper aroma off the foot with a spice I can’t put my finger on.
The Adventador is adorned with a cream, silver, and grey band that contains the Imperia logo in the center and the word Adventador boldly printed on the bottom. It also includes the date 1639, which a nod to Newport RI, Mike Bellody’s home city. Below the date is a scroll with the name Mike Bellody, just in case you forgot who made this tasty morsel!
We cut the Adventadors two different ways. Some were sliced and others punched, but once opened up, the medium cold draw offered earthy, pepper, and ginger notes. I love how the pepper evolves on lips and tongue during the cold draw. I just sat for a while puffing it cold!!! As I rolled it about I noticed some raisin fruit hiding in there too.
For this review, the Stogie Press team sampled the Imperia Adventador Toro
Cigar Review Notes
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The reviewers
Boston Jimmie
- Initial light delivers a full creamy smoke with a mild citrus start
- Not as much pepper in the smoke just on the lips
- Spoke a tad soon – as the pepper begins to rear its head
- Little pepper shots coming here and there
- Tight well-formed light grey ash
- Lots of oiling on the wrapper
- Medium char line
- Coffee enters followed by a dry leather component
- Sweet nutmeg aroma after an inch
- Smooth creamy smoke
- Citrus lays in the back as a mint enters end of first third
- Outstanding ash – solid and straight
- Sweetness evolves in the second third
- Dryness moves away opening up to a sweet cherry fruit and a gentle undercoating of spice
- Ash held for about 2 plus inches revealing a fairly flat and well centered burn cone
- Extremely well-balanced with the sweetness, fruit, and spice at the half way
- Buttered Popcorn aroma appears
- Spice Cranks up
- Absolutely perfect burn
- Strength is solid medium so far
- Mint dances in again for a brief palate tease
- Mouth watering in the second third
- Peppery spice builds in the end of second third
- Burnt Caramel wraps the spice kind of like a candied spice
- Strength ratchets up towards full moving through final third
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 minutes
Anthony
- Cold Draw – Pepper on tongue and lips with spice
- Pepper first light
- Interesting note I can;t describe on the back my throat
- Creamy smoke
- Moist and spicy with a quenching peppermint
- Touch of leather
- Flavors have blended extremely well
- Touch of wood with a raisin background
- Butter enters in second third
- Savory cumin spice
- Pepper at the end
Alton
- Hay and Pepper pre-light aroma
- Ginger cold draw
- Exotic floral flavor to start
- Maraschino Cherry syrup
- This is a more refined cigar than the original Imperia
- Cocoa powder enters after an inch or so
- Cinnamon enters at the end of first third
- Vanilla starts the second third
- Cedar enters
- Pepper died down but picks back up start of final third
- Chocolate mint enters
- Finishes with Cuban-esque mineral note
Overall, the Imperia Adventador is by far Mike Bellody’s best creation so far. It is an extremely complex, medium to full strength smoke that is loaded with familiar and unique flavor notes. We all picked up the mint and even the sweet cherry. This is a rich and refined cigar, that is designed for the most discerning palate, but even a newbie would enjoy it. The burn was pristine, giving no problems, and the ash held tight. The consensus is that the price point is spot-on for the Adventador. Each of us paired this experience with just plain water. I have one more which I think I will let age and see how it develops.
Since I know you all love cigars, I highly recommend you add the Imperia Adventador to your humidor. With the latest addition of Alexandria Kling to the sales and marketing team for MLB Cigar Ventures, I think you will see these in more shops across the country.
Imperia Adventador