Iconic Leaf Cigars – known to most of you as Recluse Cigars has been crafting and selling cigars since the 2012 IPCPR Show in Orlando, FL. At their inaugural appearance in Orlando, the company did something unique and showcased their opening act, the Recluse OTG to the public. That may not have been so special except they introduced the cigar in not one, or two, or even five vitolas; no, they introduced ten vitolas of their introductory blend. If that was not enough, they went one step further and showcased three vitolas that have never before been created in the industry. Known as the Kanú, it was a box pressed perfecto, shaped like a kayak, with a pigtail cap. There were three sizes of the Kanú in the Recluse OTG line up.
The company followed up with the Recluse Draconian, Recluse Amadeus, Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva. They added a few more vitolas to each making a total of 14 sizes for each line. In 2016, they had a slew of very limited edition blends and then they went silent in 2017. That was a short lived absence as Scott Weeks, owner of Iconic Leaf, was back in 2018 with a new blend and yes you got it, it comes in 14 different vitolas. That blend is the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos. In actuality, the Los Cabos was shown at the 2016 IPCPR but it was extremely limited, almost a unicorn of sorts.
The Recluse Los Cabos
I caught up with Scott Weeks at the show last year, and talked about the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos. He explained it will be the first widely distributed cigar the company has made since the earlier Recluse lines. He noted that the blend is the same as the limited production line he showed at the 2016 show and those that had smoked it said it should be a full production blend. He told me, the name is a nod to his favorite vacation spot in Mexico – Los Cabos and with that nod, he used a Mexican San Andres wrapper.
The full blend of the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos is described as:
- Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Oscuro
- Binder: Sumatra
- Filler: Dominican (Ligero, Viso, and Seco), Nicaraguan Criollo ’98
The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos is available in 14 vitolas including the 3 famed Kanú sizes and each are packed in 24-count boxes with the exception of the Kanú which are packaged in 20-count boxes.
- Petit Corona (4 x 42)
- Corona (5 3/4 x 46)
- Robusto (5 x 52)
- Toro (6 1/4 x 50)
- Belicoso (6 1/2 x 56)
- Lancero (7 x 38)
- Tarantula (6 x 60)
- Excepcionales (7 1/2 x 56)
- Sidewinder #1 (5 x 57)
- Sidewinder #2 (6 x 57)
- Sidewinder #3 (7 x 57)
- Kanú #1 (6 x 54)
- Kanú #2 (7 x 52)
- Kanú #3 (8 x 58)
Yep, that is a lot of sizes, but if you can’t find one that fits your desire, well what can I say, other than call Scott Weeks and tell him what vitola he is missing. Prices are as wide ranging as the number of vitolas so there should be one that fits your price point too.
Like all Recluse cigars, the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos is hand crafted, using the Cuban Entubado rolling method, at J.R. Dominguez’ Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas in the Dominican Republic.
For this review I sampled two Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos toros that I received from Scott at the 2018 IPCPR to review on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos is a stunning looking San Andres cigar. It has an oily and slightly gritty, medium brown wrapper. There is a touch of marbling through the leaf. The cigar is box pressed with firm edges and it is finished with a flat head cap.
There are three bands that adorn the cigar. The primary band uses the company’s iconic Recluse logo printed in holographic ink on a bright blue background. The secondary band uses the same blue background and has the word “Amadeus” printed in script across it. Finally there is a silver footer band to finish the presentation. The color of the band pops nicely on the brown background of the leaf.
Running the cigar across the nose, I picked up very mild aromas along the barrel but the foot is where it invited me to want to savor this smoke with its rich chocolate notes and hints of fruit.
I decided to open this one up a little differently because of the flat cap. I chose to use a punch and did a double punch in the top of the cap. The draw was just fine and it delivered notes of earthiness and a sprinkle of cinnamon spice.
So far the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos is shaping up very nicely. It was now time to warm the foot and get the party started. I chose to tune in the Mexican music channel on cable, to add to the mood, since even Scott Weeks would tell you that he feels his cigar should be like a mini vacation.
Cigar Review Notes
- First light delivers a light peppery burn on the retro-hale
- Earthy and buttery pepper notes grace the palate
- Light grey ash forms on a thick char line
- Smoke is medium to full in volume
- Mild earth notes continue along with a spicy aroma
- Ash fell early revealing a nice formed burn cone
- Citrus notes enter balanced with with a hint of coffee
- Smoke volume has picked up to full
- Off burn develops midway that evolved into a canoe
- Required a touch up
- The coffee notes increase moving into the second half
- Natural sweetness enters
- Earthy notes move back in with a mild citrus undertone
- The burn remains wavy
- Toasted caramel notes
- Flavors maintain with an added fruit component
- Medium in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 45 minutes
Overall, the Recluse Amadeus Los Cabos by Iconic Leaf was a cigar that delivered on flavor and complexity with enticing notes of coffee, toasted caramel, citrus, and buttery pepper. The construction and burn was fine until the midway point where both samples develop a serious off burn that required a touch up and even after it still had a wavy burn. I really like the flavor profile in this and if you can get past the need to touch it up I say it is worth picking one up. Of course there are 13 other vitolas to try so I may need to find some others to check them out. Due primarily to the burn issue I rate this an 88.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn in second half; (-4 canoe); (-1) Required Touchup; (-1) Off centered burn cone; (-1) Might buy one again
