Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva
Last year Iconic Leaf made some waves in the industry with the release of the Recluse Amadeus cigar along with some unique vitolas known as the “Sidewinder”. This year the company went one step further and released the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva. This step although simple in form has produced a bolder smoking experience by replacing the original Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with an undisclosed habano wrapper. They have chosen to use a Mexican San Andrés binder and like other Iconic Leaf cigars there is a special selection of Dominican fillers.
As their website notes:
Every tobacco leaf in the RECLUSE goes through EIGHT fermentation cycles and is a collection of what is truly iconic from around the world.
The Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva is available in 6 vitolas:
- Robusto (5 x 52)
- Toro (6¼ x 50)
- Tarantula (6 x 60)
- Sidewinder #1 (5 x 57)
- Sidewinder #2 (6 x 57)
- Sidewinder #3 (7 x 57)
All are available in 24 count boxes.
They are manufactured in at Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas in the Dominican Republic and like their sister blend, are rolled in entubar style.
For this review I sampled the Toro vitola that was presented to me at this years IPCPR by Iconic Leaf.
The first thing that I note with this cigar is the velvet smooth, box press habano leaf that is slightly marbled and gives off a pleasant cocoa aroma.
The Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva is adorned with 3 bands. The primary is a red and holographic design with the Recluse log on it. The Second which is just below the primary is Red and has the word Amadeus also in a holographic design. The final band is a plane silver footer band that completes the decoration.
Slicing the cap and giving it a few dry draw puffs you will notice a slightly restricted draw, which I like as it should not burn to quickly.
It took a little time to get it fired up but once it was ignited I was pleasantly greeted with a fruity citrus note and a touch of pepper on the nasal. I would go so far as to say that it is a refreshing smoke, which I know is not a normal description, but this cigar has some lip smacking goodness to start.
As it burns there is a wonderful white ash that develops.
Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva
The temperature is dropping in the Stogie Press lounge now that fall is upon us. It is a comfy 82 degrees and bearable humidity. The rain is falling and the lighting brightens the evening sky. Last night was the blood moon and now the creepy critters are out but I choose a Recluse to carry me through the evening. Sometimes it is nice to be a recluse, enjoying the quite solitude.
I am loving the marbled wrapper along with the gentle sheen that is starting to grow and shine in the light of the lounge.
The ash fell about an inch and half into the burn, so don’t try to push this to hard or you may be wearing ash marks on your clothes. The fruity citrus continues at this stage and the retrohale is very smooth as any pepper at the start has all but diminished.
As I sit back and enjoy this fine smoke my mind wanders and starts to think about the word “Amadeus”. A little Googling and you will discover that it means “with God” or a fictional character that is one of the eight smartest in the world. Well I suppose we must discover what it is to truly understand the meaning of cigar smoking. Meanwhile I will be a recluse tonight and just wallow in my thoughts,
As it approaches the 3 inch mark, there is a bit of bitterness that starts to enter the profile and the smoke production has increased filling the palate nicely. The draw is still somewhat restricted but not enough to hold back the smoke and the foot is filling the air with a floral aroma. I do begin to pick up a slight earth note after a few more puffs.
I queue up some Michael Bloomfield blues to fill the air with sweet sounds in addition to the delectable smoke surrounding me. As the bitterness fades there is a sweetness developing. The best way to describe the smoke at this point is a refreshing fruit drink with a long almond finish.
As it moves through the end of the second third a cedar note comes into the forefront along with back-note of vanilla replacing the almond. Perhaps the almond was more like a sweet almond milk and the palate started to detect the vanilla in that long finish. Regardless, I can honestly say the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva is just chock full of flavor.
The final third presented a more prevalent cedar note through the remainder of the smoking experience.
Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva
Overall the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva was an terrific smoking experience that demonstrated a solid construction and impeccable burn characteristics. Thinking about this experience I would say the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva would pair very well with some dark chocolate and red wine even a port wine. It is certainly a cigar I would enjoy after dinner or for a mid-afternoon relaxing smoke.
Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva