Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro Review
The History of Aging Room
Aging Room is a brand of fine cigars owned by Boutique Blends, which is run by cigar industry veteran Rafael Nodal. The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua series is a collaboration between the brand and Nicaraguan master cigar maker AJ Fernandez. The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro is the flagship cigar in the series. It has received great critical acclaim, and it is considered to be one of the finest cigars on the market today. Read on to learn more about the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro.
Rafael Nodal is the Man Behind the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro
The Maestro could be seen as the culmination of Rafael Nodal’s life’s work. Nodal is a Cuban- American who first came to the United States in 1980 as part of the Mariel boatlift. At first, he pursued a career as a musician that took him to New York City. He eventually found his way to Miami, where he pursued a healthcare career to pay the bills.
Nodal found that his life’s passion was actually cigars, and he started selling them online in 1998 with the help of his business partners Dr. Alina Cordoves (who Nodal has since married) and Hank Bischoff. In 2002, the partners purchased the Habana Cuba Cigar Company. The Habana Cuba Cigar Company made a few unremarkable cigars and was struggling for market share.
The company finally found some traction in 2011. It changed its name to Boutique Blends and created the Aging Room brand. The first Aging Room was the Small Batch M356, a Dominican cigar. For the first time, one of Nodal’s cigars received critical acclaim. He continued focusing on small batch cigars throughout the 2010s, which gave him the expertise necessary to create his finest cigar of all - the Quattro Nicaragua Maestro.
Where & How the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro is Made
As you might have guessed from the name of the cigar, the Maestro and the rest of the cigars in the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua series are made in Nicaragua. Specifically, they are made at Tabacalera Fernandez, AJ Fernandez’s factory. The Maestro is hand-made in small batches to ensure quality.
Shape & Ingredients
The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro comes in a box-pressed torpedo shape. Its dimensions are 6” x 52. The wrapper is a soft Nicaraguan leaf with a deep brown coloration. It is known that the binder and the filler are both made from Nicaraguan tobacco. However, Aging Room keeps the details of the blend secret, which is common for high-end cigars.
Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro Tasting Notes
The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro has received exceptional critical acclaim. It received a 96 rating from Cigar Aficionado, and was even named their #1 Cigar of 2019. The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro is known for having a complex and dynamic taste that alternates between earthy and spicy. To describe the Maestro’s exceptional taste, it is best to divide the flavors and aromas between the pre-light, first third, middle-third, and last third of the smoking experience.
Pre-Light
A pre-light sniff and draw reveals an earthy smell and taste, with a hint of pepper hiding under the earthy flavors. There is also a slight leathery aroma.
First Third
The hints of flavors from the pre-light sniff and draw become stronger and more definite throughout the first third of the cigar. The earthy flavors resolve into hints of chocolate and coffee. The spicy undertone of the cigar becomes identifiable as red pepper. The spiciness enhances the earth flavors rather than overpowering them. As you start to transition from the first third of the cigar to the mid-third, the peppery flavor starts to wane as the earthy tones take over.
Mid-Third
As the earthy tones take over in the cigar’s mid-third, the most recognizable flavors include chocolate and coffee. The chocolate and coffee flavors last throughout the mid-third of the cigar. Some peppery tones start to sneak in and you near the last third of the cigar.
Final Third
The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro once again demonstrates its dynamic nature when you get to the final third of the cigar. The pepper flavors that first showed up in the first third of the cigar and faded come back strong as you finish up the cigar. There is even a surprising hint of sweet cedar in the final third of the Maestro.
An Excellent Cigar
Overall, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro justifies its high rating. It is made out of the highest quality Nicaraguan tobacco in small batches, with an expert cigar maker designing the blend under Rafael Nodal’s direction. It looks great with its rich brown wrapper. As far as flavor goes, the Maestro has an exceptionally dynamic character, with different flavors appearing, disappearing, and reappearing as you smoke your way through the cigar. It’s not exactly the cheapest smoke, but a cigar of this quality is worth every penny.
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