San Lotano Requiem Maduro is not a new cigar. This cigar has been around since 2011. But do not knock it just because its been around for a while. This bad boy is still as popular as when it was first released.

A Little History

San Lotano Requiem Maduro is a cigar line from the San Lotano Series by AJ Fernandez.
Until the San Lotano Series, AJ Fernandez had been creating cigars and blends for third-party manufacturers.

The San Lotano Series is very dear to him because it is the first cigar brand to carry his name. In fact, San Lotano is the name of AJ Fernandez’s tobacco farm in Nicaragua.

In his words “San Lotano has been a project many years in the making for me, and it is made to honour the tradition of cigar making that I learned from my father and my father’s father. The blends are extremely rich, flavourful and are the culmination of my family’s knowledge which has been accumulated over the last century.”
Aside from the San Lotano Requiem Maduro, the other San Lotano cigar lines include the San Lotano Requiem Habano, San Lotano Requiem Connecticut, San Lotano – The Bull, and San Lotano Dominica.

About San Lotano Requiem Maduro

AJ Fernandez is a tobacco blending wizard. He is revered the world over for his stunning blends. So, imagine the care and ingenuity that went into blending the San Lotano Brand.
San Lotano Requiem Maduro has been in the market for a little over 7 years and cigar aficionados are still gushing about it. Decadence is not sufficient a word to describe this stogie.

It is a fusion of exquisite Nicaraguan and Honduran premium long fillers cradled in a Nicaraguan binder and cloaked in a rich dark Mexican Maduro wrapper from San Andres. This cigar is made entirely by hand at the AJ Fernandez factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.
San Lotano Requiem Maduro comes in five Vitolas: Robusto (5x52), Toro (6x52), Gran Toro (6x60), Torpedo (6.5x52), and Churchill (7x52).
Aside from the premium fillers and binder, the most outstanding attribute of this cigar is the wrapper. Let’s talk a bit about it.

The Mexican San Andres Maduro Wrapper

We all know the word “Maduro” essentially means Ripen, in Spanish. This means Maduro wrappers have to go through some extra fermentation to attain the dark taint and sweet, earthy, chocolate disposition.
Mexican tobacco is slowly creeping back to the top in-demand tobaccos thanks to this succulent leaf. This wrapper is grown by the Turrent family in Mexico’s San Andres Valley in Velacruz.

It is thick and oily which allows it to withstand long fermentation. The result is a natural peppery, sweet, and chocolatey leaf.
Admittedly, this wrapper does not just go with any filler. So, it requires a master blender to fit it in the right slot. AJ Fernandez does this flawlessly in this cigar. The blend is well balanced and absolutely mouth-watering.
Perhaps a review will do well to describe the flavour profile. For this review, I went with a Robusto.

San Lotano Requiem Maduro Review

Prelight

My San Lotano Requiem Maduro is a gentle box-pressed beautiful dark-brown stick. The box-press is so perfect to hold and the wrapper feels furry, almost velvety to the touch.
This wrapper is oily. You can tell from just the look of it. Seams are visible and the double cap is neat. There is a bit of tooth but nothing too drastic.
The cold draw gives off notes of chocolate, warm spice, and earth

First Third

My San Lotano Requiem Maduro opens with a whole lot of pepper and spice. There are billowy clouds of thick aromatic smoke. The draw is perfect and so is the burn.Aside from the pepper, this cigar does not gradually build. It says it’s a medium body and you will feel it from the get-go.

I felt the oily wrapper on my lips, a little tingling at the back of my throat thanks to the spice, and generally tons of silky-smooth delicious smoke. More intricate nuances included chocolate cream, earth, caramel, toasted nuts, and a little dry cocoa.
Honestly, the first few draws pack a punch but that is AJ Fernandez signature delivery. Soon the stogie settles into a luxurious stage where you can catch all the subtle nuances.

Middle

As my cigar settles into the mid third, the pepper and spice notes move from the front of the palate to the back. Chocolate, cream, coffee, and nuts take over the front of the palate.
The burn is still perfect and the sturdy salt and pepper ash falls in thirds. Strength is a strong medium.Retrohale presents shy notes of espresso, caramel and an implicit sweetness. A mix of premium tobacco and thick earthy tones hold down the fort. I totally love the slight peppery earth long-finish that stays on until the next draw.

Final Third

At this point, I can honestly say that while this cigar does not transition intrinsically, it has enough complexity and depth to stay interesting.
The final third opens with premium tobacco and rich earthy tones taking over the front of the palate. Chocolate cream, mocha, and cinnamon spice stay shy at the back of the palate and in the Retrohale.

Strength is still a good medium but flavours are full-blown. Smoke output is phenomenal and so is the burn line.
Towards the nub there is a kick in sweet chocolate and cream notes as the tobacco and earthy tones zoom out. In my book, this is a dee-lish ending to an exceptional cigar. My San Lotano Requiem Maduro Robusto smoked for about an hour and a half.

How is the San Lotano Requiem Maduro Priced?

The San Lotano Requiem Maduro sells for between $7 and $10 depending on the size.
This price, in my opinion, is a steal compared to the value of this cigar. Cigar connoisseurs who love Maduro cigars know how expensive a good Maduro can get. This baby is all flavour and kick with a good price to boot.
Honestly, there are tons of other cigars at this price point or higher which cannot hold a candle to this Maduro.

Is this the best in the San Lotano Series?

There is no doubt that this is an outstanding cigar.
That said, as far as comparing it to the other San Lotano cigars; I think this is a matter of opinion. The San Lotano Series features cigars with varied strengths, blends, and wrappers. This series was created to cater to every type of cigar smoker.

In my book, though, this is the best San Lotano cigar. CigarAficionado gave this stogie a 92 which indicates that he agrees with me.
Overall, the San Lotano Series is remarkable and you should try all of them starting with the San Lotano Requiem Maduro.