Macanudo Vintage 2010 Showcases Banner Crop
Like the world of vintage Port wine, very few tobacco crops are deemed worthy of the term “vintage” by General Cigar Co., makers of Macanudo cigars. But according to the company, 2010 was an exceptional year for growing wrapper in Connecticut, and a new Macanudo is coming next month to showcase the banner harvest.
The Macanudo Vintage 2010 features a Connecticut Shade wrapper grown 11 years ago when the Connecticut River Valley experienced weather conditions ideal for growing exceptional cover leaf.
“We could not have asked for a better growing season than we had in 2010,” said Ernest Gocaj, who oversees the Connecticut growing operations and tobacco procurement for General. That particular season, General says, saw the highest temperatures in the Connecticut River Valley in 25 years. Combined with the microclimate’s high humidity and optimal rainfall, the elevated temperatures yielded an exceptionally silky wrapper. It’s been aging since 2010.
Not all the tobaccos inside this cigar are from 2010—cigars typically are made with leaves from a variety of years, and this one is no exception. Underneath the vintage wrapper is a Honduran binder that holds together a filler blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco as well as a proprietary Dominican strain that General calls Piloto Cubano 94.
Macanudo Vintage 2010 will be released on August 17, three weeks from today. It comes in three sizes: Toro Grande, measuring 6 5/8 inches by 54 ring gauge; Torpedo, at 6 1/4 by 52; and a 7 1/4-by-48 Churchill. Shipping in 20-count boxes, the cigars have suggested retail prices ranging from $11.99 to $12.99 and are made in the Dominican Republic at the General Cigar Dominicana factory.
General has been releasing vintage Macanudos for nearly 40 years, but only on occasion. The last one was released in 2012 with a 2006 wrapper. Previous Macanudo Vintage cigars include 2000, 1997 and 1993.
For a rating on the Macanudo Vintage 2010, see an upcoming issue of Cigar Insider.
