The Goods Maduro by Definition Cigars
BRAND / CO: Definition
CIGAR: The Goods [White Band]
VITOLA: Salomon (Box Press) - 7.25" x 57
STRENGTH: Medium - Full
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano, Maduro
BINDER: Honduras
FILLER: Nicaragua
ORIGIN: Nicaragua, Fabrica de Tabacalera
APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION: Good
A really striking looking cigar between the uncommon Salomon vitola and the dark chocolate wrapper with a bright white band. This Ecuadorian maduro wrapper is super oily with some really nice tooth to it. The veins are few and thin, but also pressed in. It has a rectangular shape and strong shoulders from the box press. Seams are visible but tight with no edge lift and the cap is nice and clean. Now, take a moment to make your dick jokes because this is the big girthy one from Definition.
DRAW & BURN: Good / Good
Well, with the tapered foot I took care on lighting it and once again a small tunnel at the end of the roll had flames shooting straight out. 😅 But as expected, the draw went from tight to spot on as we burned up the taper on the foot. Also unsurprisingly, the burn starts a little unevenly from the tapered foot. The ash is a light gray with some oil crystals embedded in it and uneven striations. It falls just past the first inch so I'll probably be ashing this one often. By the start of the second third, the burn line has settled on to a mostly even and very crisp edge.
FLAVOR PROFILE: Great
Immediate smack to the face from a strong pepper blast. This will be a long smoke if that keeps up for the entirety. It's such a strong pepper hit that's it's overwhelming the over flavors and it's taking a little longer to identify them. But as the pepper calms, I'm picking up cocoa, baking spice, cinnamon, earth, leather and charred oak. There's definitely a mesquite quality from the blend as it starts to balance out. An inch in, the sweetness picks up with a citrus zest and honey flavor.
Getting into the second third, the pepper has definitely found balance and we're getting a really nice mesquite flavor with a meaty savoriness. Full on brisket vibes here and it's a very rich and delightful mix at this point. This blend has found it's sweet spot and it's not bringing any changes new flavors, but it's cooking. Even with all the spice flavors, it's creamy on the finish, no harshness or bitterness, just a great peppery burn. The profile carries through to the end with no other changes, just minor adjustments in strength but a blast of flavor the whole smoke.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: Great
Meaty, savory, peppery, charred, this is a great BBQ type cigar. These well blended profiles of mesquite BBQ always leave me craving brisket or ribs. I'm relieved the initial pepper hit reduced so it could find balance and bring out the complexity of the blend. Even though it was a straight shooter, it was super enjoyable the entirety of the smoke and made the most of the extra large Salomon vitola. But I dunno if The Goods is an accurate name because it brought The Great.
Purchase Singles or by the Box HERE
Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective