Cigar Review: Maraya’s Tango (Lower East Side)

A wonderful smoke

Before it got really cold, I brought a fellow Loisaida (lower east sider) to the old neighborhood to hang out. The sun was going down and I thought to myself, “it was going to be a good day.” Of course we stopped by Maraya for a few cigars. I picked out a Tango Perfecto and buddy had a Piano. Kevin, the proprietor of Maraya, lit up my cigar in the store, we chatted for a little while and then we left to another bar to have a drink with my cigar. (By the way – there’s only one bar in the East Village that lets you smoke cigars). So here are my thoughts:

Maraya Cigars “Tango”

Maraya’s own exclusive torcedor put together a fine smoke consisting of:

Wrapper: Ecuadoran

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo 98

Size: perfecto 6×60

Smoking time: 2 hours

Pre-light initial impressions: the wrapper of the cigar has a raisin and perhaps a wine aroma to it. It was definitely well constructed, with minimal fine veins – and an ultra smooth coffee-crèma color to it. The seams were hard to find. It is a classic perfecto – with slight variations from cigar to cigar – because molds weren’t used for this cigar. However, the band sits awkwardly off-center towards the head of the cigar.

First third: The toasting yielded earthy creamy leather. With my first retrohale, there was definitely a medium spice. The draw was just perfect – not too tight not too loose. I hope it doesn’t turn into a loose smoke. The burn was excellent – it needed little to no attention. I detect a peppery woodsy flavor that I can only describe as a typical Dominican tobacco flavor.

Second third: I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly complex cigar. There are changes to the aroma and smoke as I progressed from the first third to the second third. However, the Cigar is well balanced. The smoke was never overwhelming or bitter.   At this point, I’m feeling nice – after a big meal I can feel the cigar buzz coming through, nice.

Final third: There wasn’t much of a transition – the flavors got more intense and hot during the last third. Still a pleasant smoke, I had to put it down because it required too much attention to keep lit and even at this point.

Overall, I thought this was a great smoke. I would definitely smoke another one. It seemed a bit young to me – something that can be fixed with a little more humidor time. But the potential is there. I paired this smoke with a Saranac Pale Ale. It went well together.

Disclaimer: Maraya gifted me these cigars for review, but my opinions are my own.