Gold has been a major part of human history for thousands of years. Simply put, we're kind of in love with it. We wear gold jewelry, create sculptures with it, and have used it as currency. In modern times we have found even more uses for gold. Microchips use it for circuitry and aerospace engineers create thin, foil like heat shields for our space gadgets. Whether it is for practical reasons or cosmetic reasons, we're drawn to gold. Plenty of empires have acquired masses amount of gold over the centuries, but none as much as Mansa Musa. He was the 9th Mansa (Emperor) of the Islamic African Kingdom of Mali beginning in 1312. Mansa Musa decides one day to gather up 60,000 soldiers, servants, and heralds to bang out a 4,000 mile Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When he rolled into Cairo, Egypt and his crew spent boat loads of gold, it impacted the economy and devalued gold for 12 years. The dude spent so much money he crippled the economy! I found that fact to be entertaining. So who's making cigar gold? Well in 2021, Dr. Jeremy Levitt created Mansa Musa Gold, Inc. There are currently two blends, King Musa Gold and King Musa Empire. I have the smelted beauty Empire. Now let's add some heat to it and see what happens.
The Deets
Cigar: Mansa Musa Gold King Musa Empire
Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Santiago De Los Caballeros
Size: 5 x 56
Wrapper: Cameroon (Sumatra seed)
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Appearance 10/10
This cigar is scalding hot in appearance. The gold-trimmed band is thick and covers a decent amount of real estate with an image of Mansa Musa. The cap, which seems like a quad, is so perfect as is drapes far below the shoulder. The Cameroon wrapper is very smooth with soft tooth. Excellent seams, even bunching, taught bands, no blemishes. You can bet your gold that this cigar is fit for a king.
Draw 10/10
Perfection. Snip, light, enjoy, aaaah. The draw had just the right amount of resistance and the smoke output was high, while not one that smokes itself.
Burn/Construction 9/10
A solid performance is what I got from Empire. The ash was white, dense, and bumpified. I like it! The burn line had a small crown-like wave here and there, but I never felt the need to correct it. Past the halfway mark it was straighter. In my experience, Cameroon wrappers will crack and explode if you even look at them the wrong way. This one was much more rugged. There were two small bulge cracks that formed in the last third, but they were minor and the burn went right past them without any issues.
Taste 9.5/10
1/3 - The start was very welcoming with fresh hay, almonds, macadamia nuts, and natural tobacco. I begin to pick up a mix of lemon zest and creaminess. I'm surprised with how rich the 1st third is. The finish is lengthy with a flavor of spicy pita and honey. Complex & balanced start.
2/3 - The cream & honey pull forward. Powdered donut arrives and now the hay has been sprinkled with hot tamale candies. The nuts are warmer now. The body has become even richer and I love it. Flavor bomb to the max with such balance. A long and juicy finish remains.
3/3 - Similar to the 2nd third, but with a minor transition. Body feels a little toastier now. Honey black tea has completely erased any lemon zest. Some soft black pepper and graham cracker help balance out the end with the still remaining powdered donut and spicy pita. I took this badboy to.the.nub!
Overall 9.6/10
Thank you, may I have another! King Musa Empire was such a wonderful cigar. I am really into how it looks, but we've all picked up cool cigars and not been impressed with the performance. This cigar has it all. Great looks, excellent flavor, solid performance, what else could you ask for?! In fact, 9.6 is the highest rated cigar I've reviewed since writing these. As of now, King Musa is king. So stop wasting time and hurry to https://www.mansamusagold.com/ to secure your tobacco gold! And tell'm Ash Quarterly sent ya.
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1
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