There was so much cool stuff going on in the year 1984. The United States completely dominated the Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. The radio was blasting hits like Footloose from Kenny Loggins and When Doves Cry by Prince. Entertainment at the box office was on fire with movies like Ghostbusters, Gremlins, and the cult-classic This Is Spinal Tap. It's also the year that the Rodriguez Cigar Factory was founded and is the oldest cigar manufacturer in the Florida Keys. The family began cultivating tobacco in 1947 in Cuba and brought those traditions to America when they immigrated in 1971. Each generation has continued to expand the family business and they now also have a factory in Nicaragua. Today we're going to take a look at the Series 84 Maduro. Will it take me back? Let's find out.
The Deets
Cigar: Rodriguez Series 84 Maduro Torpedo
Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Rodriguez Cigar Factory
Size: 6.25 x 52
Wrapper: Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua, Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance 8.5/10
Perhaps just this sample, but the good seemed to balance out with the bad. I like the extremely soft & smooth wrapper, no veins, the band is classy & snug, and the uniformity was decent. Although I didn't like how the torpedo head was wonky, a 1" portion of seam was folded, a fairly large poke hole, and the wrapper was all over the place on color. Meh, the perfect sample probably looks hot, just not this one.
Draw 9/10
I used a V & straight combo cut and the draw was pretty good. I did have to double puff often, but I never felt it was a task. Gentle pulls still managed to make it work. The last third was a bit better.
Burn/Construction 8/10
The performance could have been better since the first two thirds had a tunnel and the burn line needed multiple corrections. Ash density just barely crossed the boundary into acceptable territory. Last third was better behaved.
Taste 8.5/10
1/3 - A musty start with dark chocolate and a fairly strong black pepper retro. The finish is a bit salty and reminds me of peanut shells. Green grass rolls in and there is a smoky fig note in the background. Interesting enough, the smoke has a chewy body, while the flavor notes are relatively flat. Sunflower seeds shower in towards the end.
2/3 - Still hanging on to the musty, dark cocoa, and smoky fig in the back. The black pepper retro has allowed its white counterpart to join in while a spicy syrup joins the peanut shell finish. Continues with thick smoke body and thinner notes. It's an odd combo that is hard to describe.
3/3 - The profile has changed directions a little with soft cedar arriving, gentle smoky wood, and the mustiness has been dampened with the addition of cream. Cocoa and background fig have vanished. White pepper retro with a plain salt finish.
Overall 8.5/10
I'm still interested in smoking this and other blends from Rodriguez, but I can't say I was super wowed. I liked some things and then I didn't like others. Some issues may have been a sample issue and not applicable to the whole line. At the end of the day though I'd say this is one worth testing out. It may not launch you into a 1984 retro-haze, but 80 or so years in the business still results in a good experience.
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1
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