Exactus

Exactus

Strength: 5/5
Size: Robusto
Origin: Nicaragua
Price (local): $9.50
Wrapper: Maduro
Flavor Text:

Exact in maduro goodness comes the latest re-release from El Artista Exactus Maduro Coloso. This exquisite blend of fine Dominican tobaccos delivers a pleasing flavor profile and a smooth, even burn. Crafted with a three-year-old Dominican Maduro wrapper, a Dominican Wine Fermented Criollo ’98 binder, and a blend of Dominican Criollo ’98 and Pennsylvanian tobaccos, Exactus Maduro is a medium to full-bodied premium full of notes of spicy pepper, butter, nut, sweet red wine, and cocoa powder. Exactus Maduro Coloso is a delicious cigar worth adding to your rotation.

Here is yet another boutique hand cannon, made for strength and body in a small, dark-wrapped package. These boutique cigars are something else. I've been really trying to make a concerted effort to try new things for about a month now, and to this point, my foray into the boutique, strong blends of the tobacco world has been a lot of fun. The subculture of boutique cigars and their fans have been really fun and interesting to intermingle with, and although it's a lot more pricey of a venture than what I am used to spending in the hobby, it's been very nice to see what else is out there and experience more from the hobby than I usually would.

My adventure into the boutique world brought me to an Exactus on Halloween. It was a mild night with some bite to the wind, so I headed indoors to smoke this one and see what I was dealing with. This cigar is another very strong one, par for the course for my blog in the month of October, if you've been following along. The tobacco is harsh, and you feel this one pretty quickly. Something about it though... it was a bit overpowering from the beginning. This cigar tastes like a cigar that is trying to be strong for the sake of being strong. It's so full body, in fact, that I didn't even really get much from it. At no point in the entire smoke could I even tell you if I tasted anything. I prefer strong blends that tell a story and show me a different sort of complexity that I am not used to tasting; evolving flavor and combinations that I can pick out which work well together. That isn't there with the Exactus. It's just a strong, smoky cigar. Nothing really special or flavorful or memorable about it.

The draw on this cigar was fantastic, and I chalk that up to good construction and good storage as well. I did enjoy how easy it was to pull off of this one, and also how long it smoked for, but I did eventually grow tired of it. I'm a guy who likes to smoke cigars all the way down to the nub; that has always been my approach and always how I smoke my cigars. I actually put this one out with about two inches left on it, which is unusual for me. A few of my friends even reacted when they saw this, and I didn't really have much to say. This cigar was just a smoke for the sake of a smoke, which is a big bummer when you consider how unique it is and the price point required to snag even a Robusto.

I'd say you can skip the Exactus. It's strong, which was nice, but it didn't do anything for me. It was just a smoke for the sake of a smoke. I require a little bit more from my cigars. It's an easy skip for mostly everyone.

Happy smoking! CB