Ave Maria Cigars

After writing up my thoughts on Ave Maria, I got an email from a guy who was part of a customer trip to Nicaragua in September. I read his, then scrapped mine. He says it all:….the surprise highlight : Ave Maria. Arriving in Esteli late I was jet-lagged and dragging the next morning. Come noon I was seven cigars deep and hadnt had lunch yet. So when his factory manager approached us with a new tray of Ave Maria cigars from the packing room, I just about puked. He had a serious look in his eye though, and ceremoniously announced in broken English that this was a berry special proyect he started two years prior thats finally set to be released. I politely accepted. The artwork/band was stunning and the wrapper looked like it came right off the pages of a magazine. Id pick this one out of a lineup any day based on looks. So good was it that I lowered my expectations… cant tell you how many times Ive been let down by cigars with great style points. I thought my taste buds would be fried but lit er up anyhow. It was the only one I burned down to my fingers that trip … next morning after a good rest I made this the first smoke of the day, to give it a fully unbiased review on a fresh palate. Boom. Wrapper: flawless. Construction: spot on. Flavor: rich, smooth, balanced, refined, complex… Im at a loss for more adjectives. The thing that struck me most about it- its the most complete cigar I can recall. If you want a knock-yer-head-off powerhouse, Ave Maria is not it… same token if you like mild, look elsewhere. Everywhere in between though, this ones masterful. The finest I can remember smoking. I since downed 8 more over the next day and a half of the trip. Blown away. Ship me 2 boxes off your shipment as soon as they land. Ave Maria has also received well-deserved praise from some highly respected folks in the cigar industry: “This is a cigar you could easily pay $8 apiece for.” - Nestor Plasencia“Its got a distinctive sweetness to it.” - Pete Johnson “This is definitely a premium cigar….well-balanced....this is a hit.” - Doug Wood “Im enjoying the heck out of it. Ive already asked for a second cigar.” - Carlos Diez “Good burn, good draw, nice ash.” - Nimish Desai “It does have a lot of depth as the flavor profile goes. Its a fantastic cigar.” - Kaizad Hansotia “I find it to be a cigar that has a wonderful strength. Because its not overpowering, but its not mild.” - Manuel Quesada “Packed full of tobacco…well-rolled.” - Jerry Dear “It has a lot of flavor….Im very impressed with this cigar.” - Rene Castenada “The taste of it is rich, its flavorful and I find it a beautiful cigar to smoke.” - José DominguezIts got a lot of complexity, its very smooth....this is something I would smoke every day. - Alan Rubin