Micallef Herencia Habano: A cigar of Cuban legacy… only better?

Over the years I have heard a lot of positive talk about Micallef cigars. Friends over in America who’s opinion I trust have nothing but great things to say about the brand and often include at least one of the cigars from the range in their annual top ten cigar lists. Alas as they are not yet available over here in the UK, I haven’t had the pleasure of sampling any of them myself… Until recently.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a selection of Micallef cigars recently. Having allowed them to sit quietly in my humidor for a couple of weeks to settle down after their long journey I was excited to light one up and see what they were like for myself. The only question was which one to start with. Looking through the variety of Micallef cigars before me it was the Herencio Habano box pressed torpedo that spoke to me.

First off, the vitola was perfect. Regular readers probably know by now that alongside a lancero, I love torpedos and perfectos, and for me a box pressed will often trump a standard round cigar. The Herencio Habano had two of these in its favour. And then there was the beauty of the wrapper itself. The edge of the wrapper leaf had a distinct dark line at its edge which gave the impression of a barber pole.

Picking the cigar up, it felt perfectly packed, even from the foot, right along the body and without any tightening at the head. Sliding the cigar out of the cellophane, my fingers were greeted by a sumptuous measure light oil, much more than the colour of the wrapper would suggest. Aromas of cream, nut and sweet grass tickled my nose. A straight cut later and my mouth was filled with a cold draw of amaretto.

Mixing myself a Godfather to drink alongside the cigar, I carefully began my lighting ritual and took my first hot draws. The nuts that I’d tasted on the cold draw had been deliciously toasted and drizzled with a generous amount of cream. This creaminess was echoed in the quality of the smoke as I released it in voluminous clouds.

About half an inch into the Micallef Herencia Habano the nutty notes were joined by hints of beech and a driftwood fire. The draw was perfect – easy enough to get plenty of smoke with just the amount of resistance to prevent over drawing. Aromas of fresh wood from the smoke started to fill the air and the troubles of the world started to fade into insignificance as I meditated on the flavoursome cigar that I caressed in my fingers – which contrary to the photos, were not clad in gloves during the whole smoking session!

As I reached the middle third, I tasted fresh dew on a spring morning alongside the almond and walnut thought these had started to take a back seat. As I admired the way that the Micallef retained its box pressed shape right the way through to the mid point, my reverie was interrupted by the sudden reappearance of almond. This flavour had all but disappeared, and without fanfare or any suggestion it was about to re-emerge it came as a real slap to the taste buds, albeit a very tasty and welcome one.

All the way through from first light to final draws the flavour had been smooth and the smoke creamy. The balance ebbed and flowed between the different flavours which in-turn lulled me into a meditative state. The only slight issue that I had with the Micallef Herencia Habano was the ash. I would have liked it to hold for a bit longer than an inch at a time, but every time I rolled it off I was left with perfectly formed ash balls in the tray.

With this as an opening salvo for the brand, I am very much looking forward to seeing what the rest of the Micallef lines have in store for me. But then again, what did I expect from a cigar rolled by a family of award winning torcedors who made their name during the heyday of Cuban cigars?

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Micallef Herencia Habano Cigar Details