Canonazo Amante VI 2023 Tasting thread and smoke along video

[T.52]

Well done boys!  When smoking a cigar, I’m not good at expressing what I taste into words. I’ll just say that, after only one week of rest, this was great. High quality and very enjoyable. Thank you Hamlet. Looking forward to the lancero.

[Digi]

Mine dropped a couple days ago.  They smell divine!  Loaded them up into an old PSP2 box 😃

[99call]

Aroma at cold - Reminds me very much of darker illusion Eperney, a rich nori paper aroma, seaweed oiliness to the wrapper, hay and sweetness underlying. A seaside version of barnyard aka Rotting umami seaweed, with sweetness

Cold draw - Pretty much the aroma at cold, with a little bit of leathery sweetness

Don’t like the shaggy foot, I like the novelty, I like the look, but it just means you get showered with ash as it burns off…. top marks for the idea, I thought I would like it,......but poor user experience.

1st 3rd - First opening draws, firstly this tobacco is well fermented, it really wants to burn.

The standout Upmann tasting note for me is a sort of chemically sweet, balmy 'leather dressing' oily note.  We used to care for our rugby boots with something called “dubbin” to me typical Upmann tastes/smells of this.   Not seeing any Cohiba in the opening…….and what can I say……I’m a happy boy.   Currently tasting like a LUB connie A. This is not a bad place to be in anyones book.   Ash it titanium white, Burn line is razor,

Strange smoke in the palate is robust, yet the retro which is very smooth and behaved with no pinch whatsoever. Little bit of peanut oily slick on the palate. Smoking outdoors and its quite windy, but I’m still getting blasts of foot smoke aroma, they’ve nailed Upmann, That core Upmann taste is there in spades.  Not seeing any honey, unless it’s more of a dark Manuka La Fuerza type.

I can see why all the proud dad guidance is there from Rob and Hammy, this is a cigar you want to draw on, but it’s counter intuitive, like wanting to smash a golf drive, you just end up topping it.  The draw and pack wants to be worked with at its own tempo. Those who predominantly smoke 42 RG cigars will understand this innately. 

2nd 3rd - the cigar is transitioning almost directly on cue, if it’s moving away from Upmann I’m not going to be happy, but we’ll see.   Lighter creamier, feeling more Hoyo now.  OK interesting. I’m not sure if its power of suggestion but a light QDO sponginess is coming into play, Vanilla, sour butter, cake notes,   At this point it’s like one of my best mates racking up all of my favourite tunes on the jukebox.   Maybe some people are tasting Cohiba at this point, but to me good QDO is a far superior blend, and that’s what I’m enjoying.

Soft and lilting, I think some may have been enthusiastically drawing on these cigars, as I’m seeing no dark side slow, slow  burning at this halfway point. The great QDO beginning to the start of the 2nd 3rd, is feeling more like a mediocre Hoyo at this point, but this is two days of a hot truck!!This cigar is giving great value, its typifying the mechanics of how good
cigars should smoke.  Cigars should not be jelly belly bags of 60rg tobacco that turn into a hot saggy mess the moment they are lit. 

Heading into the final 3rd -  I’m getting more 1st gen, 2nd gen Nudie flavours now,  feeling more savoury partagas SDC line to me. HHmm, cigar showing its ROTT condition currently, and its not fair to judge this slightly aimless 15mins. Just as I’m calling off the 3rd 3rd as a ‘give it time’ also ran….. there is a very interesting ending. Savoury, rye breadiness, saltiness, very Por Laranaga .  Really nice spicy mouthfeel, fizzy nic hit. Aroma off the foot, still intoxicating. I real showstopper on this cigar.

Conclusion -  it’s Incredibly unfair to say Upmann blah blah, or QDO blah blah, but Rob and Hammy are victims of their own success in a way, that’s the brilliant problem. We have to take them at their word, they are creating cigars that fill a certain void, cigars that they enjoy and enjoy making.   The fact they are not 100% a LUB Connie A from start to finish is not their fault, Nudie cigars are their own thing, and must be treated/enjoyed as such. I will go back to the Jukebox analogy that I mentioned. This was simply a well made cigar, well priced that rang a lot of enjoyable bells within my experience within cuban cigars. Like a mix tape a great friend makes you. You get a little glimpse into their love and enthusiasm for CC’s. But it is its own cigar. It’s a Nudie Canonazo Amante VI, and should be enjoyed as such. 

I'm interested to see where these go after recommended rest period, and beyond. Well done to all the FOH team, you should feel very happy with the trajectory of this project of passion.   Hats off!

[JohnS]

Thank you for a wonderfully expressive and thought-provoking review, @99call!

[El Hoze]

It is rare I can’t wait 30 days to smoke a new cigar but had to try one. Can’t say enough about the construction on these. Wow! An extremely impressive product. 

[99call]

14 hours ago, JohnS said:

Thank you for a wonderfully expressive and thought-provoking review, @99call!

And thank you John, Where are you when I need you in the rest of my life!?.   On FOH I always seem to be magically organised, and putting posts in the right place. You realise this is dangerous, this false sense of being on top of things, is actually making me even more crap in the real world, this is what i'm telling my missus anyway. 

When I get admonished for putting the wrong stuff in the recycling bins for the 1000th time,  I will fall to my knees,  look to the sky, (like Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes), and scream "why did you forsake me Cigar Jesus!!!"

[GavLew79]

ROTT review. This certainly wasn't a rotter...ba-dum-tiss. 

First third; rich, sweet-savoury-sour interplay. Chocolate salted pretzel. Lip-licking wrapper taste. Sourdough, butter and honey. Marshmallows, cookie dough and chili spice on the retro. On the palate, waves of dark fruit, nut and chocolate too ("Cadbury's fruit and nut" for those in Old Blighty). Bloody hell. Impressive start. Almost like a good RASS. Woods, like oaky Whisky cask. 

Medium strength, medium to full body.

2nd and 3rd thirds had more of the same, but with the spice intensity amping up, and the tones turning darker, with roasted meats, strong espresso, leather, burnt toast etc. 

I was on water to start, but the second third I reached for a full-bodied, tannic, Madiran. Both coped very well with each other, remaining distinctly separate but "gelling" perfectly. A scotch malt would do well,... but it's Tuesday. 

I'll give the next one 30 days, but if this is the bar, I'm hooked. Kudos Rob and Hamlet. I can see why you're proud. I've got to go 93+. Bloody magic. 👏🏻

[ha_banos]

16 hours ago, GavLew79 said:

ROTT review. This certainly wasn't a rotter...ba-dum-tiss. 

First third; rich, sweet-savoury-sour interplay. Chocolate salted pretzel. Lip-licking wrapper taste. Sourdough, butter and honey. Marshmallows, cookie dough and chili spice on the retro. On the palate, waves of dark fruit, nut and chocolate too ("Cadbury's fruit and nut" for those in Old Blighty). Bloody hell. Impressive start. Almost like a good RASS. Woods, like oaky Whisky cask. 

Medium strength, medium to full body.

2nd and 3rd thirds had more of the same, but with the spice intensity amping up, and the tones turning darker, with roasted meats, strong espresso, leather, burnt toast etc. 

I was on water to start, but the second third I reached for a full-bodied, tannic, Madiran. Both coped very well with each other, remaining distinctly separate but "gelling" perfectly. A scotch malt would do well,... but it's Tuesday. 

I'll give the next one 30 days, but if this is the bar, I'm hooked. Kudos Rob and Hamlet. I can see why you're proud. I've got to go 93+. Bloody magic. 👏🏻

Blimey. You poor sod. All these flavours getting in the way of the cigar.

[JY0]

I couldn’t wait, mine arrived today and I fired one up. I’m usually not a NC fan, I’ve never been a fan of the flavors. Since cigamagecdon I’ve tried hard to find options that I enjoyed, without success, until now.  

This stick is outstanding ROTT. Love the sweetness. Construction and draw is perfect. The rest are going down for a nap. 

I’m very much looking forward to trying the lancero and mareva.

Thanks to all that made this happen. It’s awesome to have sane options!

 

 

[SmokinLightning]

I haven't posted much here in the last few years, but wanted to make a post to congratulate you guys on this one. Nicely done! I've ordered several bundles of the N1s and N3s and they're fantastic (love my lanceros)... these are even better, especially given the cost. I haven't written a cigar review in ages, so bear with me.

Smoked one a couple days after receiving them (does anyone really have the willpower to leave them alone for 30 days?). I was impressed with the flavors and construction. I let a couple more weeks go by before trying another.

Start was salty and chocolatey and bready. The salt toned down and inch or so in and just left a beautiful creamy, almost fresh dough flavor with the slightest hint of sweet. Freshly baked dinner rolls sprinkled with a touch of sugar and honey, just coats the roof of my mouth and back of my throat.

Second third of the cigar had a nice woody/leathery element in the mix, really picking up the sweetness on the retrohale. Creamy flavor that reminds me of cashews. Strength never got over the medium mark (fine by me, too many cigars are blended to be powerhouses these days). I'm working as I smoke, or I'd definitely be pouring a glass of Talisker to compliment that briny flavor.

Final couple inches and it maintains it's dignity. No harshness, and a nice blend of it's core flavors coming through with more intensity but still medium strength. 

Construction and draw were absolutely spot on. Even ignoring it for several minutes at a time while I work and it never required a touch up or relight. Very easy smoking cigar, left me wanting another immediately. Ordered a second bundle halfway through. Looking forward to seeing where these will be in a few months time. 

[Bri Fi]

I’ll keep this short. This was amazing. 93 points. Tasting notes similar to an Upmann 2 which is one of my favorite cigars. I can’t believe there’s no Cuban tobacco in here. Unlike any NC I’ve had. I smoked this outside and the aroma was in one word-sublime. I’ll be ordering another bundle. Price point is unbeatable. Well done gents. 

[Marco_011t556]

Long story short, excellent and amazing! Got to re-order for must!

7 days to my hand, rest 3 days for my first burning.

a bit salty, rich aroma, a bit sweet,
second third much almond/nutty, not spicy at all..excellent burning, even HK is humid as 70%-75%

make it feel like it’s a CC.. a bit like Montecristo 2, and Davidoff signature 2000

 

btw, Rob, any chance to get the fifth version -robusto size? Too long for canonazo, too small for Mareva IV XD

 

[El Presidente]

On 7/1/2023 at 3:21 PM, 011t556 said:

 

btw, Rob, any chance to get the fifth version -robusto size? Too long for canonazo, too small for Mareva IV XD

 

Hamlet and I will seek input from FOH members for new 2024 releases. 

My heart says that I would prefer to do a figurado that meets the needs of Robusto lovers. We will see what the forum wants. 

I will post a thread on the subject this week. 👍

[JoeyBones777]

ROTT review:

These have rested as long as I could wait, like, 4 days 🤣 I haven't posted in the forum for a couple years because I've been out of the CC game for personal reasons and, even if I wasn't, I'm priced out now. I'm super excited about this project with Hamlet!

First off, construction is top knotch. Great pack and draw. I've had to touch up the burn a little twice, but again, only 4 days rest and these have gone from a hot and humid climate in Florida to a really hot and dry climate in Arizona. Keep that in mind.

Starts off medium-light in body. There is a honey and toasted wheat note. There is some peanuts and cake mixed with a little sourdough. It progressively builds in body. There is some creaminess and cedar, as well as, a slight mustiness. There isn't the classic difinitive Cuban sweet and sour twang but it hints at it with the sourdough, cake and slight honey combo. If someone handed it to me and said it was a CC I wouldn't go out on a limb and call them on it.

Continues to build a bit but there is zero harshness or edges. There is some coffee at play along with some earthiness. It is toning down the sweetness and getting more savory. Burn went a little wavy again but self corrected. Some more cedar flavor has come to the forefront. Even though it has become more savory the sweetness is still there in the background. Ash is solid but with a little flakiness from the wrapper through the whole cigar. Not a complaint but something I noticed. Aroma is incredible throughout.

As a baseline, I'm excited! Having gotten more heavily into NC, I was excited to see the amount of Honduran tobacco in these. Nicaragua gets all the attention but Honduras is underrated for its tobacco. Guys like Oscar Valladares use Honduran leaf and the 2012 Connecticut and barber pole has some of the CC flavor that I miss. I will definitely be getting the carlota and I am heavily considering the lancero since smaller ring gauges is more my bag.

I've seen a couple questions regarding price point. Compared to NC's, I understand the question. Compared to CC's there is no question. This is at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust pricing but the quality is as good if not better. The flavors are certainly more CC like which DTT is not. I like and have boxes of some DTT but these will outshine them with proper rest. WORTH THE PRICE!

Hamlet, Rob and team, hats off to you! Can't wait to see what more comes of this!

[LLC]

Received these a couple of weeks ago. I had one after a couple of days and enjoyed it. Took three today and both my friends who I gave one to so they could try them gave them a solid thumbs up 👍. I do think time will help as I even see a hit if a difference from the first one. I’ll let them sit a while now. 

[99call]

Back from a working holiday, enjoying my second Amante in the garden,  lovely snickers bar slick on the palate.  Sounds cloying and OTT, but it's quite reserved and 'just right'. It's like the baseline in the background whilst the other flavours are hitting the top notes. 

[winelover]

Smoked my first this evening. I had lowered expectations as I had only rested mine a week. Any how...

Absolutely stonking smoke. Really well balanced - love the medium bodied profile. Did not make me yearn for Cuban tobacco at all. Kudos to Hamlet, Rob and the Sampling Committee.

[Countryside Builders]

Finally had the chance to try out my first Canonazo.  I split a bundle with a friend here in the US. These cigars look great, and smelled great as well.  The construction of the cigar looked good, after smoking it down about and inch…..the wrapper let loose and unraveled off of the cigar.   What a disappointment for such an anticipated stick.  Hopefully my next stick will fare better and actually remain intact.  

 

[El Presidente]

I hope the next is a better experience! 

I don't believe we have had any construction issues to date. Let's assume it is a one off 

[cgoodrich]

If the wrong end wasn’t lit, then the wrapper was rolled the wrong direction (head to foot instead of foot to head).

[Islandboy]

Had my first last night...wowza! The balance of sweet and savory in the first third was impressive. The second third on was chock full of future potential. The trick will be figuring out the peak - will it be in 6 months, or 6 years, or somewhere in between?

Well done

[Sir Diggamus]

I smoked one a couple of weeks ago with only a week or so after I received them. It was really good, but I wanted to wait Rob's recommended 30 days (close to it now) before doing a proper review. 

This cigar has a colorado maduro wrapper in color and aroma at cold is leather with just a hint of cocoa. A squeeze allows for just a little squish, but not much. It is tightly packed. Dry draw is a bit of cocoa. I light up and get a nice cocoa note right off of the bat. The draw is a little firm but produces a lot of smoke. Ash is salt and pepper in color with segmented lines. The retrohale reveals a sweetness in the background, tough to place the exact note, sort of a pastry sweetness. A little allspice noted on the retrohale as well. 

The 2/3 starts with a hint a sea salt and a savory spice note. It is a great accompaniment to the sweet notes.  Some hints of cocoa join in on the retrohale. Those flavors carry the rest of the 2/3 with the cocoa becoming more noticeable by the end.  

The last third starts much like the 2/3 ended. The aroma of the cigar is a sweet cocoa. A little black pepper note comes in on the finish and retrohale. The cigar finishes up with a lot of cocoa and pepper here and there in the background. 

When I had the first one the sweetness was there and a little saltiness, but the 30 days really rounded out the flavors and brought in the cocoa note too. I can't wait to have the next one after a little more time. 

FANTASTIC job Rob and Hamlet! 

92 points 

[cgoodrich]

Had the first one today while prepping the grill. Beautiful Colorado wrapper (not Colorado Maduro as seen in the shaded photos). Squeeze test gave more than expected. The draw was very lush, much more than I prefer. It had a touch of sweetness, good toasted tobacco flavor. Huge amount of smoke due to the extremely free draw (nearly a wind tunnel), had to go easy so as not to overheat. Started medium-mild, was medium near the last third. Was so very smooth, not a rough edge at all. It started to get hot earlier than I had hoped, stopped before it became bitter. But still, a very tasty cigar I thoroughly enjoyed considering it was 103°F outside. I look forward to hopefully finding the next one with a firmer draw. Well done Hammy and Prez!!! 👏👏👏

[ilubtv]

Got them yesterday. Enjoying it now. Quite spicy at the moment but can foresee its potential!

[SCgarman]

I'm smoking my 4th or so out of the bundle. So effing incredibly good! It stands up to any Cuban hands down. Fantastic blend!