Cigar Reveal #103

This one's a little different than most of the cigars we've feature in the past. The reason is that, unlike most of the cigars we feature, this cigar actually had several unfavorable reviews from the cigar critics and reviewers out there. In fact, it may just be the worst reviewed cigar we've ever included. But we happened to love it (Obviously... it's in this package!). So what's with all the negativity, guys?? The MXS Adrian Gonzalez El Titan is made by ACE Prime cigars, who you probably know as the maker of many of the latest cigars from Crowned Heads (Mil Dias, Juarez). For this one they teamed up with former baseball player Adrian Gonzalez who joins Dominique Wilkins and Tiago Splitter to their athlete/cigar partnerships. "We have been developing a unique blend that represents the life and career of one of the greatest baseball players," said Ace Prime co-founder Luciano Meirelles. Alright, well, "one of the greatest baseball players" is a stretch. He was a 5 time all star but he's not a Hall of Famer. So, a good baseball player but not a household name that wants his own cigar? It's been done before, and usually not well (looking at you Gary Sheffield and David Ortiz). Pair that with a lesser-known cigar maker and a $13 price point and it has us wondering if the branding actually did the actual tobacco a disservice. Fortunately for us we smoked it blind! ...And like we said, it was great. Each puff is dense and chewy, with early notes of cocoa, earth and black pepper. These flavors continue throughout and add malt and subtle leather about halfway through. Our only criticism is a touch of sweetness would have added some needed balance. But all this and the perfect construction make it easy to see why Crowned Heads chose them to make their new brands for what seems like exclusively going forward. Forget what the critics said... this is why we smoke blind!