Kristoff Kristania Maduro | Cigar Review

Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Habano
Size: 6 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $5.30

Today we take a look at the Kristoff Kristania Maduro.
Thanks to Charles Lim for the sticks for review.

DESCRIPTION:
The Kristoff Kristania Maduro is a gorgeous thing. Very oily…so much so it looks like it’s been dunked in 10-40.
The wrapper is a mottle, marbled, dark coffee bean color.
Seams are invisible. Almost no veins. An impeccable cap…In fact, I can barely see any lines confirming the number of caps.
The double cigar band’s dark brown color offsets the wrapper color beautifully.
The stick is packed solid.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Robusto: 5 x 50 $5.04 Online pricing- Box of 50
Toro: 6 x 52 $5.30 Online pricing- Box of 50
60: 5.5 x 60 $5.98 Online pricing- Box of 50
Gordo: 7 x 70 $7.48 Online pricing- Box of 29

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell exotic spices, coffee, chocolate, pepper, sweetness, floral notes, and orange citrus plus a touch of honey.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell barnyard, chocolate, heavy on the black licorice, red pepper, a very syrupy aroma…almost sticky, espresso, orange citrus, floral notes, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of unique cooking spices like clove, allspice, cinnamon, and strong nutmeg. There is a bizarre flavor occurring I can’t quite get yet. It will come to me. But it is very intoxicating. I could suck on an unlit Kristoff Kristania Maduro all day.

FIRST THIRD:
I notice right away that there are no imperfections as I toast the foot. A good sign that there shouldn’t be any significant burn issues. This cigar is perfectly rolled.
The draw is a bit tight. Do I need the cigar awl? Not sure. A few minutes of smoke time should decide that.

And then the flavors come rolling out: That elusive spice flavor, chocolate ice cream, black pepper, espresso, hazelnut, black licorice, sweetness, vanilla bean, cedar, and a touch of creaminess.
So far, so good. This will be a long smoke.

The Kristoff Kristania Maduro comes out of the gate at medium/full body.
I give the cigar awl a shot and it clears the air passage and flavors explode. Black pepper becomes spicy hot red pepper that singes my nose hairs.
Creaminess moves to the forefront. Chocolate and espresso make for a perfect pair. Like me and Lubriderm.

Odd. Charles sent me two sticks. I took them out yesterday to make sure I could find them again. And I seem to have lost one of them. No idea where the second one is.

I’ve been compiling a list of flavors on paper so when I have a brain fart and cannot think straight, I can rely on my list to remind me of flavors.
I may have deduced the exotic spice flavors: black walnuts, oregano, basil, ginger, brown sugar, and orange liqueur.
Strange I know.

Have you noticed…or is it me? That when you check out the daily specials on Cigar.com and CI, they are always crap cigars? I swear I remember the days when it was something that lured me in nearly daily. I don’t feel so bad that I can’t afford cigars when I see the drek they offer up now.

Side Bar. I got a little Christmas present from Andrew of Small Batch Cigar. I got around 5 sticks. One was the Davidoff Year of the Sheep. A $35 stick. Another was a Padron 1964 Churchill. And the rest were excellent blends. Plus he sent me a fancy boxed chocolate bar made by Graycliff. I thought how nice that he appreciates that I mention him all the time and I never ask for anything in return. So where is my Xmas present from Cigar Federation? Oh that’s right. They are young guys. The manners that their parents taught them haven’t kicked in yet. I was going to say I have a long memory…but actually, I don’t. LOL.

After I published The Katman’s Top 25 Cigars of 2015, I was directed to the Cigar Aficionado Top 25. Pathetic. Really pathetic.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Construction is top notch. And the char line has only needed a couple minor corrections. The ash is hanging tough just waiting to fall on to my lap and scorch my naughty bits. I make a pre-emptive strike and gently force the ash to disembark.

I find it strange that there are only a couple reviews of this blend. None of the Big Guys touched it. Falling out with Glen Case?
Because this fine blend deserves a rave review.

The Kristoff Kristania Maduro is now super complex. One of the most complex natures in a cigar blend I’ve seen in a while.

This is a big meaty, manly cigar. Like the Cubans your Grandpa smoked when you were a kid. That’s all my Gramps smoked before the Embargo. He would instruct me on our walks after lunch and dinner while he smoked a Cuban and gave me one to stick in my mouth. I never got sick even though I was 7-9 years old.
A new group of flavors come to the fold and they flummox me. These flavors go beyond my flavor list I’ve written down to remind me.

I check Cbid and they only have the 5.5 x 60 size in a 50 count box. Strike out on both counts. I don’t know what possessed Case to take these cigars out of the reach of the regular cigar smoker. Retail is $250 for a box of Robustos. I know I couldn’t afford it even if I had the dough. And what the hell do you do to make room in your humidors? Sure I know a lot of you have big set ups. Big humidors, big coolidors, etc. But I don’t have room. Anyway, it’s a moot point.
I’m not going to just sit back and enjoy the Kristoff Kristania Maduro. Be back in a bit.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Halfway point. Smoke time is 50 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

There is a strong presence of wood. All sorts of wood. My palate isn’t good enough to tell apart much more than cedar, oak, hickory, etc. And this is more than that.

Here they are: Mystery wood, chocolate, espresso, spicy red pepper, creaminess, brown sugar, floral notes, orange liqueur, assorted nuts, hazelnut, black licorice, sweetness, vanilla bean, and pumpkin pie spices.

The Kristoff Kristania Maduro is a luxurious smoke.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 65 minutes.
This cigar is so complex with a brilliant balance and long chewy finish that it feels like my head will explode any moment.
I had a gut feeling about this blend. Many thanks to Charles Lim for providing it.

I realize I’m being repetitive and redundant but I just have to say what a delightful cigar the Kristoff Kristania Maduro is.
I would love to have more.

We follow German tradition of celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. This is what happens when you marry a German National.
Those 5 shrimp fill a regular sized dinner plate. My blue DuPont Maxi Jet lighter in the photo is 2-1/2” long. That gives you an idea of how big they are.

I went to our upscale market and bought 10 giant shrimp. For Charlotte, I’m making her shrimp scampi.
For me, something different. I make it a salad. I lay down some crispy romaine on the plate. Cut up some celery. And I make an extremely spicy horseradish cocktail sauce and pour it over the salad. I love this even if it caused me to sweat like a dock worker. Not to mention, I need to keep a box of Kleenex at hand’s grasp to wipe my runny nose.

Katie has to work that night. And she is our only family. In the past, we’ve gone out for sushi but that’s too expensive now. I bet those shrimp taste like lobster. Can’t wait.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas banquet wherever you are going to celebrate the holiday.

One thing happens every Christmas. Charlotte cries all evening. Her only family still live in Germany and she misses them.
But I managed to get her some nice gifts. I hope that cheers her up.
And for the first time since we moved to Milwaukee in 2007, NO snow for Christmas. A balmy 50°. I hate shoveling snow.

Back to the Kristoff Kristania Maduro.
Strength is full body. But super smooth and only a hint of nicotine.
The Kristoff Kristania Maduro was a wonderful experience.

The price point belies the quality of this blend. I’ve smoked cigars at twice the price not as good as the Kristoff Kristania Maduro.

I check CI and a 5 pack can be had for $28.00 or $5.60 per stick. That’s just crazy.
I highly recommend the Kristoff Kristania Maduro. And if you haven’t tried the Kristoff Kristania Ligero, that’s also a must try.
Final smoke time is 80 minutes.

RATING: 91

A short anecdote I’ve never told:

In the early 80’s, I had a partner at my recording studio. One of his best friends had a sister-in-law that was engaged to this Cro-Magnon type of guy. He was a house painter by trade. But I swear his forehead overhung his nose. And he was BIG!

Well this sister-in-law, whom we shall call Pebbles, had a crush on me. I was oblivious to it all.
Back then, I was a tall, good looking fella. I’ve shrunk since then from my sky diving accident and age. But then, I was close to 6 foot tall. I had a head of luxurious hair. I used fancy and expensive hair products. The fro had been gone for a few years.

I was thin, but lean and muscular. And I was a good guy. I was funny, compassionate, and authoritative. I had to be to run the production company, the studio, and produce hundreds and hundreds of bands. So as I ran around the studio barking orders, women loved that. I was the Big Dog. And everyone listened to me. Astutely.

Pebbles had a bridal party thrown for her about a week before the wedding. Turns out, the goal was to get me to sleep with her. No one told me this til the day after. Pebbles chickened out. But they kept coming in and out of the studio while I was there; giggling and pushing Pebbles towards me. I thought they were nuts.

A couple days before the wedding, Pebbles shows up at my house. She comes in and bursts into tears.

“I love you Phil.”
My reply was: “*&#$^+$@#&((^” ????

She sat, nestled, next to me crying and had her hand on my crotch. Now this was certainly an ego boost. What a conflict of interest.
But all I could think of was her fiancée, Yogi Bear. He’d kill me if he found out.

Back in those days, if it moved, I shtupped it. Not Wilt Chamberlain numbers, but close.

I let her cry and talked her out of this ridiculous proposition. She was gorgeous. And I wanted to do it. But then I wanted to live to be 35 too.
So I sent her on her way with a big sloppy kiss.

I was invited to the wedding.
After the wedding, I was in the reception line like everyone else. I put my hand out to shake Pebbles’ hand and she pulled me in and kissed me on the lips.
Holy fuck!

Yogi looked down at me from his 6’-6 height with hatred in his eyes and the look you give someone just before you de-bone them.
I smiled. Shook his hand and moved on.

I didn’t stay long at the reception. I was afraid. I was afraid he was going to get some of his goon friends and take me out back.

Now and again, she would show up at the studio because my partner’s wife was a good friend. She really stopped in to see me.
“I love you Phil.”
“Go fuck yourself Pebbles. I have a strong survival instinct. And you are getting in the way of it.”
She never came by again.
The End.