Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 × 46 “Corona Gorda”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.50
Humidor Aging Time: 1 Month
Today we take a look at the Daddy Mac by Cornelius & Anthony
BACKGROUND:
The Cornelius & Anthony web site is still in the development stage so I wasn’t able to glean additional info using the site.
Regular production
The name of the cigar is a tribute to Steven Bailey’s father, Mac Bailey.
Factory: La Zona (Nicaragua- Erik Espinosa)
DESCRIPTION:
The Daddy Mac is a bit of a rough looking cob. Lots of veins of all sizes. The oily wrapper is a mottled cinnamon/pecan color. The wrapper is very toothy.
Seams are nearly invisible. The triple cap is interrupted by wrapper veins…yet still accurately applied.
The double cigar bands are gorgeous. Classic and ornate.
SIZES AND PRICING:
Gordo 6 x 60 $11.00
Toro 6 x 50 $10.00
Robusto 5 x 50 $9.00
Corona Gorda 5.5 x 46 $8.50
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell floral notes, dark chocolate, spiciness, caramel, espresso, charred oak, and roasted nuts.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell barnyard, dark chocolate, spice, floral notes, hay, roasted nuts, oak, and coffee.
The cold draw shows flavors of red hot spice, mint, grass, nuts, chocolate, cedar, and coffee.
FIRST THIRD:
First puffs are redolent of red pepper, charred oak, roasted nuts, cotton candy, creaminess, caramel, and mint.
Great start.
C & A proves that you don’t need to spend $19 for a good cigar. In fact, all of the expensive cigars I’ve reviewed don’t come close to the starting gun shot of the Daddy Mac.
You want to impress smokers? Sucker punch them in the jaw with an outstanding start.
The creaminess morphs with some vanilla bean. The mint brings memories of mint juleps and New Orleans.
Strength is a strong medium body.
The char line is doing quite well. I’m impressed.
It is now a trifecta of creaminess, mint, and caramel. Other flavors are chocolate, espresso, oak, vanilla bean, cotton candy sweetness, and a nice smokiness.
The cigar is packed solid and smokes very slowly. I’m quite the fan of the Corona Gorda for its intensity of flavors, character, and depth.
Pistachio enters for the first time. Reader Charles Amster sent me a basket of Jewish goodies out of NYC for Hanukkah and it contained a big bag of pistachios. I found the bag, half empty, last night and indulged. So the flavor is very fresh in my tiny brain. Either that or I still have pistachio pieces stuck in my teeth.
Strength hits medium full.
I’ve been smoking the Daddy Mac for over 20 minutes and I’ve only burned a bit over an inch.
June 1, we got our storage unit at the new apartment. Charlotte and I went through boxes and found a treasure of things. All my posters; for one thing. I have some incredible “original” Beatles posters that I paid a fortune for on eBay 10-13 years ago. Plus, I found the poster showing Curved Air supporting Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House. We played in Zurich for that concert.
The spiciness is dissipating. The oak element is prominent and nearly upfront of the flavor list.
Pistachio ice cream. Maybe it’s me but I cannot, for the life of me, find it in Milwaukee.
A few minutes later, the spice returns in spades. My eyes are watering as is my nose.
Flavors just burst like a helium balloon in my face. The Daddy Mac becomes a flavor bomb. I’ve been very careful about using that term because I’ve been criticized for using that term too often. But in the case of the Daddy Mac, it’s all in, baby.
I reviewed the Cornelius (Rated 94) back in April. Fantastic cigar. The Daddy Mac takes it one step further.
SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
This may sound nuts, but I can taste a bit of vinaigrette. Olive oil and a touch of vinegar and spices.
The char line is the most cohesive I’ve experienced in a long time.
The roasted nuts and the pistachio are very strong.
Since moving, I use the second bedroom for my studio. I use the window sills, for light, to get my photos. I also have photography lights but nothing beats natural light. I better hurry because dark clouds are moving in fast and the wind is blowing at almost 25mph. Scared the hell out of the cat who perches on the sills to observe the world from our second floor digs.
Smoke has just poured from this little stick since the start.
On the retrohale, I get big doses of nuts, sweetness, oak, pepper, and espresso.
I can’t state strongly enough how creamy and smooth this blend is. It is also super complex.
There is just a touch of licorice now.
At the halfway point, strength begins to hit harder than medium/full. But no nicotine.
The Daddy Mac is a great cigar. I’m sure you have tried it but for those that haven’t, get some. The Daddy Mac is the complete package. Experienced smokers will love the complexity.
The pistachio is leaving. But the creaminess, caramel, and vanilla become a milk shake.
The early aromas were thick with chocolate but not the flavor. I still get some espresso but it would be nice if the cocoa was back in play.
The driving flavors are: Nuts, creaminess, vanilla, caramel, licorice, and pepper.
The Daddy Mac is a very unique blend. I cannot think of another cigar similar to this one. The cheese stands alone.
I’m giving it serious thought of reviewing the Toro and the Gordo. We all know size matters and when a cigar blend is this good, I’m very curious to see how the blend is affected.
The smokiness returns.
Nuts and creamy. The same thing my wife says about me. (I have no idea what that means.)
After three reviews that got horrible scores, it is real pleasure to review a wonderful cigar.
The best part? You get a killer cigar for half the price of the “in” blends that charge double digits.
Strength hits full body.
Nicotine makes its entrance.
LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour.
I’ve hit the sweet spot.
The complexity and smoothness make this a warm and comfy cigar experience. This is a blend that would go great with an artisan beer or some great scotch.
Man, this is a killer blend. The unique quality will make your toupee spin like a dreidel.
The spiciness changes from red pepper to black pepper. I’m especially fond of blends that maintain their spiciness from start to finish.
I pour myself a cup of coffee. My dear buddy, Duff W., sent me a 7oz bag of 100% Kona coffee. He lives in Hawaii. So we’ve been parsing it out very carefully.
The real coffee enhances the coffee flavor of the cigar blend.
I heard from Courtney Smith of C & A. She was with La Palina but made the switch because of being so impressed with Steven Bailey. I applaud her for this because she is now part of a team that is a cigar company on the come. I expect great things from Cornelius & Anthony.
Courtney’s new title is Director of Business Development. This means she wears about 27 hats.
With 1-1/2” to go, I’ve already spent an hour and 20 minutes with this blend. Pretty impressive for a Corona Gorda.
The Daddy Mac is box worthy. How often do you get a chance to smoke a completely unique cigar blend?
The time off from smoking, while I was ill, has really made a huge difference in my palate. I taste things that I didn’t before. Of course, it was pure torture not smoking but in the end it paid off big time.
Courtney told me that C & A will be coming out with two new blends sometime around August just prior to the cigar trade show. Can’t wait.
The Daddy Mac is one of the best cigars I’ve smoked in ages. It is impossible not to have a big smile on your puss while smoking it.
Without reservations, the Daddy Mac will make my list of the Top 25 Cigars of 2016.
With the price range being $8.50-$11.00, this is a win/win situation.
Final smoke time is one hour 35 minutes.
RATING: 96
Here is Why You are Really Reading Me Cause It Ain’t for the Reviews, Honey Pie:
1974
Curved Air’s reunion tour was with the four out of five original members of the band. I was the only new addition. They were very nice people; at first. They treated me well. Of course, that would change. Politics of Dancing.
A PR photo shoot was planned and it would be at Miles Copeland’s house in St. John’s Wood. A block away, was the famous EMI Studio, also known as Abbey Road Studio. It was the only road in London that the city stopped putting up street signs. They painted the name of the road on block walls in front of houses. Tourists stole the signs about 15 minutes after they were installed.
Stewart Copeland lived in a flat about 3 doors down from the studio. We were really poor. Management only paid us 50£ a week to survive on. But they also paid our rent and expenses. On the road, the pay doubled.
Stew and I hung out together a lot. So we had dinner together all the time. He showed me his poor man’s dinner of cooked spaghetti with melted butter and four brussel sprouts on it. Actually, it was very tasty. And cheap. That’s right. Only 4 brussel sprouts.
I had only known the band a week when we did the first photo shoot. We hadn’t even rehearsed yet. Darryl, the leader and violinist of the band, picked me up in his little MG. A two seater with a bit of a tiny storage area behind the seats.
After picking me up, we headed to Miles’ house. The shoot was a lot of fun because I had never done anything like this before. I was only 24. And my first foray into big time music. Plus it was my chance to meet the band and SONJA! Sonja was voted, on more than one occasion, the best female singer in Europe.
Getting into his car required a can opener and a shoe horn. When the photo shoot was over, we immediately went to Miles’ bar and helped ourselves. Miles wasn’t around. Miles had one of those 200 year old houses that was lavish and historical.
It was time to leave and Sonja asked for a ride home to Hampton Heath. I allowed her the front seat and I found myself jammed into the back like a small piece of luggage or rat dog. Man, that was uncomfortable.
It began to pour buckets of rain on the way. And it was rush hour. Both of them smoked cigarettes and I have never smoked a cig in my entire life; hand to God.
The windows had to be closed because of the torrential rain. Not even a tiny crack open. Pretty soon, I got car sick. The cigarette smoke and the cramped quarters and the stopping and starting really did a number on me. I begged them to open a window but when they tried, the rain came in.
We finally dropped off Sonja. I was sick as a dog and it had taken us a good hour to get her home.
She invited us in and Darryl accepted because he wanted a drink. He was an alchy. Sonja immediately came on to me. I must have been pale as a ghost and ready to blow chunks.
This is the only photo I have of that photo shoot. L-R Florian Pilkington-Miksa, Francis Monkman, Sonja Kristina, Darryl Way, and me:
It was time to leave. Sonja gave me a big hug and kiss.
I got in the front seat and I told Darryl how car sick I was. He laughed and told me he had the cure. We stopped at a pub. He told me the cure was a snifter of brandy. I had my doubts but I was new to the band and played along. I felt anything on my part could get me fired.
Well, as you can imagine, the brandy only made it worse. We got back in his car where I immediately puked on his floor. We pulled over, in the pouring rain, and he made me clean it up. He was gagging from the smell, and sight, of what I did. I started to get the dry heaves.
All I could think was that I wasn’t making a good impression on my boss.
The car’s windshield wipers didn’t work right and Darryl had to keep putting his arm out of the window and use a rag on the glass so he could see. Meanwhile, I used another rag to get rid of the fogged wind screen. (That’s what they call a wind shield in the UK)
We got to a four way stop controlled by Bobbies. Darryl couldn’t see and went right through the stop. A Bobbie in the middle of the road stopped us and began to yell.
Darryl explained and the cop let us go. Darryl drove another 30 feet and actually hit a Bobbie controlling traffic. He was going slow and just knocked him over.
All of the cops descended on us and the yelling did not help my stomach. But they let us go with a warning. In America, we would have both been gunned down in the car. Bobbies were pretty even keeled blokes. They had to be. NO guns. Just a night stick.
An hour later, I was finally home. Where I went straight to bed and lay there moaning for God knows how long.
They never let me hear the end of that. For over two years, that story came up every 20 minutes in mixed company.
I believe I suffer from PTSD from that incident.
