Recluse Amadeus by Iconic Leaf | Cigar Reviews by the Katman

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Shade Grown Grade ‘A’.
Binder: MBC (proprietary).
Fillers: Dominican Ligero, Dominican Viso, Dominican Seco, USA Pennsylvanian Broadleaf
Size: 5 x 52 Robusto (Box Pressed)
Body: Mild/Medium
Price: $7.50
Humidor time: 9 weeks
Number of cigars smoked prior to review: 1

Today we take a look at the Recluse Amadeus by Iconic Leaf.
Thanks to Joey H. for the sticks.
Seems I’m only 2 years late to the party. I skimmed a bunch of reviews. The final report put the cigar in the so so arena. I’m going in with a huge grain of salt in play.

BACKGROUND:
Debuted at the 2014 IPCPR trade show.
From the Iconic Leaf web site:
“The company is led by J.R. Domínguez, a true visionary who brings energy, excitement and passion to everything he touches. Recluse’s first release is the RECLUSE OTG and it was revealed at the 2012 IPCPR trade show in Orlando Florida. RECLUSE OTG is offered in ten sizes, three of which are sizes that have never been done before anywhere in the world, and they are now known as the Kanú, Recluse Cigar Company’s invention. Every tobacco leaf in the RECLUSE goes through EIGHT fermentation cycles and is a collection of what is truly iconic from around the world. The RECLUSE cigar selection is produced exclusively by Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas and they are responsible for the Recluse Experience.
Recluse Cigars Team”

SIZES:
Robusto (Box Pressed): 5 x 52
Toro (Box Pressed): 6 1/4 x 50
Tarantula (Box Pressed): 6 x 60
Sidewinder 1 (Special Edition): 5 x 57
Sidewinder 2 (Special Edition): 6 x 57
Sidewinder 3 (Special Edition): 7 x 57

DESCRIPTION:
The semi-oily wrapper is the color of tawny caramel. It’s smooth and without seams and has very few veins.
The flat triple cap is nicely applied.
There is a lot of billboard on this baby. Two cigar bands and a silver footer.
Lastly, the box press is crisper than the seams in my boxers.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell butterscotch, cream, red pepper, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, floral notes, fresh pretzel, cedar, and breakfast cereal.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell red pepper, chocolate, butterscotch, roasted nuts, clove, buttered toast, cedar, and a touch of mustard.
The cold draw presents flavors of heavy duty cream, red pepper, clove, chocolate, malt, cedar, pretzel, and nuts.

FIRST THIRD:
First puffs are creamy with dollops of pepper, salt, buttered toast, coffee, milk chocolate, cedar, and malts.
The flavor profile does not begin with a bang…more of a snail’s crawl.
Strength is very mild. Almost non-existent in the cosmos.

The cigar is not evenly packed with the worst of it in the bottom half; causing a quick burn to start.
Lemon zest occurs about half an inch in. It now leads the pack of subtle flavors.

The trajectory of this blend better aim for the heavens pretty soon or else I’m in for a seemingly long, protracted review experience. The good sticks seem to make the reviews slipstream by. The duds seem to take forever.

The draw is nearly too open for my tastes. Not enough tobacco to slow its process.

I smoked the first one several weeks ago. It wasn’t ready. Two months should be enough time to expose the blender’s intent. In this case, it seems the blender took a cat nap while blending the Recluse Amadeus.

I must also bring truth to advertising…For the most part; I’m not a Dominican tobacco fan. It finds its way into too many listless cigars.
I have no luck with burn lines on box pressed sticks. Yet, the Recluse Amadeus seems to be doing fine. One minor touch up and I’m good to go.

Flavors are dull as I approach the second third. This will be contrary to my prediction earlier. This will be a quick review.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 15 minutes.
The strength squeezes out a near medium body.
Flavors are less than dull. They are non-existent.
There is nothing but cheap catalog bundle cigar character.

It can’t be the humidor time. It has had all it needs.
Hay becomes the prominent flavor. Great.

The first cigar of the day is my favorite stick. It usually shines with flavor. Except for the dog turds, of course. But it is my most enjoyable stick of the day…especially on the days I don’t write a review.
And the Recluse Amadeus is ruining my morning.

I’ve smoked my share of mild/medium cigars that I truly enjoyed. Blended by folks that knew what they were doing: Nomad Connecticut Fuerte, My Father Connecticut, Romeo y Julieta Reserve Rare 11 Years Old, Cornelius by Cornelius & Anthony, La Hoja Edición Crema 1962, and Emilio AF Suave.

I sense flavors are beginning to percolate now.
The red pepper has come to life. More creaminess on the finish. Lemon citrus is still maintaining the lead. And various other vague flavors seem to have the desire to break free but aren’t quite there yet.
Even at the low millennial price of $7.50, I wouldn’t pay more than $3 for the Recluse Amadeus.

Back in 2013, I reviewed the original Recluse and enjoyed it considerably more than this blend.
Bland is bland is bland.

Being a mild/medium blend does not prevent it from being tasty. It is as though Iconic Leaf decided to make something equivalent to a Quorum but felt they could charge 3 times as much for the fancy white and silver billboard bands.

The Recluse Amadeus doesn’t provide the motivation to take a lot of photos. What for? I’m just going to trash it when I rate it. Even if the last third blows me out of my socks, it will be too little, too late.

Halfway point and the blend improves some. A few flavors come out of hiding. The citrus, the cream, caramel, nuts, and spice. Doesn’t seem like much when I analyze it and put it into writing.
Smoke time is half an hour. I’m now entering the fun zone where the cigar is more fully packed and slowing its cigarette-like quick burn.

Sorry Joey. It’s a slug.
The space time continuum slows down to a crawl.

If I was a smart guy, I should have paid more attention to the so so reviews and skipped writing my own version. I add nothing to the conglomerate.
Man, Iconic Leaf really screwed the pooch with the Recluse Amadeus.
Yet it remains for sale in regular production. There are no shortages of online stores that carry this afterbirth.

When my daughter was born, I did the new age thing and was in the delivery room with my wife. I stood next to her head in the room. They had a mirror placed so I could get a bird’s eye view of my wife’s quedgie. I didn’t look. I had to have sex with that thing in a couple of months and this is not what I wanted to remember.
The doc thought it was funny and kept trying me to look. I refused.
Katie was born and in he went for the afterbirth. I turned my head the other way.
“Phil! Take a look!!”
I snapped my head towards the doc just as he plopped this 3lb piece of raw liver in a big plastic tub with a loud plopping noise. I gagged. He laughed.

Voila! As I expected. Approaching the final third, the blend blossoms. Or at least, its version of blossoming.
It goes from a hay dominant blend to some barely complex flavors…Spice becomes black pepper, lots of creaminess, citrus, caramel, cedar, nuts, buttered toast, a bevy of malts show up to save the day, mild chocolate, mild coffee, kettle corn, and baking spices.
Oh fuck me.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
Unless the Recluse Amadeus needs 6 months of humidor time, it fails to impress.
Strength hits a solid medium.
I have to make sure I review a good cigar tomorrow. Dissing a blend is a bummer.

Finally. At last. A decent flavor profile attaches itself to the Recluse Amadeus.
I have less than 1-1/2” to go and only now does it exhibit some character. This is not a good sign for any blend.
Sure, it is now the sweet spot. But I think it pisses me off more than if it had just died without improvement.

Don’t waste your time with the Recluse Amadeus.

It tastes pretty good now. Sonovabitch.

The black pepper is raging now. This should have occurred much earlier. It would have been a great start to the cigar.
It’s taken 3 years to find six mild/medium bodied cigars that I took a liking to.

This mild strength is aimed at newbies and those smokers that fear to tread in the deep water. If I had been told this was a $2.00 bundle cigar, I wouldn’t have blinked.
The flavor surge dissipates. Back to square one.
Forget this. I must have something better to do with my time.
Final smoke time is 55 minutes.

RATING: 75