Once again, we will work on the truth that mighty mighty internet friends are real friends and I'll fight you if you say otherwise.
Our Twitter pal Paul Maldonado (@MaldonadoDynasty) and I spent weeks making each other and our pals laugh. In the back of my head, I assumed he had something to do with cigars, since cigars tie all the other folks in our little group together. And then I found out he has his own blend, partly because another Twitter BFF (@TonyCigarCorner) had just reviewed them on his site.
After I finished bashing my head on the cigar lounge bar and came up for an adult beverage, Paul offered to send a couple of his exclusive premium cigar, the Mogul, our way. Who are we to refuse?
I poked Valentino with a sharp stick and when that didn't offer any results, I swiped his cutter so he couldn't get into any cigar. He relented and lit up the Mogul (after I cut it for him, of course). And then he apologized for waiting so long. (He does have a very long to-smoke list.) |
| These lovelies arrived soon after. |
"We captured the sophistication and elegance of the distinguished gentleman," says Maladono website when describing the cigars. "Our ultra luxury cigar 'The Mogul' boasts a rich fusion of velvety chocolate, bold notes of espresso, rich cinnamon, cedar, and elegant notes of nutmeg."
The cigars come in robusto only (4.75 x 54) and are rolled at the La Aurora factory. We'd like to tell you the wrapper, binder, and filler countries of origin, but read on--we'll let him tell you...
Q: What 3 people (alive or dead or in between) would you love to sit and smoke with
Paul: What a great question. Let me think… I would say, Voltaire would be one; he has such great insight into life and all with a light-hearted, satirist view point. He would definitely be great to hang out with and discuss life with. I’m not sure if he smoked cigars but I am almost certain he would only enjoy Moguls…
Prince Harry would be another chap I would really enjoy hanging with. He definitely is branded with the rebellious prince label - what can possibly be more fun than being around a wild prince. He seems like he would have great stories to share.
I’m torn with my third choice but I will have to go with Cleopatra… I am certain she would have boxes of Moguls around and would only smoke The Maldonado Dynasty of course. One cannot help be curious what this woman would have to say and maybe a persuasion could be made, to avoid the snake ending. Anyone with passion and such a powerful romance is interesting to me.
Q: What would you smoke? Obvs your cigar. What else?
Now this question differs from the “what other kind of cigars do you enjoy,” (obviously as cigar brand owners, we enjoy different cigars from different brands) but since these would be special occasions, I would only smoke Moguls… I know I would be utterly satisfied with my cigar and focused only on the conversation.
Q: Favorite place to smoke?
I have many favorites but The Montage in Beverly Hills is my favorite of all the spots. I hold quite a few business meetings there, as well as, meet good friends for cigars and coffees there - it’s practically the only place in town where one can sit out in public and not be harassed for enjoying a great cigar.
Tell us many lovely things about your cigar.
I love how your questions are presented. Well, I genuinely enjoy The Mogul, everyday, in fact - I wonder if my friends are tired of me saying: “Wow. This is GOOD!” every time I smoke a Mogul. Which is why I chose this particular blend to present to the world; I wanted to give the cigar world a cigar I personally treasure having every day.
I wanted to create a unique blend that has a rich complexity, a little kick of power, all centered around a chocolate, raisin, cedar flavor profile with a Luxuriously Smooth finish. I am very proud of our cigar and so thankful to the master craftsmanship of Manuel Inoa over at La Aurora. I even wrote Mr. Inoa, and the entire La Aurora family, an email recently, telling him that he is a surgeon with his precise cigar making skills — I think he enjoyed the email…
Q: From whence does your tobacco come? Particular region?
The wrapper comes from Brazil, which has become one of my favorites
because of its sweet richness. The rest of the blend has an exotic
symphony of Peruvian, Dominican, and Nicaraguan tobaccos that create this
Fantastic and Elegant cigar.
Q: How long did it take for you to come up with the Mogul blend? Can you tell us about the tobacco selection process?
Coming up with the blend took a long time actually. As with everything else I do, I like to take my time to create something extraordinary that will surpass the test of time. And I definitely wanted to set the tone with our premier cigar, so it was imperative that I focus on a blend that captured the essence of a Powerful individual with dynamic characteristics: a Mogul.
The most important part of the tobacco selection process was my desire to have a Brazilian wrapper for my first cigar. I was not going to budge on that, despite the best efforts of the old factory to introduce me to other wrappers, I knew The Mogul was going to have a Brazilian wrapper and that was it. After that, it was looking into tobaccos that complimented the wrapper with some balanced sweetness, spice, and a very smooth finish.
Q: Do you have plans to expand the line? Other sizes? Other blends?
We will definitely expand the line with new sizes, most likely a Torpedo, Churchill, and a Lancero should it be possible. It’s in the works.
I am always looking to expand our portfolio with new cigars but as I’ve stated before, I am in no rush to release a multitude of cigars into the market. My vision, is for us to have a handful of full production lines, with limited releases throughout the years but again, our main priority is quality. It’s been a wise choice, considering I don’t have the luxury of multi-generational experience in the cigar industry, so I’ve had to learn everything from scratch. I wanted to give “The Mogul,” time to develop and gain experience before releasing another blend.
Penny here! I'm back!
Oh, you crazy kids...there's more to come! Caballero #2 has one to smoke too! So stay tuned!
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