Micallef Cigars has been busy the last few years revamping their packaging and working on a few new blends. They have also been working on new vitolas. Recently, Micallef cigars announced they would be dropping their Grande Bold line that is manufactured by STG. But all that aside, Micallef cigars introduced the Corona Extra size earlier this year along with the Toro size. Since then, it has been a cigar that we have been waiting to review.
The Reata get its name from the Reata restaurants owned by Micallef Cigars owner and founder Al Micallef. The restaurants are located in Fort Worth and Alpine, Texas. Al got the inspiration for the name of the restaurant from the “Reata Ranch” from the movie “Giant” starring James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor.
Reata’s Filler, Binder and Wrapper
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Cigar: Micallef Reata Corona Extra
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Origin: Nicaragua
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Factory: Micallef Cigars S.A.
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Wrapper: San Andreas Sumatra
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Binder: Ecuador
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Fillers: Nicaragua
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Vitola: 6″ x 46 Corona Extra
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MSRP: $10.50/$236 – Box of 25
The wrapper is a medium brown wrapper with light oils and smooth to the touch. Wrapper seems are tight with small veins present and caps are placed very well. It has two bands one with the brand name Micallef and one with the brand name Reata. The aromas off the wrapper are deep rich manure and barnyard with a slight bit of earth. The foot has a similar aroma as the wrapper but with a slight pepper tickle. The cold draw has notes of Earth, dirt, and light cedar with pepper.
On light up I tasted mild coca, pepper, and wood. The pepper was a mild pepper that stimulated the middle of the tongue. As the first third burns through notes of earth and coffee developed into the profile alongside the coca and wood. As the first third transitions into the second third the cocoa and coffee notes seem to fade into the background and the wood and earth start to dominate the profile. A very feint light sweetness starts to be present after licking the lips. The retro hale is very consistent with light pepper, and a bit of fig like sweetness.
The second third really accentuates a wood forward profile with earth, pepper, and light natural tobacco sweetness in the background supporting the wood. The pepper feels like it is stimulating the cheeks a bit more alongside the middle of the tongue. The cocoa and coffee notes have fully fallen off of the profile. As the second third develops the wood, earth, and pepper are well balanced and complimented well by the sweetness of the retro hale. The pepper picks up a bit into a red pepper and starts stimulating the front of the tongue. As the second third comes to an end the flavor profile becomes slightly muddled and a slight bitterness lingers on the tongue due to a highly wood forward profile.
The final third starts off purely with burnt musty wood, earth, and a slight sweetness. The profile becomes quite mixed up and hard to pull flavors while the tannic and bitter wood notes overpower the profile. The retro hale is becoming slightly too pepper forward and lost a bit of that sweetness. The burn required a few touch ups due to uneven burn and a relight was required near the end of the second third. The ash was dark gray with a few dark spots. The ash held on for about 1.5-2 inches until I rolled the ash off. The ash was light and flaky.
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Draw: The draw had no issues, but some may feel its slightly on the open side.
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Flavor Strength: Overall the profile exhibited a mild plus to medium flavor strength profile
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Nicotine Strength: mild to medium
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Body: mild plus – building to medium by the middle of the second third and continued to the finish of the cigar
The Reata started out with a great amount of complexity and a very intriguing flavor profile but as the second third developed into a very linear and wood forward flavor profile. The cigar had a lot of transitions as it progressed but unfortunately to me they did not transition into anything that added to the flavor profile overall and eventually transitioned to become too linear
The Reata had good construction and burn with an intriguing first third that offered a great balance of rich flavors but with a lighter body and flavor strength profile that these notes are usually attributed to. Unfortunately, it lost points due to the consistent touch ups it needed to stop the canoeing and relight as well. It also lost points due to the flavor profile becoming quite bitter wood forward by the final third and linear without much depth.
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Cigars Smoked for Review: Three
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Cigars were purchased by Smokin Tabacco
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Micallef is a sponsor of Smokin Tabacco
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Average Burn Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
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FINAL SCORE: 87
Mitchell Santaga started his journey into tobacco in 2010 by trying different flavored and machine-made cigars while enjoying a handle of Jack Daniels. Shortly after that he yearned for a more premium experience and dove headfirst into pipe tobacco that his local tobacconist blended. The tobacconist introduced Mitchell to Cuban cigars and for special occasions he would light up a Cuban cigar. Next, he stumbled into new world cigars and fell in love with the bold flavors and great consistency and construction. Ever since then he has been entrenched in exploring as much of the new world cigars and finding his favorites to keep in the humidor.
