Quick Draw: Emilio Cigars – La Musa Melete

Inspired by a personal friend, Gary Griffith, owner of Emilio Cigars, created the La Musa line of cigars. The La Musa Melete is the second release in the La Musa line following the Mousa, formely known as the Grimalkin. The Melete is produced in Esteli, Nicaragua and available in the following vitolas: Lancero (7 by 40), Corona (5 1/2 by 46), Robusto (5 by 50), Toro (6 by 50), and Torpedo (6 by 52).

The Facts

Sample Provided by House of Emilio
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Drink: Water
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 25 Minutes

Pre-light Inspection

The Melete was a solid looking cigar and, while  basic, the purple and white band popped against the medium brown wrapper. From head to foot, the cigar felt evenly filled and small to medium sized veins, as well as a good amount of bumps, added character to the Nicaraguan Habano leaf.

The wrapper aroma was surprisingly soft with woodsy and earth notes, while the foot of the cigar smelled of pepper and cedar. Upon clipping the beautifully applied triple cap, I found extremely packed tobacco restricting the draw. Cutting down to the final layer of the cap, I found some relief in the draw and was underway with the Emilio Cigar La Musa Melete.

Flavors and Performance

From the first draw, my mouth filled with wildly chewy, flavorful smoke that had an impressive amount of balance all at the same time. The soft cedar notes were more prevalent in the smoke than on the cold draw, accompanied by some unique sweetness, possibly brown sugar. As I burned further into the first third of the Melete, I began to pick up on some peppery spice, which warmed my palate nicely. The first ash dropped well past an inch and I encountered absolutely no performance issues through the first third.

As I pulled into the second third, an acidic quality, along with bitterness, arrived in the mix, reminiscent of orange peel.  The bitterness was not overpowering but balanced the sweetness and richness that developed in the woodsy flavors. The ash that was white in the first third became dark gray and the burn remained right on through the middle third.

I did not perceive any nicotine through the first or second thirds. After falling into a relaxed state of mind in the final third, I realized the nicotine  must have stepped up a notch putting the strength at just the right amount for me. The Melete continued to build in richness, the sweetness stayed level throughout, most of the bitterness exited the profile, and added earth notes brought the final third of the Melete to a close.

In Closing

The La Musa Melete was an interesting and intriguing smoke. The subtleties in the profile and the change-ups kept me engaged and desiring more. I will definitely be hunting more of these down and I hope I can still get my hands on the Lancero. From this one experience with the Melete, it has already become one of my favorite smokes from Emilio Cigars, up there with the AF1 and AF2 that I adore.