Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro isn’t anything new to the cigar scene. In fact, it was released last year at the IPCPR show in New Orleans, and the Entubar has been circulating cigar stores for about a year before that considering the company has only been around since early 2009. The thing is, much like many other brands, Berger & Argenti isn’t a brand that’s easy to come by here in El Paso. Not to mention Berger & Argenti is a Brick & Mortar exclusive product. These were actually sent over to me by one of our greatest sponsors, Bonita Smoke Shop.

The Good Stuff: The Entubar Quad Maduro is the second release in the Entubar series. The first being the standard Entubar which carried a Habano wrapper vs. The Nicaraguan Sun Grown Maduro wrapper the Quad Maduro that has been aged in oak barrels since 2002. It runs around $9 – $10 a stick.  Here is their description on the blend:

Each deeply aged Nicaraguan filler leaf is carefully rolled into itself creating delicate ‘scrolls’ of rich, flavorful tobacco. This age-old method ensures open chambers of air flow from the foot to the head of the cigar, creating a superior draw…The ligero tobacco leaves that lend the cigar its unique full body is bunched independently from the rest of the blend before it’s re-bunched directly into the center of the remaining Entubar rolled filler blend. This ligero channel ranges the full length of the cigar and extends ¼ beyond the finished trimmed foot, creating a startlingly unique fuse like appearance that virtually assures a perfect, conical burn with a long white ash.

Size: 6 7/8 x 56  (torpedo) –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Maduro  –  Binder: Nicaraguan  –  Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican  –  Body: Full

Now if this isn’t a crazy looking cigar, I don’t know what is. The Entubar Quad Maduro starts off with this crazy looking foot. It’s much like any other box pressed cigar but it has this large nub sticking out of the middle of it. Along with the nub is a HUGE yellow warning band stating “ADVISORY – Thoroughly toast entire cigar foot before smoking. I don’t know about smoking a cigar with a warning label on it (as if cigar smoking was healthy to begin with). We’ll have to see if this really does affect the experience, or if it’s nothing more then just a cleaver marketing ploy.

Once you pass the strange foot you come to the body of the cigar. Almost pitch black with dark brown and black colors. The wrapper is very spotty, which when it comes to maduros is a good thing. It shows that Berger & Argenti don’t dye their wrappers like some other manufacturers out there. The wrapper is very smooth and durable with a slight tooth, and almost non-existent veins. The band on this cigar is awesome looking. It’s a very basic brown and white wrapped band with the name of the manufacturer on it topped op with a nice, elegant gold Berger & Argenti sticker that almost looks like the old school melted wax seals they used to seal envelopes. After the band is a very sharp, pointed torpedo style cap. All in all this is a very good looking cigar, albeit a little gimmicky we’ll have to see how the crazy composition plays into the experience. The wrapper gives off a very very, sweet and pungent tobacco scent while the foot remains very neutral with just soft hints of chocolate and spice.

First Smoke: Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro start off with this crazy, almost overwhelming chocolate within the first few puffs. After the first few puffs the chocolate subsides a bit and lets through a really nice mixture of spice, tobacco, and just tons of coffee. This is probably the closest you can get to an infused cigar without actually smoking an infused cigar. Now, that’s not a bad thing at all, in fact, it’s starting off incredibly enjoyable, smooth, and very flavorful. The draw is just incredible. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the silly nub, but if so, it’s worth it. Each puff delivers this massive cloud of thick white smoke. I’m not having to hit this cigar more than once or twice to get the amount of draw that I enjoy. Usually, it takes at least 2 to 3 on most other cigars. The burnline for the most part is pretty even with the exception of a few wider waves. I wasn’t expecting that considering how difficult it was to maneuver my lighter around the nubby foot. The ash left behind is a bright white, lighter grey mixture which seems pretty solid with the exception of a few larger flakes towards the very beginning of the foot. The ash only held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Crazy enough, I didn’t pick up any pepper at the start of this Entubar Quad Maduro, but I am getting a ton of it now. Usually this is the point where it starts to really fade. Interesting. Along with the pepper came a lot more body from this Entubar Quad Maduro. The spice really picked up too with the bittersweet chocolate, and coffee taking the back burner. The retrohale was way more pepper-based then I thought it would be, and almost rough at times but leaves behind an awesome dark-chocolate priming. I just can’t handle retrohaling this cigar too often. The burnline is still producing some non-threatening, wider waves, but it hasn’t needed any attention from lighter yet.

Finish: At this point Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad Maduro has really started to smooth out. The pepper has all but faded away, the spice is a bit more dormant, and now I am left with this awesome mocha-latte flavor. What an interesting experience. This has been a rollercoaster of flavor and to be honest, I am happy to see the cigar really mellowing-out at the end. Not to say it wasn’t flavorful, but the body really dropped out. The burnline has been a bit wavy the entire time, but I t never needed touch-ups or any relights. The body was medium-full, then full, then back to a more dormant full. You can feel it the entire time, but it doesn’t knock you on your ass. All in all, it took about an hour and a half to take down this beast of a cigar.

Overview: Berger & Argenti’s Quad Maduro is really a departure from the norm. If you are looking for a unique experience, without getting far away from what we have all grown to love in most cigars these days then this is definitely a cigar you want to try out. The robust flavors, and interesting way in which the Entubar delivers them makes for a really different cigar. I personally really enjoyed this cigar, and the consensus among a lot of other reviewers are the same. And to be honest, I was really skeptical at first thinking that this is just another gimmicky cigar, and another attempt and cigar marketing, but Berger & Argenti really came up with a solid cigar.

Pairing: Since it is coming to a close of the summer season I decided to pair this cigar with another all time favorite summer ale, Dupont’s Saison. I’m a sucker for Sasion/Farmhouse Ales, slap a “product of Belgium” stamp on there and I’m sold.  Dupont’s Saison is one of the world’s most famous, and enjoyed Saisons coming in at 6.5% ABV brewed by Brasserie Dupont, in Tourpes Belgium. Dupont’s Saison is a rich, thick, ale with a very fruity, floral bouquet of flavors finishing in a nice, sharp citrus aftertaste. Did it go well with this cigar. Neh. I struck out this time, and I should have known it. Maduros, especially complex maduros such as Berger & Argenti’s Entubar Quad usually pair better with porters, and stouts. Anything with a richer, more coffee/chocolate build up. Since this was a deeper, sweeter cigar the floral and citrus flavors from the Saison just sat on top of the Entubar’s profile. Coffee would have went great with this cigar or even some nice whiskey.

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Currently, Berger & Argenti offer 3 lines, the Entubar, Classico and Mooch. Today’s review will focus on the Classico line which is currently offered in 3 sizes, a Rothschild, Belicoso, and Churchill. Berger & Argenti hails from Miami, Florida and began business only in 2009. The Argenti brothers that started this company have quickly released some quality products and made a name for themselves in the cigar market. They are associated with Tabacalera Esteli in Nicaragua which is run by Enrique Berger. And that’s how the name was born!

A little warning here, it’s crazy cold outside here! Temp is dipping around -12 Celsius (10 Farenheit) and dropping. Although I have a propane heater here, the dry and cold air can suck the humidity out of some cigars. With that in mind, lets see how this cigar stacks up!

Cigar: Berger & Argenti Classico
Drink: Rickards Dark Ale
Vitola: Rothschild (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Equadorian Desflorado Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $5.50
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• A smooth and oily medium brown wrapper holds this cigar together
• There are some visible veins but they are all smooth to the touch, no large ones at all
• The triple cap is cleanly applied and secure
• There is a slight spring throughout the cigar, not too soft and not too firm
• The foot appears well packed except for one fair sized hole, hoping it doesn’t cause any issues
• A couple of the wrappers I’ve had have dark spots on them, possible just some water spots
• The cut left a nice clean edge but exploded into a million pieces in my ashtray

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly painless, evenly glowed with minimal effort
• The burn started off nice and even and has stayed razor sharp through the first few inches
• No issues in the burn department as I hit the last third, I love it when cigars burn like this
• Great burn the whole way through right up to the nub

Smoke & Ash:
• Initial draws offered a moderate mouthful of smoke
• Resting smoke is almost non-existent, but still gives off a pleasant cedar aroma
• The ash is coming out with a nice white finish and some small zebra striping
• It is staying clean and tightly bound so far, a very nice ash
• Ash fell off into the ashtray while it was resting there after about 1.5 inches
• Second ash still held strong past an inch, this time it fell in my lap but it still held together and I was able to pick it up and toss it back in the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a soft woodsy aroma to it with a touch of nutmeg spice that tingles on the nose
• The foot has similar notes to the wrapper but a much more prominent spice is noticeable, maybe some pepper thrown in there now
• Pre-light draw was mostly cedar but I did get an odd bitter taste on my tongue, let’s hope it doesn’t stick around
• Initial draws are packed with more cedar and some subtle nutmeg notes
• I immediately noticed a fair amount of dryness on this cigar
• Body is in the mild-medium range and the retrohale has a touch of bite and a cedar finish, not too smooth at this point
• As the cigar progresses, I’m picking up a small licorice like flavor, i hope this develops more
• As I pass the first third, I’m picking up a hint of coffee now, all the flavors are starting to balance together nicely now
• I’m happy to find that the licorice flavors are sticking around and fighting back and forth with the coffee
• At the half-way point, some of the spice is starting to re-appear, more pepper then nutmeg now
• The spice and body definitely started to pick up after passing the half-way mark, thankfully the dryness has disappeared
• The licorice has mostly disappeared now and the spices are balancing well with the coffee and woodsy flavors that remain
• The woodsy and peppery notes have mostly taken control now, I’m getting the nutmeg poking in here once in awhile to change it up
• The cigar finished up in the lower end of the full range

Final Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised with this cigar. I’m always hesitant when trying new brands, especially from such a young company. But it seems that the backing of the experienced factory in Nicaragua has proven to be a wonderful partnership. The cigar had an interesting and enjoyable flavor profile with a fair bit of dimensionality. I think the factor here was the Connectcut wrapper bringing some sweet and smooth creaminess and the Corojo binder adding some spice and body. It made for a well balanced cigar. The construction was also spot-on with great burn and ash throughout. This cigar is definitely worth giving a try, and since it’s priced fairly, could easily make an entry into your regular rotation.

Pairings:
I’ve enjoyed this brew with a few cigars and so far it has not let me down. It is a very smooth drinking dark ale that is modelled after English porters. The Rickard’s brewery is based out of Canada, and in true Canadian form it is brewed with Maple Syrup. The syrup flavors are not overly intense but they are definitely there and taste great along with the coffee and malt flavors. It paired very well with the spicy, coffee and licorice notes of the cigar and helped bring them out. Other good pairings for this cigar would include port, other dark porters or stouts, or a nice strong coffee.

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