Macaw by Blackbird Cigar Co.

Got another special one lined up today. Whenever I see Blackbird drop a new blend, it goes on my priority list, because I love this company. It’s smaller, but growing pretty rapidly, and I’ve been blown away by every blend they’ve put forth so far — back since almost their very start.

The latest by Blackbird is the first to be named for a bird that is notably not black — the Macaw is, in fact, probably the most recognizable of the parrot family; bright red, with yellow and blue on its wings and tail. It’s a strong indicator that this stick is taking us to new places, so I’m very excited to have managed to snag a pair. In fact, this blend incorporates different components of many of Blackbird’s more popular regular production blends, so it’s kind of like a “super-Blackbird” limited edition smoke (only 500 boxes of 14 were produced, and most of those sold out before I managed to get any!).

Cigar: Macaw by Blackbird Cigar Co.

Vitola: Gordo (5 1/8” x 58)

Price: $16.00

Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Brazilian Cuban Seed
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania
Body: Medium to Full

Rating (out of 10): 10

Appearance:
This stick is most definitely a split from the norm for Blackbird; it’s box pressed, featuring a tightly-rolled pigtail cap, and even the band itself is a departure. Bordered on both ends in silver, this one does not feature the standard Blackbird “pull-tab” style wrap, but a new tab featuring a QR square to scan for a special AR “Macaw” that opens up in the Aritize phone app! The name “Macaw” also appears on the band in red, yellow, and blue, rather than a single color like the regular Blackbird blends. This is just a very different stick, with a bold new look.

The wrapper is a rich and oily milk chocolate brown with a slight red tint to it, with nearly invisible seams and minimal veins. As with some of the other lines, it features a closed foot.

Construction:
The Macaw is perfectly balanced, soft (but not too soft), with an absolutely perfectly placed cap.

Aroma:
The barrel smells of cedar and espresso, and there’s distinct notes of chocolate at the foot.

First Third:
The cold draw is rich and creamy, sweet like coffee with cream, chocolate, and a hint of caramel.

Very faint hits of pepper after lighting, but otherwise the flavor is consistent with the cold draw. It’s a very smooth smoke, somewhere between silky and creamy.

The burn is mostly even, not absolutely perfect, but then, I’m smoking outside against a bit of a breeze, so… that certainly has some kind of effect.

The ash is nice and firm, almost perfectly white. Just gotta make sure I don’t drop it all over my black Sailors and Sticks shirt!

Second Third:
Second third is pretty consistent with the first, which is great — I’m loving the flavor on this one, and already wishing I’d managed to get my hands on a whole box (or two or three!).

The burn is still nice and even, even as the wind picks up (and carrying a light mist of rain, now, too).

Final Third:
A touch more spice moving into the last third, but otherwise the flavor profile remains. It’d go great with a nice mocha.

The burn is doing better, now that the wind has calmed and the rain has stopped. In New England, though, who knows how long that will last?

Some soft notes of something almost like spiced vanilla toward the end, it’s a very nice touch.

Closing Thoughts:
This has been one of the most enjoyable smokes I’ve experienced, either from Blackbird specifically (and I’ve loved everything I’ve had from them), or even in general. I’m very happy giving it a perfect score, and hopefully I manage to get a few more at some point, because I definitely don’t want this to be the last one!