Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Maduro

Our good friends over at StogieBoys.com sent over a few Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame cigars to check out. Thurman Thomas played for the Buffalo Bills for 12 years where he set the Buffalo Bills rushing record with 11,938 yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.   In partnership with General Cigar Company, Thomas created the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame which is a StogieBoys exclusive.  The Hall of Fame is available in both a Maduro and Natural wrapper. Since Tony only follows hockey and Daniel probably doesn’t know what real football is living in Canada (not sure the relation to cigars, just wanted to point out their flaws), I was the chosen one to review the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame.  Time to check out this Dominican puro and see if it holds up to its Hall of Fame name.

The Facts
Samples Provided by StogieBoys.com
Price: $3.95 per Single/ $79.95 per Bundle/ $84.95 per Box
Format: Toro
Size: 6 by 52
Wrapper: Dominican (Maduro)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Pre-light

The Dominican Maduro wrapper appears weathered with criss-crossing small and medium veins covering the length of the cigar.  To the touch, the wrapper feels like fine grain sandpaper and is firmly packed through and through.   The wrapper is inconsistent in color and has two different brown tones with one half of the wrapper being significantly darker.

There is a faint pungent aroma with a combination of earth, wood,  and pepper with a hint of sweetness.  Even though the aroma off the foot is light, it shows off welcoming honey and tea notes.  As I snip the cap of the cigar, the extremely packed tobacco underneath is revealed.  I hope I don’t have to fight a stiff draw.  As expected, the draw is on the firm side. After two more cuts, the draw is doable. I am unable to pick up much flavor on the cold draw.

First Third

After toasting the foot of the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Maduro, I am presented with leather, coffee, cedar and citrus undertones.  There are no dominating flavors, just a smooth, balanced profile. The smoke it light on the palate.  A mild pepper steps in about an inch into the cigar.  Also, I am noticing a nice mixture of bread dough and a hint of sweetness.  The flavor mix reminds me of sweet dinner rolls.  Very tasty.  Even though the draw has a little more resistance than preferred,  I am still able to pull a good amount of smoke with each puff. The burn line is right on, leaving a dark grey, dense ash which held on for over an inch. The flavors are in the mild to medium range, and I am feeling no nicotine.

Middle Third

The smoke has become creamy, presenting dry cedar (pencil shavings), pepper,and the same sweet dinner roll-like flavor. I could retro this Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame all day.  The creamy, woodsy smoke coats my nasal passage with each retrohale.   The sweet dough flavors continue to develop, playing a more significant role in the profile.  The finish brings forth roasted nuts, coffee, and a diesel-like flavor.  The Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame seems to be burning fast but I have not encountered any burn issues.  Once again, the ash held on over an inch.  The flavors are on the medium side and strength is on the low end.

Final Third

With about two and a half inches remaining, the smoke became warm allowing in bitter flavors.  I made a conscious effort to slow down from my normal smoking pace.   I am glad I did.  The flavors have once again meshed.  The flavor profile is similar to the first third with added roasted notes and  the smoke remains creamy.  As I make my way into the last final inch plus, I remove the band with ease.  I must be having some good luck going on because I have yet to review a cigar that put up a fight on the band removal.  Nothing to add about the burn line and ash other than they were exceptional the entire stick.  Flavors remain medium and the strength is still clocking in on the low to medium side.

Wrap-up

Taking price out of the picture, the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Maduro performed to par and is a great representation of a mild to medium Dominican puro.  The Maduro wrapper gives off the bread-like sweetness which fits perfectly with the woodsy filler notes.  Since I spend most of time with more full bodied, Nicaraguan cigars, it was nice to escape from by daily routine.  I  was presently surprised with the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Maduro.  Now putting price back into the picture, WOW! This could be a great everyday smoke for the mild/medium cigar smokers out there or a morning smoke for the more full-bodied guys.  This cigar would pair perfectly with a cup of Joe early in the morning or anytime of the day.  Grab a few sticks or a bundle from StogieBoys.com and give this Hall of Fame cigar a try.