Not long ago, Gene Arganese was a real estate developer in search of a cigarmaker for a private label. When he couldn’t find one that suited him, he ended up buying a Dominican factory and making his own. The result: Arganese Cigars , which now makes a wide range of different blends, wrappers, and sizes.

The Arganese Maduro Presidenté is the company’s strongest blend, wrapped in a Brazilian maduro wrapper. This 54 ring gauge by 6 and 1/2 inch figurado is made with an Indonesian binder and Dominican filler from the Villa Gonzalez area. It retails for around $7.

The deep brown wrapper is dark and oily with a few prominent veins. Pre-light, this solidly built perfecto features oak and hay notes, and the draw had raisin and burnt coffee flavors.

After lighting the cigar, I was greeted with roast coffee and a subtle black pepper spice. The draw was deliberate, but not too difficult. It gives off a plentiful amount of airy smoke with a coffee aroma.

As the cigar progresses, leather and cream develop and the roasted finish caps off a pleasant medium- to full-bodied smoke. Of the multiple cigars I sampled for this review, none had a perfectly even burn, but that never really developed into a detriment to the cigar.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable stogie. The flavors are well-balanced and strong, the construction good (though not great), and it has an appealing look with double bands around a well-proportioned perfecto shape.

For that combination, the Arganese Maduro Presidenté Figurado earns a very reputable rating of four out of five stogies .

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- Patrick S

Tags: cigars