25 years ago Maya Selva started Maya Selva Cigars with the Flor de Selva in France. Since then the brand has grown and several lines have been added to her portfolio along with distribution to over 30 countries including the US. About a year ago I was gifted a some of her cigars and having smoked a few, and liked them, I thought it was about time to write about the smoking experience I had with them.

The wrapper is the color of roasted coffee beans. It has a nice oily sheen to it and is a but toothy. There is noticeable veining and the seems are tight, the body of the cigar feels full and well rolled. It has the smell of raisins, coffee and cedar. The cap cuts leaving no damage to the cigar and the cold draw has a prominent cinnamon flavor.

In the first half I enjoyed flavors of spice, coffee, and damp earth. The draw was easy but not loose, it produced a fair amount of medium weight smoke and burned evenly.

In the second half the the peppery spice remained but now had the addition of a wood flavor along with bitter dark chocolate that lasted for the remainder of the cigar. Smoke production remained consistent with the first half and the burn stayed sharp.

Knowing how long this company has been around and now knowing how good the cigar is I wish I had heard of them sooner. For those of you who normally shy away from maduros don’t be on this one, it does not have the heavy strength people generally associate with a maduro. To me it lands right around medium so this cigar is accessible to everyones profile. If you see them in your local shop make sure you pick up a few.