Leonel Plantation Maduro

The cigars by Leonel are the exclusive private label of the Höldke family, who run a long-established tobacco retail business under the name Bugge in Villingen-Schwenningen in the southern Black Forest. Since around 2010, father and son Höldke have continuously expanded this brand and developed it into a cigar series popular throughout Germany. The Plantation Maduro presented here impresses with its dark, elegant wrappers and offers lovers of fuller-bodied cigars intense moments of enjoyment at fair prices.

Leonel Plantation Maduro – Dark Enjoyment for Beginners and Connoisseurs

The Leonel Plantation Maduro cigars are the dark variant of the well-known series. The dark brown Maduro wrapper from the Dominican Republic encloses a Dominican binder as well as a 100% Dominican filler blend. Compared to the lighter Connecticut variant, they are more aromatic, have a fuller flavor profile, and reveal notes of cocoa, coffee, and subtle spices. I treated myself to a Robusto for testing; unfortunately, it was slightly underfilled and a bit too soft for my personal taste. That can happen — the draw was still pleasantly “firm,” so it did not detract from the smoking experience! A fun fact on the side: there used to be a rum brand called Plantation from France, which was later renamed to Planteray Rum for reasons of political correctness. We assume that the Leonel creators, the Höldkes, remembered this “freed-up” name while searching for available series names after selling this rum brand — a cool idea!

Leonel Cigars – Additional Full-Bodied Variants

Anyone looking for an even more intense cigar from the Dominican Republic should take a look at the Leonel 511 cigars. For slightly more complex aromas, the Leonel Classic cigars from Nicaragua or the Leonel Rare cigars are recommended. In addition, limited special editions from Leonel are available. Particularly exciting: the collaboration with Ralf Schumacher, which resulted in the Schumacher Selection cigar in the Gordo format.