Since its release, Selected Tobacco’s Atabey brand has become a sought after super-premium brand. The Atabey Brujos, Ritos, and Duendes are among my favorite cigars.  Atabey is a limited production brand with only a few hundred boxes of each size released in a given year. Several years ago, Nelson released a maduro variant of the Atabey Ritos, the Atabey Black, and it is even more limited still. To my knowledge, there are only 10 stores in the country that carry it–when they can get it. Is it worth tracking down? Let’s find out!

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Peruvian and Undisclosed
• Size: Toro Gordo 6 1/8 x 55

The Atabey Black Ritos has a chocolate brown wrapper that is smooth with an oily sheen. The draw is firm, and the initial notes include cocoa, sweetness, cream, hints of nuts, and coffee. It is very smooth and creamy, with sweet milk chocolate and orange zest. The retrohale is mild, featuring light cedar and soft hints of white and black pepper. The ash is white-gray and not flaky, while the burn is slightly wavy with a thin burn line. The finish is woody, nutty, creamy, and has hints of orange citrus and baking spice. As the cigar progresses, the burn evens out and does not require correction. The retrohale intensifies, with the black and white pepper notes ramping up significantly. The flavors of wood, nuts, and coffee become more prominent, with sweetness still apparent but more supportive than at the forefront. The ash holds for well over an inch before falling unexpectedly.

In the second third, the cigar becomes sweeter again with notes of cedar, cocoa, and soft coffee. The retrohale softens with a gentle peppered cocoa. The finish is rich and creamy, with the milk chocolate returning but slightly darker and less sweet.

In the final third, the cigar transitions to darker chocolate, coffee, wood, and leather. The strength ramps up, moving from medium in body and light-medium in strength to medium-plus in body and a step or two past medium in strength. The retrohale includes charred oak notes, earth, coffee, and light pepper spice. The finish is darker and less sweet, with notes of oak, earth, and dark cocoa.

I was initially concerned about the burn, but the cigar evened itself out without needing relights or touch-ups. As expected from Nelson Alfonso, the Atabey Black Ritos offers a lot of complexity and nuance. It is smooth, balanced, and has plenty going on. The Atabey Black Ritos is not just blowing smoke, and is highly recommended.