First came the Black, then the Blue, followed by the Red. This year, Micallef introduced the Purple, which combines the wrapper and some fillers from the Blue with the binder and some fillers from the Red.

• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Sumatra
• Binder: Nicaraguan Broadleaf
• Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Mexican
• Size: Toro 6 x 52

The medium brown-gold wrapper is velvety smooth. The cold draw is excellent, offering notes of barnyard, hay, and wood.

Upon lighting, I noticed aromas reminiscent of a woodshop. The smoke is smooth, with hints of white and black pepper in the retrohale. The finish is lightly creamy and sweet with woody notes. The ash is firm, white-gray, and doesn’t flake. The burn is fairly even, with a thin burn line.

As the cigar progresses, flavors of caramel, cream, and nuttiness emerge alongside the pleasant woody notes. The ash fell naturally after about half an inch. The cigar is medium-bodied at best and a step or two below that in strength. The sweetness increases towards the middle of the cigar.

In the final third, the nuttiness and caramel sweetness continue to build softly. The band came off cleanly without damaging the wrapper, which I appreciate. The retrohale still has some black pepper spice, but it’s less intense than in the first half, accompanied by notes of oak and earth.

The Micallef Purple was smooth, creamy, and gently complex. I enjoyed how it progressed. The construction was excellent, with no need for relights or touch-ups. I haven’t always had good luck with Micallef, but the Purple was not just blowing smoke. It has both my respect and recommendation.