Macanudo Ecuadorian Shade and Sumatra cigars are made in Nicaragua and both have the same blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos and U.S. Broadleaf binder, but each cigar has a different wrapper. Macanudo Ecuadorian Shade uses an Ecuadorian Shade wrapper and Macanudo Sumatra has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Both versions of the these cigars became available during April 2026 in three box-pressed vitolas including a Robusto size (5 x 50) priced at $6.99, which are the subjects of the following reviews. For more information about these cigars, please check out the press release.
Review of Macanudo Ecuadorian Shade Cigar
(scroll down for review of the Sumatra version)
The sample Macanudo Ecuadorian Shade cigars started off with a sweet creamy flavor along with hints of a mild spice. The sweetness faded within the first five minutes, and the creamy flavor with hints of light spice remained pretty consistent until the end of the smoking sessions. The smoke was mild bodied, and these cigars were actually some of the mildest that I have smoked in a long time.
The Macanudo Ecuadorian shade cigars were well made and had a very good draw, held a long ash and had an even burn. No touch-ups were needed during the smoking sessions, but a relight was needed on both samples about halfway down. I ashed each sample cigar twice at 15 minute intervals and then continued smoking for another 15 minutes until the cigars went out by themselves with 1½ inches remaining, making for a total smoking time of 45 minutes.
Macanudo Ecuadorian Shade cigars would be a great choice for new cigar smokers, and will pair very well with a light beer on a hot day. I rate them with a good 3.5 points on a 5-point scale, and consider them a good deal at $6.99 per stick.
Review of Macanudo Sumatra Cigar
The sample Macanudo Sumatra Robusto cigar began with an enjoyable combination of cocoa, wood and leather flavors. After about 20 minutes, the leather flavor became predominate as the cocoa taste continued to gradually fade until the end of the smoking session. The smoke was rich but not bold, and was medium bodied.
I ashed the cigar for the first time at the 15-minute mark, and then again after another 20 minutes at the 35-minute point. I continued smoking for another 10 minutes until the cigar went out by itself with 1½ inches remaining, resulting in a total smoke time of 45 minutes.
The sample Macanudo Sumatra cigar was well-made and had a very good draw, even burn, and held a long ash. No relights nor touch-ups were needed. I enjoyed the first 20 minutes more than the last 25 minutes. Overall, a good-plus rating of 3.75 points on a 5-point scale is appropriate, as the very good 4 points earned during the first half slipped to a good 3.5 points by the end. I definitely enjoyed this fuller Macanudo Sumatra cigar more than the milder Ecuadorian Shade version, and consider it to be a very good value at $6.99 per stick.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.
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