Micallef Color Blend Bundles #2

Since the introduction of the Micallef Black in mid-2023, nearly every story that we have published about Micallef has been regarding a cigar in its Color Series.

The Color Series, which includes Black, Blue, Green, Purple, Red and White—is unique for its consistency. Each line is offered in two standard vitolas—Robusto (5 x 52, $8) and Toro (6 x 52, $9)—despite the different blends. Additionally, some of the blends are also offered in exclusive sizes for specific retailers. However, for the most part, it’s a half dozen blends offered in the same two sizes at the same two price points.

Earlier this year, the company announced a standalone line called Color Series that would differ from the existing six lines in a few different ways. Most notably, it’s a mixed filler cigar, meaning the filler blend contains the tobacco cuts that are leftover from making longfiller cigars. Second, it’s offered in a 6 x 60 gordo instead of the robusto, though the toro remains. Finally, it’s sold in bundles and not boxes.

• Micallef Color Blend Bundles #2 (6 x 52) — $5 (Bundle of 20, $100)
• Micallef Color Blend Bundles 660 (6 x 60) — $6.60 (Bundle of 20, $132)

The company says the fillers come from the trimmings from the various other Color Series lines.

• Cigar Reviewed: Micallef Color Blend Bundles #2
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Micallef Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Undisclosed (Sumatra)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Varies
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $5 (Bundle of 20, $100)
• Release Date: April 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While it doesn’t photograph well, the silver band is holographic. When a factory wants to save money, there are ways to do it discreetly, but other times it’s quite obvious. The difference in the wrappers between the second and third cigars is an example of the latter. Whereas the second cigar looks like it had some added pattern of tiny black spots, enough that it probably got rejected for higher-end cigars, the third cigar looks like any standard cigar. The particular shade of brown is quite dull with more yellows than red, but the texture and cleanliness are quite good. The aromas from the wrappers are identical: medium-full with a smell of potting soil that reminds me of the home and garden section. The feet are medium-plus to medium-full; there’s some woodiness, but the potting soil scent is much stronger from the bottom of the cigar. Each cold draw is medium and pretty nondescript. There’s dry wood, cereal, nuttiness and a chemical flavor that reminds me somewhat of chlorine—a softer and drier chemical compared to others—but is not identical.

The Micallef Color Blend #2 starts off with dry earth, dry woods, some mild sweetness and black pepper, barely medium-plus. Pretty early on, it’s apparent that the flavor profile is hitting a different part of the flavor wheelhouse than what I’m used to. The flavors are rather dry, and there’s an ever-present mild metallic flavor that isn’t all that common. The core is a mixture of dry earth and aged tobacco with accents of spearmint, unlit cannabis, woodiness, sugar and, on the second cigar, a distinct Triscuits flavor. The finish of the first cigar reminds me of a leftover salted pretzel along with potting soil, while the other two cigars are led by creaminess, with the earth getting drier and funkier. Retrohales are far more interesting. The first cigar has a smooth mixture of peanuts, pretzels and pistachio cream, while the second cigar takes the main flavor and adds some sugar candy sweetness. The third cigar is more intense than the other two, with the smoke through the nose intensifying the earthiness, white pepper and creaminess. Unfortunately, the finish is drier with the creaminess, woodiness and pepper sticking around. Flavor is medium or medium-plus, body is medium or medium-plus, and the strength is undetectable. While the ash is flakier than most cigars I smoke, I have no complaints about construction.

There’s not a ton of dramatic changes in store for the second third of the Color Blend #2. Had I not been smoking these cigars for review, there’s no way I’d notice much of a difference. It’s still got most of the same flavors, but the creaminess is more consistently at the front of the profile. At times, the first cigar reminds me of overly buttered sandwich bread, while the second cigar has some acorns and a perfume-like flavor I cannot identify. The finish sees the creaminess more in charge as the woodiness and earthiness are starting to let up, it’s certainly not the most dynamic flavor profile, though the second cigar has some charcoal. Retrohaling remains the most interesting part of the cigar. The first cigar is led by nuttiness with secondary notes of aloe, dry grains, leather and some vanilla frosting. The second cigar has the nuttiness, but it is joined by plain bagel and yellow mustard. The third cigar has a very unique saltiness, almost like a salt brine, along with white pepper, green pepper and sugar. Unfortunately, the second half of the cigar is bringing out this very dry tobacco flavor, with hints of carpet and dusty soil, which I’m not a fan of. There’s not too much of a change on the finish; the first cigar adds some muted lime, the second cigar has a burnt flavor, and the third cigar gets spicier. Flavor is medium-plus for the first cigar, medium-full for the second and full for the third. Body is medium for the first, mild for the second and medium-plus for the third. I continue to not find any hint of nicotine. On the plus: construction remains great.

While there weren’t many changes between the first and second thirds, there are even fewer in the final third. If anything, it’s more about flavors departing. The aforementioned dusty tobacco and dry carpet flavors are more prominent accents, though the old carpet tint is stronger. It’s not a pleasant combination, especially not after an hour. There’s still some nuttiness, random doses of white sugar, and metallic accents, but the list of flavors is reduced. The finish is slightly cleaner, though still far too dry and metallic for my liking. At times during the second third, there’s an added acidity, though it’s quite subtle. Retrohales are still led by nuttiness, though dry herbs—oregano and paprika—are more prevalent, along with some added pencil lead and some jus-like hints. That said, it’s all quite fleeting in comparison to the nuttiness and dry and metallic earthiness. Flavor is medium-full for the first two cigars, full for the third. Body is medium or medium-plus, and I still cannot find any strength. Again, construction is excellent.

Final Notes

• I’m a big fan of the Color Series concept, and given that Micallef has done basically nothing but Color Series releases since 2023, I’m guessing it’s working.
• I think that bundle cigar smokers are more likely to notice inconsistencies than most of the people who smoke “top shelf” cigars. As such, this being a mixed filler might be a slight issue, as I don’t know how Micallef can make these cigars taste consistent. Even if it was only using the trimmings from one blend, it’s not as if the ratio of the trimmings would be consistent.
• When I first started writing about cigars, $5 was the “value in a box” price point. Companies were regularly trying to produce cigars that would start around $5, be sold in boxes and marketed with the “this could have been a $10 cigar.” Given inflation and other cost increases, I’d estimate that price point today is around $9, though the marketing isn’t as explicit as it once was.
• At the beginning of the third cigar’s second third, there were two puffs that produced a pretty loud swishing noise. I’d guess they were related to pockets of air within the filler. While I sometimes hear noises from cigars, this was louder and a different type of noise than I normally hear.
• The aftertaste in my mouth after smoking one of these cigars was pretty unpleasant, much more so than how I normally perceive it.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• Micallef lists the Color Blend Bundles #2 as 6 x 52 toros. Above are the dimensions I found for the three cigars that I smoked.
• Final smoking time was a bit all over the place. The first cigar took nearly two and a half hours, the second cigar clocked in at an hour and 40 minutes, and the third cigar was two hours. I suspect that I could have smoked these as quickly as I wanted without much risk of changing the flavor profile.

Micallef Cigars
Micallef Cigars S.A.
Micallef Color Blend Bundles
Micallef Color Blend Bundles #2
Micallef Color Series
Nicaragua
Toro