Maracana Robusto Extra

For the most part, cigar companies are rarely willing to publicly acknowledge that they are trying to compete with another company’s product. There are exceptions; quite clearly, no one has any issues mentioning that they are trying to make their version of a specific Cuban cigar. While Tom Lazuka, co-founder of Asylum, often mentions that his inspiration for the large ring gauges the brand is known for came from seeing empty boxes of Gran Habano and JFR, he always points out that it was the empty boxes that triggered the idea and not that he wanted to make his own version of those blends.

So this April, while I was recording a video of Tim Ozgener, founder of OZ Family Cigars and partner in Crowned Heads, talking about his new release, it stood out to me that Ozgener mentioned the CAO Brazilia by name.

Ozgener is the O in CAO. The company was founded by his father, Cano A. Ozgener, and Tim worked at the company, including as president, until it was absorbed into STG’s General Cigar Co in 2010.

As Ozgener says in the video above, retailers and consumers would mention the CAO Brazilia and would encourage him to do something similar. So, that’s what he did.

The new line is called Maracana, named after Estádio do Maracanã, the legendary soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro that is home to the Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Fluminense.

That Ozgener decided to do a modern-day take on CAO Brazilia would be news in and of itself. However, Maracana is being made at My Father Honduras, the still relatively new factory from the García family, yet one that quickly put itself on the map with its highly-lauded debut release, My Father Blue. And while that is notable, to me, the far more interesting part of the story is that Ozgener says this is the first cigar made by My Father that uses Brazilian tobacco. In fact, he said that the Garcías hadn’t worked with it before.

As for that Brazilian tobacco, it’s an Arapiraca wrapper over binders from Honduras and Nicaragua as well as fillers from those two countries.

It is offered in four pressed vitolas:

• Maracana Robusto (5 x 52) — $12.75 (Box of 21, $267.75)
• Maracana Robusto Extra (5 1/2 x 55) — $13.50 (Box of 21, $283.50)
• Maracana Gordo (6 x 60) — $13.75 (Box of 21, $288.75)
• Maracana Toro (6 1/2 x 50) — $12.95 (Box of 21, $271.95)

• Cigar Reviewed: Maracana Robusto Extra
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: My Father Cigars Honduras
• Wrapper: Brazil (Ariparaca)
• Binder: Honduras & Nicaragua
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 55
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $13.50 (Box of 21, $283.50)
• Release Date: June 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

With the green bands at both the top and bottom of the cigar, there’s a great contrast to the red hues in the brown wrappers. Many pictures of these cigars show darker wrappers than how I perceive them to the eye, but they are certainly darker than the median. More unique is that there are more tiny hairs, or perhaps more visible tiny hairs, coming from the wrapper than most cigars. Additionally, the first cigar has a particularly long vein, one that runs nearly the full-length of the cigar. The aromas from the wrappers of the first and third cigars are not particularly appetizing: a saltiness that reminds me of sweat, some white gravy and the smell of hot asphalt, medium-plus. There’s no smell from the second cigar’s wrapper. The feet are medium-plus with a mixture of dry fall leaves and some fertilizer-heavy potting soil. Cold draws are medium-full with milk chocolate leading secondary notes including woods, generic fruits, white sponge cake, and some processed poultry.

The Maracana Robusto Extras start medium-full with woods, buttered popcorn, earth, milk chocolate, brown rice, roasted flavors and gingerbread. All three start impressively, but the first cigar is a bit of a “hello” moment because of how dynamic it is. There’s a detail to the flavors that so few cigars have, best shown off in the first cigar. The first two cigars are similar with lots of chocolate and wood flavors over some wheat bread, paprika and salt. The third has a lot of the same flavors—bread is a leading note instead of chocolate—but without the depth and detail. The first two cigars see the brown rice flavor last through the finish, joined by some medium-dark espresso, and dry herbs; grittier, more tart and also more intertwined than the main flavor. The third cigar is sharper and harsher thanks to an uptick in minerals and black pepper, the only time pepper makes an appearance in the first section. Retrohaling pairs wood with some floral and lime flavors while secondary notes include wheat bread, wood, chicken stock, salt and some sweet pastry. That sweet pastry note leads the third cigar, more of a plain Danish, though it doesn’t last as long as the flavors in the other two. The finish gets toastier and grittier with some added leather and cinnamon. Flavor is medium-full in the mouth but full for retrohales, body is medium-full and strength is medium. Construction-wise, multiple sections of my notes describe the burn as ugly but effective. While the ash could look prettier, there are no actual issues.

Shortly before the halfway mark, the first two cigars see the earthiness pick up and eventually take over as the strongest singular flavor. Other flavors include black pepper, leather, peanuts and creaminess. Some puffs have just two or three flavors, others have the full array. The third cigar has woodiness and creaminess leading the earthiness. The finish adds sesame seeds and toastiness, though more often than not there’s no detectable pepper, an oddity given the uptick in toastiness. Again, the third cigar is completely different, more along the lines of how the first two cigars tasted in the first third: creaminess, peanuts, mild milk chocolate, toastiness and earth. Like in the first third, the retrohales are more similar: leather leads each cigar with secondary notes of nuttiness, toastiness, raspberry, creaminess and salt. The finish is drier with pasta, earth, wheat bread, charcoal and salt. Flavor remains medium-full in the mouth but fuller via retrohales, body is medium-full and strength is medium. The second and third cigars need a touch-up each, not surprising given how jagged the burn line has been.

Through the first two thirds, the first cigar was my favorite of the trio, but that has changed for the final third. Nuttiness, dry pasta and a consistent black pepper emerge, creating a sharper and more bitter profile. It’s far from overly sharp or bitter, but a completely different profile compared to the first hour. The other two cigars are led by woods with toastiness, wheat bread, leather, black pepper, creaminess and dry grass. Each puff is good for up to four flavors at a time, with varying amounts of depth and detail of each flavor. Earthiness takes over the finish, damper for the first cigar, with grains, leather and white pepper in tow. The first cigar has an interesting vegetal flavor that I eventually place as celery. Retrohaling sees the first two cigars more aligned: peanuts, sawdust, a whisky burn and some dry crackers. The first cigar has white pepper, whereas the second cigar has cinnamon but no real pepper. The third cigar has an interesting contrast between dry minerals, lime and black pepper. White pepper is part of each retrohale’s finish with varying degrees of minerals, leather and toastiness. Flavor is medium-full for the first two cigars but full in the third, body is medium-full and strength is medium for the first two but full in the third. Construction-wise, there are no deductions in the final third.

Final Notes

• Estádio do Maracanã was built for the 1950 World Cup and has played host to a long list of famous events and moments. Amongst them are the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Pelé’s 1000th goal. In a month, it will host an NFL game between the Cowboys and Ravens. #GoBirds, though not those birds.
• I don’t know the last time I smoked a CAO Brazilia. While I enjoyed it more than the Italia, it was never my favorite CAO, even during the last couple of years of Ozgener-led CAO.
• My favorite CAO is an old L’Anniversaire, released for the company’s 30th anniversary. The original ones were made by Perdomo and I still remember smoking a specific one in the summer of 2010. It was the cigar that made me realize how much I enjoy Cameroon wrapper.
• Compared to the second cigar, the first cigar was able to deliver more vibrant and detailed flavors for much longer and didn’t have a single construction issue. It was a special cigar, something I rarely ever find and a reminder of just how good a cigar can be.
• Per both Ozgener and Jon Huber: Crowned Heads and OZ Family Cigars are one company, Crowned Heads. There are different brands within the company, but it’s one ownership structure, one sales team, one warehouse, etc. Going forward, you will see halfwheel treat both as one company.

• This is the first time I can recall seeing a foot band with a printed UPC on it.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• Crowned Heads lists the Maracana Robusto Extra at 5 1/2 x 55, above are the dimensions I found for the three cigars smoked for this review. While hardly a consistent rule: I’m not surprised to learn that the cigar that tasted the most different was also the one with the weight that was most different.
• Final smoking time was right under two hours for the first two cigars but two hours and 30 minutes for the third cigar. I didn’t notice the difference until the final third, when the third cigar slowed down and got stronger.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, JR Cigar and Small Batch Cigar carry the Maracana Robusto Extra. Cigars Daily carries the line but doesn’t list this vitola.

Crowned Heads
Honduras
Maracana
Maracana Robusto Extra
My Father Cigars Honduras
OZ Family Cigars
Robusto Extra