Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro Review

Origin, Blend, and Vitolas

The Aging Room brand has been on our radar since they launched back in 2011. Most of their initial stuff was crafted in the Dominican Republic with the legendary José “Jochy” Blanco, who’s now a partner in the company. While they’ve worked with various factories, the stick that’s got everyone talking is, without a doubt, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro. This one comes from another icon, A.J. Fernandez, and it’s the specific blend that snagged the #1 spot and a 96-point rating from Cigar Aficionado in 2019.

This cigar is a Nicaraguan puro, meaning every bit of it—wrapper, binder, and filler—is made from 100% Nicaraguan tobacco.

You can grab this blend in a bunch of different sizes—they’ve got a Belicoso, Robusto, Toro, Toro Gordo, Toro Grande, and even a Tubo.

The specific one we settled on for this review was the 6×52 Toro.

On the market

You can find the Aging Room Quattro in pretty much any configuration you need: boxes of 5, 10, and 20 cigars, or just as a single stick if you want to take it for a test drive.

Appearance

Right out of the box, this cigar is a looker. The wrapper has a deep, oily, dark-chocolate-bar color, and the seams are practically invisible. It’s a sharp, soft-box pressed cigar that feels fantastic in the hand—firm and solid with no soft spots at all. It just looks and feels like a premium, well-made cigar.

Pre-Light Draw, Aroma, Taste

I gave the torpedo cap a clean V-cut, and the pre-light draw was honestly perfect. It had just the slightest bit of resistance—you know, that feeling like you’re sipping a thick, delicious milkshake.

The aroma from the foot was a rich, earthy note, almost like a sweet barnyard, with a very clear scent of cedar and some underlying cocoa powder. The cold draw itself was all cedar and a distinct, unsweetened dark chocolate.

First Third

Right off the light, I got a really nice, toasty cedar note—no harshness at all. It was immediately followed by this surprising, creamy hazelnut flavor. My buddy Nolan, who was smoking with me, said he got a much stronger, leathery blast right at the start. The retrohale was super clean, almost like sweet air.

As this first third settled in, the profile got incredibly smooth. That hazelnut note mixed with a new, buttery texture that coated everything. I started picking up a clear baking spice, like a hint of cinnamon, and a really pleasant dried fruit sweetness, almost like a dried cherry. The finish was clean and reminded me of black tea.

Second Third

This is where it took a turn, in a great way. That buttery feeling from the first third just shifted gears. It became less about cream and more about this rich, dark, malty note, like a good stout or pilsner. The spice was still there, but it was joined by a really subtle “forest floor” earthiness—very refined. The smoke output was just nuts, and the whole experience felt incredibly sophisticated.

By the end of this middle section, that malty note stepped back, and a darker, dried fruit flavor, more like a fig or a raisin, moved in. The whole profile turned more savory, almost mineral-like. I retrohaled, and bam, a sharp, clear black pepper note with a hint of licorice.

Nolan mentioned he was getting a ton of dark chocolate at this point, but I was really locked into that savory, mineral-like flavor.

Final Third

And just like that, for the grand finale, a distinct sweetness came roaring back to join the party. It was a hell of a finish, with that sweetness mixing perfectly with a ton of black coffee, a dark, almost-charred wood note, and a final kick of spice. The finish was still creamy, still coffee-heavy, but that little combo of citrus and pepper came back for an encore. What a ride. The construction was flawless from start to finish, the burn line was a champ, and the ash held on like a pro.

Ash

The ash on this thing was gorgeous. It was a pale, silvery-white and stacked up perfectly, like a roll of dimes. It wasn’t flaky at all and held on for well over an inch every time before I’d get nervous and gently tap it off into the ashtray.

Burn

I mean, the burn was practically drawn on with a ruler. It was razor-thin and never once got wavy or needed a single touch-up. It just self-corrected. Best of all, it burned cool the entire time, even when I was smoking it down to the absolute nub.

Smoke

This thing is a smoke machine. It just billows thick, velvety, and aromatic smoke. You get a really rich, full-bodied mouthful with every single puff.

What Drink and Food Pairs Well with the Cigar

Okay, so coffee is a no-brainer here; it’s a perfect match. But I’m telling you, this cigar is just begging for a good, high-rye bourbon. That sweetness and spice from the bourbon would just lock in with the coffee and leather notes. A nice, dark, spicy rum would also be a killer pairing.

Cigar Smoked for This Review and Tasting Methodology

For this review, our team smoked a total of 6 cigars, all in the 6×52 Toro vitola. We made sure to smoke them on different days and at different times to get a really consistent, well-rounded read on the blend. And as we always do for our tasting notes, we paired them with nothing but plain, room-temperature bottled water. We don’t want anything getting in the way of the cigar’s true flavors.

Final Verdict

Hands down, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro is a phenomenal cigar. It’s complex, it’s incredibly smooth, and it’s just a fantastic example of what a top-tier Nicaraguan puro can be. This one lives up to the hype and then some. It’s an absolute “buy-a-box” recommendation from us.