Vital Stats:
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6.5″
Ring Gauge: 56
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: HVA Clara (Ecuador)
Binder: Cubano
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brasilia, Peru
Factory: E. León Jimenes Tabacalera
Blender: Unknown
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Sandeep (Djangos) Ron (shuckins) Gregg (McGreggor57) Aaron (aaron72) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: $8.00
Age: 2 Months Rest
Release Date: 2013
Contributed by: Total Flame Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 89
“This is an attractive cigar…sporting a silky smooth medium reddish-brown wrapper leaf with a few veins. The wrapper leaf is extremely well applied, as is the triple cap.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 91
“A pleasant aroma of coffee,with light cedar,and peppery nutmeg.” –Ron (shuckins)
First Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The initial third has mostly earthy flavors of hay and grass. There is definitely some chocolate like flavors but in the back ground. Pepper is present from the very first puff and this slightly increases in intensity over the next inch. Very mild cedar and some nuttiness is also present. No dearth of complexity however the burn is very skewed and towards the end of the third I had to touch it up. The draw is very good but the smoke is not as thick as I like it. The ash is light gray and holds well for about two inches.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“An interesting creamy peppery start as a taste of nutmeg was right up front,along with a trace of cocoa. After a few minutes of smoking,cedar and coffee flavors jumped in and took the cigar in a different direction,as the flavor profile changed and the strength level kicked it up a notch.” –Ron (shuckins)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Some walnut is bringing back a little dryness to this cigar but is working well with the lighter coffee. A little char is transforming the sweetness to a slightly bitter caramel. There is just enough spice on the retrohale to keep one honest. At the halfway mark some cedar comes into play adding a layer of brightness.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“The second third of this cigar became much more creamy and oily. Most of the leather and pepper has faded but now I have a dark chocolate coffee note that has come to the forefront. Really it’s quite enjoyable.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Final Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The smoke is still pouring off this thing. Flavor-wise I’m getting sweet cedar, an assortment of muted baking spices and a nice hit of burnt caramel from time to tine. As this third progresses red pepper is hitting the back of my throat. The heat of the spice is beginning to turn the flavors harsh and the smoke on my palate is pretty hot. Thankfully it subsides and the flavors develop a bit of char to end this cigar.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“More smoky oak as this third starts, along with a bit of creaminess. Had to make another touch up as one side was refusing to burn. Strength is also picking up a bit. The creaminess went away and the profile stuck with the smoky oak theme.” –Aaron (aaron72)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 97
“This cigar had a wonderful draw allowing tons of flavor to come through with little effort.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Burn: 88
“The initial third had issues with severe skewing that required one touch up but after that the burn got better as we went along. It was almost straight in the final third.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
Construction: 92
“The construction of this cigar is rock solid. It looks nice, feels nice, and performed quite admirably. Absolutely no complaints here.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 88
“Overall this was a very pleasant smoke with a variety of flavors and complexity. The complexity was definitely muted in the final third but definitely did not detract from the experience. I will definitely try this one again and may even get a few for my humi.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“I liked the way the cigar started better than how it ended. I would like to smoke another one with more humidor time on it,as I think that would make it a better cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)
“The flavors of the first two-thirds were nice. I love coffee and burnt caramel notes and this one hit both of those, While the final third started nicely with the sweetness of cedar and baking spices, I had trouble getting past the harshness that appeared midway into this third, Eventually the profile returned to a smoother smoke ending on a positive.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“The first third hat lots of random transitions which may have been a result of the very loose draw. turns out, that was the most interesting third as the remainder stayed on a smoky oak flavor. The burn left something to be desired. This was a very long smoke for me based on my smoking speed and the vitola. I would have liked more transitions to keep the experience interesting.” –Aaron (aaron72)
“This was a pretty good cigar overall…I think a little more rest would smooth out the harsh spots and make this a great cigar. I would be glad to own another, or even a fiver to let rest and revisit.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 81
Total Score: 90 (Very Good)
| Reviewer | Appea-rance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandeep | 95 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 97 | 90 | 95 | 92 |
| Ron | 88 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 83 | 92 | 90 |
| Gregg | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 88 |
| Aaron | 90 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Jason H. | 92 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 97 | 92 | 92 | 88 |
| Overall | 89 | 91 | 91 | 89 | 88 | 97 | 88 | 92 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.