Island Lifestyle Island Club Toro – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Island Lifestyle Importers is the accessory side of Tommy Bahama. Their first line, Aged Reserve, came out in 2017 in three blends, Sun Grown, Connecticut, and Maduro. The following year, 2018, they came out with a new more affordable line, Island Lifestyle Island Club. While being an affordable cigar with all sizes under $5.00, the blend still uses long filler. The blend starts with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler.

Island Lifestyle Island Club comes in five sizes, all with a shaggy foot and 20-count bundles: Corona Gorda – $3.95/cigar, Robusto – $4.25/cigar, Toro – $4.50/cigar, Torpedo – $4.50/cigar, and Churchill – $4.75/cigar.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 – Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Matt Cade (CadeTNCC) Sean F. (fullermaine) Vance T. (Vance) James H. (Keikan Jim)
Price: $4.50
Age: 2 Years
Release Date: July 2018
Contributed by: Island Lifestyle Importers

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 94

“This silky smooth claro looks and feels great, with a velvety feel in the hand and a nice closed foot. My one concern would be that it’s light, not only in appearance but actual mass. It just feels a less substantial than you’d expect for a cigar this size.” –Vance T. (Vance)

Aroma: 90

“There is the faint aroma of both sweetness and earth when sniffing the foot of the cigar directly.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)

First Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“Once the flame met the foot I was met with a beautiful salty caramel and bready flavor. Retro was as smooth as I’ve ever had. A little further in a touch of white pepper came into the mix. Beautiful! My only issue thus far is the cigar is starting to get a little soft for my liking, however, there are no burn issues as of yet.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“Upon ignition, there’s a mild tingling spice through the nose that’s far from overpowering and notes of toast and cedar via the draw. A very nice mineral element soon arises on the retrohale and it is highly compatible with that gentle spice. Construction is excellent in the early goings…” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)

Second Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“The sugar and spice section of this stick balances out the sweetness. Black pepper notes with a subtle hint of sugar.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Heading into the second third I’m pleased to find the construction tightening up. The burn line still waivers ever so slightly, but the ashes and firmer, and the draw is spot on. There’s not much of a transition in flavor until the midway point when I find, on the retro, a nice warm cinnamon bread that has all but replaced the floral note from earlier. The harshness from the first third, though present, has also lessened. About a half-inch from my burn line I feel a soft squishy spot so we’ll see how our construction fairs as we head into the final third.” –Vance T. (Vance)

Final Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“The overall strength of the cigar increases noticeably in the final third, as does the smoke production pouring from the foot. The retrohale has circled around to where it began with spice and mineral, but happily, the vanilla, cedar, and toast flavors have now welcomed in a buttery note. So we’ll just go with “buttered toast” and I’ll make a note to send this cigar’s blender a Thank You card. What a finish to an excellent cigar!” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)

“Barely into the final part of the cigar, the creaminess fades entirely, giving the cedar note a bitter harshness that has not been present until this point and is a surprising development. The pecan and cinnamon have also faded, leaving mostly white pepper and cedar on the palate. On a side note, I am starting to get small bits of tobacco in my mouth with each puff, leading me to believe this might be a Cuban sandwich, vs all long filler.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 95

“The close to perfect raring says it all. Just enough resistance and ample smoke output are the norm for this cigar.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Burn: 96

“The cigar had zero burn issues whatsoever, it required zero touch-ups and maintained a strong ash throughout the smoking experience.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)

Construction: 93

“A perfectly constructed cigar that made the experience enjoyable.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
Experience Overall: 93

“The final third actually killed the experience for me with this cigar. We are plodding along nutty, creamy with a nice cabinet spice, and all of a sudden, it is gone and the cigar turns harsh and peppery. I was really disappointed, as the cigar developed very nicely all the way up to the start of the final third. I will be curious to find out what it is and try it in different sizes to see if that harshness is present. If it weren’t, I would have rated this cigar much higher!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“This cigar was highly enjoyable from beginning to end BUT the second two-thirds were very special in particular. Aesthetically the cigar was spectacular to look at and from a functionality standpoint, it performed flawlessly. Any time I make a note of “buttery toast” in my review, that’s a guaranteed thumbs up from yours truly. At the right price point, this would be an easy box purchase.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)

“A well-balanced cigar. Simple sugar and spice notes mixed with maple and pretzel notes. The cigar was so enjoyable, I smoked it down to an inch. Seek this cigar out and add it to your humidor.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“This cigar had its moments, primarily right in the middle, however, the persistent harsh metallic finish would likely prevent me from picking this up anytime soon. Could be an easy smoke for the golf course or mowing the lawn.” –Vance T. (Vance)

“This cigar was fantastic! this is coming from a guy who rarely smokes a Connie. I may have to rethink this after smoking this one. There was a Connie from DE many years ago, which is no longer in production, that I loved. This reminds me of that cigar and I will search it out once I find out what it is. I recommend you do the same.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 68

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Island Lifestyle Island Club Toro – Blind Cigar Review