Blind Cigar Review: 1502 | Emerald Toro

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Mexico and Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
Blender: Enrique Sanchez
Number of reviewers: 5—–Ron (shuckins) Dave (mdwest) Gregg (McGreggor57) Derek (StogieNinja) Milton (mjohnsoniii)
Price: $11.80
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: 2012
Contributed by: House of Emilio

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 94

“An inviting caramel wrapper with a slight box press. The foot is partially wrapped around the edges giving it a nice presentation.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Aroma: 94

“There was a strong tobacco aroma with leather and a hint of sweetness. Can’t wait to fire this thing up.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“A smooth start, with a cedar and grass mix on light up. Soon after, a light peppery allspice, with a hint of cocoa shows up to provide a tasty start to the cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The cold draw produced tobacco and dried grass flavors, with just a little bit of black pepper mixed in. Pleasant, but not at all what I was expecting. Lit, the cigar produces very similar flavors and brings a profile that is filled with spice, grass, tobacco and the occasional touch of pepper. The finish is long, and almost a little “cubanesque”, which is surprising. The flavors are light, not bold at all, but are very nice.” –Dave (mdwest)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The boldness of the first third is dialing back a notch, allowing the oak and leather to settle in to a solid profile. There is a hint of coffee on the finish that provides some additional interest and balance.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Much the same, a nice medium combination of leather, light cocoa and a steady sweetness with some light baking spices in the background. The red pepper is light, but remains as a nice spice on the lips. It’s a medium bodied stick, and while the flavors are not as deep as I’d like them to be, it’s a very pleasant experience overall.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The grassiness faded, taking the sweetness with it. The cedar became dry tasting as some of the creaminess left when the allspice picked up more pepper. It became more prominent and provided a nice kick to the cigar as it neared the end.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The flavors stayed consistent going into the final third. There’s still plenty of coffee but the almond had died down a bit. It also began burning unevenly at this point but quickly fixed itself without any assistance. Leather was present along with some floral hints. This has been a very decent cigar.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 98

“Spot on. Never any issues, not too tight, not too lose.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Burn: 90

“The burn line stayed crooked from beginning to end, but continued to self correct and never needed a touch up. The ash was tight and clung to the stick reliably the entire smoke.” –Dave (mdwest)

Construction: 93

“I was shocked that I didn’t have many problems with this cigar. The box shape was perfect, there were hardly any veins and its wrapper was laid almost to perfection. Its double cap was flawless and overall, the cigar felt good in the hand. No soft spots, but firm enough to give and bounce back when squeezed.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)

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

“An enjoyable cigar with decent flavors that I would smoke again.” –Ron (shuckins)

“This stick took me for a ride that I didnt expect. Prior to lighting it I thought I would be smoking something medium to full in strength, with earthy qualities and that the stick would be very much “in your face”. What I got instead was a fairly complex stick that was closer to the mild side of the strength equation with light, but pronounced flavors. Instead of an after an evening meal type smoke, I ended up with a cigar that I think would be extremely nice with a morning cup of coffee. I’ll likely be seeking more of these out once the reveal is done.” –Dave (mdwest)

“This cigar hit a lot of profiles while staying true to the wood and oak. Spicy and bold in the beginning, with a breather of solid flavors in the middle and finishing with a mellow sweetness from the baking spices. The draw and smoke production were an added bonus to this stick. It’s one I would definitely pick up again.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“For fans of the profile, it’s definitely recommended. I thoroughly enjoyed the red pepper on the lips. I do generally prefer a deeper, fuller, more complex profile, but setting personal preferences aside, it was quite good, possibly the best in this category I’ve reviewed for BMP. For those looking for a medium bodied cigar with decent flavors and a hint of spice, this’ll do quite nicely.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“I’m not a huge fan of box-pressed cigars simply because of my luck with their construction. They’re always cracking or pressed too tightly. This one, on the other hand, was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar from start to finish. Other than the draw being too open, I don’t have any complaints on this one. Can’t wait to get my hands on a few (now watch, when I do finally get some, I’ll have all the above mentioned issues…smh). Can’t wait to see what it is.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 73

Total Score: 93 (Excellent)

Edit

Reviewer	Appea-rance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Ron	90	90	90	90	90	95	90	93	90
Dave	95	95	92	92	93	100	90	93	93
Gregg	93	93	90	90	93	98	90	93	93
Derek	95	95	90	95	90	98	90	95	93
Milton	93	93	92	92	93	85	90	97	93
Overall	94	94	90	91	93	98	90	93	93

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: 1502 | Emerald Toro