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″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo
Factory: La Zona
Blender: Erik Espinosa
Number of reviewers: 5 —- Aaron (aaron72) Craig (WyldKnyght) Milton (mjohnsoniii) Ron (shuckins) Dave (mdwest)
Price: $5.00
Age: 3 Months Rest
Release Date: January 2014
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“A very clean, good looking appearance. This stick is light to medium brown in color, has a moderate amount of tooth and a nicely applied double cap. A solid presentation.” –Dave (mdwest)
Aroma: 89
“I got lots of tobacco smell with hints of spice. The dry puff was earthy.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Initial blast of pepper from the first few puffs which then settles down, but a stout pepper remains. Lots of thick smoke. At about an inch in, the pepper has really settled down and transitioned to a light creaminess. Wood has joined the creaminess with a little bit of baking spices on the retrohale.” –Aaron (aaron72)
“The flavor is definitely there. I got pepper as soon as I lit it and cedar followed right after. There was also a raw leather taste that was very pronounced. The wrapper has started cracking and unraveling terribly though. Besides that, the cigar is VERY good.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Surprisingly, the ash has held on up to this point. The strength has kicked it up a notch but is not overpowering. This is just the way I like it. Along with the raw leather, which is most prominent, I’m getting hints of smoked beef and cream. There is also some spiciness that is most noticeable on the retrohale. ” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)
“Getting creamier by the minute as more cocoa shows up to join the sweet cedar. The allspice has toned it down a notch, but not enough to take the friendly kick away, and that’s a good thing.” –Ron (shuckins)
Final Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third was as good, if not better than the first two. The spice mellowed out and the earthy flavor was the primary flavor. The cap cracked on me and I started getting tobacco in my mouth.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“Not a whole lot of change from beginning to end on this smoke, but the further the stick burns, the more clear and distinct the flavors become. It has steadily improved from beginning to end. I was a little concerned that I wasnt really going to enjoy this stick much when I took the first couple of puffs, but things have gone in a direction I didnt think they would, and I have ended up with a decent cigar here.” –Dave (mdwest)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 96
“The single best thing about this cigar has been its draw. It has been nearly perfect from start to finish.” –Dave (mdwest)
Burn: 92
“A cool, worry free burn produced a soft and flaky ash.” –Ron (shuckins)
Construction: 88
“The construction was good. Firm throughout the length of the cigar and no flaws in the performance.” –Aaron (aaron72)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 90
“Nothing spectacular here, but it did perform well. I would consider this a good knock around cigar where you could smoke it while not needing to pay a lot of attention to it. Light one up while at the grill.” –Aaron (aaron72)
“I’m still on the fence on this cigar, it didn’t have anything that wowed me, but it also didn’t give me anything to hate about it. I would definitely think about trying this again.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“This was a very good cigar with lots of flavors that came and went during the first and second thirds and a bit into the final third. I couldn’t completely finish it because of the burnt paper taste towards the end of it. I was very surprised by the flavors that it did produce after seeing it almost fall apart the way it and I’d love to try another that doesn’t have the issues this one had. I do believe this could be an extremely enjoyable cigar.” –Milton (mjohnsoniii)
“A very pleasant, middle of the day cigar, that I would like to enjoy another of.” –Ron (shuckins)
“Overall a very good stick. I would have liked to have seen the first third present better flavor and not have gotten hit with the harsh smoke that the cigar produced for the first inch or so, but other than that, no real complaints at all. Performance was outstanding, and flavors became very refined by the mid point that were pleasurable.” –Dave (mdwest)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 86
Total Score: 90 (Very Good)
| Reviewer | Appea-rance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron | 90 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 95 | 92 | 95 | 88 |
| Craig | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 90 |
| Milton | 88 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 83 | 95 | 90 | 88 | 90 |
| Ron | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 90 |
| Dave | 92 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 97 | 92 | 95 | 90 |
| Overall | 91 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 96 | 92 | 88 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.