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: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Grupo De Maestros
Number of reviewers: 4 —– Ron (shuckins) Dave (mdwest) Robert (NavyPiper) Derek (StogieNinja)
Price: $7.75
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: April 2014
Contributed by: Altadis
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“A very good looking stick that was obviously rolled with care and precision.” –Dave (mdwest)
Aroma: 92
“It reminds me of dessert,with nutmeg, cocoa and sweet cedar smells.” –Ron (shuckins)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The cigar starts off with a spicy nutmeg that had some heat to it from a trace of pepper that tagged along. This changed fairly quick when a surge of sweet tasting cedar and a creamy cocoa flavor moved forward and made my taste buds happy I was smoking this cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)
“Cold draw is a little pepper spice with a sweet tobacco core. The first draw is nice, with a little pepper on the tongue, with flavors of sweet tobacco and notes of cedar, with hints of baking spices. It’s very dry on the finish, but the smoke is quite creamy. So far, a very nice cigar.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Second Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Creamy smooth cocoa with a light spicy nutmeg lead the way into the second third of the cigar. There is an ever present sweet cedar flavor to the tobacco, along with splashes of light pepper that adds a level of excitement to the cigar and leaves me eager to smoke more.” –Ron (shuckins)
“A good bit of change is detected between the first and second thirds with the sweeter graham cracker notes being replaced with cedar. The smoke appears to have lost some of the edginess it was providing during the first third and has smoothed out a good bit which is welcomed.” –Dave (mdwest)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“In the final third, things seemed to finally settle down. Flavors were pretty much all leather and pepper. This third the pepper came in and stayed throughout the remainder of the smoke.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
“That nuttiness which appeared as the cigar approached the final third really adds dimension to the cigar, complementing the sweet tobacco and cedar flavors and baking spices. It’s milder than I generally prefer, but I’m enjoying it.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 96
“Draw was fantastic the whole time!” –Robert (NavyPiper)
Burn: 91
“While the burn line was never really sharp, it did continue to self correct from beginning to end and no touch ups were ever required.” –Dave (mdwest)
Construction: 90
“Overall, it seemed a very well constructed cigar. Burn and draw were great, and there were no major flaws, plugs or soft spots anywhere to be seen.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 92
“Although another dimension would have been nice, I really enjoyed the flavors the cigar had and would definitely buy and smoke more.” –Ron (shuckins)
“Overall, a really nice cigar. I would certainly be interested in picking up a few more and giving them another try down the road.” –Dave (mdwest)
“Overall, it was ok. To me, it was rather bland in the first third and a half, then the hide and seek that the pepper was playing in the rest of the second third, finally becoming consistent in the last third. It just didn’t seem to trip my trigger flavor wise. I think it’s worth another shot to see if another would be different. It was a long burning stogie though!” –Robert (NavyPiper)
“I enjoyed this cigar. It’s milder than my typical smoke, and the blend really focuses on a natural sweet tobacco flavor. It’s a nice change from the earth and chocolate-heavy Nicaraguans I tend to favor, and very different from the CC’s I prefer, being much “thinner” in body. While I would generally prefer the richness of a CC or the boldness of a Nicaraguan, this was an interesting change up for me, and one I enjoyed. Recommended for fans of milder smokes, or medium cigars with natural sweet tobacco core flavors like the El Triunfador.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 90
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron | 88 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 97 | 95 | 90 | 92 |
| Dave | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 92 |
| Robert | 90 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 85 |
| Derek | 95 | 92 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
–
Blind Cigar Review: H. Upmann | The Banker Annuity