Sindicato Cigars showed off a new line at the 2018 IPCPR trade show, Cubico, but it didn’t actually ship until January of 2019. This new cigar regular production. The blend uses Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Cubico comes in four sizes: Corona (5 1/2 x 46) – $7.95, Robusto (5 x 54) – $8.25, Toro (6 x 54) – $8.75, and Gran Toro (6 x 60) – $8.95. They are rolled at the Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the same factory that makes Steve Saka’s Mi Querida and Triqui Traca cigars.
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.
Sindicato Cigars was created in 2013 by a group of cigar and tobacco retailers, with former Altadis U.S.A. Executive VP of Sales & Marketing Jim Colucci at the helm. Other brands in the portfolio include the Sindicato line, Particulares, Hex, Casa Bella, Maniac and Affinity.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro Length: 6″ Ring Gauge: 54 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cubano Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) Blender: Undisclosed Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F.(fullermaine) Kevin A.(Kevin A.) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Matt Cade(CadeTNCC) Doug S.(Unpossible_1) Price: $8.50 Age: 3 Months Release Date: July 2019 Contributed by: Gurkha Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Beautiful dark brown oily wrapper with tight, almost invisible seams. The surface is smooth aside from a few small veins. The cigar is firm to the touch from foot to very nicely applied cap. ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Aroma: 89
“This cigar hits the nail on the head when it comes to aromas. Leather, oils, woodsy, and some smoked meat aromas. Sensory overload. In a good way. Cold draw offers the same. Very anxious to light this baby up! ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Sindicato | Cubico Toro
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Prominent notes of leather, coffee, and black pepper are my initial greeting party. As the cigar continues to burn, the flavors shift to salted peanuts and the leather and coffee slowly ebb away.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
“Fully toasted the foot with my torch and got an even burn going. The first puffs were exactly what I expected. Tons of leather and woods coming off of this sucka. After that beginning punch in the face, things toned down a bit. The first third was full of meaty leather notes. I expected the retro to be strong but surprisingly it was smooth. Hints of cherry wood peeked its head at times. I also got plenty of cinnamon flavors. Just a wide array of different flavors. Heck of a beginning. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Second Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“A few subtle notes coming through. Notes of leather and chocolate with the oak notes returning.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Blind Cigar Review: Sindicato | Cubico Toro
“Construction so far has been great with a smooth draw and strong ash. This is a slow-burning, Smooth Ass cigar. The balanced retrohale of soft pepper and the metallic note balances really well with the cedar and metallic presence on the draw.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Final Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“In the final parts of the cigar, the flavors finally arrive. Cocoa, fresh ground coffee, and raisins, all with an underlying sweetness. The retrohale is smooth and spicy, bringing this to the high point of the cigar. The draw and burn have remained superb throughout, and the ash lasted almost an inch and a half again before I ended up wearing it lol. The cigar reached into the medium-full range right at the end. ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“Transitioning into the finale, the strength kicks up a notch. Definitely not overpowering but just enough to make you respect it. My head was swimming in the flavors I was getting. A slight sweetness came into play along with the woods and leather. Almost a caramel-like sweetness. I really didn’t want it to end. So I burned it down further than I usually do with cigars. Extraordinary cigar. From beginning to end. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Overall Impressions
Blind Cigar Review: Sindicato | Cubico Toro
Draw: 93
“No problems from beginning to end.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Burn: 96
“A nice even burn with gray-white ash. Due to reviewer error, a re-light is needed.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Construction: 94
“Overall construction was great throughout the smoking experience. The burn, in particular, was quite impressive.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 90
“As a fan of the box-pressed cigar, this was a magnificent stick. Nice subtle notes of hickory and black pepper balance out the main notes of oak and leather. If you have a smoking “bucket list”, this stick should be on it.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“The fact there was not much going on in the flavor and body of this cigar until almost halfway deducted points here, although it did develop into a very flavorful cigar. Had the cigar started as it finished, and developed as it did, it would have been a phenomenal smoking experience. Even though it did start off on the light side, I really do look forward to trying it again. This would be a great cigar to start the day with, as it does end up flavorful and can easily be smoked first thing on an empty stomach. Medium roast coffee with cream or sweet tea would be the strongest beverage to try and pair in the morning, as anything stronger would easily overrun it, even at the end. This would also be a cigar, though on the large side, that I would not be afraid to hand to anyone to enjoy. ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“If I could sum this cigar up with one word, it would be wow! I could tell from the prelight that this thing was going to be a winner. And it didn’t disappoint. The leather, woods, cinnamon, slight sweetness, all worked together to team up and make it truly enjoyable. For a score, I’d give this an ‘Extraordinary.’ I will definitely be looking for these as a box purchase. Thank you for the opportunity. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“I liked this cigar and I thought the first two-thirds were very good while the last act became somewhat lackluster in its loss of previous flavors and the cigar burned a bit hot towards the end so I had to cut things short. Still, an enjoyable smoke for the majority of the ride. ” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
“This was an interesting cigar that held some good transitions. Pair that with a cigar that builds up in strength, and you have a solid combination. I’d be willing to try another one, given the burn issues and canoeing. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Sindicato | Cubico Toro
Overall Score – 92 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: Sindicato | Cubico Toro
Summary
"The fact there was not much going on in the flavor and body of this cigar until almost halfway deducted points here, although it did develop into a very flavorful cigar. Had the cigar started as it finished, and developed as it did, it would have been a phenomenal smoking experience. Even though it did start off on the light side, I really do look forward to trying it again. This would be a great cigar to start the day with, as it does end up flavorful and can easily be smoked first thing on an empty stomach. Medium roast coffee with cream or sweet tea would be the strongest beverage to try and pair in the morning, as anything stronger would easily overrun it, even at the end. This would also be a cigar, though on the large side, that I would not be afraid to hand to anyone to enjoy. " -Kevin A. (Kevin A
