Cigar Info
Back in June, Cigars International a new exclusive cigar: Buffalo Trace. It first made an appearance at their newest SuperStore locations in Tampa and Lutz, FL. centered around Ybor City. This cigar is a collaboration with the famed Kentucky-based whiskey maker, Buffalo Trace, famous for making Pappy Van Winkle, Weller, and the Whiskey of the same name, Buffalo Trace.
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.
Buffalo Trace is rolled in the Dominican Republic at General Cigar Dominicana and was actually blended to pair with the whiskey that bares the name of the distillery and is of the same name. The blend is made with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Brazilian Arapiraca binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers that have been barrel-aged. The cigar comes in three sizes, all in boxes of 20. Robusto (5” x 49) $7.50, Toro (6” x 52) $8.00, and Churchill (7” x 49) $8.50.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Brazil Arapiraca
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
Blender: Jhonys Diaz
Number of reviewers: 4 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) James H. (Keikan Jim)
Price: $8.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: June 2021
Contributed by: General Cigar
Initial Impressions – Buffalo Trace Toro
Appearance: 92
“This cigar has beautiful coloring in a medium and dark mottled wrapper. That being said, There are a few blemishes in the wrapper leaf itself and the cigar is unevenly rolled. There is a triple cap but it is loosely applied and it detracts from the beauty potential this cigar possesses.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Aroma: 91
“Green apple sweetness on the tip with burnt toast notes upon lighting.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“I used a straight cut on this cigar which produced a near-perfect dry draw. A hint of sweet spices and very light cacao coated the palate. After lighting, I was met with an abundance of chewy smoke with a salty-sweet taste and dark fruit notes that I liked very much. Retro was not harsh at all but had a touch of white pepper heat. So far so good!” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Lots of spice, black pepper, and jalapeño, leather, and mineral.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“A nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. A nice sweet caramel note with the bitterness of coffee.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“The second third has introduced chocolate, leather, and baking spices. This is a flavorful complex blend while having a heavy full-bodied strength.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Final Third
Flavor: 92
Strength: Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Spice picked up a bit more with the same meaty mouthfeel, nuts and a slight underlying sweetness.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“In the final third the dark fruity sweetness returns in abundance. Smoke output remains excellent as well as the draw. The char that was present in the second third is all but nonexistent. This cigar is finishing well.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Overall Impressions – Buffalo Trace Toro
Draw: 93
“I couldn’t ask for much more from the draw. Nice easy inhale with a great smoke production.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Burn: 89
“Not perfect and a little wavy at times but did not detract from the smoking experience.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Construction: 92
“No cracking or swelling issues. Flakier ash than I prefer and a bit of a diagonal burn are the only issues.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 90
“A nice well-balanced cigar. Nice notes of burnt toast with sweet and spicy notes. The sweetness of green apple on the tip with a subtle hint of caramel. Subtle notes of licorice with bitter coffee notes. Grab a stick, bundle, or a box of these cigars to have in your humidor. A nice front porch thinking cigar.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“Wasn’t bad once you got past the first third. I usually like spicier cigars but this one had a funky taste you get from Dominican cigars. After the first third, it got a lot better. I do have to say, it did not pair well with my iced coffee, you drinkers out there will find it would pair well with bourbon or something. I don’t drink so I would have to wager that guess.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Overall I was a huge fan of this blend. The strong pepper in the retro along with great leather, chocolate, mocha, and baking spices lead this blend right onto my preferred palate. The only downside was the starting and ending inches had a hot and harsh flavor. I will absolutely revisit this blend in the future.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“If you like sweet and salty cigars, this is up your alley. The dark fruit flavor notes were not off-putting nor overbearing providing a nice balance.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 97
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Sean F. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 100 | 97 |
| Joseph S. | 90 | 90 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 88 |
| Lauren S. | 95 | 92 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 92 |
| James H. | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.