Purchased: 5-pack Toro
Price: $36.50
Store: Field Supply
Buy Again: Oh yeah!
Box Worthy? Oh hell yes!
Holy shit! Yet another cigar that lives up to all the hype.
Wow! This cigar is right up my alley! Smooth and creamy and the flavors are all over the place. And I’m only into the first inch! Right off the bat there were cashew nuts, cream, graham cracker, a little soy sauce, black and red pepper. Just a little deeper into the first third, I get a sour twang like an old Cuban that then immediately transitions into Turkish coffee. Nicotine? Non-existent. But this stick is kicking my ass with all the flavors it has in store.
Wait! I just picked up some notes of cedar and cacao. The finish developed a bit more spice. Crap! I’m in heaven!
Just starting the second third, the tightly packed cigar developed a crack about an inch from the cherry. It was a weird soft spot in an otherwise rock-solid roll. Oh well, nothing a little PerfecRepair couldn’t fix.
Draw is a little on the tight side, but I think that’s more of a function of the tight roll than with an obstruction. Still, I gave it a couple of little pokes. It only loosened the draw a little, but man! Did it up the floodgates of flavor. It’s like a dark mocha served with a side of crackers. The first nic-hit comes. It’s not bad at all, just enough to mellow me out.
The flavors keep shifting even in this second third! I’m amazed. Though the foundation is cacao with cream, It’s now back to nuts and some earthiness. An indistinct sweetness is coming from the Corojo wrapper. In addition to Connecticut Broadleaf, I’ve taken a liking to Corojo wrappers. I love that dark, sweet quality.
Halfway into the stick now and the sweetness has been building. It took me almost 45 minutes to get here. This is a relatively slow burner. And the burn has been a bit wonky. But it is finally stabilizing now that I’ve burned into that crack. That probably had a lot to do with the uneven burn because it’s razor-sharp right now. And the burn suddenly slowed down! I’m wondering if this would be a 2-hour stick if it hadn’t been for that soft spot that screwed up the burn.
On the back half of the second third, it’s like that last bit of coffee in the pot. It’s not quite espresso, but it’s concentrated due to evaporation. It has a burn-like quality to it. And that’s accented by a subtle citrus note on the finish. Man! What a ride! And I’m still on the second third almost an hour into the smoke! There’s not going to be any rushing with this.
Looks like I’m going to have to stream the College Football Championship from my laptop! Not a fan of either team as an Oregon Duck fan, but I’m rooting for Washington as I’d love to see a Pac12 team win since the league has STUPIDLY collapsed.
Yeah, this stick is like a carousel with its flavors. At this point, I’m not even bothering trying to pinpoint specific notes. But throughout the smoke I’ve tasted: Cashews, citrus, cacao, espresso, cream, more cream, italian coffee, graham cracker, nutmeg, earth, cedar, teak, simple syrup, soy sauce, sweet tarts. I’m probably missing some. Unlike other cigars where transitions are distinctive, this cigar presents a kaleidescope of flavors.
Finally made it to the last third. It took just over an hour. It got a little plugged but a little poke with the PerfecDraw cleared it easily. It has become a mocha bomb. Strength has remained at medium+. It got there from the start and stayed put. I love that!
And just when I thought the transitions slowed down, they shifted. Again. Just got graham crackers, cashews and… beer nuts. Fuck! This is bowling me over with all the different flavors! That all this is coming from a sub-$8.00 cigar is amazing to me.
Unco B's Stogie Diary 