Original Post Date: August 25, 2025. I added an update below…
Purchased: Box (18 ct.) Toro (5.75 X 54)
Store: Hiland’s Cigars, Scottsdale, AZ
Price: $199
Buy Again: Yes
Box Worthy: Duh…
Experience Rating: 100
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
The day after I had my first one of these at the shop a couple of weeks ago, I called up Hiland’s and ordered a box because I knew they’d give me a great price on them. But I didn’t want a tubo perfecto because there were only eight in the box, I wanted the regular Toro. They arrived yesterday, and yes, I smoked one almost right off the truck. And the reason I did so was because inside the box was a little card that said the cigars were boxed August 4, 2024. I figured a year of box aging made them ready.
Sure, I took a chance on them not being acclimated from shipping, but the aromas of vanilla and white chocolate wafting from the box was mesmerizing. I just had to have one!
Removing the cellophane revealed a rustic wrapper with some prominent veins. But construction was spot-on with no soft spots. The wrapper was slightly mottled. I then lifted it to my nose and was almost overwhelmed by the bounty of beautiful aromas coming from the wrapper of cedar, hay, sterling silver rose, white chocolate, and vanilla. Amazing. Punching the end and taking a dry draw, I was blown away by… GREEN APPLE! WTF?! This was accompanied by fresh-cut grass, hay, and malt balls. I knew I was in for a treat.
On light-up, I got a blast of cedar along with green bell pepper (something I’ve come to expect from CT Broadleaf), along with roasted cashew nuts. Then the fun began!
Like the tubo I smoked a couple of weeks ago, the cigar started out at medium strength and body with very little nicotine, no surprise there. But unlike the tubo, this cigar went from basic to complex within the first half inch! There was green bell pepper, cedar, more green apple, white pepper, saltwater taffy, beer malt, cream, weak black coffee, burnt oak, and leather. The transitions were coming hard and fast and I was swooning!
By the second third, a nice red pepper spice kicked in and the woodsy element came to the foreground and added to the mix. The smoke became rich, thick, and creamy. Strength and body built up to medium+. The transitions just kept coming! I was in heaven!
By the final third, while the strength stayed at medium+, the body was full with thick, white, rich smoke produced with each puff. The red pepper spice moved to the forefront and the tip of my tongue and lips tingled with delight. I felt so alive smoking this cigar! The saltwater taffy returned, as did the malt and sweet cream. And despite all that activity, there was nary a hit of nicotine!
Smoke time was one hour and forty-five minutes. This is a cigar for ages. I love the journey this stick took me on. I never knew what to expect from puff to puff. Very few cigars can do this. And all this for an $11.00 cigar. This is not going to be a cigar I bring to a herf. This one demands my time. And yes, I will be buying more boxes of these!
Update 10/13/2025: It never ceases to amaze me how cigars transform over time. I smoked a couple in August and the profile I got was as I wrote back then. But now, with a couple of months of rest, the cigar has transformed. The spice is much more subdued; in fact, it has moved into the background!
The cigar has mostly been a sweet treat. To me this is the epitome of a great CT Broadleaf. It’s rich and slightly sweet. The cigar has maintained its complexity, constantly transitioning and the flavors intensify as I get deeper and deeper into the smoke. From an experience perspective, I can confidently place this right up there with the Padron 1964 Family Reserve. For years, that has been my hands-down new world favorite. But this cigar is at the same level.
I’d give this one an edge over the Padron because it’s so much more affordable. Even though I paid $11/stick for my original box, after doing some research, I can get a box for about $162.00 or $9/stick from Atlantic. And I can get 10-stick bundles that drop the price down to about $4/ – $5/stick! I just ordered four 5-packs from CigarPage for $19.99 each! Having a Padron-level experience for a fraction of the cost? Yeah, that’s a no-brainer in my book!
Unco B's Stogie Diary 