Don Emmanuel Annunaki Anu

Purchased: Box of 10 Toro (6 X 52)
Price: $140.00
Store: MiamiHumidor.net
Buy Again: Yes
Box Worth: Obviously
Experience Rating: 98

Back in late January of last year, I was in Sao Paolo, Brazil for vacation. Of course, being a cigar smoker, one of the first places I sought out was a cigar lounge near where I was staying and luckily I found one about a kilometer from my hotel. I brought a bunch of cigars with me, but I also purchased several when I was there because well… I just had to, especially some Montecristo #2 and #4 sticks that I couldn’t easily get in the States.

At the shop I found, Tabaceria Roma, the folks there were so helpful assisting me as I was looking specifically for Brazilian marcas; one of which was Don Emmanuel. As I shared in a previous post, I purchased a box of the Annunaki Ki (Robusto) then after finishing that box, scoured the Internet in search of places in the US that carried them. As of April of this year, only one online retailer in Florida carried them. But now, several places are carrying them and I’m a happy man.

As far as the flavor profile of the toro is concerned, it’s much the same as the robusto (you can read about this here). The fundamental difference is that with the toro, the flavor buildup is much more intense in the final third as there’s more cigar so the build-up is stronger. But in the beginning stages, the profile is much more subdued.

And because the profile is a bit more subdued in the early stage of the cigar, even more so than with the robusto, this is one that I would only share with a fellow aficionado and only during a dedicated smoking session. Not that a newbie or casual smoker wouldn’t enjoy the cigar. I’m sure they would. But this is one of those sticks that requires attention to be fully appreciated and in a casual setting like a party, the beauty of this cigar would be lost. And to me that would be a shame.

Comparing it to the robusto, I think I prefer the robusto just a little over the toro. Normally, I prefer a toro, but there’s an it factor in the robusto that gives it just slight edge over the toro.