A Study in Intent
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaragua
Size: Toro (6 x 50)
Strength: Medium → Full (nub)
Body: Medium-Plus → Full (home stretch)
Price: $18.25–$19.50 single / $142.00–$195.00 box of 10, U.S. retail/MSRP (varies by retailer)
Factory: Tabacos de Exportación / TABADEX, Dominican Republic
Blender: Michael Herklots / Quesada Cigars
Release: June 2024 for Toro vitola; Summa line originally released 2023 (Regular Production)
Smoking Time: 1:35–1:45
Experience Rating: 99
I reviewed this back in April and gave it a 98.
It was a complete experience. Incredibly structured and composed, it felt like a composition. It earned every point of what I gave it.
But this morning, I decided to take another look at it to see what some home añejamiento had done.
I wasn’t prepared for how just a few months of aging had transformed the cigar. While the roots of the profile were still there, the cigar revealed depths and behavior that hadn’t fully surfaced before. The same core remained, but now everything around it moved with order, ceremony, and intent.
It was transcendent.
When referring to balance, Michael Herklots said, “Well-balanced does not necessarily have to mean ‘even’ or ‘neutral,’ although it can. But it means that the totality of the experience, based on individual factors, makes sense.” Speaking specifically about Summa, he was quoted by Cigar Coop as saying, “The Summa blend highlights the incredible trifecta of body, flavor, and intensity… and maximizes those levels with wonderful balance.” [Cigar Coop, June 28, 2023]
My original review rewarded the cigar for that balance. This time, it earns a higher rating for maintaining that balance under pressure, as the profile bloomed into fuller complexity and its activity became far more sophisticated.
Synopsis
Strength begins at medium and holds steady through the settling-in stage before starting a measured climb at progression. From halfway forward, it rises more assertively, reaching full strength at the nub. Body starts slightly above medium, builds faster than strength, reaches full in the home stretch, and stays there through the end. Activity opens high, climbs into a sustained peak from halfway through the last couple of inches, then slows in the final inch before dropping at the nub as the cigar compresses into its core without collapsing.
The Summa feels densely packed. Its mottled, toothy wrapper shines with oil, giving it a slightly rustic look, while the double bands lend the cigar a sense of bearing.
The wrapper offers earth, faint sweetness, and white bread. The foot is sweeter and more expressive, with sweet bread, cedar, and fruity sweetness.
More sweet bread comes through the cold draw, along with hay. The draw is perfect, with just a little resistance.
It’s an energetic start. The aromas off the foot bring leather and grilled, charred meat, an interesting combination. The first puff hits with sweet cedar and brown sugar. Strength is a solid medium.
What a greeting.
Espresso, malt, sourdough bread, floral notes, dried mango, a touch of chocolate, and marshmallow quickly follow. There’s also a light bite of spice, along with cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace.
The Summa stands up with immediate complexity. It’s so different from the cigar I smoked three months ago. That one was restrained and composed. This one is blooming like a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. And despite the wash of flavors, body is just a bit over medium.
A core begins forming around espresso, charred cedar, and flinty minerality. As it takes shape, I realize those elements have been there from the start, anchoring everything around them.
As the Summa settles in, an indistinct background sweetness swirls through the profile like a gentle breeze. A light nicotine enters, with no increase in strength. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace return as a group, followed by marshmallow and mango, then chocolate and floral notes.
I raise my eyebrows in appreciation.
The savory elements catch me by surprise: salt, soy sauce umami, and grilled, fatty pork. The smoke begins to thicken as cream enters and joins the core.
There’s an orderliness to the way the flavors take turns standing up. It’s almost as if each one rises to the same height, remains there for the same duration, then steps back. The movement is remarkably symmetrical and unusually balanced.
Into the first half, the spice begins to assert itself, providing a nice vertical lift, while the cream thickens and enriches the body.
That orderly pop-up of flavors continues, but the groupings keep changing. Sweet and savory elements begin appearing together in different combinations. It’s amazing.
Don’t let the shorter list of identifiable notes fool you. This is still incredibly active and complex, yet the Summa remains balanced and composed. Everything is working in concert.
At halfway, the nicotine asserts itself and the spice steps forward with greater intensity, signaling a darker turn in the core. Espresso moves toward ristretto, the cedar chars more deeply, dark earth joins the core, and the cream thickens further.
The first half was like a painting using the full spectrum of colors. Now the palette narrows into pastel earth tones. Baking spices remain, joined by herbes de Provence, sourdough bread, malt, and salted buttered popcorn.
Activity remains high, even as the number of players begins to shrink, and strength notches up slightly. This is where I really start to understand Michael Herklots’ intent with Summa. As he explained, “Well balanced does not necessarily have to mean ‘even’ or ‘neutral,’ although it can. But it means that the totality of the experience, based on individual factors, makes sense.”
And the experience makes a lot of sense. The profile is incredibly active, but everything remains composed, balanced, and fully coherent.
Into the home stretch, the core turns darker. Nicotine notches up, bumping strength up. The earlier swirling sweetness fades completely, and earth really begins to assert itself. Spice slowly pulses and swirls around my mouth.
Meaty, grilled elements arrive with grilled steak, pork fat, grilled yellow corn, and venison jerky. The pork fat contributes to the thickening texture, while the yellow corn brings a deeper flavor without the sweetness of white corn. A procession of roasted nuts follows: chestnut, cashew, hazelnut, and peanut.
The whole experience is beginning to feel like a formal party.
Flavors show up in an orderly fashion. It’s like the espresso, which is now leading, is the doorman. A flavor arrives, and the espresso announces it. Pretty cool.
The spice pulses with an almost predictable regularity. It begins gently, intensifies after the coffee, then steps slightly ahead of the arriving flavor. It peaks as if keeping the flavor from moving forward too quickly, then allows it to join the other guests. The spice is almost like a butler escorting each guest into the party.
In the last couple of inches, the sweeter elements begin popping into view again. Interesting. Sweet bread, fruit, and floral notes never really left. Maybe these were the guests admitted into the party first.
Activity feels like it has peaked, while strength continues to climb. There is still so much going on as the flavors move around the profile, but now that everyone is here, the body reaches full. The dark elements are the life of the party. They’re also the loudest.
The sweeter notes keep vying for attention, but the pressure from the darker elements squelches them almost as soon as they appear.
In the last inch, the core flavors step forward, and the room turns its attention to the hosts.
Nicotine builds a little more as the movement begins to slow. It pulls the strength up with it. I can still make out the other flavors, but they’re no longer moving around as much. It’s almost as if the hosts are thanking everyone for coming and letting them know the party is over.
The guests begin filing out. Roasted nuts, herbes de Provence, and the meaty elements are among the last to leave. Even as the room empties, everything remains orderly, balanced, and composed.
At the nub, only the core flavors remain, sitting around fully content after a successful gathering. The profile has definitely compressed, with strength pegging at full. But it hasn’t collapsed. Everything is still articulate and composed.
And balanced.
That’s Summa: the balanced totality of the experience.
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