Review by Lindsay Heller (Twitter: @TheCigarChick )
Very rarely am I impressed by a house cigar from a regular retail store because it’s merely the result of a proprietor’s desire to emulate their favourite major labels, but once in awhile I learn to eat my words and this once in awhile is now. Thanks to Joel Sorrentino I received a sampler pack in the mail of the new Luca del Toro cigars from the Olde Punta Gorda Cigar Shop in the Florida town of the same name.
The Luca del Toro is the latest release from Ron Andrews (owner, Olde Punta Gorda Cigars), a man who for barely a decade has been in the cigar business and seems to have found a passion. Under the parent name of Los Nietos Cigars, as the Spanish implies, Andrews is celebrating grandchildren. Made by George Rico of Gran Habano Cigars, this stick is named for Andrews’ first grandson, Luke, and comes in two sizes: Toro Pequeño (52 x 5 1/2″) and the Toro Grande (54 x 6″) and they retail for $6.00 and $6.50 respectively.
Size: Toro Pequeño (52 x 5 1/2″)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano *(Nicaraguan-Honduran hybrid used for the first time in a blend made by George Rico)*
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Appearance and Construction: At first glance I was a little alarmed because the wrapper appeared more veiny than I prefer, but to the touch the Nicaraguan Habano hybrid was exceedingly smooth and pleasantly oily. Staring down the foot of the cigar it looked like a good roll and while the Cuban-style triple cap looked a little sloppy, it didn’t lead me to believe it would cause any problems while smoking. My only real issue with the cigar’s appearance was the band itself: for my taste it was a bit too kitschy and has this Wild West vibe to it, but I’m not going to hold grudges for artwork when it has no bearing on my smoking experience. (28/30 for the category)
Delivery (Notes, etc): I spent probably two-to-three minutes just smelling the foot prior to lighting the cigar because it had the most pleasant aroma of rich chocolate coupled with the smell of mineral-esque manure. (Now I know what you’re thinking when I said “manure,” but in terms of the quality of the soil the tobacco came from, this smell is a good sign. If you don’t believe me, then ask José Blanco of La Aurora.)
I’m not going to lie when I say I was skeptical because I’m not a big fan of Honduran tobacco — it is either cured and fermented beyond oblivion or as a natural wrapper too sweet for my palate– and despite its hybrid wrapper, Los Nietos labels this as a “Honduran Selection”. On the flip side from the second I lit this cigar is when I had to discard many of my prejudices towards the tobacco used in this blend. Prime example: you know when you first light a stick and it’s just this massive abundance of unmarried flavours before the oils in the leaves fully heat up? For some reason beyond my knowledge the Luca del Toro does NOT do this and is smooth and flavourful from the first puff with zero bite.
The best way for me to describe the Luca del Toro is that it is an adventure in chocolate. The first two inches or so there is this beautiful bounty of rich semi-dark chocolate marked with smokey undertones of chipotle pepper. (If you have experience with true chocolate — not the crap Hershey’s puts out — then you’ll know how well darker chocolate works with hot peppers. ) The pepper here is just prominent enough that I got a slight tingle on my lips. The longer I smoked the pepper slowly disappeared, but in return the cigar kept developing and throwing off hints of increasingly darker cacao. At its apex it was like smoking 80% pure African chocolate where the overall bittersweet taste real cacao is known for also gave off the slightest hint of sweet cedar in the back of the draw.
I smoked the Toro Pequeño down to the nub and as the cigar itself began to wind down, so did the chocolate nature that had been so prominent throughout. Another positive sign for me in terms of good blending was that the paramount notes here did not just die, but rather they gradually calmed down and bled into this milder, more peaty and earthy finish that sat well on my palate even after I had finished smoking. (33/35 for the category)
Burn/Ash/Draw: The burn was really the only time I had an issue with the cigar and it was a small one. The Luca del Toro burned rather evenly throughout, but the last 1.5″ it started to canoe. Although it did not do so badly, it still became a bit unsightly.
The ash itself was a rich silver-grey encompassed in a thin, darker-coloured ring. While the colour of the ash — as pretty as it is to some — has nothing extreme to do with the overall quality of a cigar, the colour here let me know the tobacco came from calcium-rich soil.
The draw on the Toro Pequeño was perfect and that too impressed me, because as I prefaced earlier, Honduran tobacco is not my usual smoke of choice. The more oscuro wrappers from Honduras tend to be too toothy and therefore you pull more when you smoke; whereas the more natural Honduran tobacco tends to be light and sweet, resulting in a draw so easy it’s almost as if you are not smoking. Thankfully with the Luca del Toro George Rico got it right. (30/35 for the category)
Overall Assessment: The Luca del Toro from Los Nietos Cigars is a must-try and a must-buy: inexpensive, tasty, well-made, and quite honestly that makes for a great everyday smoke to have in your humidor. This cigar proves exactly what is preached in the food world and that is something does not have to be overtly complex to be good and enjoyable; in fact, it takes a lot more skill and understanding of your ingredients to make something well that is for all intensive purposes “simple,” rather than throwing a whole bunch of things in a pot hoping they work well with one another. The cigar industry today seems to have turned into this competition for complexity and that does not always result in a solid product. Very rarely do I give this much praise, but kudos to George Rico for his work and to Ron Andrews for choosing a blend that is truly a breath of fresh air.
*Final Score: 91
If you would like more info on this cigar you are welcome to PM me.
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