If I were to describe the Kristoff Ligero Criollo Matador in a word, it would have to be “club.” The Matador is a beast of a cigar, but don’t let that scare you. This beast is tame and gentle.

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Resting nicely in its rough wood finished box with loose tobacco shavings creating a bed for this monster of a cigar to rest upon; it’s inviting to say the least. Another fun and interesting feature that helps the Matador stand out is its pig tail cap and shag foot. Wrapped in a well pronounced veined wrapper, it’s surprisingly smooth to the touch. Equally as surprising is the firmness of the cigar; although boasting such a bold size, I guess this is to be expected.

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My pre-light inspection was well met with a distinct aroma of fresh roasted nuts and a slight hint of honey. As you may well imagine, I no longer can prolong the inevitable; I sink the blades of my Palio into the pig tail cap. I’m committed now! Nicking off just the extream most edge of the cap, it proves to be enough, allowing for a firm, but open draw.

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More of the roasted nut and honey great me. I light, draw, and am instantly transported to the land of relaxation. Upon first draw, a gentle spice is added to the flavor profile of the Matador, making for an invigorating smoke. Billowing clouds of white smoke begin to fill the air, and I think to myself, “this is how a cigar ought to be.”

It probably goes without saying, but the Matador is a cigar event. You would do well by yourself to grab a good book to slow yourself down and enjoy the fullness of flavors the Matador has to offer. This is not a cigar you’d want to burn through in an hour. In fact I took close to three hours to eventually nub the cigar to completion.

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While the ash was firm throughout, I did experience a slight burn issue. This however never proved too much of a problem, only requiring a couple of touch ups with my trusted Xikar torch lighter.

Somewhere toward the middle part of the cigar, the spice that had supported the notes of nut and honey faded, making way for a buttery smooth draw that just clung to the roof of the mouth. Medium to full in strength the Matador is an impressive cigar and at a retail price of just under $10.00 is every bit worth it.

I imagine this being a perfect cigar for a long summer’s night with family and friends, watching the sun set and the stars fill the night sky. Please do yourself a favor and try a Kristoff Ligero Criollo if you’ve not done so already. I doubt very much you’ll be disappointed.

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Personal rating: 9.5 (10 pt. scale)

Happy Smoking,
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Nice review. I have not tried the ligero criollo yet. The regular criollo was pretty tasty. Two comments:
1. Matador is the name of the vitola, not the blend.
2. Were reviewing an Olympic event, I'd have to deduct a few style points for not biting the pigtail off. :-)
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Ok, help me out here... I've heard the term "vitola" but what does that refer to?

And I had to laugh at your second comment.
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Thanks for the review and excellent pictures. :-)
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Vitola refers to the size/shape of a cigar...

Great review BTW, makes it sound like I stick I really want to try. :-)
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Vitola is the size and shape of the cigar. Some companies use the traditional vitola names like robusto, toro, etc.; whether or not they use the traditional measurements. Other brands have their own names for some or all of their vitolas. Matador is the name for the Kristoff blends at 6 1/2" x 56. In your review, you seemed to be using it as the name of the blend.
Then again, my reading comprehension skills could be way off. :-)
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Thanks for the info.

Also, thanks for the info. I'm no English major also, but basically I was using the term of the vitolas more as a proper name to refer to that specific cigar. However, to be more accurate I should have referred to it as Kristoff LC or something to that effect.

Thanks though for pointing this out, it'll only help me write better/more accurate reviews.
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Great review and definitely a fine cigar! :-)
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Welll, I ain't no enlush major - so your writing is fine by me :-) . I will say your photograpghic skills are awesome. Great looking pics to go with the review. Thanks.
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I thought it was a great review. Lots more detail than I usually put in mine. Just wanted to point that out in case you didn't know. Hope I didn't come across as a grammar Nazi.
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Great review, thanks.
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Not in the least. I'm glad you said something and helped to clear up the point for me... very helpful.

I really enjoy writing reviews, it's an added bonus to cigar smoking for me, and I know everybody and their brother writes reviews and has a review blog, but I want mine to stand apart. So your point of clarification was very helpful.

Thanks again!
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Thank you so much. I simply use my cell phone camera and then do a little editing in Picasa to achieve the style/look I'm going for.
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Good job RH! Sounds like your palatte is quite refined :-)
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