Cigar Blog

Cigar of the Week: Vueltabajo Toro

Size: 6" x 50
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí & Jalapa
Binder: Nicaraguan

Last month I posted an article about The Journey DVD, a visual history of the Toraño family and a look at how they produce their cigars. The Toraños lived in the town of San Luis in the Vueltabajo region of Pinar Del Rio Cuba until the 1959 Revolution forced them to leave the country. Following the family's exodus, they purchased farmland in The Dominican Republic where Carlos Toraño introduced the first Cuban Piloto Cubano seeds. As the company grew, they eventually built cigar factories in Honduras and Nicaragua. 

It's not hard to imagine that the Vueltabajo region has a lot of personal significance to the Toraños. So, to achieve a "fundamentally" Cuban-like smoke, Vueltabajo cigars are blended with Nicaraguan longfillers from Estelí and Jalapa rolled in Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrappers.

The Toro has become one of my favorite morning cigars for its creamy taste, ability to pair-up nicely with coffee, and redolent aroma. The smoke is medium in body offering a rich, earthy-woody character with notes of sweet spice and leather in the mix. They're also pretty affordable, so, considering the quality (and love) that goes into these cigars, they're a good value.

See pricing and offers for all Vueltabajo cigars.

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Among the throng of April Fools gags traversing the internet last Friday, one that received a lot of attention was an email from Famous Smoke Shop with a phony press release stating that customers could now legally buy Cuban cigars. As you can imagine, it also elicited a lot of email. Although it was risky, and some of the mail was downright nasty, as you would expect from such a prank, I have to give credit to the majority of the cigar smokers who took it in stride, and in some cases, even complimented Famous for punking them. Below are some emails that I felt worth sharing. Most came from Famous's Customer Service Dept.

"I am outraged!! You have agreed to do business with Castro!! How dare you!! Not only will I not sign up to buy your wretched Commie cigars, I am finished with you forever!! Take that you profit mongers!!"

"OMFG...lol dude it has been a good 20 years since anyone has REALLY got me on April Fools... Famous fugging owned me today rofl lololol I don't know whether to be pissed or LMAO... hahaha"  (Puff.com)

"I swear my blood was boiling when I saw the mail and I came straight here...like "omg! guys! we did it!!" lolol I just woke up so I'll chalk it up to sleepyhead."

Read more...

Size: 6¼" x 44
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí & Jalapa longfiller
Binder: Nicaraguan

How about something completely different this week? If you've never smoked cigars made entirely with organically-grown and cured tobaccos, you've been missing something really special and tasty like these Plasencia Reserva Organica Coronas.

Rolled to more of a "Cuban Corona" length and diameter, these 100% "Certified Organic" cigars are created from tobaccos grown in two regions of Nicaragua using pre-Colombian farming methods. Nestor Plasencia Jr. developed this creamy-smoking, medium-bodied blend that's aged three full years before shipping. The smoke is primarily earthy, nutty and woody with a hint of sweetness on the finish.

Give 'em a try, and let 'em age up a little longer at home for an even more marvelous treat.

See pricing and offers for all Plasencia Reserva Organica cigars.

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One of the first things you notice is the shimmering wrapper leaf and perfectly appointed triple cap. (Obviously, La Aurora wanted to make a good impression with these cigars that represent the company's 107th anniversary.)

For this occasion, I decided to pair my 107 Robusto with coffee. The pre-light flavors were nutty, woody and leathery. Once lit, the draw was effortless; perhaps a bit too effortless, yet the smoke was creamy and more on the mild-medium side with a mostly nutty flavor.

Size: 5" x 50
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Although I generally prefer Toros, the Robusto really captures the spirit of the series. Like all of Litto's cigars, the Signature Series Robusto is seamlessly handcrafted. The blend consists of choice Nicaraguan longfillers, Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed binders and dark Nicaraguan-grown wrappers. The cigar is full-bodied, not unlike the La Flor Dominicana Ligero edition, offering a hearty and complex smoke that's really smooth, too. There are also lots of earthy, woody and spicy flavors with an underlying sweetness in the mix.

I wish there were more customer comments and scores on these cigars, so you'll have to judge for yourself. In any event, they're worth a shot and won't be around forever.

See pricing and offers for all Signature by Litto Gomez cigars.

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