Conuco Toro

Score: 8.6

By Clarice Save (Cigars4Women.com)

First, I would like to thank Famous Smoke Shop for so generously agreeing to help out with our Group, "The 5 Pack Rat Pack," at Cigars4Women. Our group is dedicated to selecting a cigar for the month, but rather than smoke only one and review, we decided to get a better feel of the cigar by testing it out in a 5 Pack and then offer our reviews.

When the 5 Packs came in the mail, I was puzzled by the Conuco name. I hadn’t heard about Conuco before, but I was like, “Wow, this is a beautiful cigar.” Its wrapper is an oily Habano, shiny and silky, and the construction of this cigar firm, smooth but yet tender to the touch.

After researching the cigar, I found out that the Conuco is a Rocky Patel blend, which baffled me even more, and made me go, “Hmmm…either this cigar was an undiscovered gem, or was hidden at the bottom of the barrel out of site."

Pre light:  Beautiful in appearance - deep dark and oily. Its construction was smooth and solid, with just enough sponge to indicate a good draw was imminent. I loved the sweet aroma. It was slightly caramel, a kick of spice with just a slight taste of cocoa on the head. So far, so good, and I was beginning to really look forward to smoking this cigar. I snipped the tip and tested the draw. The pre-draw was smooth, and I tasted an earthy note with a touch of caramel.

The smoke:  From the very beginning of this cigar, there was a billow of white smoke. Its draw was thorough. It was a mild and easy for the first 2 thirds. The burn slightly wavered at points but didn’t cause me any great concern as it evened itself out after we reached midway. I was impressed with this cigar. I thought it carried some complexity with its flavors. Earthy notes of cocoa, caramel, and a kick of spice every now and again.

I smoked the Conuco down to its nub, and enjoyed spending the time smoking it. This was a no fuss, no worry, and easy-going cigar. The band popped off with ease,too!

Conuco is a cigar that’s economically priced, and a good quality smoke. I didn’t have to pay much attention to this cigar’s performance at all. I was able to relax and let the flavor of the smoke come to me. Conuco get’s this Lady’s nod.

Appearance:  9
Construction: 9
Burn (ash, etc.): 8
Draw: 9
Flavor: 8
Aroma: 9
Total Score: 8.6

About Cigars4Women.com
Cigars4Women.com was created by Clarice Save for women to demonstrate unity, credibility and knowledge of the premium cigar culture, and the spirit of SOTL ("Sisters of the Leaf"). The site features cigar reviews, blogs, forums, chat, videos, events, and other cigar-related information.

Honduras

First things first: this is one "drop-dead-gorgeous" cigar, it has one of the oiliest wrappers that I have seen in a long, long time.

Excellent construction here, this cigar has a great draw that produces billowing clouds of dense smoke, and burns clean and straight for quite a long time for a Toro. (I became so wrapped-up in the experience that I lost track of time.)

The flavor starts of with a kick, but it's not overdone or the least bit "raw" like a Joya Antaño, etc. (though I have to admit that I like a cigar that's a little on the 'brutal' side), the flavor just keeps coming.

I am an avid fan of fine tea, and while tasting this cigar a comment from my tea experiences came to mind: "the harder it is to describe the flavor of your tea, the chances are that it's of superior quality." Consequently, this cigar is one hard cigar to describe. Yes, it tastes like tobacco, but it doesn't taste like anything else out there that I can summon in my faculties: all I can say is that this is a very unique and generously complex cigar that seems to "have it all." Totally blew-away the Padron 2000 Maduro that I smoked the other day, and the Padron was excellent.

This cigar is well-balanced, has earthiness, sweetness, spice, and the "mouth-feel" is full; you really know that you're smoking something when you're smoking one of these. It's satisfying like a five-course meal, a total "turn off the telephone and don't answer the door" kind of smoke. It is full flavored with ample strength, but is never out of control, and each draw makes you crave the next. Maybe I'll time the burn-duration and count the draws next time.

The only downside of these is that I only have a few left, and I can't wait to get my hands on them (and I don't want to run out, but there's just no way I'm going to be able to keep my hands off of these), and I can't stop thinking about the next time I get the opportunity to smoke one again!

- Jeff K. in California