Primos Torpedo

Score: 7.5

By Hayward Tenney

Primos cigars, made by Los Blancos ("cousins" of the Plasencias, which is also where the name comes from), claims to be the only bundled cigar employing 3-year aged wrapper leaf. To the Blancos' credit (and despite one prominent vein), this is a good looking wrapper with a mottled dark Maduro color and smooth texture.

There's something rustic about its appearance, yet it's clearly well-made. The length of the stick is firm, although the band looks like something right off a Caribbean treasure map.

After clipping, the dry taste was primarily earthy, i.e. I knew I was consuming an agricultural product grown in rich soil. It toasted and lit nicely, revealing earth, wood, some spice, and a shot of pepper, which faded almost immediately. Once it rounded out, the draw was medium to tight, but succeeded in producing a decent volume of fragrant smoke.

The flavor profile wasn't especially complex, but it didn't need to be. The wrapper told me to expect an earthy baseline, and the smoke didn't disappoint, adding an occasional pocket of sweet spice. Very subtle notes of bitter chocolate appeared into the final third, complemented by an almost minty presence in the mouth.

The burn followed a sine wave pattern, and required one touchup. I tend to smoke slowly, and so was disappointed with the constant puffing required to keep it lit. Despite the relighting however, it never turned bitter or sour on me.

It's in a different class than many super-premium cigars, but to be fair, I've smoked far worse out of a box. At its price point, this is a fine cigar and would be a good every day smoke. I'm excited to try the Rosado wrapped version, and will report back after having done so.

Appearance: 8
Construction: 7
Burn: 6
Draw: 8
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 8
Final Score: 7.5