Yagua toro

[borndead1]

These are one of those cigars that I would consider a 'gimmick' cigar. But I was reading positive reviews of them, so when I saw them at a B&M somewhere (I forget where), I decided to grab one to try. At $11.50/stick for a gimmick cigar at B&M prices, not bad.

From the J.C. Newman website: “At our family farm, my grandfather would take fresh tobacco leaves from the curing barns and roll cigars without any molds or presses. In an attempt to give his cigars a traditional shape, he would tie a handful of them together using pieces of the Cuban royal palm tree, known as the yagua. When he was ready to enjoy his personal cigars, he untied the bundle. He loved how every cigar had its own unique shape. I still remember the rich aroma and taste of my grandfather’s cigars. Today, I’ve recreated Yagua, rolling them exactly how my grandfather did a century ago.”

Every one of these cigars is shaped differently from being SQUISHED (not packed) together in the bundle. If you took the band off one of these and handed it to someone who had never heard of them, they'd ask if you ran it over with your car before giving it to them. That's what they look like.

My brothers of the leaf, I have never been more wrong about a gimmick/hype cigar. These are absolutely fantastic.

This review is not from the first Yagua I smoked. I've since bought several singles from various B&Ms across the western half of the country. This is probably the 10th one I've smoked. And I will probably end up buying at least 2 boxes. They are almost non-existent in boxes online. I should have just bought a box at the last B&M I found them at. But my dumb ass only bought 6 singles.

The flavor of these things is ridiculous. There's a very present sweet flavor on the draw, and flavors of baking spice and wood through the nose. The sweet sensation lingers on the palate between draws, to the point that it's very noticeable. Burn and draw are surprisingly good for such a misshapen cigar. Solid medium 'strength' throughout; the nose exhale is smooth as buttah. The sweetness subsides a bit in the second half, and the baking spice flavor increases. Slow burning cigar. Total burn time was over 1 hr.

Friends, if you see these anywhere, buy a few sticks. You won't regret it.

[Brian D.]

Zip it, Mark! You want everyone else fighting with you to get hold of these?

Actually the J.C. Newman 6x54 bundle sticks aren't bad either, for even less money.

[Porch Dweller]

Thanks for the review. I'll be on the lookout for them.

[icehog3]

Sounds surprisingly like a winner, Mark!

[borndead1]

Smoking another one of these. DAMMIT, why didn't I buy a box when I had the chance? These are one of the best NC's I've smoked in recent years, no joke. I guess I'm stuck with online singles until I find a box in the wild.


Side note: Online Singles is a good band name.

[JDoughty]

I smoked one and was not hugely impressed, though it certainly wasn't a bad cigar by any means. The feel in the hand was interesting, very dense but irregular. The flavor notes were sweet dried raisin and baking spice with no change or evolution and really nothing else that I could detect. Maybe a slight woodsiness. The flavors were very simple and unchanging if pleasant. I got a bit bored around halfway in and just wasn't interested in taking any more time on the stick. All in all not a bad smoke by any means, the flavors were sweet and pleasant and the burn was clean and easy to maintain. Would probably not buy or smoke again, though I wasn't sorry to have tried one.

[longknocker]

Had One The Other Day. Good, But Not My Favorite. I Wouldn't Buy Any More.