Cigar Review: GTO Pain Killer Corojo

Vitola: Figurado
Size: 6.5” x 54 ring gauge
Price ~$8.50
Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

While much of the attention in the release of the GTO Pain Killers has been on the Maduro versions (because there are two vitolas, plus the Mandinga size which is a Pain Killer crossed with a GTO Triple Ligero), Oscar Rodriguez also developed a blend utilizing a Dominican Corojo wrapper leaf as well. The insides appear to be the same (or at least similar) using Dominican Ligero for the filler and Dominican grown Cuban seed leaf for a binder. On the company website, it states that this cigar has…

just the right intensity and smooth flavor. A sublime cigar for any occasion or to enjoy with any libation.

This review sample is my first of the Pain Killer Corojo blend, which I bought at Burns when OROD debuted his lines there last month.

Prelight

Besides the lighter-colored wrapper leaf, you can tell something’s up right away, because the “Pain Killer” secondary band has a red background for this cigar, while it was black on the Maduro. The wrapper leaf was a light brown color with a bit of slightly darker mottling and a couple larger veins. It had a very oily feel to it and an aroma that had notes of hay and wood as well as a touch of earthiness. The prelight draw was quite good despite the narrow figurado tip, so I imagined it would be just about perfect once that part had burned away. The cold draw had flavors of cedar, cinnamon, and just a little bit of pepper spice.

Flavor

When I lit the Corojo Pain Killer I was greeted by a very pleasant mix of earth, wood, sweet hay, and natural tobacco notes. The retrohale had more distinctive cedar notes and some red pepper that flared up, then died away quickly on each puff. The finish on the palate was quite clean as well, leaving very little residual after taste. As I got close to the end of the first third, I noticed that I was getting some red pepper build-up on my palate.

In the second third, I started noticing more pepper and a more woody note leading the flavor profile, while there was still plenty of sweetness and earth. The final third had a final push of more cayenne pepper, something I love on Dominican Corojo cigars, and a nicely balancing molasses sweetness.

Construction

As with most of the GTO Cigars I’ve had, construction was excellent on the Pain Killer Corojo. The draw was flawless, the burn line was straight and true most of the time, and the ash was solid and held on for close to an inch at a time.

Value

An advantage of owning your own factory is that even with relatively small runs, the prices aren’t exorbitant. This continues the GTO tradition of reasonably priced cigars.

Conclusions

No doubt about it, this is a great cigar. I enjoyed it more than the Maduro version of the Pain Killer (and I liked it a lot!) and hope Oscar will consider making this in a couple other sizes at some point. The body on this was medium-plus, making it suitable for all smokers except maybe the most novice. The flavor delivery was great from beginning to end, taking my palate on a journey that I thoroughly enjoyed. Great smoke and my favorite from GTO so far.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10