Vitola: Double Toro
Size: 6” x 60 ring gauge
MSRP ~$7.50
Received from Jon Siddle
Background
Fellow Leaf Enthusiast, Jon Siddle, sent me a few sticks last month. It wasn’t my intention to do full reviews on any of them, but I thought I might put a few thoughts down on them…maybe save it for a time when previously unreviewed cigars are a little harder to come by. And right before the flood of IPCPR and pre-IPCPR releases gets going is one of those times.
The Blue Mountain “El Threesome” first started hitting stores in early 2013, I believe…at least that’s the first I can find mention of it. Keith reviewed it back on the old blog. Basically, the concept is one filler and binder (all Nicaraguan) with 3 different wrapper leaf segments: Connecticut Shade, Habano, and Maduro. They claim to be the first to bring a cigar with 3 distinct wrapper sections to market, and maybe that’s true…although Jose Blanco used that type of multi-wrapper cigar for years in his blending seminars.
Notes
It’s not often I light up a big ring gauge cigar like this. I mostly pass them by in the shop, but every now and then it is good to burn one, just to make sure I’m not missing out.
The appearance is unique among the cigars sold in most shops. The 3 wrapper segments definitely have distinct aromas, with the Shade leaf being grassy, the Habano giving up a more leathery note, and the Maduro being pungent and earthy. The foot of the stogie was earthy and cedary…and it made me sneeze.
The first third didn’t start off all that well. The flavor of the Shade leaf came through, but it didn’t mesh all that well with the filler and binder, making for kind of a discordant flavor. Some grass, a little sweetness, a little spice, but nothing that I’d recommend for a whole cigar.
The second third had much more cedar flavor, along with an increased earthiness. The blend here definitely worked better than the first third.
The last third, with the Maduro wrapper was rich and earthy with notes of unsweetened cocoa and dark roast coffee. This was the highlight of the cigar.
While each wrapper type didn’t work perfectly on the filler/binder blend, the Threesome definitely works to give you a sense of just how much a wrapper influences flavor. It’s quite educational in that way, making it something you should try if you have the chance.
While I can see this being a great method to teach others about Wrapper flavors and the effect they can have on a cigar… it seems kind of gimmicky for a cigar I’m not a big fan of Barberpoles either so maybe its just me… I want my cigar to look like a cigar not like they ran out of Wrapper!
I have had this cigar and I wouldn’t smoke again, but like you said, good to introduce you to differences wrappers have on a cigar. Would have been better in a smaller RG maybe.
Interesting concept. Doesn’t sound like a have to try though.