By the Numbers

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 
Vitola: Toro 
Cut: Straight Guillotine 
Pairing: Club Soda 
MSRP: $12.50 
Source: The Cigar Experience — West Monroe, LA 

Price Paid: $15.43 
Smoke Time: 2:01 
Humidor Conditions: ~67% RH / ~71°F 
Evening Draw Score: 🎖️🎖️🎖️ — 3 Bands 

Construction and First Impressions

Right out of the gate, this thing looked like it showed up to the party with mariachi music and bad intentions. 
 
Dark, rustic Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with very pronounced veins but nearly invisible seams. Construction felt intentional. The cap came off clean, the draw landed perfectly between plugged and wide open, and the partially closed foot was one of those little touches that immediately tells you somebody actually cared while rolling it. 
 
Cold draw brought a unique creaminess while the foot aroma leaned heavily toward chocolate. 
 
After ignition, the first few draws came out swinging with spice, and honestly, that made me happy happy. The cigar was embracing its inner LMFAO with full “I’m Habano and I know it” energy.  The draw was effortless, but the burn decided pretty early it wasn’t interested in traveling in a straight line tonight. 
 
There was a nice creaminess developing early on, just not quite Creamspice territory yet. 

The First Third

The opening third was surprisingly smooth for a Habano.  Not quite the punch I expected — more like a gentleness I didn’t know I needed. 
 
The retrohale started a little quiet but slowly evolved into cream and wood. 
 
I let it cool down a bit — not enough to go out, just enough to settle — and suddenly the cedar and spice came running out screaming with their arms flailing like Kevin McAllister in Home Alone. 
 
There’s a smoothness to the smoke that reminds me of a good cologne — refined, lingering, and confident without trying too hard. 
 
The burn needed babysitting pretty early, though. About three-quarters of an inch in, I had to give it a quick touch-up with the torch just to keep things moving in the right direction. 
 
At roughly thirty minutes per inch, this thing was shaping up to be a serious time commitment. Maybe I’ve just been lying to myself about how long Toros really take to smoke. 
 
Then came a little concern. 
 
I really didn’t want to get “Christmas tree” out of this cigar, but some piney cedar notes started creeping in hard enough to make me nervous. Same issue Dave Matthews apparently haswith gin in Spaceman — once that piney note shows up too hard, I’m out.  The good news here is that thankfully the fat man eventually went back on vacation and the Chrimmus settled down. 

The Second Third

About a third of the way in, I started fighting off a thought I really didn’t want to have: I may have gotten a little bamboozled here. 
 
And that’s hard for me to say because I genuinely like Rojas products. 
 
The cigar isn’t bad. Not even close. Construction, outside the burn issues, is solid, the draw is effortless, and the profile is slowly becoming more interesting. 
 
Crossing into the second third, the first thought that hit me was: 
 
“This thing is nuts.” 
 
The backend nuttiness started becoming much more noticeable through the retrohale while the creamy finish kept hanging around near the bottom band. 
 
And if you hold that smoke in until the swelling goes down — maybe roll it around some before exhaling — the wood-and-nut profile really started showing itself. 
 
But for the price and the perceived prestige, I wanted something that got my attention a little more explicitly. 
 
At this point in the evening, maybe hour-1:20 in, the burn has stepped out more than the C-suite at a Coldplay concert, but the marketing is undeniably impeccable.  Somebody needs to invite the left side to the Taco Tuesday bash the right side is throwing. And if I’m being honest at this point, that band is doing a lot of heavy lifting emotionally right now. 
 
Just when we’re getting ready to cross over into the final leg, guess who’s back, back again… cedar’s back, tell a friend. 

Final Third

Coming down the back stretch, this cigar finally decided to become interesting. 
 
I’ve smoked dozens and dozens and dozens of Habanos. They’re literally my favorite wrapper. 
 
And suddenly: 
 
“Is that lemon?” 
 
“…and chocolate?” 
 
Yes, full Step Brothers energy. 
 
Heading into the home stretch, the chocolate notes started showing up WAY more aggressively than I anticipated. 
 
And somewhere late in the smoke, the burn finally started acting normal.   
Which honestly felt a little manipulative after all the nonsense earlier. 
 
Oh, now you want to behave?  I guess I can put the velvet smoking jacket back on the hanger since this thing is no longer turning me into Ashy Larry (and almost ruining a brand-new pair of short britches). 
 
Then came the weirdest part of the night. 
 
I set the cigar down for a minute — because apparently there’s no men’s room in the smoking section — and before I even took another draw, all that was left sitting on my palate was creamy cashew butter. 
 
Is this real life? 
 
With about 1.5” left, the nutty creamy peppery tongue tingle finally showed up. 
 
And then, in the final two draws, leather quietly entered the chat like Mr. Rogers changing shoes at the beginning of the episode with a subtle little “Oh, hello there, neighbor”. 

Millennium of Aftermath

Let’s be fair: 
 
• Is it bad? Absolutely not. 
• Did the profile evolve? Eventually, yes. 
• Did the back half save the cigar? Also yes. 
• Is the marketing phenomenal? Without question. 
• Did the burn require babysitting? Repeatedly. 
 
This cigar spent two hours slowly introducing itself one personality trait at a time. 
 
And while the final third became genuinely intriguing, it took too long to get there for the money spent. 
 
For seven or eight bucks? Give me a bundle. 
 
For fifteen? See you in 2027. 
 
Would I smoke another one? Absolutely. 
 
Would I sprint back to buy a box? Not even close. 
 
Still… that band is elite. 

Evening Draw Band Score 

🎖️🎖️🎖️ — 3 Bands 
 
“Pleasant with flashes of real intrigue, but ultimately missing the knockout punch expected at the price point.”