Sindicato Cubico Toro

What happens when a group of cigar and tobacco retailers put their heads together to try and deliver something fresh and new to consumers? You get Sindicato Cigars. Founded by tobacconists, with former Altadis USA Executive VP of Sales & Marketing, Jim Colucci, serving as president/CEO of the company. Sindicato Cigar Group produces the self-named Sindicato line, as well as the Particulares, Hex, Casa Bella, Maniac, and Affinity lines, as well as several limited-edition projects.

Introduced at the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Cubico is a regular-production addition to the company’s offerings and uses an Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Cubico Toro Breakdown

The cigar is available in four vitolas, with one being an exclusive to retailer Smoke Inn Cigars. Cubico is manufactured at the famed Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Appearance

While the Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper clearly had a major influence on the cigar’s name, it is without a doubt that this cigar will be identified by its tight square or cube-pressed shape. The cigars come packaged in an attractive 20-count black box with gold and silver logos. The toro-sized cigars look impressive, and the initial appearance gives the impression that the cigar’s ring gauge is larger than its stats suggest.

Sized at 6” x 54, Cubico Toro has a distinctively square press to it. It is fairly firm to the touch, with only a slight amount of sponginess. The wrapper has a nice mottled milk chocolate color to it, with a nice oily sheen. The aroma coming from the foot gives hints of natural sweet tobacco and barnyard, while the wrapper has more of the same with the addition of cocoa and floral notes. With a straight cut, the pre-light draw is a little on the firm side, with hints of dark chocolate and black cherries giving an underlying sweetness to it.

Smoking Experience

The first few puffs of this make me think I am smoking my dessert! I get a blast of toasted marshmallow, espresso, and campfire right off the bat. Black pepper gives a solid zing on the retrohale, warming up the back of the throat and letting the flavors really show themselves. The foot is putting off a light, wispy smoke, and the draw is still a little on the tight side, but still within an acceptable range. The burn is straight and true, producing a firmly packed, light gray ash. At the end of the first third the cigar exhibits strength in the medium range, with a body in the medium-to-full range.

Moving into the second third, toasted bread and molasses enter the flavor game, giving a distinct note of cherrywood on the retrohale, which is reminiscent of hardwood on a grill prepped for steak cooking. The draw has opened up to near-perfect at this point and the smoke output has stepped up a notch as well. Just past the halfway point of the cigar, the cherrywood is joined by a slightly bitter floral note, which seems to complement the profile of the cigar well, now hitting the entire surface of the tongue.

Getting into the final third, the cigar requires its first minor touchup, but nothing too bothersome. The profile developed in the second third carries into the final third with gusto, bumping the strength to the upper end of medium but not quite medium-full. The cigar is finishing with sweet tobacco, toasted marshmallow, molasses, and chocolate, making for a dessert-like finish. These flavors are accompanied by pepper on the retrohale, adding the power to send it all home, with a total smoking time of just over two hours.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

This cigar was enjoyable and kept me wanting more. With a reasonable price point, Cubico could be added to the hobbyist’s regular (or semi-regular) rotation without regret, definitely making me want to smoke it again and try the other sizes as well.

• Cubico began shipping to retailers in November 2019.
• The Corona vitola is exclusive to Smoke Inn Cigars.

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