The MoyaRuiz La Jugada Habano Semi-Pressed Toro was an overall pleasant smoking experience that remained consistent from start to finish. When I saw the Habano, I was expecting a bit more pop to the spices. None of the thirds really grabbed me in terms of complexity or layers of flavor, so I was left with an enjoyable, but average impression.
The Gurkha San Miguel Toro was an average cigar from start to finish. It produced an AGANORSA flavor that you find with some of the lower end offerings. This wasn't a cigar composed with the best AGANORSA tobacco. It was earthy with some damp wood and pepper spice. Medium-full throughout. Nothing really to write home about and expand on.
The Crux Limitada PB5 2020 was overall a pleasant experience, rating just above average for complexity and flavors. The construction was excellent. Given the limited nature of the cigar, I was expecting the complexity to be better through the second and last third, but I would smoke this cigar again if I had the opportunity.
The J.C. Newman Yagua had an interesting flavor profile, and might be one of the better Broadleaf wrapped cigars in 2020. Although the burn performance was absolutely abysmal, I will be returning to at least one more Yagua to see how it compares to the review experience.
The Gurkha Treinta Toro had some sneaky strength as I began feeling the nicotine a bit at the halfway point. As a cigar that is celebrating a big anniversary, it didn't show as something special. That, along with the high price point, doesn't really intrigue me to revisit this one.
This isn't what I was expecting out of Aganorsa Corojo '99. Being heavily spice and mineral driven, I got little or no soft notes of bread, nuts and even citrus, which is what I tend to expect. The profile was leaning too much into being sharp and charred, which ultimately made the Aganorsa Leaf Lunatic Torch Visionaries an overall average experience.
The Villiger TAA Exclusive 2020 had some promising flavors in the first third, but ultimately did not provide the level of complexity and nuance that we've had from past Villiger releases. Great construction with a resistant draw, I was left with an overall average experience.
The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2020 LC56 was unfortunately a miss for me. I would go as far as to say it is my least favorite Las Calaveras. The profile suffered from lack of complexities and depth of flavors. I'll have to pass on this year and look forward to next year's release.
The Perla del Mar Natural Perla G is a reliably good Ecuadorian Shade offering. After smoking two of these, I'm happy to say that I'd enjoy smoking these on a regular basis, especially when you factor in the price point. The flavor profile managed to balance complexity, while keeping the overall strength in the range of a typical Shade experience.
The Kristoff San Andres Box-Pressed Toro TAA 2020 was quite interesting as it moved around quite a bit with a wide combination of flavors. The price point is fairly attractive and I could see myself coming back to this from time to time.
