Overall, the flavor profile of the Villiger TAA 2021 Exclusive was fairly average. The cigar never really brought an interesting flavor profile, just one that is easily found in many cigars. Not something I really see myself coming back to.
The Diesel Sunday Gravy San Marzano was about what I expected from the brand at this price point, a bundle type flavor profile. While the first third was average, it went downhill from there and isn't something that was all that enjoyable. If you're a Diesel fan or a bundle smoker, give it a try, but I can't see myself coming back to this.
This is the ideal Connecticut shade flavor profile I look for. Soft notes galore, with sweetness and creaminess upfront, and accented wood and spice notes. But I have a major gripe about this Rocky Patel White Label Toro. The price tag of $20 for a Connecticut shade is a bit ridiculous. But I'll push that aside and will weigh more on the actual (more important) flavor experience.
The Joya de Nicaragua Dos Cientos is a balanced cigar that is complex from beginning to end. Nice bit of depth with wonderful flavors. A fantastic multi-nation blend that one may not think Joya would or could create. They continue to produce fantastic new blends when released, great vitola expansions, and keep the quality up on their existing brands. Job well done!
Once again, HVC puts out a good cigar with the HVC 10th Anniversary that delivers a range of flavors and nuance keeping me engaged for the majority of the review experience. I will add this to the pile of blends Reinier Lorenzo has put out that I would happy to return to.
The Illusione 2021 TAA Exclusive had a promising start with a complex and nuanced medley of flavors that you can often get from Illusione blends. The second third couldn't maintain the same level of complexity, and the last third was largely earth driven and monotonous. There are so many brilliant Illusione offerings that I would find myself reaching for instead of the 2021 TAA.
The ATL Magic was an average cigar, but enjoyable. It lost a little bit of that pop from the first third, but there was never this amazing start followed by a dramatic drop and awful finish. It was an average Mexican San Andres offering at a nice price point with great construction. It falls into that softer Mexican offering category on the market, and that is not typically my cup of tea.
For a bundle cigar, the J.C. Newman Havana Q Double Toro is serviceable, but it's not really the profile I prefer and I wouldn't see myself coming back to this unless I just wanted to light something up while doing something else.
The Gurkha Real Toro was a pleasant, albeit fairly average flavor experience throughout. The last third was unbalanced and did detract somewhat. The profile is quite light, and certainly fits for a more classic Connecticut profile, so would appeal to cigar smokers who only smoke in the lighter end of the spectrum. For me, this cigar didn't do enough to differentiate from the other Connecticut offerings in the market.
Full flavored and deceptively strong. I don't mind the full strength when the flavors are so abundant. An equal balance of sweet, nutty and spice. The only let down is the annoying burn. But luckily, it didn't affect the flavors. But for the flavors, I'd gladly smoke the All Saints St. Francis Toro again and again.
