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.
The Kristoff 685 Woodlawn Box Pressed Toro TAA 2021 certainly brings its A game for presentation and a fairly good flavor profile through the first two thirds. I would happily smoke another Kristoff 685 Woodlawn Box Pressed Toro TAA 2021, and if you enjoyed the flavor notes, I'd recommend seeking them out.
The Macanudo Inspirado Brazilian Shade Toro was a fun cigar with a nice flavor profile. Not overly complex, it was balanced throughout. I loved the coffee, cream and lemongrass qualities throughout. A solid medium in strength and body, it is a cigar that many could enjoy at any time of day. Job well done!
The Protocol Cyber Crimes Unit performed fairly well, with aggressive white pepper in the first third, and a more nuanced chocolate forward flavor in the second third. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the profile, and in the end it seemed as if there was a teleport chamber, and the Protocol Red and Blue stepped in at the same time and came out the other side as a chimera.
Relatively speaking for a Connecticut broadleaf, the Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Year of the Ox 2021 was on the lighter side. It didn't quite have the highly earthy, viscous and chocolate overlays. Instead, it smoked lighter, especially in terms of earthiness and strength. To me, there's nothing wrong with that and it's a good showing, especially for the Chinese market. A cigar well made to celebrate the Year of the Ox.
Despite an extremely resistant draw, the A.C.E. Prime M.X.S. Signature Adrián González El Titán delivered a balanced, engaging and overall enjoyable flavor profile through the first and second thirds. Overall strength hovered at medium levels throughout, with none of the flavors too intense on the palate.
The cigar was pretty pleasant in the first third, but lost some complexity in the second third. For this Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Reserve Toro, it just didn't provide enough enjoyment through the entire smoking experience to make me want to come back to it with any regularity.