Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Black Toro is a dark reddish brown, with a decent amount of tooth and decently raised vein running down the back of the cigar. The seams are a bit raised and the caps are decently applied. There are two bands, with the primary having a look as though the traditional band for the brand is over the top of a black and silver band denoting the sub brand. The secondary band is also black and silver and denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is just a light wood note while the foot brings a mix of wood and tobacco sweetness. The pre-light draw brings musty cedar and a mild spiciness on my lips.

First Third

The cigar begins with musty oak and dry earth. At a half inch in, the musty oak gains a bit of a toasted note. The retrohale is musty, toasted oak. At an inch in, a mild black pepper joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is musty, toasted oak, dry earth and mild black pepper. The strength was slightly below medium.

Second Third

The second third continues with the musty, toasted oak, dry earth and mild black pepper. The retrohale remains musty, toasted oak. At an inch and a quarter, the dry earth becomes even with the musty, toasted oak. As the third comes to a close, the toast level has become pretty heavy. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the heavy toast transitions to a light char. At a half inch in, the black pepper is no longer detectable. The retrohale is now musty, heavily toasted oak along with some dry earth. At an inch in, the profile is an even mix of the musty, lightly charred oak and dry earth along with some ashiness. The strength in this third remained at medium.

Burn

The burn was straight the entire way. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Black Toro performed like a number of cigars that I’ve smoked from General where the flavor profile seems a bit stale and the tobacco seems dull. The construction and smoking performance was excellent, but that’s the lone bright spot for the experience. Smoking a cigar with a Broadleaf wrapper, I would expect a bit more potency to the flavors and it just wasn’t there. Definitely not something I see myself returning to.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$1.61

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Black Toro