Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro is a marbled medium brown and has a few slightly raised veins that are surrounded by a lighter shade of brown. The seams are smooth and very well blended while the head is finished off with a nicely applied triple cap. There are two bands with the primary having the Balmoral logo in white and gold with sides that are gray and denote the collaborators. Below the logo is the line name in a blue, gold and white design. The foot band has the same blue, gold and white design style and again denotes the collaborators as well as the vitola. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of hay and leather while the foot reminds me of sweet tea. The pre-light draw is hay and faint sweet tea. There is a mild dry spice detected on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro has a lovely wrapper that is beautiful in coloring, showing this Colorado chestnut color. There are some small to medium sized veins present throughout and it is firm in hand. The aroma on the cigar is of chai, earth, tobacco, cherries, spices and pepper and it’s lovely all around.

Pre-light Experience

The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro has a complex and elegant primary band along with a foot band. The band design has a number of interesting elements, including curved edges to add complication, along with embossing. The color scheme is white or gold lettering on white or blue background. The wrapper on the cigar is dark and smooth. For aromas, I was able to pick up fermented tobacco, light plum, cedar, barnyard and old earth. In the foot, light sweetness along with hay.

Pre-light Experience

The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro has a uniformed brown Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are tightly pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head finished off with a well wrapped cap. Aromas from the wrapper give a floral cedar and hay. Nosing the foot gives inviting red pepper spice and nuts. Cold draw reveals hay and dried apricots.

First Third

The cigar begins with wood, black pepper and mustiness. At a half inch in, the combination of flavors have a lot of depth and are firing on all cylinders. The retrohale starts with a black pepper kick and then allows the musty wood to appear. At an inch in, the draw begins with the musty wood and then the black pepper comes in and has a lengthy finish. At an inch and a quarter, a faint creaminess joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the musty wood is up front with the cream as a supporting note and the black pepper very faint in the background. The strength in this third started at medium-full but finished at medium.

First Third

The first third begins by delivering some soft spice notes and I am getting some graham cracker crust qualities. There is a green aspect present with the cigar as well, somewhere between wheat grass and lemongrass and the finish is of dry earth, wood and barnyard. It is medium to medium-full in strength, and the body and flavors are at a medium level.

First Third

Dessert like creamy spices to open, finishing with cedar. Mild bready baking spices through the retrohale, that carry into the post draw and bring lingering leather. Spices are lingering between draws. As the cigar settles, intense cocoa through the retrohale along with bready notes and mild chalkiness. Mild earth joins the end of the draw, moving up with light plus with the earth. Those post draw flavors serve to be palate coating between draws. Faint sour citrus mixes with the cedar. By the 2 inch mark, I’m really starting to feel the nicotine strength of this cigar. I would describe it already at medium-full almost full. In the bottom half, the post draw earth and leather move up to medium strength.

First Third

The first third has a balanced delivery of flavors focusing on the softer notes. A jammed plum is the backdrop with surrounding minerals and cedar. Retrohaling is the best part as it highlights and deepens all the flavors. The finish is on the shorter end with namely a lingering faint cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

The second third begins with the creaminess getting closer to the musty wood up front. At a quarter inch in, a slight char joins the wood. At three quarters of an inch in, the profile is slightly charred and musty wood with cream right behind and light pepper and a vegetal note in the background. The retrohale is just musty wood. As the third comes to a close, the char has left the wood but is still paired with the mustiness and some cream is still supporting. There are still faint traces of the black pepper and vegetal notes in the background. The strength in this third remains at medium.

Second Third

When I get into the second third of the cigar, I find an emergence in soft anise notes and it is paired with some cinnamon, soft earth and wood. I am getting some palm and grass notes, and the finish has this hardy candy quality to it. Sarsaparilla and sassafras. Like before, the strength is around a medium-full level and the body and flavors at a solid medium.

Second Third

Cocoa and earth make up the retrohale here. Cocoa and drying cedar settle into the middle of the profile. The drying cedar carries into the post draw. As the second third settles in, citrus and earth define the middle, with the earth taking on a mildly toasted aspect. That toasted quality intensifies and so does the earth. By the halfway point, light bready notes and cedar now define the middle of the profile as the earth is all but gone.

Second Third

The second third has some of the flavors muddled. For one thing, the backdrop of jammed plum is less easily identifiable, becoming a general sweetness. Further, the cigar has more sharper influence in minerals and cedar. Strength and body remains medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, musty wood is the focus with faint black pepper and a vegetal note in the background as the cream has left the profile. At a half inch in, the vegetal note has come up closer to the front of the profile as the black pepper is completely gone. The retrohale is musty wood and the vegetal note at equal levels. At an inch in, the musty wood and vegetal note are even. As the cigar comes to a close, the vegetal node faded to the background while the musty wood remained up front. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

The final third shows a little bit of a demise from the second third and is delivering a flavor profile of soft pepper, sweet spices, earth, wood and anise. It is still smoking at a level between medium and medium-full for strength and the body and flavors are at that same level now as well.

Final Third

Earthy profile moving into the last third. The post draw is toasted earth. Light plus bready sweetness takes up the middle of the profile. As the last third settles in, post draw earth gives way to cedar.

Final Third

The last third started off the same way as the the second third but surprisingly, out of no where came a sharp harsh bitterness. But for the most part, it was still a good mix of sweetness mixed with earthiness in cedar and minerals. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn line was slightly wavy but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

The burn on the cigar was good throughout. There were times where it got a little wavy, but it was never a major problem in terms of smoking experience.

Burn

I struggled with the burn rating as the burn seemed to hobble along through the smoking experience. It was uneven at several points but always managed to self correct. As no corrective action was necessary I rated the burn to be amazing.

Burn

Zero issues with the burn. Straight burn line, cool burning temperature and tight ashes.

Draw

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

Overall

The cigar began with wood, mustiness and black pepper. As it progressed, the pepper lightened up and some cream joined in. The musty wood was the core of the profile as the pepper faded to the back and was joined by a vegetal note and then the vegetal noted paired up with the musty wood in the final third. Construction was great and even though the cigar started medium-full in strength, it settled in around medium the rest of the way. The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro had a nice fullness of flavors and it presented them very well. The first third was the best and then it gradually dropped through each third. This is a collaboration that worked and is a cigar I would have no problem smoking often. I would be interested in trying the Robusto to see if it maintained the better aspects of the cigar for more of the overall flavor experience. Track these cigars down if you’re up for some strength and full body flavor.

Draw

The draw was great from start to finish. Nice level of resistance throughout.

Overall

This a solid release from 2019 and a great follow up to last year’s release. The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro was complex, showing transitioning from start to finish and always possessing depth. On top of that, the body, strength and flavors played well off of one another and left me entertained and keeping my attention throughout. I’m really loving these collaborations from Balmoral and other companies and I think they are on to something. They know how to make something unique each year and special at the same time. Job well done!

Draw

I rated the draw to be very good, on average. Initially, the cigar was just over 2 notches resistant, which would result in a score of good. Once the first third had settled in the draw opened up to 1-1/2 notches of resistance.

Overall

The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro is an enjoyable cigar with intense flavors at times, and a strength that hits full levels almost immediately in the first third. The first and second thirds had the most complex medley of flavors, with the last third falling short of the mark. I look forward to trying this cigar in the other two vitolas as I’m not sure that the Gran Toro showcases the best the tobacco blend has to offer. I would happily smoke the Paso Doble again, although I would ensure I was doing it on a full stomach. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Draw

The draw was slightly snug. Not a major factor but nonetheless a noticeable one.

Overall

The Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro was an overall solid offering providing a soft and easy going flavor profile. Being spot on medium in strength and body, the flavor delivery captured my attention the entire way without needing to be bothered by heavy strength or beat down on my palate. I would absolutely smoke this again hoping for a pleasurable full cigar as compared to the good first two thirds and mediocre final third.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.70

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$1.67

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$1.80

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$1.80

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro