Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro is between medium and dark brown and has some lightly raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps are well applied and finished with a twisted off stump. The band is black and silver and denotes the line name on front and the company name on back. The aroma from the wrapper is smoky wood and earth, while the foot brings stone fruit sweetness and smoky wood. The pre-light draw brings a mix of floral, cedar and earth notes.
Seth: The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro is a lovely cigar that is finished with a great and decorative fan-cap. The foot is slightly covered, and the cigar sports a lovely chocolate coloring wrapper. It is coarse in texture and sports medium to large veins throughout. The cigar is firm in hand with an aroma of rich earth, sweet spices, mocha, leather and tobacco. Lovely on the foot and wrapper.
John: The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with the cigar information attached to the main body of the cellophane so it does not tear when opened. The cigar features an artisanal complication in the form of a twisted nipple (short tail cap). It carries a single primary band. I weighed the cigar at 16.4 grams and measured the humidity with the Humidimeter Pro at 61.3%. Aromas from the wrapper included rich, syrupy tobacco with a mesquite-like smokiness underneath. From the foot, the same components were present with the addition of raisin sweetness and a reduced mesquite aroma.
Jiunn: The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro has a rustic and hearty Colorado Red wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the flared head is well finished. Pre-light aromas consist of construction paper and cedar.

Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with smoky, toasted oak, earth and some black pepper. At a half inch in, the smoky oak is leading the draws, but the earth and black pepper match it on a delay and those two have a long finish. The retrohale is toasted oak and earth with light amounts of smokiness and black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. At an inch and a half in, some light leather joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the smoky, toasted oak is up front, with earth a bit behind, black pepper behind the earth and some leather in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third begins with nice rich earth notes that are paired with this mocha and sweet spice profile. Bits of leather and tobacco are present as well, and the flavor profile is balanced with a nice strength and body. I would classify the cigar as medium-full in strength and body. Well blended.
John: The first third gets going with sweet tobacco and a delayed creamy wood finish, with mild spices through the post draw. As the first third begins to settle in, white pepper enters the finish at medium strength, building over the next few puffs. Creamy, medium-strength pepper develops on the retrohale. As the first third continues, bread breaks into the retrohale while medium-strength wood begins to define the finish. A delayed pepper lingers on the post draw. Approaching the halfway mark of the first third, the pepper recedes to light-plus strength, replaced by sweet tobacco in the post draw. The profile becomes primarily wood-driven. By the actual halfway point, a mild smoky barbecue quality becomes detectable on both the retrohale and the finish.
Jiunn: The first third provides medium-full body and medium strength. Flavors consist of pencil shavings minerality, hay, cocoa powder and cedar wood. Retrohaling gives creamy roasted nuts and mild dried red pepper spice. The finish has a hint of marzipan and mixed nuts tannins.

Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toast level increases and the smokiness mellows a bit. At a half inch in, some light minerality joins the profile. The retrohale remains toasted oak and earth with light amounts of smokiness and black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper mellows some more as the leather picks up a bit. As the third comes to a close, the lightly smoky, toasted oak is a bit ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and leather just a bit further back. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third delivers this leather and tobacco profile with a nice mocha and cocoa quality. Sweet spice flavors are still present with a nice pepper and earth quality on the finish. Like before, it is medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third opens with creamy bread and baking spices, as wood and mild spices combine through the finish. The smoky mesquite quality from the first third remains present, now sitting underneath the main profile rather than driving it. As the cigar progresses toward the halfway point of the second third, the spice on the finish moves back up to medium-minus strength while combining with earth.
Jiunn: The second third shows a greater sense of melding of flavors. The general vibe is the same, providing sweetness, creaminess and minerality. Strength ramps to medium-full, while body remains medium.

Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, a light mustiness joins the profile. At a quarter inch in, the smokiness has departed. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth, black pepper, mustiness and leather. At three quarters of an inch in, the mustiness increases to the middle of the profile. At an inch in, the toast level increases. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak is up front, with the earth a bit behind, mustiness in the middle of the profile and black pepper in the back half. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is in line with the second third. Leather, tobacco, mocha and cocoa flavors. Nice coffee and sweet spice notes with bits of pepper, earth and minerals on the finish. Like the first two thirds, medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third begins with a combination of creamy pepper and wood, while smoky BBQ takes up the center of the profile at light strength. Medium-minus pepper finishes the draw, with delayed wood in the post draw. As the final third continues, earth from the finish pushes its way into the post draw, bringing the pepper along with it. Mild bitterness joins the post draw through the bottom half of the final third.
Jiunn: The final third is less complex with mainly minerals and cedar. It’s especially missing the sweetness, creaminess and tannins. Strength and body is still medium-full and medium, respectively.

Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on through each third.
Seth: The burn was great from start to finish.
John: The burn was straight through the first third, relatively straight through the second third, and straight again through the final third.
Jiunn: Burn performance was solid, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro

Draw

Aaron: The draw started perfect, but tightened up a bit as it went along.
Seth: The draw was perfect from beginning to end.
John: I measured the draw at 52 inches of water with the CigarMedics Draw Machine. Subjectively, the draw was roughly 1½ to 2 notches toward the resistant spectrum, placing it slightly into the resistant range.
Jiunn: The draw was also great, giving the ideal balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with smoky, toasted oak, earth and some black pepper. The black pepper mellowed a bit and some light leather joined in. The second third saw the toast level increase and the smokiness mellow a bit. Later, some light minerality joined in for a bit. Then, the black pepper mellowed some more and the leather increased. The final third saw some mustiness join in and the smokiness depart. The mustiness later increased and the toast level increased some more. The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the smoky, toasted oak and earth. The supporting notes were pleasant, but didn’t really enhance the profile. Not a cigar I’d really see myself coming back to.
Seth: The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro was a great stick. Balanced from beginning to end, the cigar was beautiful in appearance and wonderful in terms of flavors delivered. I loved the profile of earth, cocoa, leather, tobacco and spices. The strength and body were never too much, but they were present and pairing perfectly with the flavors. Construction was on point as well, and that just led to an overall great smoking experience. I would come back to this vitola and would love to see how the cigar ages. BLTC is simply on point right now.
John: The Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro turned out to be one of those cigars that slowly builds in complexity with each transition. What struck me most was how the profile managed to balance its darker, smokier elements with these moments of subtle sweetness, never fully tipping into harshness or overload. The mesquite and BBQ nuance seemed to thread through the first two thirds giving the cigar a sense of identity that was distinct without being gimmicky. The ebb and flow of pepper was handled impressively, building when it needed to, stepping back when the profile needed more space. Even as the final third dipped into heavier earth and introduced some bitterness, the overall experience felt cohesive and intentional. With excellent construction, an almost perfect draw, and a flavor profile that evolves while maintaining a recognizable core, the Eletto Toro landed solidly in the “Good” category for me and delivered a memorable, engaging smoking experience. The total smoking time was 2 hours and 37 minutes.
Jiunn: This Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro is yet another Fabrica Oveja Negra blend that I enjoy. It has the familiar DNA of higher levels of nicotine with great density of flavors. And at a good price point of ~$14 for a Toro, this really hits the sweet spot and is definitely worth picking up a few.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$2.48

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.97

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$2.08

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.04

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Black Label Trading Co. Eletto Toro