Aaron Loomis

 John McTavish

Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro is dark brown and has some raised veins. The seams are a bit raised and the head has some edges lifting on some of the caps. The are two bands, both in a gold and black color combination. The primary denotes the line, while the secondary carries the Roman numeral II. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cardboard and earth, while the foot brings cedar, earth and some spice. The pre-light draw brings cedar and stone fruit sweetness, along with a mid-level spiciness on my lips.
John: The Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro comes in cellophane. It has a UPC sticker with the cigar information, which tears when opened. The cigar is double-banded, with Pints With Aquinas as the primary band and a secondary band featuring the Roman numerals II. I weighed the cigar at 17.5 grams. I measured the humidity at 65.8% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included mustiness, sweet raisin tobacco and aged cedar, and those were essentially the same aromas coming from the foot.

Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with earth, toasted oak, cocoa powder and some black pepper. At a half inch in, a cardboard note joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the cocoa powder is now very mellow. The retrohale is toasted oak, cardboard and earth. At an inch and a quarter, the mellow black pepper has departed. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with cardboard in the middle of the profile and some cocoa powder in the background. The strength was right at medium.
John: The first third gets things going with a mild combination of nuts and wood. Through the retrohale, spices and wood combine with the spices lingering on the post draw, building in intensity from an initial light-plus level. Sweet tobacco notes move into the retrohale as the first third settles in, taking on richness and complexity. Dark roast coffee and earth join the finish as the first third continues.

Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth becomes even with the toasted oak up front. At a half inch in, the cardboard departed. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth. At an inch and a half in, the toast level increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with some cocoa powder in the background. The strength remains at medium.
John: Cream, earth and dark roast coffee take the lead in the second third, with earth making up the post draw. Medium-strength coffee and earth continue to define the profile as the cigar progresses toward the halfway point.

Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level has become pretty heavy. The retrohale remains toasted oak and earth. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and earth remain even up front with some cocoa powder in the background. The strength remained at medium.
John: Creamy wood moves the cigar into the last third with medium-minus earth to finish into the post draw. Baking spices combine with wood through the retrohale at medium strength. Through the bottom half, earth is leading off with hints of coffee.

Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight through the first half of the cigar, and then it went out unexpectedly, requiring a re-light. After that, it was a bit wavy the rest of the way. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
John: Some waviness to start, leading to an uneven burn that required a touch-up to correct. The burn was wavy in the second third. The cigar went out on me in the last third, requiring a re-light.

Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro

Draw

Aaron: The draw was pretty snug throughout, but I don’t think it led to the cigar going out.
John: I measured the draw at 40 inches of water with the CigarMedics Draw Machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be perfect.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with earth, toasted oak, cocoa powder and some black pepper. Some cardboard joined in pretty quickly and later the cocoa powder mellowed. Then, the black pepper departed. The second third saw the earth become even with the toasted cedar up front. Then the cardboard departed and the toast level increased. The final third saw the toast level become pretty heavy. The Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted oak and earth. By the second third, it was a pretty basic profile and very linear the rest of the way. Not a very exciting flavor profile, very basic. Not a cigar I’d see myself coming back to.
John: The Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro started off with some promise, offering a nice mix of nuts, wood, and a gradually building spice profile that showed flashes of richness as sweet tobacco and dark roast coffee came into play. Unfortunately, after that initial momentum, the cigar settled into a more linear experience. The second and final thirds were dominated by earth and coffee with a drier profile overall, never quite recapturing the complexity of the opening. Burn performance required both a touch-up and a re-light, which didn’t help the trajectory. While the draw was excellent, the cigar ultimately delivered a mostly average experience with a strong opening but a declining finish. The total smoking time was 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.25

Cost/Point

$2.76

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.90

Cost/Point

$2.46

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Chesterton and Co. Pints with Aquinas Toro