Aaron Loomis

 John McTavish

Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Chesterton and Co. Toro is light brown with hints of green and carries some thick, raised veins and a fine grit sandpaper feel. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. There are two bands, both in a deep blue and gold color combination. The primary has the silhouette of G.K. Chesterton and name of the retail shop while the secondary carries the signature of G.K. Chesterton. The aroma from the wrapper is a mellow mix of cedar and earth, while the foot brings stone fruit sweetness, cedar and mild spice. The pre-light draw brings airy cedar and faint floral notes along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
John: The Chesterton and Co. Toro comes in cellophane and includes a UPC sticker with the cigar size printed on it. The UPC tears when the cellophane is opened. There is a primary band with the silhouette of a man and a secondary thin band with what I believe reads “CK Chesterton” in cursive. I weighed the cigar at 14.9 grams and measured the humidity at 54.2% with the Cigar Medics Humidimeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included mild, musty dry wood with aged tobacco underneath. From the foot, I detected hay and mild tobacco.

Chesterton and Co. Toro

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a full bodied mix of toasted oak, black pepper and earth. At a quarter inch in, the pepper and earth mellow slightly. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and lightly zingy black pepper. At an inch in, the earth picks up to become even with the toasted oak up front. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with the black pepper not too far behind. The strength was slightly above medium.
John: The first third begins with a combination of dry wood and tobacco as mildly tannic wood makes up the finish and post draw. Mild spices quickly move into the center of the retrohale. As the first third settles in, toasted nuttiness moves into the retrohale as well. Mild bread and tobacco sweetness join the retrohale as the cigar progresses toward the halfway point.

Chesterton and Co. Toro

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, some minerality joins the profile. At a quarter inch in, some creamy leather joins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth with some creamy leather. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth remain even up front, with the black pepper now in the middle of the profile and creamy leather just behind. There is some minerality in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
John: The second third kicks things off with a combination of sweet bread and wood, with mildly tannic wood present on the finish. Toasted nuttiness returns on the retrohale as the cigar continues. Mild baking spices round out the profile as the second third develops, while sweet tobacco begins to carry the profile approaching the halfway mark.

Chesterton and Co. Toro

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level increases a bit. At half an inch in, the toast level is now pretty heavy. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth with lightly zingy black pepper and some light creamy leather. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper increases a bit. At an inch and a quarter, the heavy toast transitions to a decent level of char. As the cigar wraps up, the charred oak and earth are even up front, with the black pepper a bit behind and some creamy leather and minerality in the back half of the profile. The strength bumped up to medium-full.
John: The final third starts with sweet and musty wood, with mild tannic wood on the finish and a delayed mild spice joining the post draw. As the last third settles in, the tannic wood on the finish increases to medium strength. Bitterness develops on the finish but fades after a few purges. Sweet tobacco and mild nuts pair with tannic wood on the finish to carry the cigar to its conclusion.

Chesterton and Co. Toro

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy throughout and the cigar went out once in each third, requiring re-lights.
John: The burn was straight through the first third but became wavy in the second. The cigar went out in the second third, requiring a re-light. In the final third, the burn formed a canoe that required a touch-up.

Chesterton and Co. Toro

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
John: I measured the draw at 54 inches of water with the Cigar Medics Draw Tester. Subjectively, I initially found it 1-½ to 2 notches towards the resistant spectrum, which would rate as Very Good. However, by the end of the first third the draw opened up to just one notch towards the resistant side, putting it in the ideal range and earning an Amazing rating.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a full bodied mix of toasted oak, black pepper and earth. The pepper and earth mellowed fairly quickly and later the earth picked up to become even with the toasted cedar up front. The second third saw some minerality and creamy leather join in. Later the black pepper mellowed a bit. The final third saw the toast level increase throughout and end up with a mid-level char. The black pepper also increased a bit. The Chesterton and Co. Toro had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the toasted and later charred oak and earth. The supporting notes were pretty consistent, but didn’t do enough to elevate the profile. The burn issues may have played a role in the flavor profile never becoming enhanced. Overall, not a very exciting cigar and not one I’d see myself returning to.
John: The Chesterton and Co. Toro delivered its best performance in the first third, where dry wood, spices, toasted nuttiness and sweet tobacco offered nice interplay. The second and final thirds leaned heavier on tannic wood and earthier components, with bitterness creeping in before purging helped correct it. Construction showed some challenges with re-lights and touch-ups, but the draw was excellent once it opened up. Overall, this was an average smoking experience that I’d be unlikely to seek out in the future. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.35

Cost/Point

$2.71

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$2.50

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Chesterton and Co. Toro