Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is a medium brown with some darker marbling. The seams are barely visible and smooth. The head appears to have two caps with a wrinkle on one side. The band is primarily red with gray artwork and lettering. The cigar feels very light in the hand. The aroma from the wrapper is a light barnyard while the foot gives a slight tobacco sweetness. The pre-light draw gives the same slight tobacco sweetness that I got from the foot aroma.

Pre-light Experience

The Kuuts Roadking Toro has a medium brown, Colorado Claro shade wrapper. The cigar is lumpy with veins roughly pressed and seams visible. Bunch and roll feels tight, with barely any give. The head is finished off with a thick double cap. Nosing the wrapper tells wet earth and faint white pepper. Nosing the foot gives dry wood, wet earth and slight barnyard. Cold draw reveals dry cardboard and subtle white pepper.

First Third

Initial draws bring a dark woodiness and the retrohale carries the same dark woodiness along with a pepper zing. At a half inch in, the woodiness becomes a little more well rounded and the pepper leaves the retrohale leaving the smooth woodiness. At an inch in, I begin to get a subtle nuttiness that joins in with the wood. At an inch and a half, a little bit of black pepper joins in with the wood and subtle nuttiness. As the third comes to a close, the profile goes back to a slightly dark wood only. The strength in this third was just above medium.

First Third

First third’s flavors brings forth a mixture of unique and familiar notes. Flavors of dry cardboard, deep oak, gaminess, slight char and balanced black pepper spice. Also, a spoiled sour citrus is intermingled in an intermittent manner. Through retrohaling, deeper black pepper spice, bread and stale dry nuts. The finish lingers quite long with stale mixed nuts, dry cardboard, balanced black pepper and lightly charred wood. In terms of body and strength, medium.

Second Third

This third continues on with the dark woodiness profile. At three quarters of an inch in, some black pepper reappears in the background and is now part of a long finish. At an inch in, some cream joins the mix of dark woodiness and pepper. The retrohale is a mix of the dark wood and black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the pepper ramps up and pushes the woodiness to the background. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third’s profile is namely centered around dry cardboard, slight char and faint black pepper. The retrohale picks up creamed mixed nuts and sharp cedar in addition to the pre-existing deeper black pepper. The finish consists of stale mixed nuts, dry cardboard, balanced black pepper and dry oak. Body and strength continues its medium stride.

Final Third

As this third begins, the pepper is still dominant with wood in the background and a little bitterness has joined in as well. The retrohale is an even mix of wood and pepper. At a half inch in, the wood becomes even with the pepper. At an inch in, the wood increases a bit more to become slightly more dominant than the wood while the bitterness mellows a bit and is just in the background. As the cigar comes to a close, the dark woodiness continues to increase while the pepper fades more into the background with a slight bitterness. The strength in this third was medium-full.

Final Third

The last third gives more of the stale factors, with dry cardboard, slight char, stale bread and baking spices. The retrohale remains unchanged from the second third, still providing deeper black pepper, creamed mixed nuts and sharp cedar. The finish is made up of stale mixed nuts, dry cardboard, balanced black pepper and dry oak. Strength and body finishes at the medium mark.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy, but never needed a touch-up. Ashes held on in one inch increments.

Burn

The one set back of the burn was a major touch up required within the first third. A quarter of the ring gauge refused to burn, causing a significant cherry that never truly let off. All ashes were self tapped, averaging 1.5 inch increments. Total smoking time was good, clocking in at 2 hours.

Draw

The draw had just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The flavor profile was pretty standard with mostly dark woodiness and some pepper. Not a lot of transitions other than the ratios of each flavor. Construction was fantastic which was a plus. Strength was medium and above, so most smokers should be OK smoking this. If you like a dark woody profile with some pepper, this might really fit your wheelhouse and the price point is pretty good, so that may be something that also attracts buyers. I just need more from a cigar, so I’m not sure that I would seek these out.

Draw

The draw was slightly tight for my liking. Not a big concern as all flavors were tasted with no concerns or having much thought on the draws.

Overall

I found the Roadking to have a mix of interesting and unique flavors I rarely taste in cigars, especially in the form of dry cardboard and staleness of flavors. But uniqueness in this case did not warrant a cohesive flavor profile. Compounded by the burn issues, this was an average experience for me.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.87

Cost/Point

$1.31

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$1.43

Scoring System