Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro is light brown, with hints of green and has some raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps very well applied. The band is off-white, blue, red and gold and denotes the company name and line. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of cedar and earth, while the foot brings bread, cedar and light earth. The pre-light draw brings cedar, lightly soapy floral notes and earth along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro is a decent looking cigar. I don’t care for the band, but the wrapper has a nice light Colorado coloring. Light reddish hues with some soft faded brown coloring. The cigar is silky in texture, with the wrapper sporting minor veins throughout. There is a nice firmness with the cigar, and the wrapper has nice aromas of soft spices, wood, leather and tobacco. The foot has notes of sweet spices, cream, earth, tobacco, stone fruits and leather.
John: The Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro came in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space so that the UPC stays intact when it’s opened. I weighed this cigar at 16.3 grams and measured the humidity at 62.9 percent. For aromas from the wrapper, musty sweet tobacco and wood, and out of the foot, I was getting sweet tobacco, wood and hay.
Jiunn: The Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro has an even Colorado wrapper shade and shows some nice traces of oily content on the fingertips. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of ample barnyard and mixed nuts.

Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At a quarter inch in, the earth is showing great detail. At a half inch in, a light chalkiness becomes present. The retrohale is toasted cedar, chalky earth, lightly zingy black pepper and some faint chocolate. At an inch and a quarter, the chalkiness departs. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the detailed earth, with black pepper just behind the middle of the profile. The strength was just below medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with a distinct Honduran and Raices Cubanas flavor profile. Musty wood paired with some sweet tobacco. There are some soft spices present as well, which are more on the sweeter side of the spectrum, baking spices, and the finish is of earth and graham cracker. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco and red pepper flake that follows as wood combines in the center. All three components finish, carrying into the post draw with a delayed dryness to the wood lingering between each puff. A few puffs later, some mild astringency is present on the finish. The astringent wood on the finish moves up to medium minus as it continues, with musty notes moving to the center of the profile at light plus a few puffs afterwards. As the first third continues, sweet tobacco is leading off wood in the center at light plus strength with a mildly astringent wood to finish.
Jiunn: The first third has a great array of flavors. First off, pastry like butter and creamy sweetness, followed by cedar, mixed nuts and trailing soft minerals. Retrohaling gives spicy cedar and musky barnyard. The finish shows medium tannins with lingering minerals. Strength and body is medium.

Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper increases a bit. At a half inch in, the cedar becomes a bit stale. The retrohale remains toasted cedar, chalky earth, lightly zingy black pepper and some faint chocolate. As the third comes to a close, the stale, toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile. The strength has bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Musty wood and leather notes. Sweet tobacco is present with baking spices, and the finish is of rich earth and graham cracker. Like before, the cigar is medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy, musty tobacco, mildly dry wood in the center and that mildly dry wood carries through to the finish. As the second third settles in, baking spices have moved into the center of the retrohale at light plus strength. Once the cigar progresses to the halfway point, the dryness on the post draw has intensified, sitting around medium strength.
Jiunn: The second third shifts to more dirt minerals. The pastry-like flavors are still there though, which is needed to create harmony and balance of flavors. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth has become even with the cedar up front. At a quarter inch in, a light mustiness joins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth, lightly zingy black pepper and some mustiness. At an inch and a quarter, the toast level increases a bit. At an inch and a half in, some vegetal bitterness joins the profile. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with black pepper in the middle and some vegetal bitterness in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third is fairly in line with the first and second. The graham cracker notes become a little more prominent, and they are paired with warm baking spices. Stronger earth and tobacco notes are present with musty wood. Not as sweet as the first two thirds but still balanced. Like before, medium in strength and body.
John: Moving into the final third, creamy sweet tobacco leads off with spicy wood taking up the center at light plus strength as the cigar finishes with spicy and astringent wood. Mustiness returns to the center of the profile as the final third settles in.
Jiunn: The final third tapers off the sweet and creaminess, making it more one dimensional of dirt and minerals. To get a break from that, retrohaling is needed, as it gives the same bolder flavors. Strength and body finishes medium.

Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any intervention. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from beginning to end.
John: For burn performance, the cigar was straight through the first, second and last third a razor sharp burn through the entire experience.
Jiunn: Great burn construction, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool smoking temperature.

Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro

Draw

Aaron: The draw was a little tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: The draw was perfect throughout.
John: The draw was measured at 61 inches of water with the Cigar Medics draw machine. I approximated the draw at two and a half to three notches towards the resistance spectrum, which would get an average draw.
Jiunn: Great draw performance, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. Some light chalkiness joined in a bit later and then departed three quarters of an inch later. The second third saw the black pepper increase a bit and the cedar became a bit stale. The final third saw the earth become even with the cedar up front. Some vegetal bitterness then joined the profile. The Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro had a nice start, with a classic flavor profile that was nice to experience. As the cedar became a bit stale in the second third, the profile took a step down and remained that way for the remainder of the cigar. I was excited to see this brand get a relaunch, and the start of this cigar brought me back to what I’ve experienced from cigars from this factory in the past. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a cigar long experience, and I’m not sure I’d come back to this line, but I’m interested to see how the other offerings perform.
Seth: I enjoyed the Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro. I’ve always been a fan of Honduran Trojes, and the flavor profile of the blends that come out of Raíces Cubanas that are Honduran focused and medium in strength and body. I also like Ralph Montero as a blender. The cigar is balanced with a nice baking spice and musty wood profile. It’s somewhat of an old school blend, and it touches on a little bit of every quality. Sweetness and spice. The burn and draw were great throughout as well, and it’s an affordable and approachable cigar to any smoker. I think the cigars will age well and will also benefit from dry boxing as well.
John: The Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro was pleasant with moments of interesting flavor combinations but never seemed to rise above the average point. The burn was amazing while the draw had a snugness to it, well into the resistant spectrum. Pleasant, good price point, but nothing that allows it to stand out among other cigars that are available in the market. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 46 minutes.
Jiunn: Great price point and great flavors lasting through the majority of the smoking time. I love these combinations, especially when nowadays it seems like brands are pushing far too many ultra premium price points that don’t live up to the price tag. I can see myself smoking these Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro on a daily basis and enjoying them as either the first smoke of the day or the last smoke of the day. Please keep these coming.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.85

Cost/Point

$1.37

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.17

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.30

Cost/Point

$1.51

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.17

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Raices Cubanas Clasico Toro