Let's cut straight to this Dominican-made torpedo with Connecticut Shade wrapper. At $15 per stick (box of 20 for $306), the 6x50 belicoso feels like a luxury cigar that forgot to be pretentious. Grupo de Maestros rollers clearly had afternoon tea in mind when blending these - medium-bodied smoke that won't knock over your whiskey glass.
The Connecticut wrapper delivers instant cashew butter sweetness. Retrohale shows white pepper sneaking through what's essentially a liquid pastry - think croissant flakes dissolving in café con leche.
Cedar planks emerge, but the Peruvian filler keeps things creamy. Construction holds firm with 1/2" ash stability. Watch for subtle salinity that pairs oddly well with sparkling water.
Dominican tobacco flexes muscle with leather accents, though never crosses into full-bodied territory. Slight tar buildup at last inch suggests 55-minute sweet spot before diminishing returns.
Rolled in Tabacalera de García's humidity-controlled facilities, these blend Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut leaf with Dominican Olor fillers. The "Vintage" tag comes from 18-month aging - enough to smooth edges but still approachable for newcomers.
