For $33.75, this box of 5 Toros serves as a Nicaraguan flavor expedition in your humidor. Each 6x50 stick wears Ecuadorian Habano or Maduro wrappers - expect oily sheens and triple-seam caps. The sampler mashes up four of My Father's heavy hitters and the lesser-spotted El Centurion, promising anything but a monotone smoke.
The La Antiguedad starts earthy - damp soil and white pepper hitting your nasal passages. Draw resistance varies between sticks; the Don Pepin Black punches through with chili spice while coughing up cedar shavings. Watch the burn line on Jaime Garcia's maduro - that Broadleaf loves to canoe if you rush.
El Centurion's Criollo wrapper kicks in around the band point: charred oak and Cuban coffee grounds. The La Gran Oferta shifts gears unexpectedly - one puff gives baking spices, the next unleashes metallic bitterness when smoked too fast. Keep your retrohales shallow; ammonia lingers in the stronger blends.
Past the halfway mark, expect tar buildup in tighter-rolled sticks. The Flor de las Antillas copycat (they're not) in this blend turns saccharine - caramelized figs battling nicotine nausea. Pepper heads will ride the Don Pepin to nub, but most will ditch after 45 minutes when flavors muddy.
