This box-pressed short toro surprises with its compact 4"x54 frame packing full-bodied Dominican punches. Priced at $148.50 for 15 sticks, it's the brand's boldest offering using their signature ALF sungrown wrapper. The oily maduro leaf immediately signals this ain't your average vacation cigar.
Black pepper blasts through the nostrils on initial puffs, mellowing into roasted coffee beans and damp earth. The dense smoke coats the palate with a slick oiliness reminiscent of molasses.
Dominican signature sweetness emerges - think piloncillo sugar mixed with cedar shavings. A mineral backbone keeps it from becoming cloying as the burn line holds razor-straight.
Cocoa powder bitterness dominates while nicotine buildup becomes noticeable. Ends with charred meat notes that divided our tasting panel - some praised the "campfire realism", others reached for water.
The ALF wrapper (A. Lucas Fuerte) sun-grown in Dominican's Cibao Valley develops thicker oils than typical sungrown leaves. Binder uses earthy Olor tobacco while filler combines Piloto Cubano's spice with San Vicente's sweetness - all aged in cedar-lined pools.
This toro proves Dominican puros can handle full-bodied profiles without Nicaraguan assistance. Best paired with dark rum to counterbalance its mineral edge. While not as complex as $20 sticks, it punches above its $10/per price for fans of earthy, sweet-spicy profiles.
