Stogie Reviews: Butera Vintage Select Toro

8 May 2007

Back in September I reviewed a Butera from the Royal Vintage line. Overall, it was fairly pleasing, but the flavor was too subtle and the physical properties were too burdensome to merit my full approval.

My experience with the Vintage Select line – a six inch by 52 ring gauge Toro – would be much more pleasurable.

At first glance, it reminded me of the excellent, but unattractive, Alonso Menendez and Dona Flor brands by Brazil Cigars & Tobacco. Not surprising given that, like those two treasures, this stick sports a dark and coarse Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. Those leaves are notoriously unappealing (especially to the average aesthetically obsessed American smoker), but also sweet, rich, and full-flavored.

And that’s just what I got after I lit up: an irresistible mixture of deep chocolate notes. That pleasing and rustic cocoa taste was maintained well into the second half of the smoke, where it was joined by a spicy pepper flavor. Otherwise, the taste remained consistent.

On the palate, it’s worth noting that the Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Jamaican filler tobaccos hit the salt, bitter, and sweet locales of the tongue fairly evenly, rendering this a noble smoke.

On top of these excellent flavors, this cigar also scores far better on construction than its Royal Vintage cousin. It has no tendency to go out at will, and it sustains an even burn, a sturdy ash, and a clear draw for well over an hour. Just what a smoker needs to concentrate on the first-rate flavors.

In all, this stogie sports characteristics than a $10-15 cigar would be proud of. I picked up mine for just under $8 – and I won’t hesitate to pick up more soon. For reaffirming my confidence in Butera, I give the Butera Vintage Select Toro four out of five stogies.