Stogie Reviews: El Tiante Corojo Belicoso
23 Mar 2009
Despite missing out on the Hall of Fame this past year, legendary baseball player Luis “El Tiante” Tiant continues his quest to make hall of fame cigars. The former pitcher initially launched his El Tiante Cigars line with two variations, Natural and Maduro, and since has added a corojo-wrapped blend.
The El Tiante Corojo line was introduced at last year’s IPCPR trade show and was described as their most full-flavored release yet. While the company’s website does not yet include the Corojo (I’m told the update is in progress), I got the details of the cigar’s origins directly from Kevin Anderson of El Tiante Cigars.
Via email, he told me “the cigar is made with a Corojo seed fifth priming wrapper leaf, the country of origin is our little secret. The binder is a Sumatra seed grown in Ecuador. The fillers are all Nicaruagan. Half of the filler is all Ligero. Just like our Natural and Maduro, all the cigars are draw tested and aged about 90 days (usually more ) before they leave the factory.”
The “secret” corojo wrapper is medium brown, dry, and relatively vein-free. Pre-light, the Belicoso (6 x 54) has a sweet grass and herbal aroma.
Construction is impressive. The cigar is extremely firm to the touch and the cap is seamlessly applied. An easy snip with my Xikar cutter revealed tightly packed filler with a firm but manageable draw.
After lighting, I find a core of intense dry, woody cedar. The cigar also has the classic corojo flavor of sweet spice, as well as a rare, smooth herbal taste.
The profile is medium-bodied, with a short, slightly salty finish that undoes an otherwise balanced smoke. As it progresses, an earthier flavor settles in with some roasted cashew notes.
Like its Maduro and Natural companions, the El Tiante Corojo sells for the fair price of around $7 per stick—not a must-buy value stick but worth picking up. It’s a tasty cigar with great construction.
Most impressive is that the flavor is a unique combination of woodiness, herbal notes, and spice. It won’t be for everyone, but those who appreciate complexity and subtlety will find this cigar rewarding. For that, the El Tiante Corojo Torpedo earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
I haven't seen this in any stores near me. Since El Tiante is a Boston guy, are most of the stores that carry them in the Northeast?
Raul,
I am a Boston guy. These sticks are in a lot of New England stores. It does seem like they are expanding to places like Florida and other states. You can also go to their website and find places that sell them on-line. I personally love the corojo. The natural is a nice mild stick for the golf course or to smoke all day long
We do really good with the El Tiante Line, Great guys to work with! My personal favorite is the Corojo i like it better than most of the cigars out there right now- We sell them online if you are looking to purchase.