Stogie Reviews: Te-Amo Dominicana Blend Toro

I have yet to be impressed by a cigar that bears the Te-Amo name. With lackluster performances from the Nicaragua Blend and the Cabinet Selection lines, let’s just say this Altadis brand hasn’t exactly relieved my skepticism of Mexican tobacco.

But I need to give Te-Amo a fair shot. After all, my experience with the standard Mexican puro series is very limited. And with the economy the way it is, I owe it to my wallet to see if anything from this value brand is worthwhile.

So I recently tried several samples from the Dominicana Blend, part of Te-Amo’s World Selection Series. This line debuted at the 2007 IPCPR trade show (then the RTDA) in an effort to improve and diversify the brand’s portfolio. According to Altadis’ marketing, it is “where the great tastes of the world’s premier tobacco-growing nations come together in one magnificent collection of truly fine cigars.”

The World Selection Series includes four different country-named blends: Cuba (criollo), Honduras (corojo), Nicaragua (criollo), and Dominicana (Connecticut shade). All four feature Mexican San Andreas binders, which is where these cigars are crafted by the Turrent Family.

The six inch by 54 ring gauge Dominicana Toro is fairly attractive for a cigar that sells for around $3 apiece. It has few veins, a healthy sheen, and delicate pre-light notes of hay and grass. Noticeably soft to the touch and easy on the draw.

It opens with a full, somewhat coarse flavor of salt, dry wood, and spice. I was expecting a much milder profile given the Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler combination. The early sandiness of the ash also caught me off-guard, as it has a tendency to suddenly separate from the foot before the first half inch is through.

At this point, I noticed the resting smoke’s aroma was a good deal more appealing than the cigar’s actual taste. Fortunately, the flavor starts to mirror those scents into the second third with more of a creamy, nutty characteristic. Some bitter, medicine-like tastes crop up from time to time, though. And the combustion qualities—including a burn that requires several touch-ups to keep even—leave much to be desired.

Despite its faults, this mild cheapie has its place; it may be well-suited to complement a slow day on the golf course or a weekend afternoon in the yard. Just don’t expect the Te-Amo Dominicana Blend Toro to wow you with complexity or charm. For that, it deserves two and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys