Stogie Guys Free Newsletter

Subscribe today for a chance to win great cigar prizes:


Presented by:

Cigar Review: Charter Oak Maduro Toro

12 Aug 2019

Last month I reviewed the Charter Oak CT Shade, Nicholas Melillo’s attempt at an affordably priced cigar for any time of day. I found it to have a pleasant, straightforward, mild- to medium-bodied profile of cream, white pepper, peanut, and café au lait. The “unchanging, unpretentious” taste, however, tends to overstay its welcome, especially in the large Grande (6 x 60) format. So I settled on an OK score of three stogies out of five and decided I needed to try some of the other sizes.

Before I do that, though, today I am reviewing the Maduro version of Charter Oak. Like the CT Shade, it honors Melillo’s home state of Connecticut. It is named for The Charter Oak, an “unusually large white oak tree growing on Wyllys Hyll in Hartford, Connecticut… from around the 12th or 13th century until it fell during a storm in 1856,” reads a Wikipedia article. “According to tradition, Connecticut’s Royal Charter of 1662 was hidden within the hollow of the tree to thwart its confiscation by the English governor-general. The oak became a symbol of American independence and is commemorated on the Connecticut State Quarter.”

The Foundation Cigar Co. website provides more color: “Charter Oak cigars hail from the same fertile valley in Connecticut that native son and master blender… Nick Melillo was born and raised. [They] feature some of the most prized and sought-after Cuban-seed leaf varieties from the exquisite Estelí and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua.”

The filler may be Nicaraguan, and the binder Habano, but the centerpiece of the blend—the wrapper—is a dark, mottled Connecticut Broadleaf (Charter Oak CT Shade, as you might have guessed, has a golden Connecticut Shade wrapper; it swaps the Habano binder for Sumatra). Five Maduro sizes are available, all made at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua: Toro (6 x 52), Grande (6 x 60), Lonsdale (6.25 x 46), Petit Corona (4.25 x 42), and Rothschild (4.25 x 50).

The Toro retails for $5.50, which makes it wonderfully affordable. From looks alone, though, you wouldn’t guess this is a value-oriented smoke. The closed foot, seamless wrapper, and handsome cap suggest a higher price point. One exception is the band; while attractive in color and design, it has no raised lettering and a minimalist approach.

After toasting the closed foot and establishing an even burn, pre-light notes of cocoa powder transition to a taste of earth, leather, black coffee, and warm tobacco. The draw is open, and there’s ample black pepper spice on the finish. The texture is gritty and dry. There’s a cherry-like sweetness on the retrohale.

That sweetness comes and goes as the Toro winds its way down, but the other core flavors remain consistent from light to nub. All the while the construction does just fine. The burn isn’t perfect, but it also doesn’t require any touch-ups to stay even. The ash holds pretty well. The draw is smooth. And the smoke production is solid.

Whereas I grew tried of the CT Shade Grande due to the combined effect of an unwavering, simplistic taste and large, thick format, the Maduro Toro is more interesting and more appropriately sized. For the money, it’s a rather nice value. I’d absolutely keep a stash of these on hand for the golf course or a barbecue. That’s ultimately why I’m settling on a score of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

One Response to “Cigar Review: Charter Oak Maduro Toro”

  1. Stan Walker Friday, August 16, 2019 at 10:58 pm #

    The maduro is my favorite for sure. An excellent cigar at a value price. Pretty nice indeed. Thanks for the review.