EL PARADIS Toro, corona gorda (6x52), maduro. Honduras.
This dark cigar feels like an oak peg, hard enough to sharpen and commit vampirecide. That can mean it was well aged after rolling. In this age of hastily marketed, mushy cigars, I like finding one that’s had time to firm up.
True to its promise, the cigar draws well and has no youthful sour notes. It smokes mild to medium, yet very rich. The Dominican and Jamaican filler make up a soft-flavored core with very dense smoke. The Mexican binder adds some snap and texture to all this softness, and the Connecticut maduro binder tops it off with some barely sweetened dark chocolate.
Some cigars stay lit forever and like to go slow, this one doesn’t. It likes attention, so nervous or greedy smokers will love it. You really need to keep at it to keep it burning right.
Port brings up the smoke’s lush softness with dark wood. Cognac blends well in a general way, as does bourbon, but this appears to be a wine drinker’s cigar. So I guess this a great cigar for type- A oenophile.
Due to the assiduous puffing required, the Toro finishes hot, its only fault. So you might not want to smoke this one down to the nub. Of course, in the interest of science and a complete review, I did just that. With a holder. The name on the band means Heaven, and for a half hour or so, I wouldn’t argue. After that, make sure your dues in the longshoreman’s union are paid up. It gets strong enough for anybody, and will take you to Heaven on the nicotine rush. About $4.10
3 Stars